Theodore Pascalis

Theodore Pascalis (Magoulas) was born in 1897 at Pitsinades, Kythera. He left Greece, with his father Antonis, on a French ship, and arrived in Sydney in 1909, at the age of 12. They lived at 200 Castlereagh Street where they worked for the Comino family for 14 months, and, during this time, Theodore attended High School in William Street. His father returned to Kythera due to ill-health, and died in 1915. Theodore went to Hay, where he worked for 21⁄2 years. Subsequently he worked in Forbes for a year. He bought a fruit shop in Harden, where he worked from 1914 to 1920, then moved to Moree where he bought a cafe. His younger brother, Cecil, (Serafim), came from Greece a few years later, and joined him there.



In 1927, Theodore obtained an Australian Naturalization Certificate in the name of Theodore Pascall. and received an Australian (British) Pasport in 1935. He then sold the cafe so that he could return to Kythera to see his family after an absence of 25 years. During all his years in Australia, Theodore worked hard to send money and gifts to his family in Kythera and asisted relatives when they arrived in Australia. He was a highly regarded and honest gentleman.
Theodore left for Greece in November 1935, and arrived in Kythera 2 months later. His mother Panagiotitsa (Mavromatis) passed away in 1937.
Theodore met a beautiful young woman in Frilingianika, close to Pitsinades, whose name was Athena Frilingos, and they married in January, 1939. Five months later they departed for Sydney on the IONA ship, after sad farewells to Athena's parents, John (Yianni) and Kiranni Frilingos, Theodore's sister Kiranni Kaligeros and her 3 children, and many others.
When they arrived in Australia, Theodore and Athena went to Parramatta, where her two married sisters Maria Psaltis and Stamatina Psalidis and their families lived.
In 1940, Theodore, together with his brother-in-law John (Yianni) Kaligeros, bought the "Spot Cafe" from Nick Aroney, in the centre of Wollongong. He bought a house nearby, where they brought up their five daughters. They were a hard-working, well-respected family. Theodore was a member of the Wollongong Rotary and an active member of the Greek community assisting Greek new arrivals. He also helped establish the Greek Orthodox Church in Wollongong.



The eldest daughter Pat (Potitsa), married Paul Levantis in 1959, the second daughter, Ann (Kiranni) married Manuel Aroney in 1960, and Rene maried George Condolen in 1963. The next year, Theodore and Athena sold the cafe and the house, and moved to Sydney where Marina and Antonia attended University.
In 1970, Theodore Pascalis was awarded the title of ARHON (Arcwn) OF THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE OF CONTANTINOPLE, a high honour, for services to the Greek Community, and the Greek church.

Photographs of Theodore Pascalis as a 13 year old (1910), and of Theodore and Athena Pascalis taken in their prime in the 1940's can also be viewed on the Vintage Portraits/People page.

From information supplied by Ann Aroney (nee Pascalis).