American Beauties at the Niagara: The marriage of American food catering ideas to British-Australian tastes and the birth, life and demise of the classic Australian ‘Greek cafe’.
Leonard Janiszewski, presenter of the paper. From, Macquarie University News, September, 2004.
Rural and Regional Conference Papers presented at the National Trust of Australia (NSW) Conference
on 10 March 2003
National Trust Centre
Observatory Hill
Sydney
Out There?
The National Trust of Australia (NSW0
This collection follows the Out There? Conference which was held at the S. H. Ervin Gallery at the National Trust Centre at Observatoty Hill on 10 March 2003.
In accordance with the conference, dates and time frames referred to in individual
papers have remained as they were at the time of presentation.
Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the National Trust of Australia (NSVV).
Out There?
A Conference on Rural and
Regional Issues
The National Trust would like to thank those you gave support and in kind contributions. Glenmore Meats, Tip Top Bakery and 2nd Mortdale Scout Group.
We are deeply indebted to all those who made the Conference a success.
‘AMERICAN BEAUTIES’ AT THE NIAGARA:
The marriage of American food catering ideas to British-Australian tastes and the birth, life and demise of the classic Australian ‘Greek cafe’
Leonard Janiszewski and Effy Alexakis
Historian Leonard Janiszewski, and documentary photographer, Effy Alexakis, have been researching the Greek-Australian historical and contemporary presence in both Australia and Greece since 1982. Their project and archives In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians, encompasses visual, oral and literary material and is based at Macquarie University, Sydney, in association with the Department.of Modem History and the Australian History Museum. Their archives is one of the most significant collections in the country on Greek-Australians. Various national and intemational touring exhibitions, books, articles and a film documentary have been produced. Of their exhibitions, the most pronounced has been ‘In their Own Image: Greek-Australians’ which was created in partnership with the State Library of NSW and toured throughout Australia as well as Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece; in Athens it was part of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Cultural Festival ‘Reaching the World’ and Thessaloniki it was invited as the Australian component of the City’s ‘Cultural Capital of Europe 1997’ programme.
Alexakis photographs are held in both public and private collections in Australia, most significantly in the Australian National Gallery, Canberra and the NSW State Library, Sydney. In 2001 Janiszewski was awarded .the New South Wales History Fellowship to research a history of the ‘Greek cafe’ in New South Wales - a major book and nationally touring exhibition will result. He is also a member of the NSW Ministry for the Arts Uterature and History Committee.
Historian Leonard Janiszewski presented the paper, which featured numerous historical and contemporary images.
A spectre is haunting Australia’s history and heritage, and that spectre is: the English language. [1] The grand narratives and symbols of Australia’s past have been overwhelmed by research and interpretation through an English language base. This has essentially created a myopic, monocultural vision which has effectively alienated, marginalised, and even left broadly unacknowledged, the significance which cultural diversity and hybridity has had in developing the Australia of today. Professional Australian historians and heritage specialists with linguistic skills in a language, or languages, other than English, and who are prepared to engage in research utilising such skills, are currently rare. The underlying theme of this presentation is consequently a call to firmly encourage and facilitate the development of such historians and heritage specialists. Untying the restrictive binds of the English language straightjacket will undoubtedly lead to new visions of our past and heritage. The country ‘Greek cafe’, broadly regarded as a quintessentially Australian phenomenon and particularly synonymous with rural life in the eastern states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, being a pertinent example......
American Beauties at the Niagara, Full Text
