New South Wales

ORDER OF AHEPA DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE IN SYDNEY

CHAPTER ARETE NO. 3 & CHAPTER ARETE NO. 3 INC.

The Chrysanthy and Tessa Mallos Memorial Scholarships

It is with extreme pride that the members of Chapter Arete No. 3 of the Daughters of Penelope in Sydney, under the auspices of AHEPA Australia, announce the establishment of 5 Scholarships that are named, “The Chrysanthy and Tessa Mallos Memorial Scholarships” at NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) in Sydney.

The Chrysanthy and Tessa Mallos Memorial Scholarships,  BFA, Bachelor’s Degree – MFA, Master’s Degree:

  •  2022 BFA final year student of Hellenic background experiencing financial need ($16,500) for one year
  •  2022 BFA student of Indigenous background experiencing financial need ($50,000 over 3 years).
  •  2022 MFA (Directing) student experiencing financial need. ($25,000.00 over 15 months).
  • 2022 MFA (Writing for Performance) student experiencing financial need ($25,000.00 over 15 months).
  • 2023 BFA student of Hellenic background experiencing financial need ($50,000 over 3 years)

The Chrysanthy and Tessa Mallos Memorial Scholarships are a bequest from mother, Chrysanthy and daughter, Tessa Mallos, a NIDA Graduate in 1962 for Acting, administered by Chapter Arete No. 3 Daughters of Penelope, the Australian Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) which promotes the Australian Hellenic Ideals of Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, Family and Individuals.

Chrysanthy Mallos was an active and extremely dedicated member of Chapter Arete No. 3 for decades and was bestowed the title of Honorary Past Chapter President in recognition of her 10-plus consecutive years as Treasurer.  Chrysanthy firmly believed in the values and ideals of the Daughters of Penelope and AHEPA and her gift to Chapter Arete No. 3 is testament of her love for, and belief in, our Association.

Tessa Mallos was a highly respected actor and a lifelong activist. From an early age she showed acting talent and a love for theatre. Tessa was one of the first NIDA graduates and her acting career was launched by an appearance in one of the first Old Tote productions, Dark of the Moon.

During her successful stage and screen career, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam appointed her to the Theatre Board of the Australian Council for the Arts, and she was also a part-time member of the Equal Opportunities Tribunal and member of the National Population Council.

Tessa was also a tireless activist who fought for women’s rights, Government housing and Aboriginal land rights.  After being diagnosed with breast cancer, she also became an activist for advanced cancer sufferers, helping launch the National Breast Cancer Council’s guidelines in 2001.

Her mother, Chrysanthy championed Tessa’s career and made costumes for her early performances. In their later years, Tessa and Chrysanthy were active patrons of the arts, attending a multitude of film screenings and theatre productions together, as well as being active involved in politics and community affairs.

These scholarships will provide students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to study at NIDA while being relieved of some of the burden of living and study expenses.  The members of Chapter Arete No. 3 unanimously voted that at least 2 of the Scholarships be awarded to students from Hellenic and Indigenous heritages for 2022 and one student from an Hellenic heritage in 2023 for a 3-year degree.

NIDA CEO Liz Hughes said, ‘These exciting scholarship opportunities support talented individuals to undertake intensive study at NIDA by removing financial barriers. Our goal is to support courageous and inventive storytellers that are representative of the diversity of contemporary Australia. These scholarships will enable diverse Creatives to develop their voice and skills and be positioned to thrive across arts, cultural and creative industries. We wholeheartedly thank the members of Chapter Arete No. 3 for their support of NIDA and the artistic community.”

From the generous bequest of Chrysanthy Mallos, in addition to the 5 Scholarships established at NIDA, an amount of $20,000 has been donated to the AHEPA National Education Fund Inc.  A donation of $7,500 will be made to the AHEPA Medical Foundation at its breakfast event in June this year that will have professional speakers on the subject of “Sight”.

The Daughters of Penelope’s members in Sydney, under the auspices of AHEPA Australia, tirelessly continue their benevolent work in helping those less fortunate in our community.  The general community that benefits from our members’ work, is numerous, but briefly, the focus for the past few years has been supporting women and children in domestic violence situations by providing clothing and personal items.  Our members and their families generously donate clothing and manchester that is distributed to homeless folk and also to Newtown’s Greek Orthodox Church.  For in excess of 20 years, toys have been donated annually at Christmas to the Exodus Foundation for children with special needs. A donation of $1,000 in $50 vouchers was made recently to the flood affected residents of Lismore.

If anyone would like further information or are interested in joining the Daughters of Penelope in Sydney, please feel free to contact Mrs Penny Cretan, District Lodge of NSW President, on email pcretan@ozemail.com.au;

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http://www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/media/news_stories/2015/150610b.pdf