For loving memory of Georgia Flaskas (22 June 1968-24 September 2025)

We stitchery today successful sorrow and grief.

Sorrow and grief don’t denote themselves, they don’t sound politely astatine the doorway oregon wait until we are ready. They tin get similar a storm astatine immoderate moment: sudden, fierce, and indifferent to however tightly we’ve latched our windows.

When Georgia passed away, the world didn’t extremity — but it did autumn soundless successful a way I had ne'er known before.

I met Georgia connected the 12th of February, 1989, successful Athens. From that very archetypal moment, we knew we were meant for each other.

She was calved successful Melbourne to Athanasios and Antonia Flaskas, with household roots successful the land of Kythera and successful Messinia.

Georgia was a dedicated teacher and librarian, giving years of work to schools crossed Melbourne — from Upfield to Diamond Creek, Lalor, Richmond, Lalor North, and astatine the Rowden White Library astatine the University of Melbourne.

Her nonrecreational beingness was marked by generosity, integrity, and a emotion for learning — a emotion she shared freely with some students and colleagues.

But 1 of the astir important things astir Georgia was that her contributions reached acold beyond the classroom.

In 1995, together with 4 others, we founded Barricade Books/Infoshop, a space for learning, organising, and absorption successful Brunswick.

She was a taste and a assemblage worker, a voice for those so often unheard.

In 1993, we co-founded the bilingual Greek and English vigor programme No Word Order connected 3CR Community Radio, where she was besides progressive successful the Accent of Women program.

Georgia during the Brunswick Women’s Theatre successful precocious ’90s.

She was a cardinal subordinate of the Brunswick Women’s Theatre, reflecting her heavy content successful the powerfulness of grassroots creation and community-led change.

Together, we took portion successful countless rallies, demonstrations, and actions — ever successful pursuit of a much just, compassionate world.

Her book, That Woman successful Black: Stories of Older Immigrant Women successful Moreland (now Merri-bek), stands arsenic a lasting testament to her committedness to amplifying marginalised voices — peculiarly those of women whose stories deserved to beryllium heard.

It is much than a postulation of narratives; it is an enactment of preservation — of memory, migration, and resilience.

Georgia was besides an avid traveller and passionate euphony lover. Together, we travelled to galore countries and places astir the world, and we attended countless concerts and taste events.

She was a woman of intellect, compassion, creativity, and an unwavering committedness to community, acquisition and culture.

I think I tin accidental this, arsenic someone who shared 36 years of emotion and concern with her.

Together, we tried to physique a location rooted successful respect, creativity, and activism and to walk connected those aforesaid values to our children, Elektra and Anatoli.

Those who knew Georgia retrieve her not lone for what she did, but for who she was, they retrieve her warmth, her quiescent determination, her wit, and her heavy empathy.

She gave her clip freely, loved fiercely, and lived with purpose.

As we accidental our last goodbye, we honour her spirit with the words she championed passim her life: community, creativity, and care.

Today, we explicit not lone our sorrow but besides our heavy gratitude — for the beingness she lived, the lives she touched, and the emotion she gave so freely.

There is simply a proverb that says, “Time is the champion doctor.” It suggests that clip is simply a earthy healer, that affectional wounds and hardships gradually slice and go easier to bear.

I don’t cognize if clip offers an implicit cure to pain, sadness, oregon disappointment. But Georgia’s story is my story — and it is present portion of your story, our story — due to the fact that her representation lives connected successful each of us.

Georgia Flaskas. Photo: Supplied

Georgia was a devoted teacher-librarian, served successful secondary acquisition for galore years supported and inspired her students with the aforesaid emotion with which she taught.

She was a euphony lover.She had a passionateness to civilization and nationalist discourse.

She was a mother.

Her lack weighs heavy connected us, yet her beingness will stay indelible, done her work, her kindness, and the emotion she gave so generously.

Gentle being of my dreams

Foaming wave of the sea

Fruit of a stormy breeze

Moon shyly walking by

A glimmer rising from the earth’s shadow

Sweet maiden successful the bosom of the sky

A multitude of stars greets you

With your radiant eyes successful my airy dawn

I would wish to overgarment your heart

Your senses, soft arsenic a caress

Your walk successful the euphony of rain

Your courageousness that makes your assemblage agile

Your hairsbreadth similar wildflowers

Your lips similar white lilies

I’d wish your stems successful my crimson songs

To regard astatine you until my eyes tally dry

To turn bold with a flutter

In far-off fields afloat of cyclamens

To consciousness your burning breath

To clasp the whole world successful my arms

Seeking the aforesaid flower

Dimitris Troaditis – Partner (From an unpublished poem).