Brothers Stathi and Naki Raftopoulos arrived in Australia as young boys in 1934. They first settled in Merbein but eventually moved permanently to Melbourne. Both were involved in various businesses with Stathi eventually involved in Greek cinemas and Naki in the food and hospitality industry.A coloured photograph of a man sitting at his desk talking to another man. Bookshelves are stacked with books behind the two men.brothers, cinemas

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

Niko and Zaharati Vlassopoulos (Kopela) returned to live permanently in Ithaca in the 1980s. They lived in Niko's paternal home in Lahos and during the summers welcomed many visitors from Australia. In the photograph are: Helen Vlass (sister-in-law to Niko) and Kassiani Raftopoulos, both of whom were visiting from Australia, and locals Artemisia Benias, Adamandina Raftopoulos and Niko and Zaharati Vlassopoulos. Ithaca in the summer time comes alive with families returning from Athens and abroad. Many Australians of Ithacan descent return regularly to enjoy the natural beauty of Ithaca and the magic of a Greek summer and to reconnect with their heritage.A coloured photograph of five women and a man seated at a round coffee table enjoying coffee/tea. kopella, entertaining

The photograph is of a music ensemble from the Greek island of Ithaca, taken sometime between 1938 - 1941. Mandolin and guitar music and cantades singing was popular with the people of Ithaca and across the Ionian Islands. The preference for this style of music and song was a result of the influence of the Venetian rule of the Ionian islands for almost 300 years. The uniforms of the young men photographed suggest they may have been members of the National Youth Organization established in Greece during the years of the Metaxas dictatorship (1936–1941) with the stated goals of helping the youth in the productive spending of their free time and cultivating their national values and cooperative spirit. Membership was made compulsory, for all young people, despite the views of families. A range of coercive tactics were used for those who were reluctant to join. The youth movement disintegrated after the regime’s ending in April 1941. Many of its members joined the Greek resistance movement. Despite the regime being a right wing dictatorship, Metaxas refusal to submit to imperialist and fascist Italy resulted in Greece entering WWII on the side of allies. Many Ithacans who settled in Australia brought with them their instruments and their love of cantades and the Ionian style of music. At family gatherings and celebrations they would play their mandolins and guitars and sing their beloved cantades.A black and white photograph in postcard format of sixteen young men, members of a mandolin and guitar orchestra. They are all dressed in dark trousers and shirts with light ties. The Ithacan Historical Society has been stamped on the back.

The photograph was taken when Stathi Raftopoulos was seserved with the Civilian Military Forces during World War 2. Young Greek and Australian-Greek men joined the Australian Defence Forces during World War 2 and served in various capacities. Ithacans who were unnaturalised were recruited into the Civilian Military Forces as 'Allied Aliens' and served the war effort on the home front. Naturalised Ithacans saw active service.A black and white photograph of fifteen men wearing army style clothing and light coloured berets sitting around and relaxing.wwii, army

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

Archbishop Ezekeil of Australia is featured in the photo and on his right Stathi (Efstathios) Vlassopoulos. At the time of this photo Stathi was secretary of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria. Stathis Vlassopoulos was very active in Greek community affairs. In 1962 he established the first daily Greek newspaper 'Ta Nea', in Melbourne. Stathi was president of the IPS 1957-1959 and was a key driver behind the building of the 'Ithaca House', the clubrooms of the IPS. Archbishop Ezekeil was the first Archbishop of Australia in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, appointed in 1959, a period which saw the schism between the Greek Orthodox Community and the Greek Archdiocese of Australia.A black and white photograph of Greek Archbishop with other members of the Greek community standing in the background. The edges of the photograph are crimped.

The men photographed are from L-R: Gerry Dellaportas (Dellas), Bill Antypas and Stathi Raftopoulos who served in the Civilian Military Forces as 'Allied Aliens'. The photograph was taken at an army base in Albury in 1944. Albury was one of the regional towns where troops were stationed before being sent to other areas of battle or defence. Young Greek and Australian-Greek men joined the Australian Defence Forces during World War 2 and served in various capacities. Ithacans who were unnaturalised were recruited into the Civilian Military Forces as 'Allied Aliens' and served the war effort on the home front. Naturalised Ithacans saw active service.A black and whit photograph of three men in army uniform standing next to a tent erected in an open paddock.army, wwii

Archimandrite Irineos Kassimatis is in the photograph which appears to be at a wedding table. The men are wearing floral lapel corsages worn at weddings. Archimandrite Irineos Kassimatis was appointed to Melbourne in 1922 by the Church of Greece appointed in Australia.A black and white photograph in postcard format of four men siting at a table at a social function. The man on the RHS of the photograph is a Greek orthodox priest. unknown

The photograph is of members of a local soccer team on the Greek island of Ithaca in 1951. Stathi Raftopoulos is pictured on the left to the right of the young children. Soccer is a very popular game both in Greece and amongst the Greek community in Australia.A scanned black and white photograph of men and boys posing for a soccer team photograph. Thirteen people are standing and five are kneeling in the front with the soccer ball.

A cross (x) has been marked above the head of A. Vlassopoulos who was one of the early Ithacan immigrants to Australia. The picture was taken in Calcutta (known as Kolkata since 2001) en route to Australia in 1891. As a British Protectorate, those who left Ithaca in the 19th century generally travelled on British ships, stopping at ports under the control of the British Empire.A black and white posed photograph of a group of men sitting and standing in front of a flag draped across the wall behind the group. The men are dressed in workmen's clothes.On the front of the photograph in Greek: Written across the bottom of the photograph in Greek is the following: Calcutta ( India ) 15 February 1891. A. Vlassopoulos. There is a cross (x) marked above the head of one of the men.india.

Pictured is staff and actors from the new Playhouse Theatre, Melbourne. At some point Theodore Polities (pictured third from left) from Lefkada ran the theatre's confectionary bar and he also took on the operational management of the theatre when it was experiencing financial difficulties. Ithacan Gerasimos Dionysios Gavrilis (know as George Denis Gabriel) appeared in various theatrical productions at the Playhouse. Greek school concerts were also held at the theatre. The Playhouse Theatre was situated in the former Aikman Street, South Melbourne (now Southbank) near Princes Bridge and was a venue repertory theatre. It first opened in 1912 as the Snowden Picture Theatre in the days of silent films and was rebuilt in 1916 as legitimate play house theatre. As the Playhouse it was the original home of the Melbourne Repertory Society. It was renamed the Garrick in 1933. The property was sold in 1937 for ₤17 500 ($35 000) to the Australian Paper Manufacturers company following which they donated the seating to the University of Melbourne's Union Theatre. A sepia photograph of eight men and two women standing outside the New Playhouse Theatre (Garrick Theatre).

Stathi Raftopoulos, pictured third from the left , served in the Civilian Military Forces during WW2.Young Greek and Australian-Greek men joined the Australian Defence Forces during World War 2 and served in various capacities. Ithacans who were unnaturalised were recruited into the Civilian Military Forces as 'Allied Aliens' and served the war effort on the home front. Naturalised Ithacans saw active service.A black and white photograph of four men in army uniform standing against a large piece of machinery.wwii

The Certificate of Registration of an alien was issued to a non-British subject who was not an enemy but was residing on a permanent basis in Australia. This document was issued to Nicholas Alexander Black who was born on the Greek island of Ithaca in 1885 and had emigrated to Australia and settled in Geraldton, Western Australia in 1916. He was the proprietor of the Federal Coffee Palace, in Geraldton at the time the certificate was issued. The certificates were issued by the Commonwealth of Australia under the Department of Defence as a result of the War Precautions (Aliens Registration) Regulation 1916. The recipient of the certificate was obliged to carry it with him at all times. The Certificate of Registration of an Alien is an example of the regulations in place during the first half of the twentieth century as part of Australia's immigration policy which placed restrictions on non-British European immigration as a means of ensuring that Australia's population remained essentially British. At the time non-British Europeans immigrants to Australia were unassisted. Family members already settled in Australia were required to guarantee the new-comer's support. A certificate of registration of an alien issued by the Commonwealth Department of Defence.

The photograph, taken in the 1950s, is of the passenger liner Cyrenia berthed at Port Melbourne. TSS Maunganui (later Cyrenia) was originally owned by the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand and carried the Royal Mail to Sydney and San Francisco. It was a troopship during World War 1 and 2. In 1948 it was sold to Cia Naviera del Atlantica in Piraeus and was renamed Cyrenia. It was sold to the Hellenic Mediterranean Lines in 1949 and commenced a service from Genoa and Piraeus bringing Greek and Italian emigrants to Australia. She was broken up in 1957.During the post-war years, between 1952 and 1974, more than 200,000 Greeks arrived in Australia. Most arrived on ships such as the Cyrenia. A mounted black and white photograph of a passenger ship berthed at Port Melbourne. A duplicate photograph has been mounted on chip board.CYRENIA 1950

An advertising poster for the 1955 All Nations Festival which was presented by the Australia Red Cross Society, Victorian Branch. Nina and Olga Black participated in the festival and were featured on the poster (seated at front first and second from left) wearing Greek traditional costumes. Other recognisable national costumes are Scottish Piper and Dutch.The event held in 1955 by the Australian Red Cross promoted multicultural Australia and members of the Ithacan Philanthropic Club participated. It was the period of post WW2 mass migration which saw many nationalities making Australia their home.Photocopy of a poster for the 1955 All Nations Festival. Consisting of a group 3 men and 6 women dressed in different national traditional dress. There is a Red Cross symbol either side of the group.THE AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY / VICTORIAN DIVISION/PRESENTS THE / 1955 ALL NATIONS FESTIVAL / ST. KILDA CRICKET GROUND - SUNDAY, 27TH FEBRUARY 1955folk dancing, national costimes

A photograph of the original members of the Daughters of Penelope, a chapter of AHEPA formed in the 1950s. Pictured bBack L- R: Dorothy Lucas, Royal Stratou, Maria Mangos, Sia Athanis, Poppy Sikiotis. Front L-R: Anna Stratou, Margaret Marmaras, Nina Black, Katina Canis, Olive Coligas AHEPA is Greek organisation that encourages the retention of Greek language and culture. It is the largest Hellenic Association in the world with chapters in the United States, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Australia and New Zealand. It was established in 1922 by Greek Americans to protect Hellenes from prejudice and discrimination. AHEPA was founded in Australia in 1934.A black and white photograph of ten ladies dressed in formal evening attire standing in a room.

This is a photo Constantine Black (Mavrokefalos) who was from the village of Exoghi arrived in Melbourne 18 years of age in the early 1902. He returned to Greece for the Balkan War and the photo depicts him in the army uniform of the time. It was at this time that on a visit to Ithaca he met Efstathia (Toula) Raftopoulos. They married and in 1914 Constantine returned to Melbourne with Toula. Constantine had trained as an accountant, but his qualifications were not recognised in Australia. Changing his surname to the Anglicised "Black", he started off working in his older brother Dionysios's cafés before going into business on his own. In 1917 he opened the Paris Residential Café at 54-56 Swanston Street, which offered both dining and accommodation. The business saw some years of success, but did not survive the Great Depression. Constantine died in 1944. Two of his children, Nina Black and Olga Black, were very active and well known in the Ithacan and Greek community's cultural life.A studio black and white photograph of a man wearing the traditional Greek soldier's uniform. He is standing beside a wall and holding a gun upright.

John Black pictured as a young child, was the only son of Constantine and Efstathia Black (Mavrokefalos). John's parents came to Australia in the early 1900s. They owned and operated the Paris Residential Cafe at 56 Swanston Street in the second decade of the 20th century. John is the brother of Olga and Nina Black, both of whom were very active in Ithacan and Greek community cultural life. A scanned black and white studio photograph of a little boy leaning against a wall which has drawings of two birds and a bird cage on it. The boy is wearing a woollen jumper and light trousers and is looking intently at the camera.

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

A photograph on the wedding day of Erigoni (Nitsa) Vlassopoulos (Kopela) and Kyriakos Kyriakakis in Ithaca. Freda Lucas (nee Benias) pictured on the left is the flower girl. The couple migrated to Australia in the 1950s and settled in Red Cliffs near Mildura where they ran the Vlass family business, The Golden Key café. Erigoni is the daughter of Dimitri and Eugenia Vlassopoulos and sister of Stathis, Panos, Costas and Nikos. Nitsa and Kyriako had three children, George and Eugenia born in Ithaca and Dimitri (Jim) born in Red Cliffs. Nitsa and Kyriako eventually retired in Greece.A black and white photograph edged with a crinkle cut white border of bride and her flower girls with a man and a lady standing on each side of her. They are standing in an open area with shrubs growing behind them

The photograph was taken when Stathi Vlass (Kopela) returned to Ithaca together with his family in 1952 for the first time since migrating to Australia in 1932. Stathi's wife Annie Vlass, is seated in the foreground with the young Freda Benia behind her. The two children are Annie's and Stathi's sons, l-r Con and Demetri (standing). It was quite rare for families to travel to Greece and Ithaca in the 1950s. However, over the years it has become a tradition for many Ithacan Greeks to return to their island home for the summer or for a longer stay. It is one way that the generations have been able to maintain family ties and their Ithacan heritage.A square black and white photograph with a white border of two women, two men and two young boys in an olive grove where goats are grazing. The two women and boys are in the foreground while the two men are in the background under the shade of the trees. A small message is written in Greek on the back of the photograph.The following translation is written in Greek on the back of the photograph.

Pictured left are Pano and Joyce Vlass (Vlassopoulos, Kopela) who are entertaining Nick Lucas (Lekatsas Spiliatsos) from Melbourne and another guest on the terrace of their Ithacan home at Akrovoulia/Krouvoulia. Pano and Joyce returned to live in Greece in the 1970s and built their family home on the island in a stunning location overlooking Frikes Bay. Many Australian Ithacans visiting the island in the summer months enjoyed Pano and Joyce's generous hospitality.A number of Ithacans, although relatively not many, made the decision to return to Greece in their retirement years. For the Vlassopoulos (Kopela) family it was common. Parents Dimitri and Eugenia returned in the late 1950s and all their children, Stathi, Pano, Niko and Erigoni all eventually retired in Athens and Ithaca. Costa was the only sibling who did not return permanently.A square coloured photograph with rounded edges of four people sitting at a table on a terrace enjoying a meal under a pergola with grape vines. kopella, peter

The event was held to celebrate the launch of a book written by Andreas Anagnostatos. His book, Λαογραφικα 'Ανἁλεκτα της Ιθἁκης', written in Greek, documents Ithacan cultural and folkloric heritage. The launch was held at Ithaca House in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. Andreas was born in Ithaca and migrated to Australia in 1957 to join his brothers Hector and George Anagnostatos (Andrews). He eventually retired in Ithaca where he wrote and published several books about Ithaca. A coloured photograph of a group of people at a social function and enjoying refreshments in a large room.Information about the event has been written in Greek on the back of the photograph.

This is a photograph of Dennis Varigos wearing his Air Force uniform. At the start of the WW2 Dennis enlisted in the Australian Army and then transferred to the Royal Australian Airforce where he served from 1940 – 1946. Dennis was one of the many Australian born Greeks to enlist in the Australian armed forces during World War 2. The uniform worn is in the style of uniforms worn by servicemen during WW2.A black and white photograph of a man in air force uniform

Nina Black , standing at the back in the middle of the group, taught Greek dancing to many young Australian-born Ithacans. She also taught Greek language and English to adult migrants. Nina worked tirelessly with migrant community in the post mass migration period. Learning traditional Greek dancing has been one way that Ithacans who settled here were able to maintain their culture. Traditional Greek dancing is always popular at Ithacan social events. A black and white photograph of six ladies and four men dressed in Greek national costume.

The group pictured are young Ithacan girls who were taught by Olga Black and they are wearing the traditional Ithacan dress. The group performed at various IPS events including the annual ball, Christmas parties. Both Olga and her sister Nina, taught Greek dancing to many people over the years, both Greek and non Greek. Many young Australian born people of Ithacan descent develop a greater appreciation and awareness of the Greek and Ithacan culture through learning traditional dances.A coloured photograph of a dancing group dressed in a Greek costumes. In the group there are five older girls and a younger girl as well as one boy.

The two men, Spiros Raftopoulos and Ioannis Metaxas, joined the army to fight in the Balkan Wars which involved two conflicts that took place in the Balkan Peninsula between 1912 and 1913. In the first conflict Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia defeated the Ottoman Empire in the First Balkan War; in the second conflict Bulgaria unsuccessfully contested the distribution by its former allies of territory taken from the Turks during the First Balkan War. A number of Greeks who had emigrated to Australia and other parts of the world returned to Greece to fight in those wars.The men returning to fight for the country of their birth were motivated by their patriotism. Even though they had sought a new life in another country they felt strongly the need to return to their homeland to join the struggle. A black and white photograph of two soldiers dressed in Greek army uniform which was worn in the early years of the twentieth century. The two men are holding rifles and have a load of bullets strapped across their shoulders. The original photograph was mounted on fawn and dark green board.A strip of paper has been stuck across the bottom of the photograph with the names of the two men written in Greek and English. S.RAFTOPOULOS AND K. METAXIS IN THE ARMY 1913.

Some Ithacans after arriving in Australia settled in and around Mildura and opened businesses there. The people in this image were Greeks who had settled in that area in the early decades of the twentieth century.A black and white photograph of a group of people standing in a suburban street with three weatherboard cottages in the background. Some of the people are seated in two horse- drawn carriages. There is a white frame around the photograph.Written in white on the image: 18/4/1920

The photograph is taken following the baptism of Marietta Paizis, the daughter of Gerasimos and Penelope Paizes, took place in an Anglican Church in Mildura with the Orthodox priest conducting the service. This was common practice amongst the Greek community in Mildura during the first half of the twentieth century as there was no Orthodox Church in the town. The priest travelled from Melbourne to conduct special family services for the Greek community in Mildura and other regional towns in Victoria. It is possible that there was more than one baptism during the service to take advantage of the priest attendance in Mildura. Marietta was the daughter of Maintaining traditional customs and ceremonies has always been important amongst the Greek immigrants who settled in Australia. Although the majority of Ithacans and other Greeks settled and established businesses in Melbourne during the first half of the twentieth century, some settled in regional towns throughout Victoria. Ithacan settlement in Mildura dates back to the early 1900s. A black and white photograph of a group of people standing outside a church. Three adults holding their babies are standing in the front of the group. Everyone in the group is smartly dressed suggesting that the photograph was taken to celebrate a special occasion.