Kytherian Association of
m e d i a r e l e a s e
In
1922 a group of Kytherian migrants, recently arrived in Australia , met in a café in Sydney
For
those founding members, it was paramount to provide a new spiritual home for
the thousands of migrants who were to follow in the migration waves that saw
much of Kythera’s young men and women travel to Australia
After
years of making property investments and then an ill-fated attempt to run a
licensed social club in Regent Street Chippendale, the Kytherian Association of
Australia (as it is now known) has finally established a magnificent cultural
resource centre, library and meeting room at its premises at 24 King Street,
Rockdale.
On
17 February 2012 the realisation of a dream to establish a spiritual home for
Kytherians in the diaspora was finally celebrated with the official opening of
the New Kythera House. In the presence
of the Consul-General of Greece
The
President of the Kytherian Association, Victor Kepreotis, opened the
proceedings by reminding everyone that
this new cultural and historical resource centre was as a result of the
combined efforts of successive committees over the years and represented the
centrepiece of the Association. He paid
tribute to the inspired architectural design by architect Eva-Marie Prineas and
the work of the builder Stan Giaouris in
helping to complete the extensive refurbishment.
Father
Sophronios congratulated the Kytherians for remaining close to their roots and
being proud of their heritage in constructing a dwelling which would be of much
reflection and education. He also wryly
observed that, just as in Kythera a
stationary car can be seen rolling gently uphill near
the famous Monastery of Myrtidiotissa, so Kytherians were
being drawn inexorably closer to Our Lady of
the Myrtles Church
The
Greek Consul-General noted that a lot of devotion was evident in the creation
of this new cultural space and was also a
vivid representation of Kytherian activities, not just here but around
the world. According to Mr Tolios, this
gives us hope for the future and for our younger generations.
A
highlight of the evening was the re-presentation of the first minute book of
the Kytherian Association that had been held in safe custody up until now. Past President John Prineas read from the
exquisitely hand-written minutes of the first meeting held on 14 May 1922 and
for a moment it was as though the room had been transported back in time. Ninety years later, the Kytherian torch still
burns brightly in the diaspora.
The
new resource centre has an excellent library which is not just Kythera-specific
but covers many themes relating to Hellenism and
the general migration experience. Other subject areas include the Greek
War of Independence; Byzantium and Greek Orthodoxy; archaeology and the Minoan
colonisation of Kythera; Classical Greece and the history of the Parthenon;
Greek folkloric costumes and dancing; Hellenic cuisine; photography; the Smyrna
catastrophe and Greece during World War II; modern Greek history and much more.The
cultural centre also features computers, scanner, printers and a large
drop-down screen and projector to enable lectures and presentations to be
made. The centre will comfortably seat
up to about 80 visitors.
On
the Saturday and Sunday following the official opening the doors were open for
members and their guests to visit the library and view the facilities. Over 150 people took up this opportunity and
the general consensus is that the Kytherian Association has succeeded in
establishing a state of the art meeting room and library
and conference facility.
The
new Kythera House library and research centre is a welcome addition to the
Greek-Australian cultural landscape.
George
Vardas
Cultural
Officer
Media enquiries: George Vardas 0403 053 900
gvardas@people.net.au
