My big fat Greek exit Physio coming home to Australia
SYDNEY: An Australianborn sports physiotherapist is packing his bags and making the flight back to his country of birth to escape the Greek financial crisis.
Efthimios “Timmy” Kougioumtzoglou, 34, was born in Tamworth and grew up in Narrabri before moving to Greece at 16.
He studied physiotherapy at the University of Athens and now works for Asteras Tripolis FC in the top division of Greece’s football competition.
Kougioumtzoglou has booked a flight to return to Sydney on August 30. He said he was worn out after seeing taxes increase and living standards fall as the country struggles to deal with mounting debt.
The Greek Government has submitted a new bailout plan to its eurozone creditors – proposing a pensions overhaul and tax hikes in return for debt relief and a three-year rescue loan.
On the streets of Athens, residents described the past week as the most trying in memory – a roller-coaster of emotions they thought the austerity referendum would bring to an end.
Kougioumtzoglou said everyone in Greece was suffering.
“The hard thing is that wages are dropping a lot now and it is making the people suffer,” he said.
“We were on monthly pay of 700 ($1040) for a basic wage, now it is about 500 or 400 per month.
“The GST is sky high now. It was at 9 per cent, now it is 23 per cent and then there are taxes on cars, buildings, everything has taxes in Greece now.
Kougioumtzoglou voted ‘‘No’’ in last Sunday’s referendum on continuing austerity measures.
“(The public) are angered by the situation, but they are also exhausted by what they have to take,” he said.
“They don’t know what the solution is.”
About 12 months ago he started thinking of returning to Australia but since then the debt crisis has become a bigger factor. He plans to return to Sydney to live with family in Punchbowl.
“Because I was born in Australia, I feel mostly Australian. It was a dream to come back to Australia to work as a physio. It is also the crisis. It helped to make it an easier decision to come to Australia.”
But Kougioumtzoglou does not have a solution to Greece’s problems as he approaches his departure date.
“Maybe going back to the drachma but staying in the European Union,” he said.