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History > Archive/Research > The Kasimatis Family-The Casimaty cousins

History > Archive/Research

submitted by Matina Kasimatis on 15.09.2004

The Kasimatis Family-The Casimaty cousins

Isidoros (Syd) 1908-1976
Kostas (Con) 1910-1992
Grigorios (Gregory) 1914
Timotheos 1918-1995
The four sons of Kosma Kasimatis (brother of Georgios Grigoriou) were all born on Kythera.
Kosma and brother Ioannis had been to Queensland before Gregory was born. Kosma’s stay was brief as he missed his wife and children in Greece.
Ioannis stayed on, buying property and establishing a business before returning home.
Kosma’s four sons emigrated separately to Tasmania, the first three when very young and Tomitheos with his wife in the 60s.
Syd and Gregory started out in Casimaty’s fish shop and they and Con all worked at various stages in the Britannia Café upstairs, with Con and Gregory as cooks. Years later Syd leased the café from cousins Gregory and Anthony.
Syd ran a refreshment bar in Queanbeyan, NSW for several years. Back in Hobart he eventually opened the Paragon Frock shop in Elizabeth Street, with Con and Gregory as financial partners.
Hobart, built on rivulets not yet adequately channelled, flooded in 1954 and 1960. The Paragon was affected, particularly in 1960 when in some parts of the town the water almost reached the tops of parking meters. Despite loosing its entire stock Paragon survived, but closed shortly after Syd’s death in 1976.
Enid Heather worked in a café and also in Paragon for 34 years altogether. She was Syd’s constant companion and nursed him throughout his final illness.
Con worked in a variety of businesses over the years including the Carlton Club Hotel now the Carlton Restaurant. He married Antonia Lianos. The had two children, Timotheo (Tim) and Kyrany. Tim is a student at the University of Tasmania and Kyrany is a secretary. The family lives at Sandy Bay.
Gregory has cooked at the Imperial and Shoreline hotels and he and his family ran Tammy’s, a snack bar in Collins Street for 12 years.
Gregory married Martha Moutsatsou. They have three children, Kyrany, Kosma (Charles) and Ioannis (John) all born in Hobart.
Kyrany, a school teacher married George Kyprios, a barrister and solicitor. They have a son Zacharias born in Melbourne where they live. Charles does office work at Parliament house. John is the proprietor of Corporate Cabs, Hobart.
Gregory and Martha live at Sandy Bay in the same house, by coincidence, that Gregory and Katina lived in many years before.
Timotheo and his wife Zacharoula Notaras lived in Hobart for a few years and later moved to Sydney where Zacharoula now resides.

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