Theodorou Kolokasidis, Ioanna

Ioanna Theodorou Kolokasidis - Kostas was born on December 6, 1937, in Kyrenia, Cyprus, which is now predominantly Turkish. At the age of 16, she married Michalis Konstantinou (Kostas for short) in Lapithos. Michalis, born and raised in Nicosia, was 22 years old at the time and worked as a furniture maker. They moved to Nicosia, where they built their own house when Ioanna was 21 years old, and lived there for 8 years. In August 1963, Ioanna arrived in Australia, followed by Michalis on October 28, 1962, who had already purchased land. Her siblings' families received a refugee house from the government, with the Turkish invasion, due to having five children, prompting them to stay in Cyprus. Upon their arrival in Australia, Ioanna's husband, Michalis, worked as a cabinetmaker and carpenter while Ioanna focused on homemaking. In 1975, they returned to Cyprus for a holiday, during which their daughter got engaged to a Cypriot who eventually moved with them to Darwin, Australia, where they settled permanently. Shortly after their arrival, the Darwin cyclone devastated their new home, destroying everything including their belongings and gold. Their daughter Cori, who got hit by the cyclone, then 20 years old, underwent 8 operations in Sydney after flying there for treatment. With government assistance, they rebuilt their home in Darwin from scratch. In 1963, Darwin was home to 5-6 families of Cypriots, Italians, and people from Kalymnos, Macedonia, and Kastellorizo. Ioanna enjoyed the community spirit, attending Agios Nikolaos church and regularly socializing at the Kypriots and Kalymnia houses. They returned to Cyprus for holidays in 1972 and 1974.