IN 50 years or so Victoria’s Greek community, by hard work and square dealing, has risen from poverty to control more than 1000 businesses worth millions of pounds.In Melbourne alone the Greeks run 500 fish shops, restaurants, milk bars, oyster bars, laundries, at least one large confectionary factory.
Melbournians eat 250,000 meals a week in their cafes.
They are tailors, bookmakers, racehorse owners, night club proprietors. Since the war-time relaxation of trade union bans on “foreigners” in industry hundreds of them have become mechanics, process workers; 400 Greeks grow fruit at Mildura, 250 are market gardeners at Werribee and Shepparton.
They are very wealthy rarely mostly comfortable, with a few poor. Most of them are naturalised. In their keen desire to become Australians the majority of them anglicise their tongue-twister names — Mavrokefalos, Mavrokolidis, Mavroidis are now plain Black – (Mavro means black in Greek); Lecatsas is Lucas; Pappachristos, Pappadopoulos are just Pappas.
Success Story
Their success story forms an interesting chapter in Australia’s march to nationhood.
Livewire, 48-year-old Vassilios Logothetis — or Basil Logus as he isbetter known throughout Australia’s accountancy world — is the only Greek-born arid trained accountant practicing in Melbourne. His machine-gun rapid voice can’t keep pace with his racing ideas”.
After serving as an interpreter with the British Army in Constantinople he migrated to Australia in 1923. He battled round the bush at the end of a pick for years, served in fish shops, city cafes, until the 1930’s,when he decided to re-enter his profession. In 1939, at the age of 39, he was first in Australia, in -the Federal Institute of Accountant’s final examination. He won the major prizes for both accounting and legal sections. A year later he was placed second in Australasia in the Incorporated Institute of Secretaries final examination.
Thriving Practice
To-day he has a thriving practice, with many Australians as clients. He is the founder and mainspring of Melbourne’s unique and flourishing Greek Chamber of Commerce. Logus explains why the Greeks have a stranglehold on Melbourne’s (and other, capital cities) retail fish business.”The original Greeks who came here were mostly penniless sailors, without trades or special skills,” he said.”About all they did know was how to cook sea foods. They struggled until they could afford a counter and a frying pan, then set up business.
“As they prospered they brought out their relatives who ultimately branched out in their own fish shops, and later restaurants.“Greeks now have spread into every- branch of the retail and wholesale food and confectionery industry.”
Logus believes Greeks succeed in business because they work hard, are determined and adaptable, “At home we Greeks work at a much slower tempo than here,” he said. “We are thrifty-but we are not stingy. When we feel secure then we are ready to spend.” The Greeks are certainly not mean. The Greek branch of the Australian Red Cross in Melbourne — presided over by Basil Logus’s charming and resourceful Australian wife, Mary — has raised £30,000, including a £10,000 special appeal for Greece’s children. Greeks always support generously public appeals for charity. The Greek community is crowded with self-made men like Logus.
Down the steps off Collins Street is Raffles Restaurant, owned by suave, polished, handsome — and single —Paul Taylor, one of the Greek community’s intelligentsia. Paul loves the rich, bohemian atmosphere of his cafe, rendezvous of professors and teachers, doctors and businessmen, artists and journalists.
“Older people sometimes come here to watch Youth; it is like a tonic,” Paul told us. Paul Taylor moves among his guests sipping coffee discussing art, the latest book, politics — anything, so long as it makes good conversation.
Most- Colorful
Perhaps Melbourne’s most colorful Greek is tall, Bogart-like Chris Pappas, proprietor of the city nightspot Copacabana, and a chain of hotels. Pappas has pulled himself up by the shoe strings to become one of Melbourne’s wealthiest Greeks. His jaunty hat and impeccable clothes are well known on Melbourne race tracks. He owns horses, but is not a gambler.
Twenty-two years ago he landed in this country broke.
His eyes glisten when he talks of Australia’s prospects. “It is the greatest country in the world,” he says, “and Australians are grand workers.” Eighty per cent of his staff are Australians. At the bottom of Market Lane, steeped in printer’s ink, is bettle eyebrowed John Panayotopoulos, fiery, crusading editor of the national Greek-language weekly –Phos. During his 25 years in Australia John has closely investigated the local scene from Perth to Cairns. Some of “his own people call him a radical. “They do this because they don’t like my message,” he said.
My people who migrate here should become good citizens, not S.P. bookmakers and gamblers. I campaign against gambling in our clubs. You know, one mouse eats the cheese in the trap and all the mice are blamed. “I want my people to make their shops modern, to progress, to build up fine reputations. I tell them: you Greeks can’t be good Australians if you are not good Greeks!”
There is Andre Nicolaides of the Anglo-American cafe, a Bourke Street landmark founded by generous James Sigalas, now more than 80 years old, retired; the three Marmaros brothers with their confectionery and oyster businesses, fatherly Angelo Lucas, many times president of the Greek Orthodox Community — and hundreds more respected by their customers.Greeks must be the most gregarious race in the world. They have amazing capacity for herding together. They love to cat, drink and play together — and Australia’s pre-war ostracism of foreigners certainly helped them to set up scores of national clubs; almost every island group has its own club.Melbourne’s groups include the Ulysses Philanthropic Society (for Ithacans only), and the Orpheus Amateur Philanthropic Society (for non-Ithacans only), both more than 30 years old.
They’ve Arrived!
There are also the Macedonian, Castellorizian, Samian and Pharos of Erythrea Brotherhoods; the Epirotan Society, the Olympic Society, Democritus League (inclined to the Left), and the Greek Ex-Servicemen’s Branch, to name only a few. The A.H.E.P.A.— Australian Hellenic Education Progressive Association—is one of the more recent organisations formed to combine Greek origin with Australian citizenship. Only English is spoken at A.H.E.P.A. President Nick Stratsos says: “We have come to this country,we must speak its language.” Victoria’s only Greek Orthodox priest is the Rev. C. A. Patsoyannis. The community recognises him as one of its hardest workers.The Greeks have noticed the new warm feeling towards them displayed by Australians since Greece’s heroic stand in last war. They feel that at long last they have arrived!