Even though Evan Menis is Australian born, he holds a deep sense of pride in the Greek heritage he was born into and now holds dual citizenship.
Evans’s mother was born in a small town called Florina and lived in a nearby village called Polipotamo which is found in the North of Greece. Growing up, she moved between the village and Perth a couple of times before residing permanently in Perth at 22. She grew up speaking Greek and Macedonian, which was passed on to Evan. Although his father was born in Australia, he was heavily Greek because his parents were born there and did not speak English until he was in school.
Evan’s family comes from a village with a long history. The village to the North of Greece lies along the border of Macedonia and Albania. So, its people now speak Greek and Macedonian. Family gatherings can be exciting, with three different languages spoken at once.
“I enjoy having lots of languages around me because it helps me grow my understanding of the languages, plus I don’t get to speak it as much at home because my parents speak English”.
“The only exception would be when my Yiayia – my grandmother- comes to visit, and she would speak Macedonian to my Mum and Greek to my Dad, so I make sure to listen and take it in so I can remember as much as possible.” Evan said.
Family, tradition, spirituality, music, and food are all important aspects of Greek culture. Yiayia’s embrace the spirit of family and community, ensuring no one goes hungry and everyone is welcome no matter what. It’s a way to connect and care for one another on the human level, not the surface level, like social media.
Among the ways in which Greeks celebrate connection is through their name day. A name day is when all celebrate notable saint names such as Mary, John, and Evan. Evan’s Christian name Evangelios, is celebrated on 25 March and is among the largest name days in Greece.
People all over travel to a village and celebrate with food and music. In the North of Greece, each village has a designated Name Day that they observe, and everyone travels from Village to Village.
Evan’s culture has shaped him in many ways, but his empathy and care shine through in his role here at MercyCare.
“My upbringing has made me really aware of different cultures and how people around the world live. From zero to three, I spoke mainly Greek or Macedonian, so I can understand how people might find it challenging to communicate in English.
“Being the Acting Organisational Culture Lead at MercyCare, I emphasise through the courses I facilitate here that being different is wonderful and that coming together and sharing different values and beliefs is what makes us so strong.”
At MercyCare, we are committed to fostering a workplace that reflects contemporary Australian society and the communities we serve. As a workforce, we can speak almost 80 different languages, and more than 25% of staff have a first language other than English.
