Katerina has been volunteering daily since she and her husband retired. Living in Wollongong, they were attending their local Greek Orthodox Church, listening to the sermon by a visiting priest, Father John Kapetas. At the time, Father John was the CEO of St. Basil’s Homes. He was talking about the extensive aged care work of St. Basil’s and the help it offers the Greek community.

After the service Katerina and her husband Constantine, asked Father John if they could visit. The next morning when he arrived at his office in Lakemba, they were already there, waiting for him, having travelled from Wollongong by public transport.

For the next thirty years, they were at St. Basil’s every day as volunteers, helping with anything and everything. They would socialise the residents, help with feeding, entertainment, special events, church services, gardening and many, many more.

Within a few years, they sold their home in Wollongong and moved to a unit in Lakemba to be close to the volunteer work that gave their life so much meaning.

Constantine and Katerina aged well in their role, happily devoting their lives to assisting other people. Constantine passed away a few years ago, and Katerina continues to this day, quietly helping wherever she can and whenever she is needed.

Our patron, Saint Basil the Great once said that to reap love, one must sow kindness. Constantine and Katerina are an embodiment of that advice. Katerina always says that in the volunteering work, she gets much more in love, than she had ever given.