The first Orthodox church in Melbourne, Holy Annunciation, was established in East Melbourne. The establishment of this community church was a joint effort by Greek speaking Orthodox, Arabic speaking Orthodox, and Russian speaking Orthodox. The services were in both Greek and Arabic. The altar servers were of Greek and Lebanese/Syrian descent. Some of the icons were donated by Lebanese/Syrians, and the first warden was Lebanese. By the 1920s however, Holy Annunciation became a predominately Greek speaking church with a priest who could not speak Arabic.
By the 1920s Lebanese/Syrians, were only attending special services at Holy Annunciation such as weddings, baptisms and funerals. Some chose to send their children to Sunday school at Anglican or Protestant churches, where the common language (English) was used. But none of this truly met the needs of the Lebanese/Syrian community. They shared their Orthodox place of worship for up to forty years until the excesses of Greek nationalism drove them out. By the late 1920s, it was obviously necessary to found their own Arabic speaking church.
In 1929, James Batrouney visited Lebanon/Syria, met Archimandrite [[Antonious (Mobayed)]], and on his return to Melbourne, Archim. Antonious was recommended as a suitable priest (being well-educated and speaking Arabic, Russian and Greek) for the church in Melbourne. Patriarch Arsanios of Antioch commissioned Archim. Antonious as the first priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Victoria. He arrived on 12 Nov 1931, bringing and donating everything essential for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Some of these items can still be found at Saint Nicholas Church today.
Archim. Antonious was well suited, having graduated from Balamand Theological Seminary and Kiev Theological Academy and speaking fluent Arabic, Russian and Greek. Formerly representative to the Church of Russia for 15 years, the Communist Revolution forced Archim. Antonious to return to Lebanon in 1929. On his arrival in Melbourne, Archim. Antonious brought and donated everything essential for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Some of these items can still be found at Saint Nicholas Church today. The first services were held in Saint George Anglican Mission, the beginning of a long and amicable relationship between Anglicans and Orthodox in Victoria. In March 1932 the community purchased a church, where Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church stands today, using four £125 donations from John Batrouney, Joseph & Walter Davis, and Alex Malouly. The iconostasis, was based on the iconostasis of the [[Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Surugadai, in the Kanda district of (Tokyo, Japan)|Holy Resurrection Cathedral]], which was all but destroyed in the Great Kanto earthquake and fire of 1923. The Tokyo cathedral of the Japanese Orthodox Church (which was granted Independent status by the Russian Church in 1907), was commonly called 'nikolai-do' after Japan's first bishop (now Saint) Nikolai Kasatkin. The iconostasis in Melbourne was completed by Palm Sunday, 1932, when the first service was held in the Church.
At the first council meeting of May 1932, the majority favoured the name Saint Anthony, in honour of their first priest, however many preferred Saint George. To settle the dispute, Archim. Antonious placed 12 names in a bag on the altar and George Facoory, the oldest member of the community, drew out Saint Nicholas. The church was consecrated on 1 October 1933 by Metropolitan [[Timotheos (Evangelinidis) of Rhodes|Timotheos]], the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia. The consecration, attended by Rev. F.E. Maynard (Anglican) and the Greek and French consuls, was chanted in Arabic, English, Greek, and Slavonic.
Saint Nicholas included both Arabic members and Russian members, the latter group contributing to bringing Archim. Antonious to Australia, converting the church into an Orthodox church, writing icons, and organising a choir which would chant the Liturgy in Slavonic on every fourth Sunday. When the Russians established their first church in Melbourne in the early 1950s, the committee of Saint Nicholas donated a Slavonic Bible in memory of Archim. Antonious, and as a symbol of the enduring friendship between the Syrian/Lebanese and the Russians.
Archim. Antonious did many thingsWith Arabic and Slavonic choirs, organising choirsa youth society, and teaching the Syrian/Lebanese youth that knew the service in Arabic. He travelled , and a priest willing to travel to Sydney, Adelaide and New Zealand to raise funds, making the church complete with all necessities Archimandrite Antonious was a very suitable and trappings dedicated priest for Orthodox servicesthe Melbourne flock. He organised However, after a youth society which provided for Orthodox youth growing in their faithshort illness, he reposed on [[November 9]], marrying in the Church1943. He was buried by Metropolitan Timotheos and assisted by Archimandrite [[Theophylactos (Papathanasopoulos) of Australia and New Zealand|Theophylactos]] and Fr [[Michael Shehadie]], and acclimatising was replaced by Exarch George Haydar<-- in 19xx-->.<!--more content required (up to their country of residence1969), but making other articles would be best - they are underway at the moment! -->*''[http://www.stnicholas.org.au/Articles/DrBtrney.htm Source]
Archim. Antonious, after a short illness, reposed on [[November 9]], 1943. He was buried by Metropolitan Timotheos and assisted by Archimandrite [[Theophylactos (Papathanasopoulos) of Australia and ===New Zealand|Theophylactos]] and Fr [[Michael Shehadie]]. He was replaced by Exarch George Haydar.<!--more content required (up to 1969), but making other articles - like one for the archimandrite - would be best - they are underway at the moment! -->===*''[http://www.stnicholasantiochian.org.aunz/parishes/ArticlesDunedin_Files/DrBtrneyDunedin.htm Sourcehtml The Antiochian Orthodox Church in Dunedin]
===Diocesan and Archdiocesan===