June 2005
Two Years of Kythera-Family.net!
As the site enters it’s third year online it’s success is self-evident: 6400 entries to date submitted by more than 500 members of the world-wide Kytherian community. About 1000 pages are now being viewed each day by Kythera-lovers all over the world and hundreds of people have literally discovered their roots through the site. Each week a dozen newcomers register on the site which enables them to also submit from their own family heritage collection. All for free. For viewers, submitters, anywhere in the world. Thanks again to all those who have supported the site and helped preserve our heritage for present and future generations.
Program for the Discover Your Roots day
Greeting: James Prineas, Creator of Kythera-Family.net
Culture on Kythera: John Stathatos, Kythera Cultural Association
Delegates introduced: each participant gives a short family and personal history of themselves.
Robin Tzannes: Natural History
George Tzannes: An Artist on Kythera
Yanni Mavromati: The Diaspora and Kythera
Kalie Zervos: Family Research - my experience
Archeology ??
The Kythera Archives: ???
James Prineas, Website Team Leader Europe, Berlin
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From the Message Board
‘Café Culture’ exhibition Tweed Heads Museum in August 2005
The Tweed Heads and Murwillumbah Historical Societies are planning a joint exhibition titled ‘Café Culture’ to be displayed at the Tweed River Regional Museum through August 2005. They intend to illustrate the evolution of dining out in Murwillumbah, Tweed Heads and Coolangatta, and in this regard would be grateful for the loan of any photos and artefacts (cups, plates, silverware,….) from past cafes. If you can help, please contact the project officer, Ms Immy McKiernan, at [email protected] or 07 5524 2765 or
Tweed Heads Historical Society P.O. Box 839
Tweed Heads NSW 2485
Peter Tsicalas
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Spring on Kythera
Letter from Kythera by Rowan Parkes
Easter found the island full to the brim with people. The Myrtithiotissa ferry was so crowded I was surprised she stayed afloat, not only was the bottom garage full, but she actually had a whole load of cars on the upper deck as well! The smaller boat and the plane fared similarly, and Potamos and Chora were transformed from sleepy winter villages to bustling metropolises… rather scary actually.
Friday’s epitafios processions were reported as beautiful as ever, these too teemed with people. Chora castle, now lit up with electric lighting, looked something like an electricity plant from an FBI movie, however the town was beautifully accentuated with small beacons in the alley ways and rockets lighting the sky. Many of the doorways stood open to reveal decorated halls and icon stands beautifully set up and covered in flowers and candles.
And then along came Easter Sunday, and with it, aside from all the poor little lambs on spits came Sinan from England and ELLSO (East London Late Starters Orchestra), all revved up (from joining in the late night staff revels at the airport where they were celebrating the holiday by dancing on the tables and handing out Easter eggs) and ready to teach the local children all he knew about the violin. Several violins had arrived a day or so before, and since Monday it hasn’t stopped. The class assemble at three and the playing stops around five. Children of ages six to twelve as well as a few adults are taking part in the program, and so far it has been a great success. So Easter has come and gone but the music goes on, at least until Wednesday when Sinan leaves, and then lessons will slow to once a week and be supervised by the older members of the group who will stay in contact with Sinan.
Other visitors this Easter were Mr and Mrs Bingen, who in the sixties worked in developmental teams on the island (that is in fact where they met!) under the supervision of George Koksma, and they had many interesting stories to tell and memories to relate about their work, the island and its people, especially the people of Livathi who then put them up. The group covered a vast amount of developmental work on the island, some of it successful – like the water and drainage systems, some of it not so successful – like the pear canning factory! Mr Bingen is at present engaged in collating names, dates and details about that period and the work Koksma supervised, so anyone who was at the time connected with or working for the group and has a sharp memory or a well-kept diary should get in touch with them (through me, through the site!) and a few bits and pieces about the period should be floating around on Kythera-Family.net pretty soon.
The island is at present decked out in a beautiful May garlands, this really is a wonderful time of year here, and the t-shirts lately to be seen milling around are a sign that summer may not be far behind... so, spring goodbye, summer get on with it! Ah, the sun, the sea, the....
Rowan Parkes, Aloizianika, Kythera
