By Dr. Christos N. Fifis

In 2011 the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV) becomes 114 years old. The Community was established on 22 August 1897, in Melbourne, at the shop of Grigoris Matorikos, where a number of Greeks gathered to discuss the issue and bring over a priest from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem for the religious needs of themselves and those Arab speaking Orthodox people of Melbourne. Many people at the gathering promised various amounts, together with the promises of others who were unable to attend the meeting.

The Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria is a non-profit organisation and is recognised as the peak Greek organisation in Melbourne. Established in 1897 by some of the first Greek residents of the City of Melbourne, with its roots in the early in 1890’s, it is the oldest Greek organisation in Australia and the second oldest Greek organisation of the diaspora after the Greek Community of Alexandria-Egypt.

The formation of Greek communities in Australia echoes familiar patterns of migration followed by Greek nationals for centuries. Although records indicate that the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV) was established in 1897 evidence suggests that for years prior to this date the Greeks of Victoria acted in a coordinated manner.

In 1851 when gold was discovered in Victoria the promise of new wealth brought people to Australia from all over the world. Amongst this wave of immigration was a small community of Greek settlers ready to find their fortune. According to one of the first censuses conducted in Victoria in 1854, sixty-five men of the Greek Orthodox Church resided in the new colony.