The launch of “Greek Women of Influence, 1821 -2021” was a much anticipated event in the Greek-Australian calendar. It is the brainchild of Peter Andrinopoulos, vice-president of the Kalamata Society 23rd of March and one of the major projects of Melbourne’s Greek community to commemorate the bicentenary of the 1821 uprising.
The bilingual book contains the profiles of three hundred women from Greece and the Greek diaspora from various fields and walks of life. It showcases not only the achievements of women but, most importantly, their contribution to Hellenism and Hellenic ideas and values.
There are almost eighty women from Australia in “Greek Women of Influence” from the fields of medicine, business, politics, welfare, sciences, community services, arts, journalism and academia. Among them history professor Joy Damousi, former minister of health in the state of Victoria Jenny Mikakos, medical researcher Vasso Apostolopoulos, Pontian representative Litsa Athanasiadis, Alphington Grammar principal Dr Vivian Nikou, SBS journalist Dina Gerolymou, journalist and academic Helen Kapalos, Pronia CEO Tina Douvos, Fronditha chair Jill Taylor, and executive/engineer Martha Oplopiadis. 
Peter Andrinopoulos, who researched and wrote the bilingual book, said at the launch that the lack of the women’s contribution in history books has fascinated him since high school. This fact propelled him to start digging deeper into the facts, historical and emerging.
The bilingual book by Peter Andrinopoulos was launced in Melbourne. Source: SBS Greek/Dina Gerolymou
“Traditionally, men are venerated but women are left on the sidelines if they even get a mention” he said at the launch.
Mr Andrinopoulos used the occasion of the launch to speak of the women who influenced him and continue to support him by acknowledging his wife Dimitra, his mother Marianna, his sister Tina, mother in law Asimo, stepdaughter Victoria and niece Yahna.
The book was launched by Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, at Alphington Grammar on the 26th of June and was attended by hundreds of Greek-Australians.
Peter Andrinopoulos researched and wrote "Greek Women of Influence". Source: Facebook
Among the speakers was Jenny Mikakos, Victoria’s former minister of health and engineer/executive Martha Oplopiadis.
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