Ιστορικό της ίδρυσης της

Ένωσης Κυνουριαίων

Μελβούρνης 1956

After the end of World War II, while for all peoples the long-awaited peace came, Greece was going through its worst moments after the Asia Minor catastrophe. The insistence of our English allies to place a king in their protectorate, relying on the sycophants and black marketeers of the occupation, together with the irresponsible policy of the communist party, caused a terrible civil war. The result of this civil war was to destroy the rural economy, which had already been destroyed by the Nazi Germans, and to cause the rural population to flock to the cities. Others went to the cities to hide from the merciless persecution of their far-right nationalist brothers, and others for a better fate. Unemployment, poverty and misery prevailed throughout the country. In 1945, the Australian Prime Minister John Curtin established the Department of Immigration with Arthur Calwell as First Minister. The purpose of the department was to increase Australia's white population by 2% per year to prevent the "northern threat" of mass illegal immigration of Asians (yellow peril). The interstate agreement was signed in 1952 and was repealed in 1974. It provided for the transfer of 250,000 Greeks from the Kingdom of Greece and the then protectorate of Cyprus. The last Greeks to immigrate to Australia came in 1992-2004 from South Africa. In 1954, Vasilis Agantinos Bekyros from Leonidion was in Melbourne, he had gone with Panagiotis Tourloupis from Agios Andreas. The first years were naturally very difficult. At first, the immigrants lived in reception camps, women and men separately. This was because Australia was going through a very big economic crisis with huge unemployment. No government would dare to give work to foreigners. In order not to waste time, the ministry sent teachers to these camps and those who "were clever" learned to speak and write English. Then, in order not to gather in the cities, the ministry gave them land to cultivate. Those who had intelligence and insight stayed in the countryside and today they are the largest fruit producers. Most of them, however, as soon as things got better, went to the cities. In 1956, Vassilis Bekyros together with Panagiotis Tourloupis, while discussing said why don't we do something to get together and have a drink. Vasilis Tourloupis played the bouzouki and when friends gathered they sang the sorrow of being abroad. As a rule, the statutes of the clubs have many long articles about the purposes. The Association of the Kynourians of Melbourne was created by the first immigrants to overcome loneliness, fear and racism and above all to have a good time when they gathered for the holidays. Vasilis Bekyros and Panagiotis Tourloupis gathered all their compatriots they knew and so the first organizing committee consisted of:

Το Πρώτο

Συμβούλιο

Επωνυμία:

Ένωση Κυνουριαίων "Παναγία Έλωνα" με έδρα

την πόλιν Μελβούρνη της Αυστραλιανής

Συμπολιτείας

Πρώτος πρόεδρος του Συλλόγου έγινε ο Ιωάννης Βασιλείου με καταγωγή από τα Δολιανά Κυνουρίας. Επελέγη πρόεδρος από τα ιδρυτικά μέλη του συλλόγου γιατί ήταν μορφωμένος. Ως απόφοιτος της Ανωτάτης Εμπορικής Σχολής Αθηνών (Σήμερα Οικονομικό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών), είχε πανεπιστημιακές γνώσεις και άριστη γνώση της Αγγλικής γλώσσας. Συνεπώς μπορούσε να διεκπεραιώνει τις υποθέσεις του συλλόγου. Αυτή ήταν η αρχή. Σήμερα μετά από 65 χρόνια, ο σύλλογος με την εργατικότητα και σύνεση των Κυνουριατών πρόκοψε και διαθέτει δικό του κτήριο όπου φιλοξενούνται και άλλοι Αρκαδικοί Σύλλογοι. Στην μεγάλη και δύσκολη πορεία που είχε ο σύλλογος παρουσιάστηκαν δύο προβλήματα. Πρώτον αποχώρησαν οι Βουρβουραίοι από τον Σύλλογο δημιουργώντας δικό τους σύλλογο, διασπώντας τον Κυνουριακό σύνδεσμό μας. Και δεύτερο η απόπειρα του Καρακοβουνίτη πρόεδρου Μ. Τερζάκη για διάσπαση του συλλόγου με την πρόφαση να μετονομαστεί ο Σύλλογος από Παναγία Έλωνα σε Παναγία Μαλεβή. Η Υπεραγία Θεοτόκος αγαπητέ κ. Τερζάκη δεν έχει επίθετο και οι Έλληνες του εξωτερικού πρέπει να είναι ενωμένοι. Από αρκετούς εμφύλιους πολέμους έχει υποφέρει η Πατρίδα. Δεν χρειάζεται να μας κοροϊδεύουν και οι ξένοι. Όπως έχει πει και Ο εθνικός μας ποιητής Διονύσιος Σολομός «Μην ειπούν στον στοχασμό τους τα ξένα έθνη αληθινά: Αν μισούνται αναμεσό τους δεν τους πρέπει ελευθεριά». Τέλος πάντων με την επέμβαση των ψυχραιμοτέρων μελών αποσοβήθηκε το ανοσιούργημα. Σήμερα τον σύλλογο τον διοικεί η τρίτη γενιά των μεταναστών της Κυνουρίας. Από τα ιδρυτικά μέλη πιθανόν σήμερα να μην είναι εν ζωή κανείς, αλλά και αυτοί που δεν είναι κοντά μας, ξέρουν πως ο σύλλογος είναι σε καλά χέρια, και θα συνεχίσει να κάνει αυτό που ονειρεύτηκαν οι μακαρίτες Βασίλης Μπεκύρος και Τάκης Τουρλούπης: να περνάνε καλά εκεί στην ξένη αλλά φιλόξενη γη της Αυστραλίας.

The first acts of the newly founded Association are published in Greek.

The first and founding

members of the

association

Chandris' ships

Antonios and Dimitrios Chandris, children of the Chios shipowner Ioannis Chandris, were the greatest glories of Greek shipping. In the 60s, the sun never set over the Chandris brothers' ships. There was no longitude or latitude where there was not a ship of theirs. The first Greek ocean liner that transported Greeks to Australia was the R.H.M.S. Patris. This ship was built in 1950 in Ireland by Harland & Wolf Ltd. Belfast, had a displacement of 16,259 t. length 181.3 m and width 23.3 m. speed 18 knots. Acquired in 1959 and made its maiden voyage on 14/12/1959 and arrived in Melbourne on 7/1/1960 It is the most famous ship and anyone who has traveled on it never forgets it.

Τα πλοία του

Vlasov (Sitmar)

Castel Felice Built in 1930 in Glasgow by A. Stephen & Sons. Displacement 12,150 tons, length 150.3m. width 19.6 speed 16 knots. Castel Felice made her maiden voyage from Genoa, Italy on 6/10/1952 and arrived in Melbourne on 5/11/1952

Bibliography

The following resources were used to create the website: 1.PETER PLOWMAN, AUSTRALIAN MIGRANT SHIPS 1946- 1977 2006 2.PETER PLOWMAN, THE CHANDRIS LINERS AND CELEBRITY CRUISES 2006 3.MAURIZIO ELISSEO, THE SITMAR LINERS AND THE V SHIPS, 1998 4.ANASTASIOS MYRODIS TAMIS, THE GREEKS IN AUSTRALIA 2005 5.INTERVIEWS WITH VASSILIS BEKYROU 6.MY PERSONAL ARCHIVE OF TRAVEL DOCUMENTS OF PATRIS AND FAIRSEA, FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS 7.PHOTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS FROM THE SON OF GEORGOS DALAKOURAS 8.POSTCARDS FROM PATRIS AND PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE ARCHIVES OF MATINA SAPOUNAKIS' FATHER WHO WAS A COOK AT PATRIS 9. CORRESPONDENCE OF NIKOS KOLENDRIANOS 10. PHOTOGRAPHS OF KEN IRONSIDE (BARMAN ON CHANDRIS' SHIPS) 11 BOOKS OF PROCEDURE AND FUND OF THE Kynourian Philanthropic Society 12.PERSONAL MEMORIES I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF THE ABOVE FOR THE MEMORIES THAT BROUGHT ME BACK TO THE STAGE. PHILIP BEKYROS (A happy passenger of R.H.M.S.Patris)