Magoulias, Nikitas

Nikitas Maggoulias, born on April 1, 1944, in Palestine. They were refugees of World War II and returned to Kalymnos in 1947. Nikitas was baptised in the Jordan River. His father worked as a milkman and produced yogurt both in Kalymnos and in Palestine. During the WWII many Kalymnians migrated to Palestine and lived in tents. Nikitas moved to Australia in 1962 at the age of 17. He was first based in Sydney, where he worked at a Hungarian Jewish table factory in Sydney called Pongrass. The Jewish community played football in a team named Budapest, where Nikitas showcased his talent in the sport. His first team in Sydney was Thyella Patras. Subsequently, while he moved to Darwin, he joined the Olympics team (the Darwin version of the Greek Olympiakos) as a highly skilled goalkeeper. After his football career, Nikitas started working at Telecom in Darwin. Later, he and his wife opened a fish and chips shop named Parap Corner Fish Shop. They also acquired the Danish Connection restaurant from a Danish lady, transforming it into a more multicultural establishment. Additionally, they established the ChaCha Cafe in the city, named after their son who brought home a little pig from hunting, which they named ChaCha and kept as a pet.