2022-07-13

Sydney

Kandylas, Dimitra

Greeks in Australia

Oral history

Proxy marriage

Kallos, Kathy

Digitised

Copyright holder : State Library of New South Wales
Please acknowledge : Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Interviewer: Kathy Kallos

Occupation: Factory worker
Year of arrival: 1963
Method of transport: Ship (Patris)

Dimitra Kandylas was born in 1942 in Thana, a village outside of Tripoli in the Peloponnese region of Greece. She spent her childhood attending school, helping her family with domestic duties and working on the land. Dimitra arrived in Sydney in 1963 following an invitation from her cousin, who owned a home in Marrickville, in Sydney’s inner west. Within days of her arrival, Dimitra found work in a textile factory. Over the years, she held various factory jobs as she searched for better pay and conditions. Her marriage was arranged by ‘proxenio’, and, initially, the couple lived in a shared household which included her husband’s brother and mother. Dimitra and her husband eventually bought their own home in Bexley, where they raised their two children.

Interview summary
Dimitra recalls the difficult conditions her family endured in Thana. She talks about her decision to migrate to Australia in the hope of reducing her father’s economic burden and expresses her gratitude to her cousin already in Australia, who looked after her as well as his six unmarried sisters. She recounts the physical and emotional strain of working long hours in various factory jobs.

Sound recording

Siobhan Campbell