Vasili Manikakis
By Michael Karadjis
and Kyrn Stevens
Family, friends the Greek community and the entire progressive movement suffered a tragic loss on February 28 with the death of Vasili Manikakis in Athens, where he had been living since last May. Vasili was 32 years old.
Vasili had been active in left politics since the 1970s, and over time had been a member of a number of political parties, as well as actively taking part in many campaigns and community movements.
Sensing the importance of the alternative media, Vasili got heavily involved in Sydney's Radio Skid Row when it hit the airwaves in the early 1980s. He rapidly developed radio skills and used them to promote many left, progressive and community causes. He later worked with 2SER and 2JJJ.
From radio he moved to TV, where he quickly mastered the skills and worked on Vox Populi on SBS. His last job in Australia was on the Dateline current affairs program.
Vasili was deeply committed to the Greek community, actively taking part in its political, social and cultural life. While taking strong stands on issues in the community, after heated meetings Vasili had the rare ability to sit down and have a friendly conversation with opponents.
He was very concerned about the rise of nationalism in Greece over the last two years. Sensing a threat to multiculturalism, he produced a Dateline program bringing together representatives of Australia's Greek and Macedonian communities in order to defuse tensions.
In recent months in Greece, he had been involved in the Anti-Nationalist Anti-War Coalition. Solid in his politics to the end, he had only recently sent a number of posters and books from this group to be distributed in Australia.
Vasili was an exceptional person who dedicated his life to building a more just world. His enthusiasm, political analysis and valuable contribution will be deeply missed by those of us who, like him, were unconvinced by the "victory of capitalism". He will also be sadly missed by his many friends, his family and his wife Vana.