Byron Bay book launch, for Ruby Brown Feros' George, his passion

Ruby Brown Feros delivering her speech. George song author, and band member of The Yanx, Jim Stephens, in the background.

On the 20th May, 2011, Feros Village at Byron Bay was the venue chosen to celebrate the launch of George his passion; Ruby Brown’s biography of her father, George Feros.

While it rained on the day before and the morning of the launch, the raindrops glistened on the flowers in the garden at the village in the afternoon sun. Eighty people gathered at the aged care village, which is named after George Feros, the man who collected on the streets of Byron Bay to help found the first aged care facility in the area.

George’s daughter, Ruby M Feros, has written a biography of her father. The book tells the story of a young Kytherian boy who left his island at the age of nineteen as a stow-a-way. George never returned to the island of his birth. George and his brother Tony set up the first Greek Café in Byron Bay in 1923.

In her book, Ruby reveals how, later in life, her father developed a passion to collect for aged care. His passion turned into an obsession. Ruby relates how life with George was very difficult. She expresses how she rose above the “hurts” of her childhood to become very proud of her father, and proud of the facility called Feros Care.

Nick Towers, Chairman of the Feros Care Board, was the MC for the launch. Nick wrote the Foreword for Ruby’s book. Nick said when he was asked to write the Foreword, he felt it was an honour and a privilege, and a task he found most humbling. He said George Feros, like the “local” lighthouse, was hard to miss in Byron Bay. Nick spoke of George Feros as one of the famous people, from all walks of life that he has been fortunate enough to meet. George Feros was probably the least well-known, but the most rewarding of all to interact with.

20 May 2011 was a very proud day for Ruby M Feros and for Feros Care. Justine Elliot, the Federal member for Richmond (who had been Minister for Ageing, in the Rudd federal government), launched George his passion. Justine spoke of Ruby’s dedication over five years to ensure that the story of her father was committed to the historical and public record. Justine took a great interest in Ruby’s book as she was writing it. She acknowledged that Ruby had also developed a passion for Feros Care, the organisation that her father first collected for.

Many of Ruby’s family and friends have been very generous and bought a copy of George his passion. Ruby is giving all the proceeds of the sale of the books to Feros Care. On the day of the launch, Ruby was able to present $6,000.00 to Feros Care from the sale of books.

It is now thirty years since George died, but his name lives on in the multi-award winning aged care facilities, which bear his name.
Many Kytherians gathered to celebrate the life of George Feros. George Poulos came all the way from Sydney to Byron Bay to represent the Kytherian World Heritage Trust and the Kytherian Association of Australia. George told the gathering how proud he is to be Kytherian. He was also proud that the Kytherian World Heritage Fund became involved in financing and printing the beautifully presented book, George, his passion. George continued: “it has been a year of Kytherian pride with the completion of Kytherian cinemas, Café and Museum at Grafton and Bingara. While these facilities are extraordinary, so are the facilities that have been established by Feros Care, on the basis of one Kytherian’s dream. It made me , and all other Kytherian’s doubly proud, when Ruby was able to continue her fathers financial support of Feros Care . The phrase “aspro prosopo” was on every Kytherian’s lips”.

Ruby thanked George for his own passion to see the stories about great Kytherians published. She acknowledged that without the passion of Kytherians such as George Poulos & Angelo Notaras, and the Board members of the Nicholas Anthony Aroney Trust & Kytherian Association of Australia, such stories would not be published.

Other visitors from Sydney included Ruby’s cousin Stella Samios and her husband Nick along with Matina Samios and her husband Manuel. Both cousins have featured in Ruby’s book in many ways. The families used to come to Ruby’s rural property, near Gunning, to pick “horrta”.

Ruby’s relatives from Brisbane included her cousins Philip and Helen Feros, Rene Maras (daughter of Ruby’s uncle Tony) and her husband Nick, Rene Feros (wife of Ruby’s cousin, the late Jim Feros), Manuel and Marie Cassamatis, George and Irene Prineas and John and Crissy Feros and John’s sister Mary Morris.

Friends of Ruby travelled from as far afield as Melbourne, Brisbane, Newcastle, Wollongong, Kyogle, Gold Coast and Taree. One of Ruby’s friends, Julie, was present. Ruby taught Julie in her first year of teaching. Ruby and Julie have remained friends since 1966. Ruby was thrilled that so many people came to celebrate this special day with her.

Another feature of the launch was the performance of local band, The Yanx. The Yanx is comprised of four members: Jim Stephens (Keyboards and Songwriter /composer /arranger), Rusty Miller (Drums and Harmonica), Bill Conner (Guitar), Glen Whitehurst (Bass Guitar). Rusty Miller is a surfing ‘icon’ from the 1960’s. All members were attracted to Australia by the surf. Jim and Bill came to Australia from the United States in the 60’s and 70’s and to Byron Bay in the early 1970’s. Glen came to Australia from the USA sometime in the 1990’s, and to Byron Bay in the 2000’s. Jim Stephens wrote a song about George Feros in the early 1970’s. He named the song simply …. George. The band played the song at the launch. Most of the audience was profoundly moved by their rendition.

You can llink to Jim Stephens and Yanx music at:

http://jimstephensmusic.com

The song, George, is available to purchase and download on the website for .50 cents.

It took Ruby 5 years to research and write her book. Ruby said that her book is a story about one great Kytherian-Australian who did great things for the people of Australia.

Anyone interested in buying a copy of George his passion by Ruby M Feros

can contact Ruby M Feros by Email

or

can contact George Poulos by Email