In Memoriam: Giannis Xandoumakis

Many thanks to Bob and Eveleen Wright for the following:

Giannis Xandoumakis -Treasurer of the Rethymnon Branch of the Greek Red Cross

‘Sadly, on 17 September, Gianni passed away, aged 79. We all remember his kindness and enthusiasm at our Red Cross Coffee mornings where he always expressed with deep emotion his appreciation of our fundraising efforts.

He was born in the village of Kato Poros, near to Lappa, and recently published a magnificent comprehensive history of this area. During the Second World War, his village was very poor and suffered great deprivation. These experiences moulded him into becoming a man of sincere compassion who did not want others to experience similar hunger and lack of decent clothing.

His working life was spent as a civil servant for the government Military Offices, and 12 years ago, he joined the local Red Cross branch, serving as Treasurer for the last 7 years.

Gianni visited the homes of deprived Albanians and other immigrants, as well as the Greeks, and these experiences led him to set up a local distribution centre for food and clothes. This inspired the Sisters and others in the Rethymnon branch of the Red Cross to take up his example.

He was a strict, hard worker with a great heart; a man of honour and a true humanitarian, who will be missed by us all. We extend our condolences to his son Nikos, and the rest of his family.’

Autumn Seminars at the Lykeio Ellinidon

The Lykeio Ellinidon (Lyceum for Women) has been running community education programmes for many years now. This semester a course of seminars centred round the theme of ‘Love’ will be led by Sofia Trilivas, psychology lecturer from the University of Crete. The seminars take place on Wednesday evenings, starting at 7pm and last two hours. This year the autumn programme is scheduled to run from Wednesday 7th October until Wednesday 16th December (check local press for confirmation of times and dates). Sessions, which are conducted in Greek take the form of structured group discussions. The Lykeio building is on the beach road near the old harbour, next to the Savodor Sandwich shop. Further information about the Lykeion Ellinidon may be found (in Greek) online at the www.lykeioellinidonrethymno.com website.

Publicising Community and Charity Events

We are happy to provide free listings for community and charity events in the Rethymnon area, both in the Bugle and on the www.rethymnon.biz website. The Bugle contact details and copy deadlines may be found on our This Month page. Listings for the www.rethymnon.biz website may be submitted at any time by emailing info@rethymnon.biz or by calling Luc on 28310 54594. And don’t forget the Rethymnon Coffee Morning Group on Facebook, too