Join our Team!

Dear Friends of Kythera,

the Kythera-Family.net team needs more volunteer interviewers, collators and editors. Fascinating information about Kythera is still unwritten or undigitalised and there are dozens of first-wave Australian and American Kytherians out there who still have sharp memories but poor computer skills. We need your help to interview them and get their stories, family trees and pictures onto the site. From there they can be viewed from anywhere in the world and inspire young and old alike to take an interest in their heritage.

Other new members of our team could help by typing up interesting archive and published material for uploading. The more than 7200 entries which have already been submitted to the site from all over the world represent only a fraction of heritage material which we should be preserving on the site.

If you're interested or would like more information please contact our chief content manager in Sydney George Poulos. You can call him on (+61. 02) 9388 83 20 or reach him via email at g.poulos@kythera-family.net.

Testimonials
Hardly a week goes by without us hearing about visitors to Kythera-Family.net finding a relative or someone unrelated who has provided a link to their family history. If you've made interesting contacts through the site we'd love to hear about it. Please send me a short text about your experience so we can feature it in our next newsletter - perhaps it will inspire others to post more messages or entries.

Thanks for the Memories
It's been a while since I listed new submitters to the site. While I can't name all of them here, I can at least thank all for the great work they're doing. So here just a few of the most recent new kids on the "blog": Eirini Megalokonomos, Vikki Vrettos Fraioli, Toula Lorandos, Eric C. Poulos, John Comino, Theodoros Megalokonomos, Vaggeli Contoleon, John Kosmas, David Samios, Jessie Coronake, Marion Brown, Vaggelis Batsinilas, Peter Aroney's granddaughter "Tulloch", Dimitris Leontsinis, Eva-Marie Prineas, Shannon Vasyli, Ioannis Leontarakis, Anna Comino, Stella Aird (nee Kelly), Michael Samios, Denis Poulos, Elaine Moulos, Giorgos Gavriilidi, Alphonse van der Reep (Holland), Harry Levanti, Nicholetta Vlandis. And, of course, thanks also to the seasoned submitters - some who have submitted hundreds of entries - for sharing their collections with us.

James Prineas, Kythera-Family.net, Team Leader Europe
james@kythera-family.net

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Letter from Kythera (October 10. 2005)
by Rowan Parkes, our school-student island reporter

The biting cold announced today to the island that the end of summer is now official, autumn is definitely here. Though I have for a few weeks now been wearing a scarf, I had not really taken notice of the fact, having been so busy with ELLSO's (East London Late Starters Orchestra) second trip to the island. Of course the seasons must change and the circle of life keep spinning, but I really prefer the summer.

The Summer, by all accounts, was a fun filled time, with lots of concerts and shows and even a circus! However, I have caught the last of the excitement, and here I return to my earlier mention of ELLSO's second visit to the island. Having just come out of a riotous dance of chaotic music, wonderful people and lovely new friendships I am inclined to be a little sentimental about it all. From their first rehearsals, to the magical contemporary processional piece undertaken by candle light on Agia Pelagia beach, and through to their last concert in which they incorporated the local Philharmonic as well as the Kytherian children's (mostly) string orchestra - organised of course by ELLSO's own conductor Sinan, who spent a marvellous week continuing his work of last year with the kids - and even played a mixture of traditional island pieces put together by the Philharmonic's conductor Stratis, the whole event was one beautiful experience for all. And a blessing for the island, most of all for its children who now have their own string ensemble and many such wonderful opportunities to look forward to in the future.

The last ELLSO concert took place in the new amphitheatre/ art centre in Kapsali, and once the concert was over, I had the opportunity to view the wonderful exhibition that was in full swing inside the building. The work on display was that of a marvellous artist from Holland who has been a regular visitor of Kythera with her husband (who incidentally plays the clarinet in the Philharmonic beautifully), they now have a house in Gerakari. Her name is Kathleen, and her paintings can only be described as a transformation of Kytherian countryside into a Celtic fairyland. Bright colours, a beautiful water-colour technique, little details and soft washes composed with sensitivity and tenderness made up her own wonderful world of Kythera. Mountains melted into trees, trees into sand, sand into sea, a gentle melancholy lit by a mischievous spark of humour added poignancy to the paintings. Rarely have I seen a more unique depiction of the island, her work is remarkable to say the least, and for those of you who missed it I sincerely hope she is planning to share her vision with us again soon… Thank you Kathleen!
by Rowan Parkes (rowan@kythera-family.net)

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PRIZES FOR BEST KARAVA ENTRIES
Announcement of the Karavitiko Symposium

1. Best Photograph of Person/Group Portraits - of people from Karavas.
Prize: A$250

The winner is: Mrs Matty Lech (nee, Coroneos), Kensington, Sydney.
for her entry at: http://kythera-family.net/index.php?nav=104-111&cid=184&did=7788&pageflip=1 .

"Minas Cominos and his wife (?). They did not have any children.
Standing: Melpomeni Cominos, Peter Hilos Tzortzopoulos (Monaro Cafe, Goulburn, later to move to Red Hill in Canberra). Wife is Marouli, wife of Peter, holding a baby (children of Peter and Marouli). Elderly couple are the parents of Melpomeni Conimos, Charles and Kirranni Cominos".

The prize was awarded because those in the photograph from the 1920's have such a large number of Karaviti descendants, largely in Australia, but many on Kythera. The photograph thus binds many Karavithes together.

Matty would like to re-donate the prize.
To be awarded on Greek National Day (GND), 25th March, 2006.
The new prize becomes the GND 2006 Coroneos ("Melasafaos") Prize, for Best Photograph of Person/Group Portraits - of people from Karavas.



2. Best Photograph of Landscape and Architecture in and around Karavas.
Prize: A$250

The winner is: Mr Stephen Tryfyllis, Brisbane, Queensland.

For his entry at: http://www.kythera-family.net/index.php?nav=104-107&cid=180&did=8273&pageflip=2 .
"Karava spring. (Kerramari)... people from all over the island come to karava to collect drinking water from the springs..."

The prize was awarded because the ritual of collecting water at the ever-running spring at Kerramari, resonates with Karavatithes at a very deep level.
Kerramari spring is an iconic place. The Selection Committee acknowledges the tremendous contribution that Stephen Tryfyllis has made to the kythera-family web-site, and the fact that any one of his numerous other photographs could have been selected as a First Prize winner.

Stephen would like to re-donate and re-badge the prize.
To be awarded on Greek National Day (GND), 25th March, 2006.
The new prize becomes the GND 2006, Tryfyllis Prize, for Best Photographic Portrait of a Kytherian currently living on the island. Those entries with a strong biographical note will be favourably considered.


3. Best Sporting Life entry - any subject.
Prize: A signed Eastern Suburbs Rugby League football guernsey.
The winner is Mr Dean Coroneos. Rose Bay, Sydney.

For his entry at: http://www.kythera-family.net/index.php?nav=117-133&cid=264&did=6332&pageflip=1 .
"Dr. Steve Georgakis with original members of the Sydney Olympic Club (1945), Nick Marcells, Bill Psaltis, Leo Raftos, Con Mottee and George Stell".

The prize was awarded because it reveals knowledge about the early Kytherian involvement in sport, through the Olympic Club in the 1940's, and 1950's. It also introduces us to Dr Steve Georgakis, who has written the books on Sport and the Australian Greek, and the Greek Australian Sports Hall of Fame.

Dean Coroneos would like to re-donate the prize.
To be awarded on Greek National Day (GND), 25th March, 2006.
The new prize becomes the GND 2006, Coroneos (Belos) Prize, for Best Sporting Life entry - any subject.

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A Gourmet's Guide to Lismore - 1 (of 4 exceptional entries - ed)
submitted by Peter Tsicalas
12.07.2005

The year is 1955 and 18 year old Harry Eric Crethar is doing his usual run around 'The Block', the local name for the major retail portion of Lismore's CBD, sussing out the cafe competition in preparation for the launch of his very own 'Wonder Bar.'

He's a happy chap; having survived the destruction of war-torn Athens and Piraeus he now sees comparative prosperity and optimism all around him. The whole community is still imbued with post war euphoria, building their dream homes in newly created subdivisions, acquiring cars and taking regular trips to the beach. The dairy farmers, still the mainstay of the local economy, albeit still struggling and propped up by ever increasing government subsidies, continue to believe that stabilisation of their industry is just around the corner. The banana growers, in ever increasing numbers due to record profits, believe the current glut is only a temporary aberration. The old style department store tycoons and their army of employees believe the new self-service chain stores will never catch on. And all the other shop-keepers around the block have smiles on their faces as they look out their doorways and believe the huge crowds filing past will go on forever. The warnings of the weather prophets of storm clouds on the horizon and of the seismological diviners on ominous rumbles through the region go unnoticed except for a few astute Greeks who had started the exodus from Lismore post WW2. Nevertheless, the Greeks still dominate the catering trade and their subsequent fall from glory is for retrospective contemplation. In the meantime, young Harry, starting his circuit along Molesworth Street comes to his first port of call:

The Capitol Cafe (84 Molesworth)
Notwithstanding the groundwork of Athena Andrulakis, The Capitol, introduced into Lismore by the Vlismas Bros. in 1929, was the first major Ithacan assault on the cafe stranglehold of the Kytherian mafia. It has swapped hands a few times and is now in the possession of Peter Manias and, except for being lined in black marble and the installation of a magnificent new soda fountain, remains unchanged from the extensive makeover of 1937, which brought it up to a standard to rival Angelo Crethar's establishment further down the street. While they lack some of Angelo's finer touches, wooden seating verses plush leather-covered cushions for instance, the wider street frontage gives the place more elbow room for indulgent dining and mod cons, leaving the adjudicators to award a marginal first in the competition for Lismore's classiest restaurant (or as one egalitarian Australian gourmet put it: 'The Capitol was the poshest restaurant, but Angelo's had the poshest people'! I kid you not.)
(Read the rest of this entry and the 3 others in the series at http://www.kythera-family.net/index.php?nav=5-48&cid=2&did=7691&pageflip=2 .