King Charles III’s Coronation Medal to Three Leaders

Three leaders of the Greek community of Montreal, who also serve the Hellenic Congress of Quebec (HCQ) in various capacities, were awarded the King Charles III’s Coronation Medal by the federal Member of Parliament for St-Laurent, Emmanuella Lambropoulos on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. They are the president of the HCQ and Cephalonian Association of Montreal, Sotiris Antypas, the president of the Lyceum of Greek Women of Montreal (LGWM) and head of public relations of the HCQ, Justine Frangouli-Argyris, and the executive vice-president of the HCQ, John Theodosopoulos.

The first to be honored was the president of the Hellenic Congress of Quebec, businessman Sotiris Antypas, who came to Montreal from Cephalonia in the early 1970s to study journalism only to be captivated by his business dealings in the field of Greek alimentary products. He was recognized for his continued involvement in the public domain, through many mediums and over many years, and for “his contribution to the Greek community and to the wider societies of Canada and Quebec,” noted Ms. Lambropoulos. Mr. Antypas dedicated his medal to his associates and his family.

Justine Frangouli-Argyris is a journalist and prolific author and the founder and president of the Lyceum of Greek Women of Montreal. Hailing from the island of Lefkada, she is a dynamic member of Montreal’s Greek community sporting multi-level activities in its cultural, social and political sectors such as her role as head of public relations for the Hellenic Congress of Quebec. She was honored by Ms. Lambropoulos “in recognition of her noted successes and her exceptional contribution to the Greek community, the province of Quebec and her adopted country of Canada”. Ms. Frangouli-Argyris dedicated her medal to her family, her LGWM board members and to the “Greek immigrants of Montreal who came to Canada after the war, fought for their livelihood under very difficult conditions and raised a new, brilliant generation of Hellenes.”

John Theodosopoulos, an architect, originally from Arcadia, arrived in Montreal with his parents and their “empty suitcases” in the late 1960s. He studied diligently Architecture and became involved in public life from an early age, sacrificing much of his personal time. He has served as president of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal and President of the Hellenic Congress of Quebec and is the current executive vice-president of the HCQ. He was honored for “his lengthy participation in public life and for his personal achievements as a professional and as a contributor to both the Greek community and broader Canadian society”. He dedicated the medal to his late parents and to his family who “have endured his constant absences while performing his public duties.”

The modest but classy ceremony was held at Mumaq,( musée des métiers d’art du Québec) in an atmosphere of emotion and pride.