Historical information

Panoyiannis (Peter) Raftopoulos arrived in Australia in 1937 on the RMS STRAITHAIRD. Travel to Australia between the He married Evgenia Raftopulos and they had two children, Loula and Spearos. Peter was the brother of Kalypso Sofianos nee Raftopoulos. Peter was secretary of the Ithacan Philanthropic Society 1938-1949 and 1953 and an Honorary Life Member.

Significance

Between the world wars migrants made the long journey to Australia on steamships such as the STRAITHAIRD. Then came the ocean liners which remained the main form of transportation for immigrants to Australia until well into the 1960s. By the 1970s, the wave of post-war migration by ocean liner to Australia was largely over. With fewer migrants coming to Australia, travel was mainly by air.

Physical description

A scanned photograph of the P&O liner, RMS STRAITHAIRD on a voyage.

Inscriptions & markings

P&O. RMS "STRAITHAIRD' 22 500 TONS/INDIA AND AUSTRALIA MAIL AND PASSENGER SERTVICE.