THE President of the Republic Konstantinos Tasoulas performed tonight’s unveiling of the benefactor’s bust Alexander Goulandris to Nursing home to Andros countryunderlining his discreet, silent and generous accent, both to his homeland and to the fellow man.
As Mr. Tasoulas pointed out, “in fact no one knows all his offer and generosity, he was so modest, so discreet so concentrated in his sponsorships and donations, that I am sure that we know, those who know, if we add to her are a small percentage, Andros, to the Armed Forces. “
He also added that Alexander Goulandris “was the man who perceived the importance of economic power, not as a pleasure of his own or his family, but as a duty to the homeland, to the birthplace, against those in need.”
Following is the whole greeting of Mr. Tasoula during the ceremony of the bust of the benefactor Alexander Goulandris in the country of Andros:
“Today, Andros acquires a new adjective, we knew it as Hydroussa, today she is grateful. And don’t underestimate the power of gratitude. Gratitude is one of the noblest human emotions and the most difficult. That’s why it’s worth it. And to understand the value of gratitude and recognition, you only have to consider the depravity of unknowingly and ignorance.
So you are worthy of congratulations, because today, 8 years after the late Alekos N. Goulandris, here at the Nursing Home Square, you gathered, gathered, to honor the memory of a creative, generous, discreet and modest man.
“The Government Government of the Hellenic Republic, November 9, 2016, Issue Third, sex number 1,138, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: By Presidential Decree issued in Athens on November 4, 2016, on the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in accordance with the provisions of Articles 46 (2) of the Constitution (1) of the Constitution. The Senior Commander of the Order of the Phoenix to Alexander George Goulandris of Nikolaos, shipowner. The Minister of Foreign Affairs. “
That afternoon in November 2017, the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic of Ambassador Gennimatas, delivered the Senior Commander of the Phoenician to Alekos Goulandris at his home on Vasileos Georgiou II Street in the presence of his family and his family and friends.
He was deeply moved by the honor of the Greek state to recognize all that the mayor of Andros previously described. To recognize the Greek state, the Greek state, its own contribution, which it rewarded with a great value.
Today, ladies and gentlemen, we will unveil the bust of Alekos Goulandris, a Veros Andriotis, both from a mother and a father. And the Goulandris family and the Kondylis family are Andriots. The unveiling of the bust, however, will never allow us because of his deep modesty to make full unveiling of his offer.
In fact, no one knows all of his offer and generosity, he was so modest, so discreet so timing in the realization of his sponsorships and his donations that I am sure that what we know, those we know, if we add them, is a small percentage of generosity and generosity,
I was lucky enough to meet Alekos Goulandris through the late Evangelos Averoff, when in the mid -1970s the Goulandris family offered the Ministry of National Defense and the Greek fleet two coastal patrols and the name “Nikolaos”
Then, I had no contact with him for many years and we have been reconnected in the last four years of his life, from 2014 to May 2017, when he passed away. I was then Minister of Culture, then a mere MP, and I was lucky enough to be friendly to him for the last four years of his life, to understand that what the mayor said just before and even more word for word, letter to letter, is absolutely true.
He was the man who perceived the importance of economic power not as a pleasure of his own or his family, but as a duty to the homeland, to the birthplace, to those in need. He was not fascinated by the financial opportunity and prosperity, that he was a very well -off man for himself. And all this business performance, his business success, went to the family’s shipbuilding things to this beautiful generational relay far ahead of the start of his grandfather, John Goulandris, then his father, Nicholas, then his own, Japan, for the first time in 1957 to be present in the capture of one of the largest ships of the time named, if I am not mistaken, a Violanda. This man, therefore, at the same time perceived his own financial performance as a duty and debt silent and silent and discreet and concentrated towards his homeland, in his hometown, here in Andros, which is the Greek Navy of Greek Navy and Greek shipping and Greek shipping.
Athens Concert Hall 16, 2016, Berlin Philharmonic. Maestro Tugan Sohiev, piano Nikolai Luganski, Sergei Rachmaninov, Rahmaninov’s great work “Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini”, Shehrazad, “The Sea and the Sevach”, “The Saying”. A hysterical in the program of that great concert, and not only of this concert, took place many concerts in the last years before his death with great maestors and great musical ensembles. Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Japan Philharmonic, Philharmonic Orchestra with Paris radio with Zubin Meta, Sokiev, Gati, our great Kavakos, and in all the programs of these concerts there was a Divine Liturgy: His donation to remain anonymous. ” This overseas Greek was your compatriot Alekos Goulandris, who took care of the cultural upgrading of the country by moving at his own expense great musical ensembles, as I told you, which caused a huge feel to the capital’s musical audience. And he enjoyed these concerts, with a special connection he had at home, and when after the concert his family and sometimes the speakers, we returned was so happy about the success of the concert that this adult man was reminiscent of a smiling child.
As the mayor said in October 2017 the armored Averoff Crucifixion, the fear and terror of the Turkish fleet in the Balkan wars, the winner of the Battle of Ellis and Lemnos, the battleship, which excluded the Turkish fleet in the Dardano Constantinople with frenzy of enthusiasm, this battleship began its route, again after decades of 270 miles and went to Thessaloniki after 72 years. Averoff stayed in Thessaloniki for two months, was visited by 140,000 citizens, mainly schools from all over northern Greece and in 2017 Lloyd’s List, thanks to his revival thanks to his rehearsal as the ship of the year. Averoff’s regeneration again caused this childish smile on the face of Alekos Goulandris, because behind Averoff’s rebirth was again his discreet, silent, generous accent. He contributed to his renovation to withstand his towing at a speed of ten knots and travel to Thessaloniki on the occasion of the anniversary of the liberation of the city and the anniversary of the “no” on October 28th. The salvation of the Panahrantou Monastery, his contribution to the Saint Saranda Church, his contribution to set up a documented and detailed text for the legal support of the return and reunion of the Parthenon Sculptures, all these gestures, Origin of this generosity, never to announce it publicly.
So was Alekos Goulandris. A man who justified his presence in life through the silent, the noble, the apathetic offer. A man who enjoyed him was fascinated by the offer and was not interested in his individual projection at all. An excellent businessman, one of the largest world shipowners, a brilliant family man, a man who was worried and concerned about his home country. I remember discussions we have made about how things go, how things will evolve in Greece, how Greece will be able to improve its life, improve the lives of its inhabitants. A man who was a great collector because he enjoyed the beautiful, enjoyed art and distributed his life between Athens, Porto Heli, Switzerland, but his look, his thought, his mind was facing Andros and the needs of his fellow human beings. We will see this man today. And this man today the unparalleled chisel of the great sculptor and friend and associate, Praxitelis Tzanoulinou, brings him back to his place of origin, in Andros to see his fellow citizens, his compatriots, his compatriots here, here.
Kostis Palamas wrote in a poem, which is entitled “Rock Right”: “And if it is a crowd of practice, and if the empty masters are, there is a thought, a soul, you arrive, I arrive, to give the meaning of many existence.”
Alekos Goulandris was one of the people who gave “meaning to many”, to many of his friends, to many of his associates, to his crews, to the people who knew him, to those who enjoyed his rich generous cultural donations without knowing where. He was actually a modest and discreet leader in his own way. Because the leader is not only the one who inspires the lavish. He is also a leader in his field, who offers selflessly, silent and very fruitful. We will see this man today, remind him again and address him with gratitude and love and friendship a great thank you, for giving meaning to “many existence”.