“Our People, Their Stories”: 365 Days, 100 Stories, A Treasury of Memory for Hellenism in Australia
On 15 October 2024, in the vast and multifaceted world of the Internet, a pioneering website made its appearance, one which soon acquired the characteristics of a “living” museum that “narrates” aspects of the modern history of Greece and Australia, with a particular focus and emphasis on the story of Hellenism on the fifth continent.
This refers to the website “Our People, Their Stories” (www.opts.org.au), an initiative of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, which preserves and highlights invaluable records from the period during which the Greek presence in Australia grew and flourished, through the narratives and testimonies of the very people who were the protagonists of that era.
“It is noteworthy that this entire effort does not merely consist in the recording and systematic written presentation of past events, but it constitutes a multimedia platform in which the personal stories of individuals are recorded, so that both the stories and the persons themselves may remain within a common memory.” With these words, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew outlined the distinctive character of the initiative, which he blessed and inaugurated during his Apostolic Visit to Australia in October of last year.
In the period that has elapsed since the Patriarchal inauguration, the “living” museum “Our People, Their Stories” has presented 100 personal stories of first and second generation migrants through video stories and podcasts, bringing to light an inexhaustible treasure of memory that was in danger of being lost to oblivion. These are stories that have moved and stirred audiences; stories that have taught and inspired the new generation; stories that have touched the hearts of millions of people from Australia, Greece, and every corner of the world.
On Saturday, 4 October 2025, the official celebration of the first anniversary of the “living” museum took place at the National Maritime Museum of Australia, in Sydney, in the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, the Minister of Culture of Greece, Ms Lina Mendoni, other distinguished guests, and several of the participants of Our People, Their Stories, men and women who have already shared their personal stories, adding new tesserae to the mosaic of the collective memory of Hellenism in Australia.
The contributors of “Our People, Their Stories” continue with zeal and dedication their mission of recording the migration history of the Greek diaspora of the fifth continent. The “living” museum is constantly renewed with new stories, both audiovisual and written, and promises its audience even more moments of profound emotion.
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