Vivi Germanos Koutsounadis OAM

Vivi Germanos Koutsounadis was a trailblazer in multicultural and social justice work in NSW.

Born in Chios, Greece, she migrated to Australia with her parents and siblings in 1954 and grew up working in her parents’ milk bar in Redfern. Her early friendships were with people from other migrant and First Nations families.

With her parents believing in the importance of education, Ms Germanos Koutsounadis qualified as a psychologist, taking roles as a counsellor, welfare worker, and a migrant community advocate.

In 1976, Ms Germanos Koutsounadis co-founded the Ethnic Community Services Co-operative (ECSC), bringing together seven organisations to create the first coordinated multicultural childcare and family services in the state.

As Executive Director of ECSC from 1979 to 2017, she guided the expansion of the organisation to become one of NSW’s most enduring multicultural organisations.

What began as a response to migrant families’ need for culturally sensitive childcare became an inclusive approach to care extending to the aged care, disability, Aboriginal welfare and community development sectors.

Ms Germanos Koutsounadis was one of the founders of ECSC’s Bicultural Support Program, recognised by UNESCO in 1991 as a model of best practice. The program, which is still delivered across NSW, was designed to meet the growing needs of emerging communities and refugee families. It supports inclusion and diversity for all Australian children in early childhood services. It also helps build the capacity of educators through professional development, training and resources.

Working out of a small office in the Addison Road Community Centre in Marrickville, Ms Germanos Koutsounadis engaged with local Councils and community partners to turn shared spaces into places where people could come together. She collaborated with them on multicultural festivals, seniors’ gatherings and community celebrations so people could share their cultures.

In 2000, Ms Germanos Koutsounadis was elected as President of the Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales, the first woman to hold this position.

Ms Koutsounadis was a mentor to bilingual workers, women and emerging leaders, helping them find their voice in councils and community organisations. Her warmth, humour and fierce sense of fairness inspired respect across generations.

Ms Germanos Koutsounadis received the Australian Human Rights Commission Human Rights Medal in 1998 and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2008.