The History of the Lerian Club of Melbourne (formerly Lerian Brotherhood of Melbourne)
The Lerian club was formed by immigrants from the Greek island of Leros who settled in Melbourne. Leros is an island in the eastern Aegean and belongs to the cluster of islands known as the Dodecanese – the twelve islands. It is 53sq km in size and has a population of approximately 8000 people.
Historically, Leros was inhabited as far back as the 8th century BC and since then has been occupied by the Doric Greeks, Phoenicians, Persians, Romans, Venetians, the Knights of St. John, Ottomans and Italians.
After the conclusion of World War II, Leros was finally re-united with Greece and the rest of the Dodecanese on 7 March 1948.
On the 31st of January 1966 the Brotherhood was established by a core group of Lerian immigrants residing in Melbourne. They gave it the name THE LERIAN BROTHERHOOD OF MELBOURNE AND VICTORIA.
The small group of Lerians who instigated the formation of the Brotherhood back then were:
Mr. Evangelos Giannoukas, Mr. Ioannis Isihos, Mr. Ioannis Papadopoulos and Mr. Alexandros Karpathakis.
They subsequently enlisted the assistance and invaluable support of Mr George Tsoucalas, Michalis Giannoukas, Kon Frantzeskos, George Papadopoulos and importantly Mr. Basilis Remboulis, who provided administrative support by writing the constitution and registering the club as an official entity with the State Government of Victoria.
The aim of the Brotherhood was:
- To unite all Lerians of Melbourne and Victoria.
- To provide any form of assistance to members in need.
- To stimulate the mutual support of fellow Lerians in Melbourne and those in Leros.
- To encourage the social interaction between Members, in the form of dances, excursions, theatrical plays, and other events.
- To administer the collection of annual memberships, contributions and donations.
Nine members formed the initial committee. Elections were held every second year at the Annual General Meeting. In 1973 the number of committee members increased to twelve until 1998 where it was reduced again to nine members.
The club as a fundamentally philanthropic organisation cannot take part in any political activities and is bound to respect the laws and constitution of Australia.
Over time the LCoM charter has evolved, primarily the club decided to cease any financial support to Leros, as the island had become prosperous and affluent. Circumstances have also changed here in Australia with the introduction of welfare benefits, Medicare cover and many other community support programs. Consequently, the club found that providing financial assistance to its members had become unnecessary.
In 1983 a Youth sub-committee was formed by the next generation of Lerian Club members. Its purpose was to organise functions, social events, excursions and dances specifically targeting younger age groups. Additionally, a Lerian-Greek dance group was formed under the guidance of a professional Greek dance teacher. The dance group wore traditional Lerian costumes and performed traditional Lerian and other Greek dances at Lerian club functions. Unfortunately, the Lerian-Greek dance group disbanded to the discontent of most Lerians. The 1st of December 1991 was the last performance by the group in honour of the club’s 25th Anniversary.
In 1985 the Lerian Brotherhood became a registered non-profitable organisation Over its history the club has made many substantial donations to institutions and churches in Leros, broader Greek charities, and many worthy charities here in Australia. This philanthropic spirit is still alive to this day and is a major driver for fund raising by the club.
Significantly, club revenue and fundraising activities were redirected towards saving funds to acquire a property to act as a clubhouse for the Lerian Club. In 1989 a property was purchased on Williamstown Road in Yarraville, known today as the Lerian House. All the expenses were covered by the club through member donations and fund-raising events. This was all possible through the tireless work and relentless effort put in by the Committee members at that time.
In 1985 a regrettable incident occurred within the Lerian Brotherhood committee whereby certain committee members disagreed with the direction of the brotherhood. This resulted in a split within the committee whereby a number of committee members resigned from the Lerian Brotherhood and formed a new brotherhood under the name “Pan-Lerian”. This new club only lasted for a short time and subsequently dissolved.
In 1985 the Lerian Brotherhood became a registered non-profitable organisation (No. A 5601 CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION).
Moreover in 1986 the Women’s Sub-committee was established to organise functions that would financially contribute to the club. Their contribution substantially assisted with the Lerian House refurbishment costs.
In 1986 the Leros United Soccer club was established and became officially affiliated with the Brotherhood. The team was initially financially supported by the Brotherhood, but once sponsors were found the soccer club became self-sufficient. The Leros United Soccer club remains a highly viable part of the Brotherhood gaining moral support and financial support if required.
The Leros United Soccer club (was renamed Maidstone United Soccer Club in 2014) remains a highly viable part of the club gaining moral support and financial support if required.
The Lerian Club of Melbourne is a proud member of the Dodecanese Federation of Australia. Along with other Dodecanese based clubs, it takes part in various national celebrations such as the Re-unification of the Dodecanese with Greece on the 7th of March, and the National Day of Greece parade held annually on the 25th of March.
Since its foundation, the Lerian Club has been served by twenty separate Committees and Presidents. The Lerian Club’s initial membership was 80 members and rose to a high of 395 members. The club currently registers approximately 250 individuals and families.
The Lerian Brotherhood of Melbourne officially changed its name to the Lerian Club of Melbourne by unanimous approval of its members at the Annual General Meeting held on the 29th of May 2011.
Founding Committee of the Lerian Brotherhood of Melbourne
Giorgos Tsoukalas – President
Giorgos Papadopoulos – Vice President
Ioannis Isihos – Secretary
Ioannis Papadopoulos – Treasurer
Konstantinos Frantzeskos – Committee Member
Michael Giannoukas – Committee Member
Sakellaris Kostaras – Committee Member
Alekos Karpathakis – Committee Member
Zanis Koufogiannis – Committee Member
Presidents / Vice-Presidents (in chronological order)
1966 – 1968 Giorgos Tsoukalas / Giorgos Papadopoulos
1968 – 1970 Konstantinos Frantzeskos / Ioannis Isihos
1970 – 1970 Giorgos Papadopoulos / Konstantinos Frantzeskos
1970 – 1971 Sakelaris Kostaras / Konstantinos Frantzeskos
1971 – 1973 Konstantinos Frantzeskos / Sakelaris Kostaras
1973 – 1975 Matheos Mavrakis / Efthimios Hatzipanagiotis
1975 – 1976 Emmanuel Bouris / Nikolaos Klidomitis
1976 – 1976 Theodoros Bouris / Christos Kastis
1976 – 1980 Evangelos Giannoukas / Emmanuel Kiannies
1980 – 1982 Adam Remboulis / Theodoros Pavlis
1982 – 1986 Theodoros Pavlis / Ioannis Chrisoulis
1986 – 1988 George Bourakis / Konstantinos Giannoukas
1988 – 1992 Stamatis Nembotakis / Emmanuel Valsamis
1992 – 2003 Christos Kastis / Fotis Mavrakis
2003 – 2010 Fotis Mavrakis / Christos Kastis
2010 – 2016 George Bourakis / Fotis Mavrakis
2016 – Christina Mavrakis / Con Michailides
Secretaries (in chronological order)
Ioannis Isihos
Efthimios Hatzipanagiotis
Andreas Milonas
Thanasis Kariofilis
Epaminondas Kannis
Aikaterini Bergis
Anna Kastis
Kathy Chrisoulis
Melina Kariofilis
Christina Mavrakis
Anthi Alexandrou (Current)
Treasurers (in chronological order)
Ioannis Papadopoulos
Giorgos Kritikos
Konstantinos Frantzeskos
Nikolaos Klidomitis
Andreas Milonas
Stavros Kiannies
Thanasis Kariofilis
Konstantonos Giouzeppos
Vasilis Hatzigrigoriou
Giorgos Bourakis
Ioannis Giouzeppos
Anthony Barbounis
George Bourakis (Current)
Leros United Soccer Club Presidents
Miltiadis Papahatzakis
Christos Kastis
Stavros Ridis
Ioannis Sifounios