The Greek Press in Australia has completed a century of life. The first Greek newspaper that was released 100 years ago is still available under a different name and monthly circulation.
The first Greek newspaper of Australia was named Australis and its publisher, author and typographer was Stratis Venlis, 31, born in Egypt, of parents from Mytilene.
Venlis arrived in West Australia in 1904 and stayed there for eight years, when in 1912 he moved to Melbourne, where he released his newspaper in 1913, inaugurating in that way the Greek-speaking press in the Fifth Continent.
The printing house that Venlis founded was pioneering and important for the Greek community, with typography elements that he possibly brought from Egypt. In the printing house in question, where he conducted various typography works from the beginning, the first Greek book, the great “I Zoi en Australia”(Life in Australia), was documented in 1916.
Venlis’ newspaper was initially published in small shape and had four pages. Later, the newspaper’s publishing continued with 80 and 100 papers in circulation, which was a real challenge. However, Australis lasted. The newspaper survived World War I by making its publications rarer and right after it moved to Sydney in hope of better luck since more Greeks lived there.
Objective difficulties remained until finally,Venlis was forced to sell the newspaper to the priest D. Marinakis, vicar of the Sydney Community. The newspaper was renamed Ethniko Vima, changed three or four owners and is currently known as Vima tis Ekklisias owned by the Archdiocese of Australia.
The second Greek newspaper that was published in Australia was named Oceanis that circulated in 1914. The publisher was George Nikolaidis, of Cypriot descent, who migrated to Australia through Egypt in 1913.
Oceanis was the first Greek newspaper of South Australia circulating throughout the continent, even in New Zealand.
It is estimated that within the 100 years of history of the Greek Press in Australia, a number of nearly 110 Greek newspapers have been released.
During the last years the number of newspapers of the Greek Diaspora is shrinking and less than six circulate one or more times per week.
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