Georgios Gk. Sotiriou or Grivas

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


Mr. G. Sotiriou, who came to Australia 31 years ago, resides in Melbourne. For reasons byond his control, he was compelled to leave Greece in 1883 and the naval career on which he had embarked, following special training.

Upon arrival in Australia, he found employment in the merchant marine and subsequently was engaged in various business activities. By reason of his impressive character, Mr. Sotiriou was named ‘Grivas’. He has very frequently aided fellow Greeks to settle and Greeks who visit him have always received a warm welcome. Most democratic in spirit, as he is, he has never refused to contribute to any sacred or noble aim whatsoever. Offspring of an excellent family and well-educated, he has created whatever he has acquired through his hard work and ability alone.


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.