Tsikalaria

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Nick was born on 1/2/10 on the Island of Kythera in the small town of Tsikalaria. His family nickname was Xeros. While in Kythera, Nick became a Dancer. His dancing group consisted of one man (himself) and 16 women, something he was very proud of. He lived through the first world war as a child. Nick was an ambitious man and wanted to become independent so he went to Athens where he learned to become a Real Estate Agent. After he had learned the value of property he purchased his first property in Nea Smirni. Nick wanted to become a Doctor at about the time when the Second World War started, so he volunteered to serve as a Doctor's assistant during the war.

Soon after the war finished he left Greece (December 8th 1946) and went to America where he worked as a Journalist for the "Greek Star". During this time Nick travelled around America passing through all 52 states making many long time friends. These were the best years of his life. He talked about them often especially about the times he met with big time Hollywood Actors and Actresses including Maureen O'Hara. After three years his work visa expired. He wanted to go back to Greece but was advised not to by relatives due to the Greek Civil War, so instead he decided to go to Australia via Hawaii. In Hawaii he met with a local prominent business man who showed him around Honolulu.

On 4 September 1949 Nick arrived in Australia with only a few Dollars in his pocket like many other Greeks of that time. In Australia he first worked as a Cook. Later he was employed by an Australian Business and Real Estate Agency. Recognising that a large percentage of the Business Market was Greek, Nick opened his own Business & Real Estate Agency in 1951 and called it “CASSIM'S AGENCY” and focused on helping Greek immigrants setup in business, which were mainly Milk Bars and Fish & Chips Shops at the time. His most prosperous years were then to follow. Nick was a good and honest salesman. He would never attempt to sell anything that he did not believe in. Over the years Nick generated many satisfied Clients. Word spread all over NSW and at that time there was not a single Greek shop owner that did not know his name. Nick generated such a good reputation that he received a lot of his work through word-of-mouth.

Nick strongly believed in looking after his health. He always ate properly and exercised every morning at Coogee beach and soon after was invited to become the first Greek member of Coogee Surf Life Saving Club. He did not smoke and only drunk small amounts of alcohol with his meals to help with digestion. Nick had a great set of teeth which he kept until his last days.

Nick was a traditional Greek. In 1955 he decided it was time to get married so he wrote to his brother in Athens and asked him if a lady he had in mind was still available for marriage. His brother replied that she was already married, but her sister Bessy was still available and recommended her. After exchanging a few letters with Bessy, Nick decided to pay her way to Australia to marry her. Nick knew that Bessy came from a very well respected family and so assumed that she would be a good person to marry. The Marriage took place on 28 Oct 1955. In 1956 they both became Australian Citizens. Also, in 1956 Nick became president of the Kytherian Brotherhood of Australia and was instrumental in resolving a dispute that had caused the Brotherhood to split at that time. In 1957 Nick purchased a block of flats in Randwick where he mostly lived until his last days. In 1958 Son George was born and in 1959 Son James was born. Nick was a very proud and happy Father and loved his Sons very much. From that time Nick's whole life became dedicated to the future happiness of his Sons, and this continued until his last days.

In 1966 Nick decided to go back to Greece for one whole year. Nick loved his homeland and had many friends and relatives that he wanted to catch up with that he had not seen since before the war. He left his wife Bessy in control of the children and the family property and he left Bessy’s brother Peter Mellitas in control of the family business “CASSIM’S AGENCY” for the duration of his trip. After returning back to Australia, Nick hosted many informative slide nights, where he shared his experiences with the friends and relatives back in Sydney.

In 1974 Nick and Bessy were divorced due to differences in personality, objectives and upbringing.

In 1985 Nick sold his business and retired at the age 75, and then went back to Greece. In 1990 he returned to Australia and was diagnosed with prostate cancer and thyroid problems. As a result of his prostate cancer, the Doctors told him that he only had a maximum of ten years to live. Nick had a strong heart and a strong will to live. He put the thought out of his mind and went on living as if nothing had happen. Over the next six years Nick lived happily with his Sons close to him. In February of 1993 his son Jim was married to Stella Antoniou. In late1993 normal everyday tasks were becoming too difficult for him to manage alone. So he hired a live in carer to assist him.

In 1996 Nick's health started to deteriorate. In February Nick was admitted to Hospital for Radio therapy on his right leg where the prostate cancer had spread and was causing pain that was affecting his ability to walk. In April Nick was admitted to Hospital again, this time with a Urine Infection that had weakened him to the point where he could no longer walk. Each time the Doctors we astounded, as they did not expect him to recover. In early September Nick had another Urine Infection and was becoming too weak to be cared for at Home, so he was admitted to the Sacred Heart Hospice. During this time both Sons were in Greece as Son George was getting married to Collette Wise. Three days before the wedding Nick had a massive stroke and went into a coma. The Doctors called family and a priest as they were sure he was going to die. Miraculously he recovered. At this point the Doctors called Nick the man with 18 lives. On Tuesday 17 Sep 1996 Nick fell of the toilet seat in the Hospice and hit his head on the ground. The nurses picked him up and said that he appeared OK. On Tuesday night Nick had a number of visitors who said that he looked well. For some reason that night Nick asked for one of his Sons to be close to him. The next morning he was in a coma. On Wednesday night the Doctors operated on him to remove the blood clot that was causing the coma. Nick was strong. At 86 years of age he lived through the operation but never regained consciousness. His Son Jim arrived back from Greece on Saturday afternoon and Nick passed away at 5:14am on Sunday morning (22/9/1996). Nick was the last member of his family which made his loss an even greater loss to the extended family.

Photo (with description)

Family Tree

Nicholas George Cassimatis - Wednesday 20 Oct 1954
Owner and founder of Cassim's Agency, which consisted of two rooms. The main office (pictured) and the waiting room, where the secretary was also located. Cassim's Agency was located on the 3rd floor at 164 Pitt St, Sydney, where the Pitt St Mall is currently located. The facade of this old style office building is still there today. Nick Cassimatis was one of the first Greek Business & Real Estate Agents to get established and his aim was to help Greek immigrants get started in Business in Australia. Cassim's Agency was a one stop shop, as Nick was also a finance broker and would organise the finance for clients who needed it, which was very often the case as most Greeks would come to Australia with little or no money.

There are some interesting items in this picture that are worth noting:-
- The old style turn dial telephones.  Two were required because there was no call waiting in those days.  One phone was for outgoing calls and the other for incoming calls.
- The fountain pen in his hand and an inkwell at the edge of his desk.
- The Sale Agreements, with "Cassim's Agency" at the top.
- The desk pad, which was used as a base to write on.  Some offices still use these today.
- A wooden ruler.
- A desk calendar.  These were still popular up until a few years ago.  It was from this calendar we were able to determine the exact date the picture was taken.
- A moistened sponge for stamp and envelope flap adhesion.  Also needed for flicking through a stack of sale agreements.
- Wooden Ink Blotter.
- Old style pop up telephone directory with A-Z slider.
- Ash tray.

Family Tree

This is a picture of the whole Cassimatis family (the Tsikalaria strand of Xeros) with Parents Georgios and Basiliki Cassimatis (Γεωργιος & Βασιλικη Κασιματης). The picture looks like it was taken around 1911 as Nicholas Cassimatis, who established Cassim's Agency in Sydney and is sitting on his father's lap, looks about a year old and was born in 1910. The original photo sits in the house of Georgios Leftheris in Livadi, Kythera.

Also refer to:-
XEROS - Cassimatis (ΚΑΣΙΜΑΤΗΣ) Family in the Nicknames section.

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The nickname Xeros refers to a part of the Kasimatis family that lived in Skoulianika. In the past, that area was named Katouni, due to an area nearby called Omonimis. The church of Santa Irene appears to be from the 14th century, but it was certainly older and has been rebuilt many times as it seems. The Xeros family was a part of the Kasimatis family that initially carried the nickname Skoulos. From this nickname we have the name of the village Skoulianika. This nickname is old and we find references to it, with absolute certainty, from the beginning of the 18th century, but it is believed to be even older. The Xeros is a new nickname that appeared in the middle of the 19th century. Later, Vassilis Kasimatis – Xeros, who had a small shop in the area, moved to Ano Livadi, where in the 20th century we have two parts of the family Kasimatis – Xeros. Another part with strong relation with the pre-mentioned appears to be in Tsikalaria. From the same part, in the end of the 19th century, we have an ophthalmologist in Egypt, ancestors of whom were, until recently, located in Switzerland. In the part Kasimatis – Xeros, origins are with the school teacher Ioannis Kasimatis, who wrote three books with historical and folkloric facts of the island of Kythera. Today, in Kythera there are ancestors from all these parts, from Vassilis Kasimatis – Xeros and Ioannis Spyros Kasimatis from Livadi and from Theodore Kasimatis from Tsikalaria.

The part Kasimatis – Xeros in Tsikalaria comes from the initial begetter Panayiotis Kasimatis – Xeros in Skoulianika, who had from the end of the 19th century a small shop there (The relevant grave is exactly outside the church of Santa Irene in Skoulianika and it is the only one that existed there even after the transfer of the graveyard in another are nearby). One of his sons, Vassilis, opened a grocery shop in Ano Livadi and another one, Georgios, opened a grocery shop in Tsikalaria. Another brother, Spyros, opened a mall in Athens and it is said that he made good business, but I do not know more about him. There were many brothers in this generation, may be seven. At least three of them occupied themselves with commerce, as already mentioned. Son of Georgios Kasimatis – Xeros in Tsikalaria was Theodore, who continued the commercial activities of his father in Tsikalaria and Potamo, at which time there was another brother, Nick, who established Cassim’s Agency in Sydney and had two sons Jim and George, died in Australia in 1996. In Kythera and Athens there are many ancestors from all these parts of Xeros, since it is a relatively recent family. The ophthalmologist in Egypt had only two daughters, one died a few years before and left an enormous fortune in Egypt and Switzerland and a few items to her relatives in Kythera.

Also refer to:-

* Kassimatis paratsouklia - origins
* Xeros - Cassimatis (ΚΑΣΙΜΑΤΗΣ) Family Portrait

Agios Andreas is a small church in Tsikalaria with local resident, Katina Cassimatis (Κασιματη) standing in front.

Tsikalaria - Cassimatis (Xeros) Family House. The basement of this house was once used to warehouse Coca Cola, Sprite and Amstel Beer as Theodoros Cassimatis used to be the distributer of these products on the Island. Now it is just used as a holiday house by the family during the summer months, like many other houses in Kythera.

Toilet at the back of the "Xeros" house in Tsikalaria. The photo shows the full length of the walk to the toilet starting from the back door of the house. Imagine having to get up out of bed to go to the toilet in the middle of winter. The toilet uses an old style pit. Maybe that's why it had to be so far away from the house?

Tsikalaria - Houses along the main street of Tsikalaria, including the "Xeros" family house on the left.

Tsikalaria - The road into this small village, approaching from the south, with the sign on the right.

Tsikalaria - small village

James,
Thank you for your assistance. I sent a request for information to porfyra and have heard nothing from them. My recollection is that I tried to email them last year and never heard back from them.
I do have a number for a port agent in Neapoli named Dimitrios Livanos, 27340. Are you familiar with this?

thanks again

Nick Sofios

http://www.visitkythera.gr/

The tourist information site of Kythera Island. Travel information, hotels, bars, maps, shops, activities and accommodation information to help you plan your next kythera holiday trip and much more

Sorry for being off-line for so long, it wasn't really a case of being absent but more of having brain-freeze... it has been a long and endless winter.

Frequently Asked Questions about current Kytherian matters
+ We do have a local ship connection with Neapoli and now there is finally a twice weekly
- The ship looks like a double-Lego construction built by 4 year-old and pasted together. Once you reach Neapoli you still had an 8 hour drive to Athens....tedious
+ Interviews with Kythera's Mayor appeared in the local print press quoting him as saying the windmills were not going ahead and that the Kytherian Diaspora would be immediately advised if otherwise.
- The applications for the licensing of windmill parks on Kythera to the Regulatory Authority for Energy are still apparently being received: www.rae.gr
+ Globalization comes to the island with the first Chinese clothing store opening in Tsikalaria
-Globalization comes to the island with petty-crime on a sharp increase
+Sunflowers and wild-flowers are a bloom.
-The flowers have been flowering since late January, making their bloom 3 months early.

After picking olives for a month just before Christmas, I have settled into the translating chair working with the up-lifting Panayiota (Pia) Panaretos as we transform Tzeli Hadjidimitriou's Unexplored Kythera & Anti-Kythera from a 350 page Greek-language guide book to an English-language "must read". It has been interesting revising the history section of the book as certain Kytherian characteristics became apparent to me over the centuries. Administered since ancient times by a long-line of foreign rulers that reads like a historical who's who – the Phoenicians, Minoans, Athenians, Spartans, Venetians, British, Russians and for a blink of an eye, the French, Kythera is a fascinating amateur anthropological study. Life under the microscope.

Historically and perhaps even genetically, Tsirigotes have always had someone - often cruel - looking over their shoulder as they laboured as slaves. There is no historical mention of uprising or defiance (apart from the odd beheading of nobles), but I'll bet there was a lot of whinging.

And so the hard-working Kytherian immigrants bloomed in foreign environments (Australia, America, Smyrna etc.) where they settled into established social/economic structures, while existing on the periphery and living their lives as 'outsiders'. So when power to administer themselves finally comes they don't how to exercise it, as they don't have any previous experience... but have their eye on the thrones that the colonisers have relinquished!

"Big Deal? \So what?" you ask? How can the warlords and pirates of yesterday have any bearing on today? That was then this is now?The recent chaos that has exploded throughout Greece/Kythera seems unprecedented: state-instilled nepotism, the December 2008 Athen's Riots, the 2008 kidnapping of a shipping tycoon, the February 2009 helicopter escape of prisoners, the burglary of some Kytherian Summer homes and, last but not least, the 2009 theft of lambs from Agio Theodoros. It feels like anarchy, random violence and systematic neglect of state infrastructure.

When did Greece/Kythera go from being a high ideal to this sorry state? Well, despite embracing and even demanding multiculturalism for its population abroad, Greece/Kythera has, despite the existence of a large migrant population itself, stubbornly stuck to monoculturalism. The decay of the former communist countries surrounding Greece, particularly Albania, has been a double-edge sword.

Yes, the recent migrant workers have renewed Kythera and Greece, refilling the schools and filling the void of affordable workers, but the lack of presence of the Greek state has meant it is a free-for all: there is no integration or assimilation.

So Greece/Kythera is going through growing pains and the acne scars are not pretty. But what is most alarming is the absence of planning: how do you make a mono-culture as idiosyncratic as the Greek, multicultural? Perhaps Greece will find the light again and evolve a new system of governing. Fingers crossed... but it feels like a shaky boat trip till then.

Don't be put off if you're planning to dip your feet into Kythera's waters this year. Like a sleepy porch dog, the sea and landscape of our magic island welcomes all.(acominos@hotmail.com) [[picture:"tug to pull Mirtidiotissa.jpg" ID:16516]]