Community & Philanthropy

Con’s Greek heritage is of importance to him. He retains close relationships with his cousins in Greece and he has been extensively involved with the large Greek Australian community (both in Australia and the USA) since 1970.

 

1960s

Con was a president of the Hellenic Youth Association in 1969 (later becoming a life member), 

 

In the 1960s Con was Chair of the Greek School Sub-committees and editor of HYA News and Hellenic Community News.

 

1970s

Con was treasurer of Floreat-Athena soccer club (1973/74), a pioneer of the National Union of Greek Australian Students (NUGAS, 1970) and from 1977 a member of the Hellenic Council of Western Australia Management Committee. 

 

1980s

While living in Melbourne - home to a considerable population of Greek Australians - he was on the Committee of the Greek Professionals Association of Victoria. It was through this that he met his wife, Rita. This was also the decade that Con began his long-term involvement with the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce. 

 

1990s

From 1993 to 2012 Con served as secretary of the Hellenic Council of Australia (WA) which furthered the interests of international affairs for Australian Greeks and Cypriots. Interstate and international collaboration led to his involvement with The Hellenic Initiative (THI) Australia Public Health Project. 

 

In 1995 he became a committee member of the Hellenic Community of Western Australia (HCWA) and served as Chairman of the school subcommittee. He chaired a subcommittee on the financial future of the HCWA. Con was also Editor of the organisation’s newsletter. 

 

2000s

From 2001-2008, Con attended yearly conferences in Thessaloniki of the SAE International Business Board, a body supported by the government of Greece to foster business and cultural relations with diaspora of Greek origin, as a representative of Australia He formed many friendships with American, Canadian and British Greeks. 

 

2010s

The George and Despina Berbatis Memorial Gymnasium at St Andrew's Grammar School in Dianella, Western Australia, was project managed and underwritten by Con and his Rita in honour of his parents. The family have been benefactors of the school since the 1990s and their philanthropy culminated with the donation of the seed money to build the gymnasium in 2014. 

 

International connections were continually fostered. In 2017, Berbatis assisted in the organisation and funding of a tour by Mr N. Larigakis, the President of the American Hellenic Institute (AHI), around Australia. In 2019/20 the Berbatis family sponsored a book published by the AHI of presentations made in the annual conferences held since 2003. 

 

2020

Con was elected to the position of Trustee of the Hellenic Community of Western Australia in 2018 and appointed Chair of Trustees in December 2020. 

 

In 2019 Con had become a major benefactor of The Hellenic Initiative Australia (THI Australia), a national, not-for-profit organisation facilitating and supporting Greek Australians and philhellenes to support recovery and renewal in Greece. Since 2014, the organisation had committed more than $1 million to a range of projects and programs in Greece run by their partner non-governmental organisations, focused on the four key ­impact areas of health, social services, education and employment. 

 

As of June 2020 Berbatis family’s pledge had provided more than 2,800 people with access to primary health care at the Athens Open Polyclinic. By February 2021 more than 5,500 consultations,1,700 medical assessments and 1,700 medical follow-ups had been conducted during the project.

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Con is also a former two-term president of the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia. He was first elected in 1991 and his second term from 1999-2003 culminated in his life membership. 

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Click here to access community reports commissioned by the Berbatis Family.

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