Our Daily Bread fundraiser doubles as defence line for parish facing redevelopment threat
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
More than 200 people — young, middle-aged, and elderly — filled the parish hall of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Presentation of Our Lord in Coburg, in Melbourne’s north, on Sunday at 2:30pm for a sold-out fundraiser supporting Our Daily Bread, the parish’s food-relief initiative. The area has been home to Greeks since the post-war era, but as rapid gentrification accelerates and pressures on services and housing grow, older community members say they’re feeling increasingly overlooked by council.
Community fills hall for sold-out fundraiser
The hall was filled with people and laden with gifts, and food for sale, plates of baklava and melomakarona, fresh sandwiches, cakes, and donuts, with tea and coffee adding to the festive atmosphere. Beneath Sunday’s warm celebration lay deep anxiety for the parish’s future. Every Easter, crowds spill across the car park and surrounding streets. Parishioners fear the redevelopment will overshadow the church, and eliminate essential parking used by thousands each year.
A petition urging council to “help stop Merri-bek from closing our church” has already collected more than 2,500 signatures.
Merri-bek Council’s draft redevelopment plans propose high-rise buildings over the church’s car park — a space that functions as the parish’s spill-over piazza on Megali Paraskevi (Good Friday) and Anastasi (Resurrection), and as a staging area for the Coburg Greek Festival. Parishioners fear the church will be dwarfed and Our Daily Bread operations severely affected.
State and federal MPs backs parish concerns
Father Leo stood alongside federal MP for Wills Peter Khalil, state MP for Pascoe Vale Anthony Cianflone, and Merri-bek councillors Helen Politis and Helen Davidson — both recent deputy mayors — making clear their concerns about the council’s proposal.
Speaking to Neos Kosmos, Cianflone said he stood with the parish.
” I stand with the church, I support the church in their calls. I’ve raised this issue in Parliament. The council needs to consult with the whole community, especially one of the number one stakeholders, and a longstanding anchor tenant of the Central Coburg, the Greek parish right here.”
Asked whether the Victorian government could intervene, Cianflone pointed to council as “the first hurdle” and noted “there’s a few steps before state can intervene”.
“This is council land, and it’s a council proposal,” he said.
Striking a conciliatory tone, he acknowledged that “to the council’s credit, they’ve put it out as a draft plan and have called for community consultation, now is the time for the whole community, especially the church to have their say.” He confirmed a consultation meeting will be held this Wednesday, which Father Leo and parishioners intend to attend.
Federal MP Peter Khalil highlighted the parish’s importance and said that “The Greek Orthodox community here is unique in its history and contribution. Our Daily Bread doesn’t just feed people — it nourishes them spiritually. We must protect the community’s place, history and future here.”
He noted bipartisan support, including from Liberal MP Evan Mulholland, and said the parish was “established… almost 50 years since, 1979”.
“That is the heart and soul of the community here and I see the inherent value of what this church does, not only for the parishioners, but for the broader community.
“Our Daily Bread – not just about food, nourishing people, homeless people, food, it’s about spiritual nourishment as well- it helps those in need, and the vulnerable.”
He added it was his responsibility, “to stand side by side with the church with the community to protect the community’s equities.”
“We need to protect their position in this community, their history in this community, their contribution that’s ongoing, the future generations of young people that are part of the church as well.”Parking remains the most urgent issue, Father Leo said. Two Orthodox parishes — Coburg and St Basil’s in Brunswick — appear among the most affected by the council’s draft plan.
Consultations fall short to-date
Father Leo told Neos Kosmos the parish “already had three visits from Council — two of them were before the plans and the drafts were made out.”
“We understand, we know people need affordable housing and the church wants to grow and serve the area. Yet, we made suggestions that have been implemented in other areas, but not here in front of the church. That was disappointing for us.”
He said discussions with council “did not provide and answers it was left, up in the air”. This prompted him to propose a petition, which the community embraced.
“We have a petition to let Council and we want them to know we’re a huge community, it already has over 2500 signatures,” he said.
“Look at the fundraiser… within days we had sold-out, we are a huge community. It’s amazing the support and community we have.”
He emphasised that Our Daily Bread supports “all those in need not just parishioners and not only Greeks.” The strong turnout, he said, has given him confidence.
“I am confident in the people you see in the room today – the parishioners, the Merri-bek councillors Helen (Politis) and Helen [Davidson] and our the local MPs, Anthony [Cianflone] and Peter [Khalil]. I consider these people here today, not as politicians, but as my friends, and as family, members of the parish.”
“We’re not asking for something unreasonable.”
Our Daily Bread fears loss of access
Our Daily Bread Manager, Sophie Koutoulas, said the service is “entirely self-funded” and has served “hundreds of thousands of meals since 2012”. She said newly elected Merri-bek mayor Nat Abboud “was invited to come today”.
“She declined, said she had some last minute, engagement but said she definitely knows who we are and what we’re doing, and that she wants to come out and see us.”
She reminded the community that “it’s a consultation phase and the decision is not cast in stone”.
“I think the plan put presented has been confronting for the members of this community.”
Councillors that are on the frontline
Merri-bek councillors, Helen Politis and Helen Davidson, are both strong supporters of the parish. Politis, is also leading opposition to her council’s plan to remove St Basil’s car park for a green space, said the Coburg parish is “a significant cultural centre”.
“It provides essential programs such as Our Daily Bread is — food delivery, drug rehabilitation, elderly care, youth groups, they church has Greek school and dance school — it serves the wider community.”
Former Deputy Mayor, Politis said “one can have social housing, green spaces and not undermine these important churches”.
Over-hearing the discussion, Khalil added that like Coburg, removing the car park at Staley Street was “simply unacceptable”.
“How are elderly parishioners meant to access the church? The community is reasonable — they’re saying, ‘We support a park, but not at the expense of the car park.’”
Former Mayor, Davidson said, “This community is the heart of Coburg. Without it, you lose what built this place to be the incredible community that it is.”
Father Leo on the battle-line
Father Leo, a steady salve to his community, is channelling a measure of the fiery spirit of his priestly forebears — the Orthodox priests and monks who once took up arms against the Ottomans in the 1821 Greek Revolution.
“We just want the parish to continue serving everyone — Greeks, Asians, Arabs, Maltese, Italians, Australians. We are a powerhouse in this area. And we expect to be heard”, Fr Leonidas told Neos Kosmos.
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
