Ioannis N. Kateris

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


Mr. I. N. Kateris, one of the most pleasant members of the Greek community of Melbourne, comes from Bathy, on Samos, and is a shopkeeper of excellent repute. He was born in the aforementioned island in 1881 and during his youth pursued various professions to ensure a living. In 1902, he decided to migrate to Australia. He settled initially in Sydney and thereafter in Karona, in New South Wales. Seeking to develop his activities more broadly, he came to the great city of Melbourne. There, thanks to his exceptional energies and love of hard work, he managed in an extremely short period of time to become the owner of two extremely profitable shops in Melbourne.

He married on Samos the excellent daughter of the worthy pater familias, Mr. Maroukis. He has three children, whom is most careful to bring up in as Greek a fashion as possible. Nature has lavishly endowed Mr. Kateris with noble feelings and the purest patriotism, which he gives expression to in a most lively fashion, whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Such in a few words is Mr. Kateris, beloved and respected by all who have had the good fortune to become acquainted with him.


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.