The photograph is showing the newer brick section ofthe Monastery of Panagia Kathariotssa following renovations, and the older white rendered section which is in the middle distance of the image. A coloured photograph of a brick building and a shaded courtyard with potted plants. An older section of the building is adjacent to the terrace in the middle distance of the photograph. There are potted plants placed around the courtyard.

The arrow marked on the photograph is drawing attention to the roof of the older section of the monastery which has undergone repairs.A coloured photograph of a white rendered building which opens onto a terrace. An arrow has been marked above the roof on the photograph.A hand written arrow has been marked above the roof on the photograph.

The photo shows a section of the brick building where repairs have been done to the windows along the side of the building. The older and original section of the monastery is in the background.A coloured photograph of a section of a cream brick building with the older section of the building in the background beyond the patio which is in need of repairs.

The photograph shows a newer section of the monastery with the five restored windows.A coloured photograph of a section of az brick building with five windows along the wall.greek orthodox church

This is a photo of a sewing class for young girls in Ithaca. The women are proud to show off their sewing machines as the acquisition of these items would allow them to make many personal and household items more quickly and efficiently than they could be made by hand. Sewing was considered an important skill for young women and dressmaking was also a means to earn money to help support their families. A black and white scanned photograph taken outdoors of fourteen women sitting behind their treadle machines and posing with their needlework. Three women and a man are standing behind the group and two boys and a girl are sitting in the front on stools. A building with four large security windows/entrances in the background. 29 pas 7 is written on the back

A faded sepia photograph backed onto light brown board of school children posing with their teacher in an open area. A tree trunk is visible behind the group and some small buildings can be seen in the background. The corners are rounded.Stamped in the bottom LH corner of the board:ITHACAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCORPORATED/ 329 ELIZABETH STREET MELBOURNE/VICTORIA 3000 AUSTRALIA/PO BOX 611D MELBOURNE 3001/TELEPHONE (03) 670 0230schools, children, education

The school photograph was taken in 1932 in Vathi which is the main town and port on the island of Ithaca.A black and white photocopy of a school photograph of thirty two boys and girls who are arranged into four tiered rows. The boys are standing on the two back raised tiers withy a row of girls standing in front of them while another row of girls are seated on the ground in the front. The group are standing outside a building.schools, school photographs, education

The photograph was taken in 1951 in the village of Platrithia, Ithaca during the grain harvest, possibly in August.A faded black and white photograph of a family group of eleven people taken in a grain field. Two women and three men are standing and one of the women is holding a child. While three women and a man are sitting in front. A bundle of wheat is on the ground next to one of the women in the front. Stamped on the back in black: ITHACAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCORPORATED.farming, agriculture

Hariklia Raftopoulos (nee Moraitis) pictured with her sons, Stathi to the left, and Nakis (Nick) to the right. Her husband Spiros Raftopoulos was in Australia at the time the photo was taken. He returned to Ithaca and by 1934 the family eventually all migrated to Australia and settled in Melbourne.A scanned black and white photograph of a mother with her two sons. The mother is sitting on a chair and the boys are standing on either side of her.immigration

A black and white photograph of a family group featuring the parents and the children, three boys and two girls. The father who is wearing a dark suit has a little girl sitting on his knee and the mother is nursing the youngest girl. Two of the boys are wearing striped shirts and one of them is not wearing his shoes. There is a wooden door behind the group. family group, ithaca

A partial view of a family group standing in line on a stoned patio with plants growing in the background. The group includes the father , grandmother, mother and five children - two boys and three girls. families, ithaca, greece

The photograph is of Stathi Raftopoulos and unknown young man. Stathi erected a number of statues and sculptures, creating an open space 'museum' adjoining the family home in Kollieri, Ithaca. Included was an obelisk made from the stones that pressed the olives. The urns featured in the photo are known as 'plitharia' and are used to store the olive oil. Stathi also arranged for other statues to be displayed at various significant sites on Ithaca. A coloured photograph of man and a younger man standing on a terrace outside a house in a village in Ithaca. The man is unveiling a statue of a mermaid. In the background there is a statue of a horse, three large pottery urns and a two wheeled cart.symbols, gardens

The Committee of Ithacan Expatriates held an inaugural conference on Ithaca on 17 July 1976. Stathi Raftopoulos, pictured the microphone, was a delegate to the conference along with other expatriates.Organisations such as the Committee for Ithacan Expatriates are a means by which the diaspora Greeks of Ithacan background are be able to maintain the links with the island.A black and white photograph featuring a man standing in front of a microphone at a conference. Six other male participants, including a priest, are seated at a table either side of him. In the background is a curtained stage with a banner featuring the bust of Odysseus.ULYSSES KING OF ITHACA.australia

The photograph is a view of the harbour of the village of KIoni in northern Ithaca. Many Ithacans who migrated to Melbourne were from the village of Kioni. Kioni is considered one of the most picturesque villages in Ithaca.A coloured photograph of a view of a harbour village . Houses are built along the water's edge and mountains form a backdrop.villages, kioni

At an altitude of 340m, the picturesque village of Exogh in northern Ithaca, lies on the Homeric mountain of Neion. The village overlooks Aphales Bay and across the water the neighbouring island of Lefkada. During the Middle Ages and at the beginning of the Venetian rule, it was one of the most populated villages of the island, offering safety from the pirates, and an excellent view of the channel, the sea and the bays around the northern Ithaca.Some of the earliest Ithacan settlers in Melbourne were from the mountain village of Exoghi, including the founding president AJ.J. Lekatsas (Lucas). The village now has very few permanent residents with most having migrated or moved to the cities of Greece. A coloured photograph of a view overlooking the village of Exoghi and Aphales Bay on the island of Ithaca. The photograph was taken from the bell tower of the church of Panagias (the Virgin/Our Lady) sta Pernarakia located at the top of the mountain. The mountains which are visible across the skyline are the neighbouring island of Lefkada. mountain villages, ithaca

As the closest port to the mainland and neighbouring island Lefkada, Frikes was historically a trading port, supplying produce and merchandise to northern Ithaca. Today it is more a quiet fishing village which comes alive during the summer months with cafes and taverns. In summer tourist yachts moor at Frikes and a ferry service operates to Lefkada. A coloured photograph of he harbour at Frikes. Thee is a stone and concrete breakwater in the foreground where three fishing boats and a yacht are moored. A sedan is parked on the breakwater. Buildings are around the water's edge in the middle distance against a backdrop of mountains. ports, frikes

The tall monument, constructed by Stathi Raftopoulos, and known as the 'Pyramides' or the 'Obelisk' is located in Kolieri, Ithaca, overlooking Afales Bay. Constructed from the stones that were used to press the olives, the monument is a tribute to the making of the olive oil, a staple of the island. A coloured photograph of a tall monument and other items located next to the Raftopoulos (Levendi) home in the village of Kolieri, Ithaca. Kolieri located below the village of Exoghi overlooking Afales Bay. The property is located on the road which ends at Kalamos where a natural water spring flows. kalamos

The architecture of Ithaca has been influenced by various cultures in particular by the Venetian and British periods of rule. The house pictured is typical of many of the dwellings found on Ithaca built of stone which is sourced locally. Stone buildings are ideal for the climate of the island, retaining the heat in winter and cooler in summer. Sadly the catastrophic earthquakes of 1953 resulted in the widespread destruction on the many of the island's old buildings. Being one of the smaller and less accessible islands of Greece Ithaca fortunately has been spared inappropriate development and thus able to retain its authenticity and beautiful character. A coloured photograph of a double storey stone house with a tiled roof. A flight of stairs leads from the road to the elevated front door. At the bottom of the stairway there is a single storey stone building. Three trees are growing at the street level across the front of the house. architecture, houses

The photograph is an aerial view of the village of Platrithia in northern Ithaca, overlooking Afales Bay. The Taxiarchi Church is located at the top of the hill, around which the village is located.A discoloured landscape of an aerial view of Aphales Bay and Platrithia with the church of Taxiarches and the road which leads to Marmaka located on the other side of the mountain.aphales, villages

A view of Vathi taken in the 1970s. Vathi is the main town of Ithaca and is located in the south of the island. A coloured photograph taken in the 1970s overlooking the harbour of Vathi, the main village of Ithaca. The buildings are spread out from the water's edge to the lower slopes of the mountains, which form a backdrop to the town. Some boats are moored in the harbour.harbour, ports

The photo is taken in Vathi Ithaca at the Apokries carnival. It is the tradition to dress up and have fun. The Agios Prebezis and Papadia signs on the back of the two people in the foreground are satirising the church and relate to a scandal during the 1970s involving the Metropolitan of Prebesa (Prevesa) and a local priest's wife. The Apokries festival period traditionally begins ten weeks before Greek Orthodox Easter and culminates with fancy dress and masquerade parties on the weekend before Ash Monday, the first day of Lent. The name Apokries means abstention from meat, as during lent no meat is eaten. The Apokries festival dates back to Dionysos, the ancient Greek god of wine, fun and fertility. A coloured photograph of a crowd celebrating at a carnival. Two people with their backs to the camera are in fancy dress and are wearing hand written signs on their backs. The corners of the photograph are rounded.

The photo is of the Vrettos boys, Odysseas, Nondas, Spiros, from the village of Kollieri on the island of Ithaca. .A black and white copy of a studio photograph of the three young boys. The boys have been photographed from the waist up and are dressed in outfits from the early twentieth century. A curtain is hanging behind the group.families, brothers

The band is wearing naval uniform. Ithaca has a strong naval tradition with many young Ithacan men becoming naval officers or sea captains. The secondary school in Vathi was formally a Naval College and still incorporates a vocational stream for those seeking to embark on a naval career. Brass bands such as this march and play at national day parades.Such ceremonious pomp is part of the Ionian tradition.A coloured photograph of members of a brass band dressed in white naval suits playing for the townspeople who are pictured on the RHS of the photograph.

The photo is taken in Ithaca in the 1950s or 60s.A black and white photograph of three ladies and a man in front of a harbour where boats are moored. In the background there are mountains and some the faint outline of buildings along the foreshore can be seen on the left hand side.LF 7734 M 10unknown

The photo is taken at Marmaka beach, located in northern Ithaca near the seaside village of Frikes. Marmaka is known for its crystal clear waters and white pebbles. It was a favourite spot for locals to picnic and was usually reached by boat. A marsh located behind the beach was in the past used for mud bathing. Pictured in the third and fourth in top right are Stathi and Kassiani Raftopoulos.A black and white photograph of a group of villagers gathered around a man playing a guitar. They are singing and are having a picnic.unknown

Donkeys were a standard form of transport and a beast of burden for Ithacans as the island is very mountainous. Stepped tracks designed for donkeys to ascend the mountains can be still be located. The donkey in the photo, 'Rousso' was owned by Achileas Benias and was used to transport the olives and produce form their farming plot. Photographed from L-R back are: Freda Lucas (nee Benia) holding Jenny Kyriakakis, Con and Demetri Vlass on the donkey, Georgos Sombola, Angeliki Lekatsa (Spiliatsos), and Annie Vlass. In the front are Georgia Benia, Michali Kavadeas, unknown.Annie Vlass together with her husband Stathi Vlass and children Demetri and Con spent 6-9 months in Greece in 1952 at the Vlassopoulos (Kopela) family home in Lahos whilst in Ithaca. Although not common prior to the 1960s, some Ithacans, who had settled in Australia prior to the post war era, did travel back to their homeland to visit family and to introduce spouses and children to their place of birth. Today many of Ithacan heritage travel to the island, particularly during the northern summer, to reconnect with their family roots.A sepia photograph of eleven people, eight children and three adults standing in a cleared wooded area around a donkey. Two of the children are on the back of the donkey.kopella

View of the Ithaca's capital town Vathi and its harbour, located in south of the island.A discoloured photograph and aerial view of the port of Vathi and surrounding settlement, with the mountains in the background.ports, harbours

The local 'philharmonic orchestra/band' playing at a civic/national day function in the 1950s in Vathi, Ithaca. Music plays an important role in many aspects of life, both civic and social, on the island. During the summer months locals and tourists enjoy a variety of musical and cultural events.Founded in 1904, the Ithaki Philharmonic Orchestra is the oldest musical group on the island. The band is a private, non-profit entity and its goal is to offer free musical training to the young of the region and provide them with a broader musical education. The philharmonic orchestra performs concerts and participates in a range of educational, municipal, religious and national day events. A black & white photograph of a brass band of men dressed in dark uniforms and flat hats and women wearing dark skirts and white blouses. In the second row are males in civilian suits. The conductor is standing in the front on the extreme right hand side holding a baton.

This is a panoramic view taken from the top of Mt Neion (sometimes referred to as Mt Exoghi) overlooking Afales Bay, Ithaca and looking across to neighbouring island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea. Many Australians of Ithacan descent visit the island of their forefathers and enjoy the stunning landscape and views which one can resist photographing. A coloured panoramic photograph of a hilltop view of a bay with mountains across the skyline.aphales

Many Ithacans who migrated and settled in Melbourne came from the picturesque village of Kioni which is one of the ports on the island. The windmills shown on the headland are a point of interest for visitors to the islands.A coloured panoramic view overlooking the village and bay of Kioni on the island of Ithaca. Three windmills are visible on a headland across the middle distance.