Dear members, Arcadians, compatriots,
Serving the Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria ‘O Kolokotronis’ and its members as 2023-2024 President is a great privilege and honour. It is a great opportunity for me to express my love and passion for our 64-year-old Association but also a big responsibility.
As President, it is my duty to serve our Association with passion, integrity, respect, and honesty. I believe this is achievable as I couldn’t ask for a better executive committee and board members, which comprises of 2nd and 3rd generation Australian-born Arcadian descendants.
During the past 10 consecutive years as a board member, I have served as Assistant Treasurer 2013-2014, Vice President 2019-2020, and Assistant Treasurer 2021-2022. In these years, I have had the pleasure to meet and know our passionate, loyal, and founding members on a personal level. Each and every one of them has a story to tell about how this amazing club has managed to survive and become one of the most successful and well-established Greek associations in Melbourne and Victoria. It is our duty to see this continue.
The Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria ‘O Kolokotronis’, like other associations, is facing many challenges. They are related to two important factors:
- The ageing and loss of the 1st generation;
- The induction of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations.
My belief is that the role of the President of the Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria ‘O Kolokotronis’ should be proactive in creating new vision for the future of our Arcadian Association. That is why we need to embrace and encourage more of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations to join our club, participate and support our events. This is the key and our mission in keeping the legacy of this elite Association alive for future generations to come.
Remember please to be an advocate of the Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria ‘O Kolokotronis’ and have your peers sign up as members. We are looking forward to growing in 2023 onwards.
Your sincerely,
George Kotsirilos
President – Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria ‘O Kolokotronis’
Our organisation was formed in 1959 by new arrivals to Australia who hailed from the region of Arcadia in Greece.
Arcadia is a stunning region of the Peloponnese in southern Greece with immense natural beauty. High mountain peaks, lush forests, deep gorges and sparkling rivers contribute to its pristine natural environment.
The creation of the Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria “O Kolokotronis” took place on 13 September 1959. The inaugural meeting was attended by around 100 Arcadians and the founding committee drafted a Constitution for the Association. The formation of the Association included the goal of acquiring a freehold property to enable members to have social club rooms and create a library to ensure that their culture and customs would be preserved and passed down to future generations.
The Association bears the name ‘Kolokotronis’, after the hero of the 1821 War of Independence, and eventual liberator of Greece, Theodoros Kolokotronis, who was of Arcadian descent.
The aftermath of the devastating consequences of World War 2 and the Greek Civil War in the 1940’s which left Greece’s economy and infrastructure in ruins paved the way for unprecedented levels of migration of Arcadians to foreign shores. Many of the women and men who left their homeland in Arcadia in the post-war period emigrated to Australia.
The Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria “O Kolokotronis” was established to promote and advance the social, cultural, recreational, philanthropic and educational interests of Arcadian descendants who live in the state of Victoria. The Association aims to do this to extend good will and enhance harmonious living within the larger Australian Community.
The creation of the Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria “O Kolokotronis” took place on 13 September 1959. The inaugural meeting was attended by around 100 Arcadians and the founding committee drafted a Constitution for the Association. The formation of the Association included the goal of acquiring a freehold property to enable members to have social club rooms and create a library to ensure that their culture and customs would be preserved and passed down to future generations.
The Association bears the name ‘Kolokotronis’, after the hero of the 1821 War of Independence, and eventual liberator of Greece, Theodoros Kolokotronis, who was of Arcadian descent.
The Association’s home base is at 570 Victoria Street, North Melbourne. The building is an architectural marvel, built at almost the highest point of North Melbourne and featuring 360 degrees views of the city’s skyline and part of Port Phillip Bay.
The foundation stone of “Loco Hall” - as the building was originally named - was laid on 20 August 1914 and handed to its new owners, the Locomotive Drivers, Firemen and Cleaners Association Union.
If you look at the top of the building, the name “Loco Hall” is emblazoned in masonry and above the name there is a model locomotive. This is a model Class A2 steam locomotive which became the symbol of the Victorian Railways.
In 1939, Loco Hall underwent an Art Deco refurbishment with full seating for 800 cinema patrons and speakers mounted into the walls. But the advent of television in Melbourne in 1956 and the arrival of new “drive-in” cinemas contributed to the steady decline and disappearance of many picture theatres in Victoria.
While many establishments closed down, Loco Hall reinvented itself by showing foreign language films, mainly for the Italian speaking community. It was now called the Loco-Cinestar and this phase of the building’s life continued into the 1970s.
In 1976, the now defunct theatre evolved into the Marconi Ballroom and by 1983, the ground floor space was renamed “The New Marconi Ballroom and Entertainment Venue”, a facility for dances, discos, weddings and other functions including wrestling and boxing matches.
On 11 September 1985, the Association purchased the “grand lady” of North Melbourne and commenced an extensive program of refurbishment and revitalisation. Over the decades, the Association has transformed a sad and tired building to capture her past glory.
To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the building in 2014, the Association commissioned a publication to record and preserve the wonderful history of “Loco Hall”.
Today, the home of the Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria “O Kolokotronis” is a vibrant, inviting and dynamic reflection of a grand old Victorian building that promises a wonderful future and holds a special place in the hearts of its members.
Newspaper
The “Voice of Arcadians in Australia” is the bilingual newspaper published by the Association which is mailed to all current members of the Association.
Calendar
Each year the Association produces a calendar in booklet form for all members. The artwork which features on the calendar showcases the magnificent natural environment of Arcadia, its traditional architecture, significant landmarks, ancient historic sites and scenes of traditional rural living.
Books
The Children of Pan: Arcadians in Australia
The book traces the migration of Arcadians from their motherland to all parts of the world and in particular Australia, with a significant focus on Melbourne. It recounts and illustrates the survival years, the years of maturity and development, and narrates the splendid socio-economic and cultural achievements attained by these committed and determined Arcadian migrants and their children in every corner of this continent. Copies of the book are available for purchase at a cost of $85.00, by contacting us at info@panarcadians.com.au.
Loco Hall 1914-2014: The story of a North Melbourne icon
To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the building in 2014, the Association commissioned a publication to record and preserve the wonderful history of “Loco Hall”.
Download now.
The Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria “O Kolokotronis” is an Australian Public Company, limited by guarantee. The Association was established in 1959 and registered in 1979.
ACN: 005 610 453
ABN: 64 005 610 453
The Association is managed and governed by a Board of Directors consisting of office bearers and committee members.
PRESIDENT
George Kotsirilos
VICE PRESIDENT
Betty Dimitropoulos
SECRETARY
Angela Alexakos
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
Polixeni (Pauline) Haralabopoulos
TREASURER
Chrissa Kanatas
ASSISTANT TREASURER
Nick Psarras
DIRECTORS
Emily Kazakos
Nick Kazakos
Bill Papapetrou
Irene Giavas
John Dimitropoulos
Eleni Haritos
Jim Kyriakoulis
Konstantinos Thanopoulos
Sirmo Papaioannou
Committee meeting are held at the Panarcadian Association building every month.
Our Annual General Meeting and Elections (every second year) take place in November and are open to all members.
