February 20, 2014
Students perform at the official opening of the new St Nicholas Preschool and Child Care Centre.
There were distinguished guests galore (including Chief Minister Katy Gallagher and the Greek ambassador) at Wednesday morning's opening of the St Nicholas Greek-Australian Pre School and Childcare Centre in Yarralumla. But the most distinguished of all was Saint Nicholas himself.
He was there in spirit. An iconic portrait of the fourth-century Christian saint and Greek bishop of Myra (also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker) watched the 100 of us from its prime place on a table beneath the trees and beside the lectern. And although this was a joyous occasion (for the new school is a piece of pragmatic, co-operative wonderworking in its own right and there was much rejoicing among those who have seen it come to fruition), the haloed saint wore an expression of quiet concern.
Something about us, or perhaps about mankind in general, was furrowing his forehead with worry.
Meanwhile, on a hot and steamy morning, the forehead of the magnificently attired Father Petros Kipouros, who opened proceedings by singing prayers and biblical passages and by blessing the school, was bespangled with perspiration. Chief ministers can dress for the weather (Ms Gallagher was summery and spectacular in a dress of Raiders-green flowers on a black and white op-art background) but priests such as Father Kipouros do not have a summer wardrobe and whatever the weather must sport the whole heavy regalia of black and gold.
The new preschool, low and white and elegant and with room for about 40 children, has arisen on the site of the old one. That old one, operated by the Canberra Greek Orthodox community for about 20 years, was predominantly a kind of dear old shed that had become too small and shabby. The new building is largely the gift of the Hellenic Club of Canberra (with a contribution of more than $1 million) but also involved the co-operation of an array of businesses and of our city's movers and shakers, many of them honoured and thanked at Wednesday's ceremony.
Hellenic Club president John Kalokerinos, a wit, gave an amusing speech in which he said, with quite a straight face, that on this day when we were celebrating this new building we should reflect that, of course, ''the Greeks are famous for erecting buildings of significance''.
''I'm sure that in years to come this building will be classed alongside the Tower of the Winds in the Agora, the Parthenon in Athens and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion,'' he said. ''Of course, the Hellenic Club at Woden [for some aesthetes a monstrosity] already falls within that class.''
Proceedings ended with almost all of the tiny preschoolers (kept indoors and out of the sun during the speeches) being brought out to join in the karaoke singing of an exuberant Greek song.
There was much spontaneous clapping of hands and tapping of toes and so much general joy that it came as a surprise that Saint Nicholas, in his frame, was not joining in our merriment and was still worrying about something, perhaps about mankind.
