Biographical article about the wartime romance of Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps nurse Alice Ross-King and Lieutenant Harry Moffitt. Their story is part of an Australian War Memorial (AWM) project [the transcription of letters and other ephemera by the public] and Robyn van Dyk from the AWM is quoted in this article.Newspaper clipping with a partial black and white photographe of two women walking and saluting. First page of clipping has five columns of text including the caption to the photograph. Second page of the newspaper clipping with partial large black and white photograph with three other small black and white photographs and one colour. This second page of the clipping has four columns of text.alice ross-king, harry moffitt, robyn van dyk, australian war memorial, love letter, wwi, world war one, ww1, awm, australian army women's medical services, florence nightingale medal

Obituary about Betty Constance Lawson Member of the British Empire (MBE) who lived from 09/08/1915 to 15/02/2006. Ms Lawson did her initial training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and served in WWII with the Australian Army Nursing Corps she then went on to do more extensive relevant training and was the recipient of many scholarships and awards including the Florence Nightingale Medal and her MBE.Newspaper clipping with a colour photograph on the left hand side of an older man and woman in the foreground and an older woman in the background. The obituary has six columns of text.florence nightingale medal, betty constance lawson, wwii, ww2, world war two, royal melbourne hospital, royal women's hospital, australian army nursing corps, aanc

General biographical, war and subsequent service article about A[nnie] M[oriah] Sage.Full newspaper page clipping with heading and article at the top and large colour advertisement underneath. Article has a black and white photograph of women in Army nurses uniforms. The article has six columns of text.annie moriah sage, wwii, world war two, ww2, florence nightingale medal, commander of the british empire (cbe), nurses memorial centre, matron-in-chief australian military forces

Five sketches of landscapes in New Guinea. Part of a collection of items including photos, newspaper clipping and poem relating to New Guinea in WWII and Elizabeth Burgess. A full page clipped out of a magazine, with printed sketches of New Guinea landscapes, captions and handwritten annotations.'These two pictures are the / road which I've often been / over & / told you / of in / letters' [faded black ink in top right hand corner] 'We pass this each time we go / into the town' [faded black ink, lower left hand corner]wwii, world war two, ww2, new guinea, elizabeth burgess, cedric emanuel

Illustrated book, with three black and white photographs of Wilma Oram Young (as student nurse, in army uniform and in older age). There is a mid-brown band above this photo on which the title is printed in black and white, below the photos there is a black band on which the author's name is printed in light brown. Spine has mid brown background with title printed in black, author's name in light brown, and publisher's mark in white. The back cover has a summary of the book printed in black ink on a light brown background.non-fictionThis is the story of one of Australia's most remarkable women. As a prisoner of war for three and a half years during World War II, Wilma Oram, a young Australian nurse experienced the very worst of human brutality: starvation, deprivation and degradation. Yet, through the comradeship of her fellow prisoners, she also experienced humankind at its best. Following her return to Australia, Wilma was inspired to help her fellow ex-POWs and war veterans through her tireless work with the RSL.wilma oram young, nurses-australia-biography, world ward 1939-1945-prisoners and prisons-japaneses

These type of cigarette silks were included in WD & HO Wills cigarette packets to induce women in particular to take up smoking.|The Word 'Cartophilic?|It is believed that this unusual word was coined in the 1920s by Col. Bagnall, an Englishman, who was the father of the hobby of cigarette card and trade card collecting. It is thought to be a combination of a Latin word, 'carto' meaning 'card and the Greek word 'philic', meaning 'love'.- lover of cards. The term originally related to the collection of the two types mentioned, however, our Society has included postcards in the range of items collected by our members.|The Cigarette Card|The cigarette card began its evolution in the United States of America, in the early 1880s as a plain piece of cardboard used by tobacconists to protect the cigarettes which were sold in that era, not in packets, but loosely. A purchaser would buy his cigarettes then wrap them in paper around the small piece of cardboard, which acted as a stiffener. In fact, for many decades, cigarette cards were known as 'stiffeners' in the USA.|The card depicting 'The Marquis of Lome' is reputed to be the first known cigarette card issued. This is thought to have been in 1879. It did not take long for an enterprising entrepreneur to recognise the advertising potential of the cigarette card, and, very soon, the cards began displaying popular images, often in sets. This had the effect of youngsters, wishing to complete their sets, harassing their fathers to buy a specific brand of cigarettes. The kids who collected cards in the days when they were being issued in the cigarette packets, would hang around outside the local tobacconist's shop, pestering the men who had just bought a packet of cigarette, with the cry: 'can I have the cig can mister?'|It is a proven fact that, here in Australia during the 1930s, at least one set had one card deliberately withheld and issued very sparingly. This card is No. 86 (Mrs Jack Crawford) in the Carreras 'Turf Personality Series'. Thus, in a set of reasonably easy cards to get, this one card is a constant source of frustration for the collector, and as such, commands a premium when it comes to price. It is not hard to imagine the young collector nagging his to Dad to keep buying 'Turf' cigarettes to enable him to finish the set.|From small beginnings the cigarette card soon gave rise to a booming industry in itself. Artists and writers were|employed to produce the cards, which were miniature works of art and served as little encyclopaedia's for the children of the day. By the 1930s cards were being issued in the countless millions. It has been stated, in one book on the history of cards; that 450 million sets of a series produced and issued by the prolific issuer of cards in the United Kingdom, WD & HO Wills. As each set contained 50 cards you would need a calculator with a very long result window to see the answer to how many cards of that series were in circulation.|Australia's involvement would appear to have its beginnings with the English and American firms who shipped their tobacco products here and the cards of American Tobacco Company (ATC) are found in great numbers in early Australian collections; many featuring Australian subjects, e.g. 'Australian Parliament a 1901 issue. Earlier U.S. sets depicting Australians included Goodwin & Co's, so called. 'Australian Series' with cricketers and Australian Rules footballers who were on the sporting scene during the 1880s. The caption of one of theses cards reads:|'W.Hannysee. Captain Port Melbourne Football Club' which enables us to pinpoint the year of issue to either 1889 or 1890.|On the Australian scene the first local manufacturer who issued cards seems to have been The National Cigarette Company of Australia Proprietary Limited, whose 'Tally Ho' packets contained cards from a series of thirteen featuring the touring 'English Cricket Team 1897-8' Of the few Australian manufacturers who issued cards, only two companies issued more the two sets.|Undoubtedly the cards issued by the Melbourne firm Sniders & Abrahams (later Sniders & Abrahams Pty Ltd) are the 'jewels in the crown' of Australian card issues. They issued some thirty-three series, with numerous sub-series and allied issues such as metal badges, metal football shields, celluloid flags etc., which ensured that the hobbyist had a vast range from which to collect. Sporting themes – football, cricket, horse racing – dominate, indicating the Australians' love of sport and the outdoors was as strong in those earlier times as it is today. Military, animals and birds themes were also to the fore, with a touch of culture being provided by 'Shakespeare', 'Dickens', actresses and even classical 'Statuary'. Humour was not forgotten with 'Cartoons and Caricatures', 'Naval and Cricket (double meaning) Terms' and the 'Jokes' series. Art and history were covered by the artist, S.T. Gill's 'Views of Victoria in 1857' while the stereoscopic 'Views of the World' expanded the collectors' knowledge of the world as a whole.|The Sniders & Abrahams series began in 1904 and by 1919 the company was in decline and was eventually taken over by G.G. Goode & Co. Ltd. This company produced one set only, the highly collectable 'Prominent Cricketer Series' issued in 1924. During the early to mid-1920s, J.J. Schuh Tobacco Pty Ltd issued eight series, again containing the popular subjects of sport and war. At least two provincial tobacconists, Lentens of Bendigo and Baillies of Warrnambool, issued private football series. The last series of cards issued by a truly Australian firm was Dudgeon & Arnell's '1934 Australian Cricket Team'.|The Australian market was not neglected by the English companies with WD & HO Wills, Godfrey Phillips and Ogdens all making their contributions. By far the most active issuer was the long-established company Wills, whose 'Cricketers' of 1901 heralded the flood of Australian series, which continued into the mid-thirties.|The onset of the 1939-45 World War sounded the death knell of the cigarette card and very few post-war issues were made, certainly not here in Australia.|The Trade Card|The Trade Card is a non-tobacco item used by manufacturers to promote and advertise their products, in the same way that cigarette cards were. It is uncertain exactly when they were first produced, but in the USA, non-collectable cards were issued by firms in the early 1800s. These were more akin to a latter day 'business card'. It was not until the 1850s, when coloured and pictorial cards were issued to advertise and promote products that the Trade Card|became a collectable item. Many beautiful lithographic cards were produced in this early era and they are very mu sought after by collectors. By the 1870s the issues of Trade Cards became more prolific and it is from this era that more cards are seen.|Again, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact date of the first Australian Trade Card and it may be that the highly collectable and extremely rare 'American Candy Co's' - 'Pure Caramels' Australian Rules football card, issued i 1891, is the earliest series. This confectionery firm was located in Fitzroy, a Melbourne suburb. To date only two subjects have been seen.|Another early set was 'Flags', issued by F.H.Fauldings & Co. It featured testimonials of seven English cricketers who toured Australia with the 1894/5 Test team. Fauldings was an Adelaide based firm which manufactured medicinal toiletries, soaps and oils, using the distinctly Australian eucalyptus oil. During the 20th century a multitude of Australian businesses issued trade cards, with confectionery manufacturers such as Hoadleys, Allens, Sweetacres and Australian Licorice producing the majority of them. Again sporting themes dominated with the ever popular Aussie Rules football cards being the most numerous. Cricket issues ran a close second.|Apart from sporting cards, almost every subject imaginable was covered by the Trade Card, making it the most diverse and interesting branch of cartophilly. In contrast to the Cigarette Card, which had its demise prior to the Second World War, the Trade Card is still alive and well.|We all are aware of the long running 'Birds of Australasia' series put out by Tuck-fields Tea and 1 doubt if there is a kitchen drawer in Australia that has not got one or two of these informative and attractive cards floating about in it. These cards were first produced in the early 1960s and are still being inserted in that company's packets of tea. Such is also the case with Sanitarium Health Foods, manufacturers of the well known Weetbix, who began issuing cards, with a wide range of subjects, in the early 1940s and continue to do so.|The 1940s and 1950s saw the two breakfast food giants, Kornies and Weeties dominating the card scene. Kornies footballers were in production fora decade from 1948 to 1959. Four years later in 1963, we saw the start of four decades of Scanlens bubble-gum card issues, both football and cricket. In the mid 1990s, with the end of the Scanlens/Stimorol cards, the Trading Card came on the scene. These cards do not fit under the umbrella of the Trade Card, having been produced and marketed purely as a 'collectable' with no connection whatsoever to any product, which of course is necessary for an item to be classified as a Trade Card.|The earliest British postcard was issued in 1870 and was designed to send short messages; the stamp was printed on the card, therefore it did not require an envelope. It was considered by many to be lowering the postal standards because the texts were no longer private. However the cards were a great success as on the first day of issue in 1870, half a million passed through the London postal centre.|The first illustrated postcards are said to be those introduced by a French stationer in 1870. He realized that French troops fighting in the Franco-Prussian War needed to be able to send short messages to their families and designed a 'postcard' to suit the purpose. As many of the soldiers were illiterate they decorated their cards with sketches of their many activities at the front rather than writing; thus creating a picture postcard. Private enterprise soon saw the great financial possibilities of this new easy and attractive way of communication by post; also sending a postcard cost less than postage for letters. It was correctly assumed that postcards were likely to overtake letter writing in many instances.|Between 1875 and 1882 every state in Australia introduced official postcards, N.S.W. first and Tasmania last. Each state produced a simple type of postcard with a pre printed stamp allied to that state. The stamp side stated 'The Address Only To Be Written On This Side'; the reverse side sometimes carried a simple illustration or decoration with space fora short message, each state extolling their own state's virtues. In 1901, with the advent of Federation, the new Government became responsible for all postal services in Australia and produced postcards for sale in every state. With several mail deliveries each day in most towns, postcards were used for many purposes. One 1906 postcard, with an illustration of fruit, was sent from Mrs X in the morning to her greengrocer ordering her fruit and vegetables to be delivered that afternoon. Another lady asks her charlady to 'come this afternoon'.|Australian private enterprise also began selling pictorial postcards, most companies using the very experienced German printing works who were the worlds best in the field of lithography and fine detailed colour-printing. Many of these beautiful German cards still exist today, 100 years later. Australia did have a few fine printers but they were in the minority. Black and white postcards printed in Australia in the early 1900s were often of good quality e.g. postcards printed by 'The Bulletin', illustrating the works of 'The Bulletins' top artists.|Between c1903-09 The Melbourne company Osboldstone and Atkins etc. printed coloured reproductions of 46 J.A. Turner bush/rural life paintings, which were generally of good quality and became hugely popular and still sought after today. Like thousands of homes in Europe, Britain and U.S.A., many Australia homes had albums of cherished postcards, which were given pride of place for visitors to see and enjoy.|Postcard collecting remained popular but was changing with the times. About 1912 the Australian photographer George Rose of Melbourne began to produce topographical B/W real photographic postcards covering most of Australia and other photographers began to do likewise. These cards soon found their way into collections as well.|WWI and the horrors of war suddenly changed the world; postcards were still in great demand but the subject matter was far more serious. Thousands of postcards from the trenches in European war zones arrived in Australia to be included in family albums. Propaganda and recruitment messages were produced to encourage enlistment. Australian postcard producers began to create cards decorated with gum leaves, boomerangs, wattle etc., which were designed for sending to Australian troops serving overseas. Very few 'pretty' cards were available, as access to the Gentian printing works was no longer possible and exporting of postcards from Britain was very limited. By the end of WWI people had other more serious problems to contend with and the avid postcard collecting hobby declined, fold greetings took over and topographical photographic postcards became a small but steady income for the producers and newsagents etc. in every town.|Fortunately many of these old postcards still exist and are avidly collected by a new generation or postcard collectors. The Australian Cartophilic Society Inc. is one of four postcard/cigarette card organizations in Australia. They are, N.S.W. Post Card Collectors Society; Queensland Card Collectors' Society Inc. and West Australian Card Collectors|Society, and across the Tasman there is a New Zealand Postcard Society.|References:|Picture Postcards of the Golden Age A Collector's Guide by Toni & Valmai Holt. Picture Postcards in Australia 1898 - 1920 by David CookBox of Cigarette Silks ( 10 ) depicting animal motifs, which were placed in cigarette packets as an incentive for women in particular to smoke.|WD & HO Wills|Produced 1911 - 1917personal effects, smoking accessories, recreations, collections

Denis Gibbons (1937 – 2011) Trained with the Australian Army, before travelling to Vietnam in January 1966, Denis stayed with the 1st Australian Task Force in Nui Dat working as a photographer. For almost five years Gibbons toured with nine Australian infantry battalions, posting compelling war images from within many combat zones before being flown out in late November 1970 after sustaining injuries. The images held within the National Vietnam Veterans Museum make up the Gibbons Collection.A black and white photograph of a deformed and seriously ill Vietnamese woman, beggar and her seriosly ill baby, working on the footpath in Saigon, refused medical assistance for herself and her baby, saying it would make it impossible for her to beg for money on the streets.photograph, saigon, gibbons collection catalogue, vietnamese women, vietnamese children, street beggar, denis gibbons

Images of Australian nurses about to embark for WWII February 1940. [As there is no digitisation of this magazine (The Australian Women's Weekly Pictorial) this photocopy of the clipping is important.][Publication not found in digitised format]Black and white photocopy of a magazine page featuring head shot photographs of women in nursing uniforms, their names captioned under each one. There are also handwritten annotations.'H88' [blue ink at the top on the right hand side] 'X THOSE WHO / WENT TO / ENGLAND / (IN ALL / 120 NURSES / ATTACHED TO / 2/2A.GH / SAILED TO / MIDDLE / EAST)' [blue ink on at the top right hand side] [10 captions under the photographs marked with a blue inked X]wwii, world war two, ww2, australian nurses

Images of Australian Army nurses in England in 1940Foolscap, black and white photocopy of multiple newspaper clippings. The clippings are photographs featuring groups of women [nurses] in uniforms with some captions present.'H88' [blue ink on the right hand side under title] '1940' [blue ink on the left hand side under title]australian army nursing service, aans, wwii, world war two, ww2

Art exhibition catalogue for Jessie Traill [around the tenth anniversary of her death] who was an Australian born Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) who served with the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service during World War one in France. Her aritSeven single sided foolscap copied typewritten document held together with a white plastic paper clip. Title and bibliographical details of document are visible as well as handwritten annotations.'Returned Nurses Club' [blue ink top right hand corner of cover] 'H28' [red ink top right hand corner of cover]jessie traill, art, printmaking, voluntary aid detachment, vad, s, queen alexandra's imperial military nuring service, wwi, ww1, world war one

Part of a two page spread with the articles on the event on the missing page. The photographs on this page give insight into the ages and number of women who were present at the celebration of the 41st birthday of the Australian Army Nursing Service. Including a representative of the US Army Nursing Service.Newspaper page with headline, and four black and white photographs of women in Australian Army Nursing Service uniforms and one black and white photograph of women in Australian Army Medical Womens Service uniforms. All photos have captions.'NC14' [blue ink, top left hand corner] 'WWII' [blue ink, top right hand corner]wwii, world war two, ww2, australian army nursing service, annie moriah sage, grace wilson, charlotte joan mcallister, blanche sagner, us army nursing service, ethel jessie bowe, margaret alison tisdale, jean evelyn headberry, mary dorothy fahle

Article about West Australian Army nurses in Tobruk who were evacuated on the hospital ship Vita and the release of 'A hospital at war' by Rupert Goodman, a book about the 2/4th Australian General Hospital from 1940-1945.Newspaper clipping of article with seven columns of text, two black and white photographs of older women looking at the camera.wwii, world war two, ww2, australian army nursing service, australian hospital ship vita, rupert goodman, victoria alexandra may hobbs, jean osborne hewson, b d isaac, o loftus, beryl elizabeth scott, molly clarke

Identification provided by the donor, Mrs Ruth Edgar (nee Johns), as follows: Back row - L to R: Miss Hilda Davis (later Mrs F A McLaughlin), of 16 Valonia Avenue, aged 103 in 1995 and the only one in the photo then alive; E Murray Johns, eldest son of Rev and Mrs Wesley Johns of Mont Albert; he married and built a home in Scheele Street and lived there until he was promoted to Head Office of the Bank of NSW; brother of the donor; Miss Ethel Street from Wodonga, daughter of Mrs Theresa Street in the front row; an unidentified friend; Mr Walter E Davis, Manager of the Telegraph Branch of the G.P.O. and a keen member of the Surrey Hills Bowling Club, owner of 40 Windsor Crescent and an active member of the Surrey Hills Methodist Church. Front row - L to R: Mrs W E Davis, sister of E J Nuttall of Surrey Hills, one of the co-designers of the Australian flag; W Lyndon Davis, son of Mr & Mrs W E Davis, who built and lived in Lightfoot Street; Mrs Theresa Street from Wodonga, sister of Mr W E Davis & Mrs Wesley Johns; Mr Walter Street, son of Mrs T Street, newly returned from WW1 with his young English bride, Helen. Walter Edwin Davis - born 1858, married Bertha Amy Nuttall / Davis (1864-1941) in 1889. Walter Lyndon Davis (1895-1970) Ruth Lilian Johns (1911-2004) daughter of Wesley Johns & Elizabeth Davis. The photo was enlarged & reprinted from a 75 year-old photo 2 inches by 3 inches by a local firm "Think Negative" in Mont Albert. A black and white photograph of 5 women and 5 men assembled in a group in the garden of a building. One man is in uniform, the other men are wearing suits. The ladies are wearing long skirts.valonia avenue, windsor crescent, lightfoot street, world war, 1914-1918, helen (mrs), mr e murray johns, rev wesley johns, scheele street, miss ethel street, mrs w e davis, miss bertha amy nuttall, walter lyndon davis, walter edwin davis, miss hilda davis, mrs frederick arthur mclaughlin, mrs theresa street, miss theresa emily davis, miss elizabeth davis, mrs elizabeth johns, walter frederick street, mrs helen swtreet, miss helen hewlett, ernest murray johns

Two young women pose in military uniform. One on the left is Edith Pickford of Clunes. Edith married Henry Smerdon Holmesworld war one, world war 1, world war i, chatham, chatham family collection, pickford, soldier, edith pickford, unform, music, women, clunes

Black paperback book with white and orange writing on cover and spine and colour photograph on front covernon-fiction'In 1942 a group of sixty-five Australian Army nursing sisters was evacuated from Malaya a few days before the fall of Singapore. Two days later their ship was bombed and sunk by the Japanese. Of the fifty-thre survivors who scrambled ashore, twenty-one were murdered and the remaining thirty-two taken prisoner. White Coolies is the engrossing record kept by one of the sisters, Betty Jeffrey, during the more than three gruelling years of imprisonment that followed. It is an amazing story of survival amid deprivation and the harshest of conditions. The women's ingenious and entertaining attempts ot make their lot more tolerable, and their comradeship as they suffered so much anguish, display their incredible endurance and strength in the face of adversity.' Back cover of bookworld war two, wwii, ww2, australian army nurses, agnes betty jeffrey, betty jeffrey, paradise road, bangka island

Red paperback book with colour drawings on cover and white and blue text on cover and spinenon-fiction'War memorabilia with a difference. The spirit of pariotism and self sacrifice which gave birth to an organisation such as the V.A.D. and allowed it to function, initially as a vouluntary unit in the early years of the war and later, through integration, as the Australian Army Medical Women's Service, is recorded for all time in this beautifully presented book. Accounts of service throughout Australia, in the Middle East and the S.W. Pacific, exhibit the particular brand of good humour and comradeship which was so much a part of service life. These personal experiences have been skilfully combined by Mary Critch (who herself saw service in Australia and the Islands) with photographs and official documents to create an absorbing story of both historical and human interest. The foreword is by Miss May Douglas, M.B.E.' From back cover 'Contents: Who Were the V.A.D.'s? Suitable Capable Women of the A.M.F. V.A.D Service Overseas 1941-1943 The Australian Continent Finding Our Bearings 1941-1942 The Australian Connection Reorganisation of the Service of the V.A.D. Training the A.A.M.W.S As Nurses The South West Pacific 1943-1946 Service With Occupational Forces and Demobilisation'australian army voluntary aid detachments, australian army medical women's service, mary critch, history of vad, history of aamws, australia

The photo was taken on 'Oxi' Day 28 October 1951 which is commemorated throughout Greece and Cyprus and world-wide Greek communities. The day commemorates the rejection by the Greek prime minister, Ioannis Metaxas of the ultimatum presented to him by the Italian ambassador on the 28 October 1940 to allow the Axis forces, namely Italy, Germany and Bulgaria to occupy strategic locations of Greece or face war. A black and white photograph of a crowd of people - men, women and children - gathered around a Greek flag in an open area. A church is visible in the background. High mountains are also visible across the skyline.The original is handwritten across the bottom of the photo in Greek which translated reads: PLATRITHIA. ITHACA 28 OCTOBER 1951.world war 2

Following World War 2, Greece descended into civil war which lasted from 1946 - 1949. Young men from Ithaca fought in this war, including Nikos Vlassopoulos (Kopela) pictured centre back row. Following the war Niko together with his mother, Eugenia, migrated to Australia in 1950 where he joined his father Demetri who had been in Australia since 1922 and brothers, Stathi, Pano and Costa who had left Ithaca for Australia in the 1930s. In the early years of Ithacan migration, many husbands left their families and migrated to various countries that offered opportunities. Demetri and Eugenia had been separated for almost 30 years before they reunited in 1950. Prior to leaving for Australia Demetri had also spent time in America. Women were left to bring up children on their own during times of hardship and periods of war. A black and white photograph with crimped edges of eight young men sitting amongst low growing shrubbery having a meal break. Two men are standing each end of the group holding guns.kopella

The photograph features Anastasios Vlassopoulos (Kioukiouris) with his three daughters-in-law, Ekaterini, Korina and Elena, and three little grandsons. They are from L-R: Ekaterina (nee Paxinos), Korina (nee Raftopoulos), John, Anastasios, baby Aleko held by his grandfather Anastasios, Elena (nee Raftopoulos) and Peter. The photograph was taken in the village of Lahos shortly before Ekaterina and son Peter emigrated to Australia to be reunited with her husband, John. Elena remained in Ithaca, as did Korina whose son Aleko Vlassopoulos migrated to Australia following World War 2. Ithacan migration to Australia before World War 2 was unassisted. Generally it followed a pattern of chain migration with family members following one another. The men arrived first with the intention of either returning or saving enough money to bring their wives and families out when they had become financially established. Most men did not return. Some families were reunited while some wives and children never saw their husbands and fathers again.A black and white photograph of a family group of seven people - an elderly man, three young women, two little boys and and a baby.chain. migration

Vasiliki Raftopoulosi is pictured crocheting a very fine border in a traditional design. Vasiliki was the mother of Efstathia (Toula) Mavrokefalos (Black) and the grandmother of Nina and Olga Black, both well known in Melbourne's Greek community for their contribution to Greek language and culture. Vasiliki and her family left Ithaca for Romania when Toula was only six months old. As a child while growing up in the Romanian village of Brila, Toula also learned sewing and developed her skills making lace and embroidering items for her trousseau. Some of the linen she embroidered had been woven from flax on Ithaca by her own grandmother. On a visit to Ithaca Toula happened to be on the island at the very time that Constantine arrived, fresh from the war. Like many Ithacans Constantine had returned to Greece from Australia for the Balkan wars. Within three weeks they were married, and when Constantine returned to Melbourne in 1914 his new bride came with him. Many Greek women were skilled in the making of fine lace and crochet articles which they used and displayed in their homes. Finely stitched and woven linen items were an essential part of a young woman's dowry when she married.A black and white photograph in an oval frame of a lady crocheting a lace band.