A settlement in the south of the island, long thought to be recent but likely having two periods of existence. The Church of Saint Nikitas (13th-14th century) and the Monastery of Sotiros Pentarmena indicate earlier habitation. The area is referenced in the Venier estate boundaries and in a 1583 document concerning Kastrofylakas's mission. Kalamos appears by name in a mid-15th century document. The settlement was abandoned, probably in the 16th century, due to pirate raids. John Davy, an English officer visiting in 1827, described it as uninhabited. Habitation resumed in the mid-19th century with settlers from Strapodi and Livadi. The name comes from "kalami" (reed), which grew abundantly in the area. Today, Kalamos is growing due to tourism, with nearby Chalkos beach and Vroulea harbor.
Condensed from Emmanuel Kalligeros's excellent Kytherian Geographical Placenames which is available
here
beautiful church at kalamos on the main road with the pine tress swaying in the breeze , I can still hear that peaceful sound of the breeze blowing through those pine tress ...
magnificent swim on a picture perfect august day at chalkos beach near the village of kalamos at southern end of the island a spectacular beach , a must visit in the summer ....
Two hundred People attended the Warialda Memorial Hall last Friday to see the first naturalization ceremony ever carried out in that centre.
Mr. James Calligeros, a resident of Warialda, had Australian Citizenship conferred upon him on that day. Mr. Calligeros came to Australia in 1948 from an island (Kythera) near Greece. He has been a resident of Warialda since his arrival in Australia.
The ceremony was held at 2pm, and councillors of the Yallaroi Shire were present at the impressive ceremony. The president of the shire council (Cr. C.S. Pyrke) said the people present in the hall gathered on that day to see the first naturalization ceremony conducted by the Yallaroi Shire Council.
“The Commonwealth Government has charged the mayors of mayors of municipalities and the presidents of shire councils, where no municipalities exist, with the responsibility of this very important function, and so it is my great pleasure and privilege to act on behalf on behalf of the Department of Immigration in complying with that request. The Department does not treat naturalization lightly.”
“ Firstly, a migrant has to have five years residence. He must be of good character. He must have an adequate knowledge of English. He must have an adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of Citizenship. He must indicate his intention to reside permanently in Australia.”
“Today we have with us Mr. James Calligeros, who has fulfilled all these qualifications conscientiously and faithfully.
We have received apologies from Mr, Ian Allen MHR, and Mr. Geoff Crawford MLA. Both were unable to attend today.
“Before administering the oath of allegiance and admitting you into the citizenship of the Commonwealth of Australia, as a new subject of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, I propose to say something to you about the status you are now assuming, with the rights and duties which it implies.”
“When we say that the Australian Commonwealth is a “democracy”, we do not mean merely that its governments hold office, by the virtue of the fact that they are popularly elected legislators. We mean above all, that our system of authority, and way of life, are built on the idea, of the divine right of the common man.”
“We believe that every human person possesses, in virtue of his humanity, certain inalienable rights, which come from God his Creator; rights which have been summed up shortly “ to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
“Our Sovereign, today does not direct the political administration of any of her dominions. But do not that let lead you to imagine that her office is a survival of no particular importance or that your pledge of loyalty to her is of no great significance,” said Cr Pyrke.
“Just because the Queen is chosen by no man, but reigns, “by the Grace of God”, she can be the representative of every man. The allegiance borne to her by all loyal Australians of whatever political party, serves to bind them firmly into unity which transcends all the divisions of party, so that the controversies of the freeman can go
on without disrupting the State.”
“You will take the oath that you will be faithful and bear true allegiance to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II., her heirs and successors, according to law, and that you will faithfully observe the laws of Australia and fulfil your duties as an Australian citizen,” he said.
Mr. Calligeros then took the oath.
Cr. Pyrke: “You are now an Australian Citizen and a British subject. I have the pleasure of offering you my person congratulations and may I also offer the congratulations of all assembled here,” Cr Pyrke said.
Cr. N.J.Makim then extended congratulations to Mr. Calligeros on behalf of the citizens of the Yallaroi Shire. “We all hope that you will continue to be a good and industrious citizen and a good Australian,” he said.
Cr Pyrke: “You are now an Australian Citizen. You belong to a young and free nation, where you may think, speak and worship according to your conscience, subject only to respecting the rights of others. You inherit the proud traditions of the British people on which Australian citizenship is founded. In short you are now entitled to all the rights and privileges to which you would entitled if you were born in this country. You should never forget, however, that these privileges carry with them the responsibilities of which I spoke earlier, and in accepting the benefits which Australia now gives to you, you must be prepared to give Australia in return, the loyalty and service expected of all good citizens.”
“I again congratulate you upon the step which you have now taken and upon the decision to take a full part in the future of this great country in which you have made your home.”
Cr. Pyrke then presented Mr. Calligeros with a pen and ink stand made of Australian wood. He said this was a gesture of goodwill from the people of Warialda and the Yallaroi Shire to a new citizen.
“You have already proved yourself to be a worthy of the honour which has been conferred upon you today. I hope that this will serve to remind you of the years to come of this happy occasion.”
Mr. Calligeros said that the day meant a great deal to him. “Ever since I have been in Australia I have been treated, by all who I have come in contact with, with courtesy and friendship. I hope that I will not let Australia down and I will try and carry on the tradition required of me. I am happy and proud to be an Australian citizen and again I must say thank you, one and all,” he said.
The ceremony concluded with the singing of the National Anthem.
This image is part of a photographic documentary series entitled “One Year on Kythera”. “One Year on Kythera” was created by photographer Kristina Williamson, who spent one calender year living on Kythera, documenting the lives of Kytherians today; what aspects of traditional life remain in practice and in what ways the island is changing.
For more information on this project please visit www.oneyearonkythera.com
I came across this site accidently and I think it is wonderful. My Fathers name is Emmanuel Megaloconomos. I know I have a lot of distant relys in Brisbane. So hi out there!
This image is part of a photographic documentary series entitled “One Year on Kythera”. “One Year on Kythera” was created by photographer Kristina Williamson, who spent one calender year living on Kythera, documenting the lives of Kytherians today; what aspects of traditional life remain in practice and in what ways the island is changing.
For more information on this project please visit www.oneyearonkythera.com
In Fox Street, Walgett, outside Barwon Cafe and Bert Malcolm's hairdressing parlour and music shop. O T Evans general store and Corbans Menswear shop are on the extreme left.
Car is a 1927 Chevrolet, owned by Sid Harris.
The Conomos Bros. ran the Barwon Cafe and would serve petrol as well - Walgett, NSW
Lambros Conomos (Megalokonomos) came to Australia from Kalamos, Kythera in 1911 aged fourteen. He was employed at Aroney's Café at 9 Alfred St, Circular Quay the very first day he arrived. At that time, Circular Quay was the busiest place in Sydney. There were twenty-four men working in Aroney's three-storey fish shop and restaurant, which had two dining rooms and a very large kitchen where Lambros worked.
He wrote to his father that there was plenty of work everywhere in Australia and suggested that his younger brother Emanuel should join him. So on Thursday 29 May 1914, accompanied by his cousin Zaharias Calligeros and an interpreter, Cosmas Cassimatis, young Emanuel set sail from Kythera.
As he was only twelve years old when he arrived in Australia, Emanuel was too young to be employed full time. He continued his schooling at Fort St Public School while helping at Aroney's by peeling potatoes and folding serviettes for the waiters. He started his first full time job a year later in Cessnock, in a small mixed business style shop that stocked large quantities of fish and also served meals. His wage was five shillings a week. For this sum Emanuel would have to get up at four o'clock every morning to deliver freshly cooked fish to the coalminer's homes. However, a coal strike caused him to leave after nine months and return to Sydney where he worked for the Psaltis Brothers (John, Nicholas and Charles) at Kings Cross.
It was common in those days for Kytherians who had set up business in country towns to request help from newly arrived young boys in the city. One such request came from Gundagai to help out in some refreshment rooms. So Emanuel headed south where he spent another nine months before being called back to the Psaltis café at Kings Cross in 1917. Early the following year he had decided to go to Kiama where an Athenian had requested assistance, but a meeting with Peter Castrissios in Park Street led him to Nowra. Peter, who was wearing a mask, because of the flu epidemic, had to be hospitalised and asked Emanuel to take his place at Steve Castrission's café in Nowra. {See entry on Castrission's cafe on this website). It was there one week later that Emanuel learned of Peter's death.
By that time, Lambros, his older brother, had moved to Walgett, a small town on the junction of the Barwon and Namoi Rivers in northwest New South Wales. He was working in a café owned by Peter and Arthur Calligeros and before them, Comino and Panaretto. In 1919, Lambros bought the café, and sent for his younger brother. The locals in Walgett thought that Emanuel was too difficult a name to pronounce, and called him Hector, a name he was known by all his life. Joined by their brother, Jim, in 1922, the three Conomos brothers owned and operated the Barwon Café until 1949.
As well as the café, the Conomos Bros introduced a number of other services to Walgett. A smoke house, used for drying fish was built in the early twenties. The sawdust, which came from the pine trees in the Pilliga Scrub, was also used for the ice-works, which they built in 1927. There were no refrigerators in those days, so they would deliver ice covered with hessian in a truck for the charcoal coolers. In the summer of 1938-39, the demand for ice was so great, the factory worked 30 days non-stop when the temperature was still 118 degrees Fahrenheit at 9 o'clock at night.
It was in 1927 that the Conomos Bros started the cordial factory and started screening silent movies with only one projector (a Simplex) at the School of Arts. Two years later Lambros spent a year's holiday in Greece and in 1933, Jim also left for Greece where he stayed until 1935 when it was Emanuel's turn to visit the homeland. He booked a passage on the Monterey that took him via the Pacific Islands and America, where he made contact with many Kytherians who had settled in the United States. During his three-year stay on Kythera he rebuilt the family home in Kalamos and married Elly Haros from Livadi. They were married for 60 years and enjoyed six trips back to Kythera, the last one being in 1997 when Emanuel was ninety-six years of age.
During his absence in Greece things were happening in Walgett. Lambros and Jim had bought a wine saloon and appointed a manager to run it. They had also taken on the agency for Texaco Spirit and Oils, Peter's Ice Cream and Angus & Coote. However, the most significant event for the Conomos Bros and for Walgett was the opening of the Luxury Theatre, next door to the Barwon Café, on 19 April 1937.
[[picture:"Walgett Luxury Theatre Programme Front Page.jpg" ID:5946]]
The inaugural program included a "specially selected series of short subjects" such as the obligatory Cinesound Review and a Popeye the Sailor Man cartoon, followed by Born to Dance starring Eleanor Powell. A "Luxury" ball was held at the conclusion of the evening, which was repeated on the anniversary of the opening for the next two years with the proceeds going to the Walgett District Hospital. A supper following the ball was held at the School of Arts.
Admission prices ranged from 1/6 for front stalls to 5/- for a seat in the lounge upstairs. Screenings were three times a week - Wednesday, Friday and Saturday - showing a different film each night always preceded by a newsreel and cartoon or short documentary. In later years, the big film companies compelled theatre proprietors to repeat screenings of blockbusters on the weekends to cover the royalty demands.
In the fifties and sixties, there were matinees on Saturday afternoons, which nearly always featured The Durango Kid. Westerns were a great crowd pleaser with patrons cheering for their favourite 'goodies'such as Audie Murphy, by whistling and stamping their feet on the wooden floor. Crowd control was a special skill exercised by the three Conomos brothers who would patrol the aisles with torches that would be flashed on the offenders. This was especially put to the test when the movie Rock Around the Clock inspired the teenagers to jump out of their seats and 'rock n roll'.
When the Luxury Theatre was completed in 1937, the town's population was 1,000. Licensed to accommodate 500, it was a fine example of Art Deco architecture, four storeys high and boasting 375,000 bricks. The architect, Bruce Dellit, also designed the Coronet Theatre in Sydney and the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park. The building was painted white, with the name Luxury written in gold. The stage curtains and seats upstairs were velvet, and in the early years the usherettes wore long gold satin frocks.
Even though there was a formal 'smoking lounge' upstairs, most people preferred to go to the café next door at interval and after the pictures for the Conomos's famous pure fruit squashes and original special sundaes such as "Battle in the Snow" or "Twin Peak". Their hospitality and dedication to customer satisfaction were renowned. One night they kept the café open until the early hours of the morning as a special request for a mob of shearers who had finished work at midnight on a property close to town and were desperate for a meal.
But World War II meant a shortage of manpower. It was impossible to keep everything running without staff. The first thing to go was the Texaco depot then the ice-works and the cordial factory. When they couldn't get anyone to work in the café kitchen, Emanuel and Jim used to take it in turns. The café was sold in 1949 and Jim and Emanuel kept the theatre and wine saloon running after Lambros moved to Sydney in 1951. Lambros married in 1953 but died four years later. Jim never married and remained in Walgett until he died in 1973, returning to Greece only one more time. Emanuel retired to Sydney a year later where he lived with his family until he died in 1998.
The Barwon Café was destroyed by fire in 1962 together with the wine saloon but both shops were later rebuilt. The Luxury Theatre continued screening until 1969 when the effects of a prolonged drought and the advent of television caused its closure for three years. It operated for another five years before it, too, was destroyed by fire in 1978.
The operation of the Barwon Café and Luxury Theatre and everything else that the Conomos Bros undertook was done with a sense of duty not only towards the town of Walgett, but to themselves and their family back home in Kythera who had given them the opportunity for a better life on the other side of the world. The souvenir program for the opening of the Luxury Theatre sums up the sense of pride in their endeavours and the aspirations of these three pioneers: "It is with distinct pride that we present to Walgett the new Luxury Theatre...pride in the knowledge that it will reflect the full meaning of its name in providing the best in entertainment to future patrons in this town.
We know that our new enterprise reflects the entire prosperity of Walgett, inasmuch as the town's success is our success...which means happiness for everyone.
With the new "Luxury," we wish you many future hours of pleasant relaxation - and we are content in the knowledge that it is our duty to successfully provide it." And that's exactly what they did.
Numerous other entries on the Conomos brothers can be sourced by searching under key words like Conomos, Walgett, Luxury Theatre, Barwon Cafe. Don't forget to consult Kevin Cork's Ph.D thesis, available at Cafes, Shops and Cinema's, under, Photography Diaspora, in particular, Chapter 2.
This article first appeared in The Greek Australian Vema, May 2003, 9/29.
It was written by daughter Nina Conomos. We thank the Vema, Nina, and the Conomos family, for permission to re-print.
On the way to Kalamos I came across a small church with a simple but dramatic iconostasion. I understand that it is the Church of Sotiras: see a similar photo on the website of Petros Kominos at www.kominos.com.
HALKOS GREAT SWIMMING BEACH JUST SOUTH OF KALAMOS.BIT OF A ROUGH ROAD TO GET THERE BUT YOU WILL HAVE A VERY ENJOYABLE SWIM SURROUNDED BY VERY DRAMATIC SCENERY.
This lovely old lady's decendants still live in Kalamos, and were she alive she would now be a great great great granny...I think...maybe another great!
Over the years people have come up with quite a few ideas about the so called ksenolaos or fey as in fairies etc on Kythera, some say they exist and some simply dismiss them as old wives tales. One thing is for certain and that is the fact that in this day and age they appear a lot less frequently than they used to, perhaps simply because less of the new generation are believers, or perhaps because these days we spend so much more time in front of the computer screen than out in the open looking for fairies.
So what is they Kytherian definition of Fey? There are various vague descriptions floating around, some describe them as ghosts, others as some form of elf or sprite, others as haunts, some say they have horns and back to front feet. They usualy appear in large groups, followed by the so called lame demon, who it seems is always left behind by the others on account of his handycap... It is said that on their account one can see the form of some acquaintance or friend as a preminition of that persons death, some thin that can be averted with certain blessings and religious services. The church sees them as satanic demons, the locals regard them with awe and do their best to avoid them, as they are supposed to bring on madness, bad luck or even death. They can be fought with exorcism, the book of Solomon, blessings etc., also with a good dose of smarts and caution!
They usualy pop up in the so called "evil places", places that may have seen bad happenings or simply have an air of mysteique. Such a place is supposedly the so called "Boobooras", a truly magical little wood in the village of Kalamos (for anyone who is silly enough to go fairy spotting!). It is said some babies were murdered there, and on the anniversary of their death you can hear the mothers looking for them (brrrr!).
Another interesting point about the fey is the fact that animals tend to sense them better than humans, and there have been quite a few occurences when a faithful dog or donkey has warned his master of the fey's passing...
Ioannis Megalokonomos, was born in 23rd March 1912 at Kalamos, a small village of Kithira.
He was the youngest boy of a family of four boys and one girl. Both of his parents, Maria and Mina, died very young and he was an orphan since he was five years old. He grown up alone, with the assistant of his brothers and sister.
He joined the army at the age of 21 and remained there for two years and a half. He was a member of the King’s army the so-called Euzonoi.
During the Second World War he fought against Italians at the Greek-Albanian borders.
After the war he returned to Kithira where he worked as a farmer and a building constructor. He took part at the construction of the port of Kapsali and he was an expert in the stone built.
In 9th of May, 1948 he married Kalliopi Kalligeros(1927- )
Source: "Kythera Summer Edition"
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Congratulations on this wonderful website. I cannot wait until I can submit the family tree of my family which I have been working on for a number of years. Good luck with all the entries and wishing you every success on this venture.
