La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar AO today welcomed Greek Minister for Culture and Sport, Minister Lena Mendoni, to the University’s Melbourne campus in Bundoora.
Minister Mendoni toured the campus, visiting significant Greek historical collections and the La Trobe Sports Park, a key component of the University City of the Future, where she met with local community sporting club representatives.
The Minister viewed plans for the expansion of the Sports Park which will be home of the Matildas – Australia’s Women’s Football team – and which will be completed in 2023 in time for the World Cup.
The Minister also viewed items from a new travelling exhibition featuring items from La Trobe’s Dardalis Archives, documenting the strong presence of Melbourne’s Greek community.
The Dardalis Archives of the Hellenic Diaspora comprise a unique collection of more than 180,000 items documenting the migration of the Greek community to Australia. The collection is currently being relocated on the University’s Bundoora campus to ensure ongoing community access.
Minister Medoni concluded the visit at the AG Trendall Research Centre for Ancient Mediterranean Studies where she heard from La Trobe researchers on the centre’s significant collection of ancient Greek artefacts and materials.
Professor Dewar said that La Trobe is proud of its long-standing engagement with Melbourne’s Greek Community and was delighted to host a visit from the Minister.
“It is an honour to welcome Minister Mendoni to our campus and have the opportunity to share with her the many ways in which we are actively engaging with Melbourne’s Greek community, whether that’s through our research and custodianship of the precious Dardalis Archives, our modern Greek language program or through our world-sporting facilities and community programs,” Professor Dewar said.
Minister Mendoni said: “For 40 years La Trobe University has been one of the institutions that promote the Greek language and culture, in collaboration with the strong and creative Greek community of Melbourne.
“Greeks in Australia have maintained their ties with the homeland through language and culture and La Trobe has been an important factor in this, both through the modern Greek language program and the valuable Dardalis collection, which is a testament to the long-standing relationship of Greeks with Australia through sport,” Minister Mendoni said.
