Subject	Australia–Emigration and immigration—History
	Immigrants
	Greek language, Modern
	Voyages and travels
	Turkish language
	Language and languages
	Foreign workers, Greek
Category	5. Cold War (including Decolonisation)
Author	Kaimasidis, Melpomene
Keywords	Greeks in Australia
	Oral history
Creator	Elefterias-Kostakidis, Eleni
Person	Kaimasidis, Melpomene
Current Holder	State Library of New South Wales
Date	2021-11-16
Access Rights	Digitised
Rights	Copyright holder : State Library of New South Wales Please acknowledge : Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
Country Of Origin	Australia
Place	Sydney
Language	Greek (Modern)
Description From Source	Interviewer: Eleni Elefterias-Kostakidis Occupation: Seamstress and Salesgirl Year of arrival: 1957 Method of transport: Ship (Patris) Melpo Kaimasidis was born in 1937 in the village of Pentavryso in Kastoria, a prefecture of Macedonia, Greece to a large multi-lingual family originally from Samsounta in Pontos. She speaks Greek, Pontian and Turkish. As a young woman, she worked in the fur industry in Kastoria. In 1957, she migrated to Australia. Interview summary In the interview, Melpo discusses her family’s traumatic history during World War II. She also discusses aspects of their working lives as wheat and tobacco farmers and some of the horrors of the Civil War period that followed the end of WWII. She goes on to recall her experiences on the ship that brought her to Australia and the feelings of sea sickness suffered by many of the passengers. She discusses her husband’s illness and subsequent death and the financial difficulties of being a single mother. The interview also covers Melpo’s involvement with AHEPA (Australasian Hellenic Educational Progressive Association) in raising money for charities and hospitals in Sydney as well as her leadership roles as a member of the Pontian Association, Panagia Soumela.
Physical Format	Sound recording
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