2021 Review: September

The «end of Chytra» from Enchorio and the unofficial position of Spyros Kasimatis to retire from active action, the «Alexander Onassis Air Show 2021» in the context of the Jubilee of the airport and the great feast of Panagia Myrtidiotissa, patron saint of the island and of Kytherians everywhere, stood out from the topics of the news of Tsirigi for the month of September.

The boiling chytra and «two smoked barrels»

The last (?) act of the drama of charging a fee per passenger visiting the cave of Chitra, was played out with the relevant posting of the decision of the Property Committee on «Transparency». A decision that, we recall, that had stirred up a storm of reactions in public opinion, as, practically marks the end of an era for the particularly beloved and excellent professional, Spyros Kasimatis, who, moreover, announced the decision to withdraw from the tour of Chitra (an activity he has been practising for 30 years), through a post on social media. All indications are that the legendary «Glass Botom» will forever be moored ashore and Captain Spyros will never again give the order to «full speed ahead». Unless...

Unless the Home Committee pours water into its own... smoking gun, buries the hatchet of war and goes along with the popular will. It has, however, stuck to its decision, which it believes, through a statement issued, lawful under the «Law of the Sea»...

Through it all, and at the climax of the tug-of-war, we had collision of a sailboat on the rocky islet, fortunately with no casualties and little damage.

A ride in the clouds for the Airport Jubilee

The events for the 50th anniversary of the continuous and uninterrupted operation of Kythera State Airport, «Alexandros Aristotelous Onassis», were completed with an impressive 4-day programme of aerobatics demonstrations. The «ALEXANDER ONASSIS AIR SHOW 2021» included exciting aerobatics for the public, including, paragliding parachute, addiction flights over Kythera, balloon ride in selected parts of the island, skydiving, as well as aeromodelling lessons.

This was the largest air sports event ever held at a state airport in the country, with the anniversary fly in of AOPA Hellas travels to Greek television and the impressive closing ceremony includes -among others- message from the Mayor of Kythera, Efstratios Harhalakis, speeches and greetings from all of them parties involved, with the clou of the day being the dropping from an aeroplane, with a free-fall parachute pilot, skydiving instructor and FAA Master Parachute Rigger, champion Maria Kaburova, with a huge Greek flag in her hand.

There were, of course, moments of embarrassment, with the newly established Kythera Island Tourist Accommodation Association CeriGo blaming the City and the Home Office for a meager contribution to the whole project.

The Myrtidiotissa on her throne

September is the month of Myrtidiotissa. As every year, this year too, the island celebrated its patron saint with the pomp and ceremony befitting the occasion. On the day of her grace, the Orthros and the Pan-Holy Divine Liturgy with the Archpriest's Collect was celebrated, presided by His Eminence, His Grace Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythera and Antikythera. This was followed by the procession of the holy icon, while the Ionian Channel gave the opportunity to the people of Kythira and Orthodox Christians everywhere to watch through its frequencies, both the High Priestly Liturgy as well as the concert of the Navy band in Kapsali.

The in Demos

The news was rich in the activities of the Municipality for the month of September. The Authority for the Examination of Procedural Appeals (AEPP) annulled the character of urgency in the tender for the desalinations, deeming it «illegal and opaque», the municipality accused it of «indifference» to the ongoing water shortage while Kythera.News published all the relevant documents with the AEPP's reasoning for the competition.

At the same time that the issue of desalination was «waterlogged», the Municipality was making sure that the existing water supply network was sealed, with the implementation of the contract for supply, installation and operation of digital water meters automatic control of the internal water supply network in Kythera and Antikythera.

Restructuring in «People First»

In the opposition, we had the change of baton to the municipal faction of the major minority, «People First», with the resignation of its head, Dimitris Panagopoulos, the his succession by Nikos Magoulas and with his swearing in Nicholas Chrysaphitis as a new councillor. The faction, raised, in a press release released, and matters relating to the overall functioning of the collective bodies of the Municipality.

Antikythera, a desert place

The first month of autumn, came to remind again the main problem of Antikythera. The desertification of the place in all aspects of life. Thus, the first school bell in the island's primary school came to record the the presence of just two pupils at the start of the school year, while the MP for Piraeus and Islands, Noni Dounia, in her question to the Parliament, pointed out the the need to staff the Regional Clinic of the island.

Words, let go

People came and went to the island of Kythera in September, some planned and others... incognito. We singled out the visit of Vice-Regional Governor of the Islands, Mrs. Vasiliki Theodorakopoulou Bogri, of Mr Kostas Katsafadou, Deputy Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, who, earlier, had committed himself, in his statements, to financing of projects for the improvement and protection of the fishing shelter of Diakofti Kythera.

The Fratsia put on their best on the 6th to welcome Yannis Zouganelis and Maria Karlaki in an unprecedented show that had the support of the Region of Attica.

In Kythera was also the «Happy Traveller», Eftihis Bletsas, for the needs of his show, after an invitation from the Municipality, but saw his plans for filming inside the cave of Agia Sophia Mylopotamos to be wrecked, after the the refusal of the «Paleoanthropology - Speleology Ephorate» to grant him permission to do so.

But we had a shipwreck - of human souls this time - again in Kythera, with a new arrival incident of refugees-migrants, this time in Sparagario. On the subject issued a statement and SYRIZA, focusing on the poor handling by the Greek police and coastguard, as a result of the misguided government orders they have received.

Sex, wind turbines and «intelligent agriculture»

The Metropolis of Kythera and 117 Orthodox Christian Associations joined forces against the «reckless and dangerous» -as they called it- project of sex education in primary education.

However, we also had a partnership of institutions and ordinary citizens on the front of industrial wind farms, with the initiative of the «Kythera Dynamo Kythira Citizens» Movement", with a pan-Kythera call for resistance. Kythera.News, in fact, presented an exclusive interview with the Vice President of the Architectural Heritage Council of the Hellenic Society for Environment and Culture, Dimitris Leventis, with emphasis on the plans to install wind turbines in the South Aegean islands and the inclusion of Kythera in the 7 Monuments under Threat for 2021 by Europa Nostra. A note of optimism in the current gloomy days was the entrance of Kythera and Antikythera on the online platform VisitGreekNature, which presents all the protected areas of Greece.

Finally, on the 30th of this month, Terra Kytheria presented, in an online workshop, the «intelligent farming tools» developed by the University of the Aegean for olive growers.

A positive account and a negative calculation

In tourism, things turned out unexpectedly well, given the pandemic mound. Kythera.News presented in detail the keys to the successful season, with an emphasis on the covid-free campaign, the special features of Greek and foreign websites that were preparing the ground from the spring, and even the perfect organization and operation of the transit transport, with the addition of the extra route from Gythio. And all this, despite the problems of water scarcity, the saturation of the catering infrastructure and the traffic jam that almost paralyzed the island.

Negative impact, however, as well as concern, presented a report compiled by civil engineer Chrysanthos Kalligeros, in which he talks about failures in the the project for the temporary shoring of the port bridge at Diakofti, which poses a risk to the stability of the structure.

Among the other issues, we distinguish the great interview with the archaeologist, Aris Tsaravopoulos , the ongoing mobilisations of suspended health workers and the funding from the Inland Revenue Commission, the opening and signalling of the old commercial road Mylopotamos, Areioi, Kypriot, Mitata, Avlemonas.