(Left to right) Merri-bek Councillor Lambros Tapinos, Effie Lalopoulos, Christou and Merri-bek Councillor Oscar Yildiz stand proudly beneath the newly-named Kastoria Lane sign. Photo: Michael Georgiou, Neos Kosmos

As part of the all-conquering Premiership team of 1995, Evangelis (Ang) Christou’s name is forever etched into the Carlton history books.

Now, some thirty years on, the Blues’ 151-game long-kicking, rebounding defender through 12 seasons has been recognized by members of the community of Kastoria - a city in Northern Greece in the region of Western Macedonia of which his father and mother were part - by way of a larger-than-life mural in Coburg North.

The mural, entitled Hidden Hellenism of Kastoria Lane, is accredited to the artist Anthony Despotellis, who committed two months of design and a month’s worth of ten-hour painting days to the work.

Christou’s bearded visage dominates the side wall of the Kastoria Club at 219 Elizabeth Street. The wall faces a laneway that last Sunday (November 30) was formally named “Kastoria Lane”, on the 113th anniversary of Kastoria’s liberation from the Ottoman Empire and the feast day of St. Mina.

A bearded Ang Christou features prominently on the mural by Kastoria Lane in North Coburg.

The lane’s naming also reflects the respect shown to the generations who fought to keep the Australian Association of Kastorians alive, Christou’s parents amongst them.

“My father (Georgios) and mother (Ermoni) left Kastoria for Melbourne aboard the Patris after the Second World War,” said Christou, who few would realise formally changed his given christian name back to Evangelis a quarter of a century ago.

“Kastoria was a fur-trading area, I’ve been many times since and it’s a beautiful place.

“I believe they (Christou’s parents) were both part of the Kastoria Club from the early days. The club fizzled for a time, but came back again. I can remember going to the club for a lot of dinner dances through the 1980s.”

As for the mural, Christou was forewarned his face would appear, “but I thought it was going to be something small”.

“When I turned up for the ceremony I was blown away. I was completely humbled by the size of it all,” said Christou, who attended with Ermoni (Georgios having passed away 17 years ago).

“It was a very nice touch and congratulations to the President, she’s done an awesome job.”

Association President Effie Lalopoulos, widely accredited with saving the club and securing the laneway name, spoke with great passion at Sunday’s naming ceremony, as The Greek Herald reported.

“Today, we feel extremely proud with the naming of Kastoria Lane,” Lalopoulos said, admitting she was “very excited” and “very happy.” Looking over the crowd, she added: “Your love keeps me alive . . . ”.

Lalopoulos also spoke of the monumental work that went in to securing the simple street sign, after “many letters, meetings, telephone calls, and a great deal of anxiety”.

The victory, she said, “was not an easy feat,” but worth every struggle.

The mural incorporates images of Kastoria Lake with fishing boats and fur traders, a poem by the club’s first president, the iconic image of Eleni Papastergiadis arriving on the Patris, and recognisable community faces including Christou, Martha Kalafatidis, and young Kastorians in full traditional dress.