Historical Overview:
In the late 1920s two Greek organisations were formed in Adelaide, the Castellorizian Brotherhood and the Apollon Society. There was, however, no large body that could represent the needs of all Greeks, liaise with government departments and establish a church in Adelaide. So a meeting was held at the Panhellenion Club, 122 Hindley Street, on October 5, 1930, at which the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia was founded. Within a year Adelaide’s first Greek school was established. In the early 1930s the community had just over 100 members. It was both a religious and cultural body.
Greek South Australians could not afford to build a church straight away. From 1930 Archimandrite Germanos Eliou held Greek Orthodox services at the hall of Holy Trinity Church near the Morphett Street Bridge. After much fundraising and hard work the Greek Orthodox Church of the Archangels Michael and Gabrielle was inaugurated in 1937. Metropolitan Timotheos Evangelinidis acted as priest and intermediary between the church and the community.
During the Second World War the Greek Orthodox Community continued to thrive. It participated in fundraising to assist the Allied forces in their fight against fascism. The community’s membership increased from 100 in 1940 to 275 in 1944. In 1944 the Hellenic Youth Club was established. After the war the Greek Ex-Serviceman’s Association and the Panhellenic Society were formed.