It seems like a long time ago when thousands of Greek migrants were sent from Greece, away from their families and the life they knew for better opportunities. They came to a place that was alien to them. We all know the story that our parents tell us about the 1950s and 1960s: “Son, I came with a suitcase and the shirt on my back, then I just worked hard … But one day I will return to a prosperous Greece.”
Little did they know that one day, mass migration from Greece would rear its head again as the current economic crisis has seen thousands leave.
As a former resident of London, in the early days of the ‘crisis’ in 2009, I would see hundreds of Greeks and Greek Cypriots head to the UK for better opportunities. I didn’t expect to return to Sydney in 2012 to see a virtual flood of newly-arrived Greek speakers. It used to be a trickle, now we have a constant stream settling into Sydney. A welcome addition which has boosted the NSW Greek population to 120,000.
A stroll down just about any main street of inner-city Sydney or the traditional Greek heartland suburbs and you will hear it. You will hear the change. Sit at a busy coffee shop and you will see it too.
Sydney has been one of the main beneficiaries of the economic ‘crisis’ in Greece, with a new wave of migration. This includes those who were born in Greece and those who were actually born here in Sydney, went to Greece and finally returned ‘home’.
It’s no coincidence that Greek eateries have essentially mushroomed at the same time as the return of those Greek speakers who had moved to Greece. They now bring with them their Greek culinary experiences and where possible workers from Greece to help run these new enterprises.
Just visit Platea, Gyradiko or Yiro Yiro to see what I mean and you will be able to practise your Greek with someone from a younger generation.
I recall speaking to Julie Vindas (not her real name) in Greek at the recent Greek Festival. She moved here last year to study and live, working almost non-stop in Greek hospitality outlets. This young woman with her whole life in front of her had to travel to the other side of the world to find opportunities that are currently lacking for the youth of Greece as unemployment, for this demographic is over fifty per cent.
History
NSW records indicate that Greek people arrived in Sydney as early as 1829; they were political prisoners. There were seven Greek sailors from Hydra who were apparently convicted in the British colony of Malta for ‘piracy’.
Eight years later the men received pardons, with five given passage to England in order to return to Greece. Two of the men decided to stay in Sydney – Androni Tu Malonis and Ghicas Bulgaris.
In 1835 Aikaterini Plessos became the first Greek woman to arrive as the wife of Major Crummer, a British Officer posted to NSW. She was survived by 13 grandchildren. It should be noted that Mr Bulgaris had fifty grandchildren.
In the 1850s, hundreds of Greek speakers made their way to the goldfields of Victoria and at one stage a settlement was called ‘Greek town’, for obvious reasons. Greeks were known for their hard work.
Despite the gold rush, NSW had few permanent Greek born arrivals, with the 1891 Census listing 255 Hellenes, then a decade later that figure was at 392.
The 1920s and 1930s began the influx of the Castellorizians and Kytherians, with each island group claiming to have arrived before the other.
Their great fortune was to arrive in Sydney when you could buy cheaply along the beautiful harbour and coastline, which today would cost millions of hard-earned dollars. The current group of Greek migrants find it difficult to buy such a luxurious property, as each person I have met can testify.
As more Greek speakers began to arrive early in the 20th century, they would branch out into business including the opening of cafés, oyster saloons, greengrocers and eventually the famous milk bar. For example, the Andronicus family began trading by the end of the first decade of the 1900s, selling coffee and chocolates, becoming a famous brand. This began a successful tradition of Greek Australians in business.
A Better Future for the newly arrived
Harry Triguboff, the highly respected and shrewd businessman, was quoted as saying in 2011: ”If you were a Greek fellow who departed from the country to go back to Greece, because you had a good life there and didn’t have to work hard, now it’s miserable there, I think he’ll come back. And I think he’ll bring his children. I think they’ll all come back. The population will grow…. I’m ready for them.”
Mr Triguboff was talking about housing these arrivals in his dwellings, and whilst he may have been mistaken about how hard Greek people work, he was correct about the return of many Sydney-born Greek people.
Maria Rallis was born in Sydney and as a young person was involved with Greek media in the 1990s. In one of life’s incredible romantic tales, she was on the picturesque island of Lesbos helping a foreign filmmaker when she met her future husband. After convincing her to stay for two years she stayed longer and married her Greek-born husband Themis Loukas.
Unlike many who made the return to Sydney, Maria had a secure job with an American company. “The crisis wasn’t the instigator,” she told me. “Instead it helped me consider coming to Sydney to build a better future for my children, and in October 2012 we farewelled Athens.”
Today she is a social media expert for a prestigious NGO.
Hara is someone who met Maria by chance in Roselands. Their use of the Greek language ensured that fate brought them together as friends shortly after she arrived in April 2014.
Hara, 35, was born and raised in Athens. The economic crisis for her and her young children, who were seven and four respectively when they arrived, had a huge impact on her life. Her husband Dimitris was a self-employed electrician who felt the pinch of the crisis and her own salary dropped by 20 per cent.
This made the decision to migrate one that had to be taken, and she has adapted to Sydney as if it has always been home. Describing the transition as an easy one for her, she told me “we have as many friends here as we do in Greece!”.
Dimitris has also adjusted to Sydney as he had visited as an adult, ensuring a familiarity with what he would find upon arrival. Hara told me that for the best part of 12 months “he has been working as a full time electrician for an electrical company but he cannot get a licence to work self-employed as he did in Greece because he cannot attain recognition of his experience.” This is a challenge many newly arrived have faced.
Hard work and being ‘Home’
Over coffee with Michael Spanos, 33, I heard the same story. Once a manager of an Everest in Athens, he opened his own coffee shop in 2010. He was born in Sydney, though raised in Greece since he was three years old. Michael is enjoying his new environment since a return almost 12 months ago. However, he has not been able to work in his field, currently holding a job in construction.
Like most Greek people, he is not afraid to work hard and this he does six days a week. In this respect, nothing has changed from Greece. Michael was full of praise for his relatives, especially his uncle, who operates the iconic Paul’s Burgers in Sylvania. Their love and support has ensured that he has made a smooth transition.
He made a point that most critics of the Greek work ethos fail to understand. “In Greece, you live to work, whereas in Australia, you work to live.”
This is a point that Giorgos, a friend of mine from Athens, had made to me when he arrived to Sydney last year. Giorgos was an actor in Athens and when he wasn’t, he would work as hard as possible. When I met him, he was driving a taxi in Athens, where he was born (Menidi). The economic crisis drove him and his girlfriend to seek a better life in Sydney.
These days you will find him hard at work as a barista from the early hours of the morning before switching to student as he undertakes intensive English classes. For Giorgos, like many in his situation, there is elpida – hope. There is that hope that life in Sydney will be a better one than that being experienced in Greece at the moment.
Vicki also had a story similar to the one I encountered with Michael. Born in Sydney only to leave for Ioannina at the age of five, she would end up co-owning a number of language schools in the area. The crisis had a major impact on her business as numbers and income declined. Fortunately, she had been back to Sydney a number of times and her adult children had also been exposed to Sydney, and their diligent learning of English has ensured they sound more like native speakers than foreigners. A big plus as they finish their university courses.
I asked Vicki where her future lies – would she consider returning to Greece?
“The future is where our children are and they have adjusted well. For my husband who is older he will find it harder to ever adjust.” She floated the idea of maybe one day living six months here and six months in Greece if the economy ever picked up again.
Vicki pointed to the help she received from the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW who have been welcoming. Their support for newly-arrived people such as herself has led to a reconnection in the community and work opportunities. Though she may never teach English again, she is relishing the environment she is in, which is administration coordinator at a Greek nursing home.
She did tell me that there have been times when established Greek people have not been as accepting of the newly arrived; this has been the only true negative to the move home in 2012.
Christos is someone who arrived in December 2012 with his Sydney-born wife Artemis. In no time he felt it was ‘home’. He had previously been to Sydney for Easter a few months prior for the first time to meet the in-laws before the wedding was to take place. Ironically, he did not enjoy Sydney when he first migrated. He struggled to adjust in a country that was on the flip side of the world and was far too regulated for his liking. He only had Greece on his mind then.
Slowly, Christos adjusted to the new way of life. Without a hint of an accent to betray his perfect English, he has relished his role as an electrical engineer, similar to his profession in Athens. Now he has Sydney and a new family on his mind. His wife Artemis, however, confesses that Athens is a special place.
She herself lived there for twelve years, in the heart of Athens as a teacher. After having enjoyed the pace of Athens, the transition to Sydney can be somewhat different and slower. Together they will make the best of a welcoming city.
In a slight variation of the migration pattern I witnessed, I spoke with Evi, who was originally from Kozani and had lived in Athens and Portugal where she helped operate a surfing school. She arrived just before the crisis hit Athens in 2008 and is now an organiser for the Greek Film Society. Her intention was to study, explore Australia, then return to Greece. Just as the other newly-arrived Greek migrants told me, she admires the nature and beautiful sights of Sydney; therefore with the crisis merely a secondary consideration, has continued to stay. Many newly-arrived Greek people are drawn to her as she now has the experience of being a long-term resident of Sydney.
It used to be a trickle, but now a constant stream of newly arrived Greek migrants has boosted the Greek population in Australia’s largest city.
It seems like a long time ago when thousands of Greek migrants were sent from Greece, away from their families and the life they knew for better opportunities. They came to a place that was alien to them. We all know the story that our parents tell us about the 1950s and 1960s: “Son, I came with a suitcase and the shirt on my back, then I just worked hard … But one day I will return to a prosperous Greece.”
Little did they know that one day, mass migration from Greece would rear its head again as the current economic crisis has seen thousands leave.
As a former resident of London, in the early days of the ‘crisis’ in 2009, I would see hundreds of Greeks and Greek Cypriots head to the UK for better opportunities. I didn’t expect to return to Sydney in 2012 to see a virtual flood of newly-arrived Greek speakers. It used to be a trickle, now we have a constant stream settling into Sydney. A welcome addition which has boosted the NSW Greek population to 120,000.
A stroll down just about any main street of inner-city Sydney or the traditional Greek heartland suburbs and you will hear it. You will hear the change. Sit at a busy coffee shop and you will see it too.
Sydney has been one of the main beneficiaries of the economic ‘crisis’ in Greece, with a new wave of migration. This includes those who were born in Greece and those who were actually born here in Sydney, went to Greece and finally returned ‘home’.
It’s no coincidence that Greek eateries have essentially mushroomed at the same time as the return of those Greek speakers who had moved to Greece. They now bring with them their Greek culinary experiences and where possible workers from Greece to help run these new enterprises.
Just visit Platea, Gyradiko or Yiro Yiro to see what I mean and you will be able to practise your Greek with someone from a younger generation.
I recall speaking to Julie Vindas (not her real name) in Greek at the recent Greek Festival. She moved here last year to study and live, working almost non-stop in Greek hospitality outlets. This young woman with her whole life in front of her had to travel to the other side of the world to find opportunities that are currently lacking for the youth of Greece as unemployment, for this demographic is over fifty per cent.
History
NSW records indicate that Greek people arrived in Sydney as early as 1829; they were political prisoners. There were seven Greek sailors from Hydra who were apparently convicted in the British colony of Malta for ‘piracy’.
Eight years later the men received pardons, with five given passage to England in order to return to Greece. Two of the men decided to stay in Sydney – Androni Tu Malonis and Ghicas Bulgaris.
In 1835 Aikaterini Plessos became the first Greek woman to arrive as the wife of Major Crummer, a British Officer posted to NSW. She was survived by 13 grandchildren. It should be noted that Mr Bulgaris had fifty grandchildren.
In the 1850s, hundreds of Greek speakers made their way to the goldfields of Victoria and at one stage a settlement was called ‘Greek town’, for obvious reasons. Greeks were known for their hard work.
Despite the gold rush, NSW had few permanent Greek born arrivals, with the 1891 Census listing 255 Hellenes, then a decade later that figure was at 392.
The 1920s and 1930s began the influx of the Castellorizians and Kytherians, with each island group claiming to have arrived before the other.
Their great fortune was to arrive in Sydney when you could buy cheaply along the beautiful harbour and coastline, which today would cost millions of hard-earned dollars. The current group of Greek migrants find it difficult to buy such a luxurious property, as each person I have met can testify.
As more Greek speakers began to arrive early in the 20th century, they would branch out into business including the opening of cafés, oyster saloons, greengrocers and eventually the famous milk bar. For example, the Andronicus family began trading by the end of the first decade of the 1900s, selling coffee and chocolates, becoming a famous brand. This began a successful tradition of Greek Australians in business.
A Better Future for the newly arrived
Harry Triguboff, the highly respected and shrewd businessman, was quoted as saying in 2011: ”If you were a Greek fellow who departed from the country to go back to Greece, because you had a good life there and didn’t have to work hard, now it’s miserable there, I think he’ll come back. And I think he’ll bring his children. I think they’ll all come back. The population will grow…. I’m ready for them.”
Mr Triguboff was talking about housing these arrivals in his dwellings, and whilst he may have been mistaken about how hard Greek people work, he was correct about the return of many Sydney-born Greek people.
Maria Rallis was born in Sydney and as a young person was involved with Greek media in the 1990s. In one of life’s incredible romantic tales, she was on the picturesque island of Lesbos helping a foreign filmmaker when she met her future husband. After convincing her to stay for two years she stayed longer and married her Greek-born husband Themis Loukas.
Unlike many who made the return to Sydney, Maria had a secure job with an American company. “The crisis wasn’t the instigator,” she told me. “Instead it helped me consider coming to Sydney to build a better future for my children, and in October 2012 we farewelled Athens.”
Today she is a social media expert for a prestigious NGO.
Hara is someone who met Maria by chance in Roselands. Their use of the Greek language ensured that fate brought them together as friends shortly after she arrived in April 2014.
Evi made a remark that she once lived in the furthest point of continental Europe (a small Portuguese village) and now makes her home in one of the other far away locations on the planet. She made a point and one that Artemis once told me: “Athens is a city that never sleeps, Sydney is a city that sleeps a lot.”
I think she has a point. And when most of the newly-arrived Greek people wake in the morning, they are glad to be ‘home’, to be far from the crisis; giving it their best shot to make it for themselves and their families.
source: Neos Kosmos
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 