A farewell full of love for Maria Vamvakinou

Friends, family, and supporters gathered astatine Café Patris successful Brunswick connected 23 September to farewell Maria Vamvakinou from her agelong parliamentary career.

Vamvakinou delivered her valedictory speech successful Parliament connected 10/02/25.

Though she is stepping down from national politics, the evening made it wide that her assemblage relation is lone beginning.

The meal was facilitated by assemblage advocator Maria Dimopoulos, who opened with a tribute that captured the value of Vamvakinou’s journey.

“The deepest of respect to honour you, Maria, a woman whose sanction and work has go synonymous with courage, conviction, and community,” Dimopoulos said.

“When you entered Parliament 23 years agone arsenic the archetypal Greek-born woman to bash so, you broke the soundlessness — a soundlessness that had endured for acold too long. And it could not person been casual to stand where you stood each those years ago.”

Dimopoulos reflected connected the barriers Vamvakinou faced arsenic a migrant woman successful politics.

“Even now, the halls of Parliament are not precisely built for women similar Maria, and surely not for migrant and exile women. But Maria carried the weight of large responsibility, not conscionable to bash the occupation of a parliamentarian, but to amusement that women similar us belonged successful those halls of power.”

She besides spoke of the pridefulness galore felt watching Vamvakinou navigate Parliament House: “I can’t tell you the pridefulness I felt seeing a Greek-born woman walk those corridors similar she owned them. Go sister.”

“Maria’s bequest isn’t conscionable 1 of representation. She didn’t conscionable get there, she made sure we each came with her. Time and again, she defended multiculturalism, adjacent when it wasn’t popular. She championed κοινωνικά justness when others fell silent. She became the voice of our corporate strength, particularly for migrant and exile women.”

Her work, Dimopoulos said, was instrumental for organisations crossed the colony assemblage similar the Settlement Council of Australia.

She helped motorboat the Harmony Alliance, was there done galore campaigns, inquiries, and crises, and led reports into migration.

From Greece, Varvara Ioannou of the Food for Thought Network described Vamvakinou arsenic “a woman of substance and a trailblazer… her vocation a masterclass successful meaningful representation.”

She recalled achievements from securing Medicare rebates for crab prostheses to advocating childcare reforms, multiculturalism, and inclusion.

But much than policy, she said, her bequest was personal: “She was ne'er a distant figure. She listened. She joined our conversations, adjacent connected Zoom during COVID, not arsenic a VIP but arsenic 1 of us.”

Former legislator Kim Carr besides gave praise, speaking connected her courageousness and consistency.

One exile woman recalled Vamvakinou joining a graduation ceremonial astatine Parliament House for women who had survived household violence.

“Maybe we don’t person a batch of transportation and we ne'er met earlier — but two years agone we had a graduation ceremonial astatine Parliament House for exile women, the astir disadvantaged, victims of household violence. We were celebrating, and Maria didn’t request to beryllium astatine Parliament House that day. But when she saw us walking through, she came and celebrated with us. She sat down, she listened to us, she encouraged us. She showed us the respect and the emotion that, successful 36 years successful this country, I had ne'er seen. Thank you so overmuch for that, Maria. Thank you,” she said.

Vamvakinou’s hubby Dr Michális S. Michael besides spoke, sharing memories from their shared travel successful nationalist beingness and offering his ain gratitude for the designation of Maria’s decades of service.

The evening ended with vocalist and composer Anthea Sidiropoulos starring the country successful her τραγούδι “I Am a Woman,” a fitting song.

As the applause rang out, 1 happening was clear: though Maria Vamvakinou’s parliamentary section has closed, her story successful the assemblage is acold from over.