The Pan-Laconian Association NSW ″ The Spartans was founded in 1998 by members of existing Laconian Associations that were operational in NSW for many years.
The purpose of the association was to organise a collective body that represented all parts of Laconia to the expatriate Laconians living in NSW.
Many efforts had been made to establish an association that represented all of Laconia, but previous efforts had limited success.
The Northern Region of Sparti Association, ”Oraia Eleni”, unanimously decided on December 21, 1997 to communicate with all of the Laconian associations.
The intent of this communication was to hold a meeting at the Club of the Pan-Arcadian Federation on 15 March 1998.
The target of the communication was all of the Laconian associations and the aim was to establish if there was an interest in establishing a single Pan-Laconian organisation.
Sixty attendees were took part in the meeting, representing ten associations from Laconia.
A temporary Board of Directors was appointed at that meeting. The board consisted of the following people:
Giorgos Dimos – Chairman
Vassilis Giannakakos – Treasurer
Giorgos Georgoulopoulos – Secretary
Giorgos Aronis – Assistant Secretary
Dimitris Voukidis – Assistant Secretary
Dimitris Glekas
Anastasios Poulokefalos
Vana Liaperdou
George Tzanetakos
Kostas Laganas
Dimitris Charamis
Theodoras Bilias
Yiannis Angelakos
After a period of three months, the Interim Board of Directors convened an Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 28 June 1998 to appoint permanent members to the Board of Directors.
In this AGM, it was decided to establish a Pan Laconian Association, and the association to be called “Spartans” to represent all individuals and associations from the wider region of Laconia by one organisation.
With this in mind, the Board of Directors proceeded to draft a statute. This was done by a number of subcommittees, which used the statute of the Melbourne brother-club as a model. The statutes were written in Greek and English.
In the third AGM held on 18 October 1998, the statutes were read article by article to the members and voted on.
Following the completion of these procedures, the Association applied for its official recognition, which was granted on 8 January 1999.
The Pan Laconian Association delivered a significant event annually – The Leonidia. This was the revival of an ancient, Laconian institution, which had been established in Sparta in antiquity in honour of Leonidas, King of Sparta.
After the establishment of the Laconian Federation and with agreement from the members of the Board of Directors, the management of the event was handed to the then newly established Laconian Federation.