Gilgandra. Commercial olives. Part of the olive-ization of Australia.

Kelburn Grove
Tooraweenah. 2831.

Ph: 02 6848 1096

Fax: 02 6848 1129

In another entry about the Monterey Cafe in Gilgandra, I revealed that "...I was born in Gilgandra, in 1952, and left after completing my schooling in 1969.

The Kytherian presence in Gilgandra began in 1910, with the Baveas family establishing the ABC Cafe in the town.

A comprehensive history of the Kytherian presence in Gilgandra

From about the end of WWII, until mid-1975 - Gilgandra, population, 2,900 - became a very Kytherian town.

5 families - the Pentes, Sklavos, Kelly (Koumokellie), Psaltis (Protopsaltis), and Poulos (Tzortzopoulos) - lived in close proximity to each other - culturally, residentially, and commercially.

In the main, Kytherians embraced Kytherians - Gilgandra embraced Kytherians - and Kytherians embraced Gilgandra".

During the middle of the year 2004, I took my father, now 88 years old, on a nostalgia tour, back to Gilgandra, and through other towns in the Central and North West of New South Wales.

Not a single person of Kytherian origin now lives in Gilgandra.

Elsewhere I have also spoken about the olive-ization of Australia. This is part of that same phenomenon.

Olive-ization. Hot off the press

Olive-ization of Australia. Swan Valley, Western Australia

Jack Pentes, who ran a store on the intersection of the main street, opposite the Royal Hotel, and lived one street further back, had planted a number of olive trees.

I have outlined the history of Jack's trees in another submission.

Olive trees. Living Memorials to Jack Pentes

The trees on the footpath outside this house in Morris Street, Gilgandra, were planted by Yarni Logothetis, from Logothetyianika, Kythera.

His son, Harry, and daughter-in-law Voula, had purchased the Gilgandra Fruit Shop from their "buzunaki" and brother-in-law Con George Poulos in the early 1970's.

For a few years he came to Australia, and lived in the house with the Logus family.

In a sense you could say that the 2 olive trees are a living memorial to Yarni Logothetis.

Olive trees. Living Memorials to Yarni Logothetis, and other Kytherians in Gilgandra

When I was growing up Australians generally, and Gilgandrians particularly, did not "understand" olives - nor were olives a regular part of their cuisine.

This photograph was taken inside the Coo-ee Heritage Centre, Gilgandra.

It depicts the various olive products that are on sale there, from, .......... Grove, a family company based in the small outlying village of Tooreweenah, near Gilgandra.

This commercial enterprise - is further evidence of the the olive-ization of Australia.