Mary Coustas honours Greek women’s resilience at Fronditha Care forum

Mary Coustas was the special impermanent astatine a Fronditha Care forum connected Tuesday, 4 March, successful Melbourne, successful honour of International Women’s Day. The event, attracted implicit 70 attendees from divers taste backgrounds, some men and women, anxious to perceive Coustas speak.

Coustas reflected connected the resilience of Greek women, “We travel from very strong women. Most of us are the children of formally uneducated migrants who arrived present with nothing.”

Coustas highlighted the economical success of Greek Australians, citing a statistic that Greeks, “percentage-wise, ain much spot than astir different taste groups successful Australia.” She roseate to fame successful the 1980s with her quality Effie successful Wogs Out of Work, Australia’s astir successful stage productions. Originally from Melbourne, her character, Effie, is simply a comedic and exaggerated archetype of second-generation Greek Australians from the 1970s, and is known for her malapropisms. The histrion went connected to property Greek migrant success to the “incredible achievements of single-minded parents who migrated successful the 1950s.”

“They near everything they loved and came to Australia for a aboriginal they couldn’t adjacent spot and look astatine what they achieved—they educated us, empowered us, and laid the instauration for aboriginal generations done their boldness and sacrifice.”

“I was raised with overmuch emotion and support” said Coustas.

Mary Coustas received a standing ovation astatine the Fronditha Care forum. Photo: Supplied

Coustas emphasised the resilience of Greeks, “As Effie says, ‘My parent wears the trousers—and washes and irons them too.'”

She spoke astir the value of unity among women, encouraging them to support 1 different alternatively than “throw each different under the bus.” She besides cautioned against relying connected politicians for change, stressing that women person the powerfulness to signifier their ain futures. Additionally, she warned against gendered power tactics such arsenic “love-bombing.”

Coustas shared a profoundly idiosyncratic relationship of her great-grandmother, who survived the genocide of Greeks successful Asia Minor successful 1922. Her great-grandfather died warring the Turks, while her great-grandmother endured the brutal decease march retired of Turkey.

“It was scorching hot. If you stopped, you were killed. She yet made it onto 1 of the overloaded boats,” Coustas said.

On board, her great-grandmother’s babe died, but she kept it hidden, hoping to hide the kid successful Greece. However, erstwhile a chap Greek rider discovered the babe had passed away, and they threw it into the sea.

“This woman mislaid her husband, her country, and her baby,” Coustas said.

Tragedy continued successful Greece. Her great-grandmother educated 1 of her three children, her son, who aboriginal died astatine 33. Then, her daughter-in-law fell successful emotion with different antheral who refused to take her children, leaving them behind.

“She near successful a equine and cart, and each clip the youngest kid saw one, helium thought his parent was coming backmost – 1 day, helium ran towards 1 and was tally implicit and died.”

Despite these hardships, her great-grandmother lived to 107, raising her remaining grandchildren.

Mary Coustas was the special impermanent astatine a Fronditha Care forum connected Tuesday, 4 March, successful Melbourne, successful honour of International Women’s Day. Photo: Supplied

“That’s the benignant of strength that runs done each of us, particularly the women successful my mother’s family,” Coustas reflected.

Coustas successful caller years has reemerged arsenic an writer and has honed her stagecraft successful producing successful one-person shows which veer from drama to tragedy, and are each personal.

She said that her caller one-woman show, This Is Personal, explores themes of resilience, weaving together her migrant upbringing successful Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Collingwood with her caller travel into precocious motherhood.

“I look astatine each the issues successful my beingness such arsenic being an older mother,” Coustas said.

The amusement features characters from her household who shaped her life, including her younger self—the miss who built the suit of armour the world knows arsenic ‘Effie’

In her code Coustas, touched connected galore subjects, the cardinal 1 being that strength being from perseverance and passion. She said she had small religion successful politicians to make alteration and said “there’s too overmuch authorities successful politics”.

After her talk, Coustas took questions from the assemblage and astatine the extremity she was met with rousing applause and a standing ovation.