The Andronikou Brothers
Left to Right: Kosmas, Emmanuel & John
This biography is part of a collection from "Life in Australia" :
The brothers Minas, Kosmas, Emmanuel and Ioannis Andronikou, sons of Damianos Andronikou, hail from Kythera and but a few short years ago settled in Sydney. They are the only Greeks who have devoted themselves to work of a purely commercial nature, under the name of “Andronicus Bros”, raising their tea and coffee business to a prominent position as well as the export and import of major products, particularly Greek or Australian. They possess considerable property in the firm of shops, whilst their trading house might be better described as a house of trust and hospitality. From all corners of Australia Greeks, and even Australians, turn to the Andronikou brothers form any information or any affair.
Their trading house is the centre of Hellenism, particularly for Kytherians. Just as their trading house should named “The House of Confidence”, so should the General Manager, Mr. Kosmas Αndronikou, be named the guiding intelligence of most Greeks of New South Wales. Mr. Andronikou was by nature intended for the priesthood, rather than for a career in commerce. He is young, a linguist, possesses an encyclopedic education, as well as considerable social grace. Beloved by all, Mr Kosmas Andronikou comes across as compassionate, magnanimous and the keen supporter of anybody who has suffered injustice. He spreads encouragement through his valuable advice to the many who have suffered some setback or failed in some enterprise. Anyone who has ever met Mr. Andronikou finds him with a sweet smile upon his lips. He is small in stature and slightly built, but his mind and heart and will are great, a man of progress who is fully aware of the laws of humanity and the rules of society.
In the case of so great a man, even if whole pages were to be written about Kosmas Andronicou, they would still not seem sufficient. Yet, while we have covered Kosmas in such terms, it would be an unheard of injustice to allow Emmanuel, of the other brothers, to pass unnoticed. A born merchant, he is the perfect type of aristocrat, affable, unresting, an enemy of every type of procrastination and a friend to the truth. Mr. Emmanuel Andronikou is the traveling sales representative of the Andronikou business. He it is who brings to completion cheerfully and gratis the various affairs of the thousands of Greeks settled in the various country towns of New South Wales. He is the proper and only person for any affair whatever and is the interpreter for any societal or national feeling held by Greeks settled in New South Wales. As proof of the great moral reward owed him, he was proclaimed a Major Benefactor of the now defunct Brotherhood of Greeks in Australia. This, alas, succumbed to the Greek temperament, swiftly following the road to destruction.
Of the other brothers, Minas the founder of the business and protector of the three other brothers now lives a married life on Kythera. Ioannis, who differs not one whit from Kosmas, and who greatly resembles Emmanuel, lives in Sydney, as the seat of his business activities. During the recent period of national need, the Andronikou brothers displayed great energy and splendid generosity, never receiving the slightest remuneration for any facilities or terms they granted to their fellow Greeks. They have also discharged various warrants of attorney free of charge, eagerly offering themselves as interpreters and advisors on a very large number of the affairs of fellow Greeks, above all of those who are newly arrived and those who hail from Kythera. In short, the help and usefulness of the Andronicus brothers is beyond all description. Their commercial address is: Andronicus Bros., 197 George St., Sydney.
John Andronicus. Notable Kytherian
Andronicus brothers contribute to the writing of Life in Australia
Andronicus brothers shop. 197 George Street, Sydney
Kytherian family facilitates the shift from tea to coffee drinking in Australia
Andronicus family feature in Tess Mallos's 200 years of Australian cooking
The Perfect Cup. The Story of Coffee
Charles and George Andronicus, sons of the late John (Jack) Andronicus. As very young boys on the beach in the 1930's
John (Jack) Andronicus with granddaughters Karen and Nicole
Charles Andronicus. Continuing a tradition
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 Nicholas 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.
Background to Life in Australia, 1916.
A limited number of the books Life in Australia in Greek, and Life in Australia in English, are still available.
They cost $50 each. If A Greek and English edition are purchased at the same time, the cost discounts to $80.
Additional postage and handling costs – $10, for up to 3 books.
Credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) accepted.
Available in Australia from:
George C. Poulos
Email, George C Poulos
Ph: 61 2 9388 8320
Angelo Notaras
Email, Angelo Notaras
Ph: 61 2 9810 0194 ext.711 (24hrs)
Fax: 61 2 9810 6691
***To PURCHASE the 2009 replica of the book(s)***:
www.kythera-family.net/LIA/orderform.pdf
.jpg image of the Life in Australia book(s)Order Form
Larger version of 2 books graphic above, available here
More Information about Life in Australia:
Title page of Life in Australia
LIA Front red page.pdf
Pages 1-10, in English translation
Pages 1-10, in the original Greek
An easy way to track the various Greek families represented in the book.
LIA_NAMES_Index_pages.pdf
Life in Australia on display at Cafe Society exhibition at Inverell, April, 2004
Full length panel about the book, at the Inverell exhibition
Kytherians admiring the panel at the Inverell exhibition
Download .pdf of the original artwork for the panel here:
M&G_PANEL_Life _in _Aus.pdf
A typical biographical entry. Nicholas P Aroney (i Liapos), and his son Peter Aroney
Art deco illustrations in the book
Beautiful illustrative flourish 1
Beautiful illustrative flourish 2
Beautiful illustrative flourish 3
Beautiful illustrative flourish 4
Beautiful illustrative flourish 5
Articles & Press about Life in Australia
Excellent, comprehensive, 2008 article about the books pending publication.
LIA article_2008_Book_pending.pdf
Page 30, O Kosmos, Sydney, Friday 6th November, 2009.
O_Kosmos_Syd_6_Nov_09.pdf
Neos Kosmos, 19th November, 2009. Author Vivienne Morris.
NKB_19Nov09_p07.pdf
Antikythera mechanism article with reference to the KWHF, and the 9 Dec, 2009, LIA book launch.
Anti Kythera Mechanism article 2.11.2009.pdf
Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum Liftout
Sydney Morning Herald, Feature Article
LIA_St_George_Leader_George_Vardas.pdf
For an e-mention at the very prestigious Good Reading Magazine at,
http://www.goodreadingmagazine.com.au/book_events.cfm
Press Releases
Press Release 1 3.11.9.pdf
Press_Release_2_14.11.9.pdf
Press Release_3_25.11.09.pdf
Press_Release_4.pdf
Links to other web pages
greekcity
Library Holdings
National Library of Australia
Speeches about Life in Australia
John Nicholas Comino
Life in Australia, 1916….how history unfolded in the ensuing generations
Damian Andronicus. The last man standing
Bretos G Margetis. A daughter remembers
Andronicus brothers. Coffee merchants. With links to subsequent generations
Emmanuel N Meimarakis. A grandson gains knowledge about his grandfather
