Dimitrios Politis

This biography is part of a collection from "Life in Australia" :


In the capital of South Australia lives the distinguished Greek from Constantinople, Mr. Dimitrios Politis, where he has been splendidly established for many years. Anybody who has passed through Adelaide has enjoyed his hospitality and he has never denied his eager help to any.

Mr. Politis is the richest of the Greeks of Adelaide, a self-made man, thanks to his powers and beliefs. In partnership with his sister-in-law, Mrs. Athina Th. Constantinidou, he possesses two most splendid and profitable shops, which lie on the most central of the streets of the city. He is well-known to all the Greeks of Australia, because of his desire to make progress and his patriotic and philanthropic sentiments, which have ornamented his character since boyhood. He has also gained the admiration of all as the spirited protector and supporter of his relatives. The name of Politis is inseparably linked with the Hellenism of Australia and will be remembered forever.

Furthermore, Mrs. Constantinidou is a woman of considerable commercial acumen and ability, revered and respected by the rest of the Greek community.


This biography is part of a collection from "Life in Australia" published in 1916 by John Comino. It is an important book as it was one of the first Greek books published in Australia for the Greeks back in the homeland. If they needed any more convincing of the golden opportunities awaiting them in Australia, it probably helped create interest amongst young Kytherians and other Greeks. Each of the men portrayed in the book paid for the honour, which, considering their reputation for thriftiness, must have made the decision a hard one for many a Kytherian.

The Kythera-Family.net team, with the support of the Nicolaus Aroney Trust and other generous sponsors, has undertaken to transcribe the entire book for the website and to translate it into English for the non-greek-speaking diaspora community. We hope to also produce a printed version of the translation of Life in Australia sometime in 2005.

For valuable information about the historical background of the publication of Life in Australia, please read the entry by Hugh Gilchrist I ZOI EN AFSTRALLIA in the History, General History section.