Community photos

Australian-Greek communities maintain rich and strong connections with their ancestors and former homelands.

The tour of ancient Greek artefacts from Athens for the Open Horizons exhibition provides an opportunity to acknowledge the heritage of Victorians of Greek ancestry, while recognising the local community’s more contemporary experiences and achievements.

Hundreds of families, individuals and groups have shared their photos of vibrant cultural and community life. A selection can be seen here.

These photos, together with some from Museums Victoria’s own collection, tell stories of making a home in Victoria from the early 1900s, through the significant period of post-war migration, to the present day.

Journeys

Four adults and four children standing with suitcases. People of various ages standing on dock with suitcases. Photo of eight people of various ages with suitcases Older woman holding hand of young woman in coat. Dozens of people standing in a street. 10 people walking towards camera carrying suitcases. Woman standing on steps, holding suitcases. Woman hugging young girl Man and woman standing in field. A small group of people sitting in chairs Photo of woman shaking hand of captain, held in place by bottle opener. 7 men in suits. Three standing, four lounging on grass. People sitting around picnic blanket. 6 people sitting around restaurant table with champagne 17 people of various ages, standing and sitting on picnic blankets. Family pose for a professional portrait Group of people of varying ages posed for photograph. Eight people of varying ages walking up gangway. Nine people of varying ages posed for a photo. Older man with arm around taller, younger man.

Love

Woman standing behind and embracing man. Man and woman smiling People smiling and leaning against each other Man in suit embraced by woman wearing tiara and veil. Woman in dress with train standing next to a seated man in suit. Bride and groom holding hands Man and woman holding hands over small shrub. Two men in suits holding hands in park Man in suit with woman wearing tiara, veil, and dress with a train. Woman with children in bathing suits Six adults, one child and a baby standing on a sidewalk People of saying ages sitting on couch Young boy and girl holding hands Four young people kneeling on grass Man sitting being hugged by younger woman. 14 people standing behind picnic table in park Group of people in casual setting 6 people standing behind two seated people. Three adults and two children standing on veranda Crowd watching people dancing in circle and holding hands Dozens of people in family home. Bride drinking from cup held by priest. Bride and groom at altar. Two people standing in field, one holding a shovel. Young man and older man picking tomatoes. Man and small child sitting on veranda. Man looking through window with "It's a boy, 10lb 6oz, you beaut" written on it Woman watching priest immerse child in font. Woman with pram in garden Woman holding baby in hospital bed. Bride and groom surrounded by people in formal setting. Bride and groom surrounded by family in formal setting

Life

A woman and man behind a convenience store counter A group of women take a break at a clothing factory Family stands with one son in police uniform Couple with aprons on in a shop Three men pose in front of a butcher shop Group of men posed outside a weatherboard house A group of men dig a hole. Two men crouch in front of a large bulldozer Couple stand proudly in the garden in front of their home A family work on their farm A old woman and a young girl cook together. Elderly couple standing near a vasilopita Family eating lunch and exchanging easter eggs A family spit roast meat in their backyard. A family cooks meat at a bbq. Woman in fancy dress Two women wearing traditional regional costumes A large crowd diving off a pier A young swimmer in the water holding a cross Swimmer holding a cross with a priest next to him A woman and her children stand amongst washing lines. A woman stands by a door with a man is inside. Two families stand on the steps of a church A handsome man posing with two children Three girls in swimmers holding hands A group of children sit on a piece of playground equipment Group of footballers cele Woman holding a really large red blanket A man draws at a table. Three guitarists and a singer seated and playing music Five women perform Greek dancing on a lawn. Children on stage dancing surrounded by large crowd Two men smiling and dancing Three woman wade at the beach Three young men lounge on the beach Four men drinking outside. Family standing proudly next to a 1970s car Young man stands proudly next to a 1950s car Woman sits next to a TV Young girl in sunglasses standing next to a doll A large family have a picnic in a public park

We warmly acknowledge the many Victorians of Greek heritage who shared their photos and stories with the Museum for this exhibition.

We especially thank the families and individuals whose photos and memories feature here.

Phillip Andrianakis
Peter Andrews
Agi Argyropoulos
Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou
Dimitra Birthisel
Christine Bitzios
Helen Cadzow
Alyssa Collyvas  
Mary Coustas
Nick Crotty
Dimitra Dais
Melinda Dimitriades
Chris Eakins
Natalie Edwards 
Tina Finocchiaro
Iakovos Garivaldis
Toula Geronikos
Stacey Goulas
Roxanne Griffiths
Joe Grimwade
Anastasia Hantzis
John Hondros
Spiros Hrambanis
Takefumi Ike 
Roxanne Kalivas
Fotis Kapetopoulos
Emma Karagiannis
Kon Karapanagiotidis 
Dimitri Katsoulis
Vicki Kotsirilos
Con Lambros
Vicky Leon
Alexandra Lovell
Sophia Ljaskevic
Despina Lykopandis
Helen Magelaki
Faye Mangos
Evanthia Mastorakos
Eva McKenna
Frosina McShane
Helen Mihelakis
Adriana Papanastasiou
Ria Papas 
Krisi Patras
Vasiliki Petros
Despina Potiriadis
Theo Poulakis
Olivia Reppas
Niki Romas
Heidi Serafimidou
Babette Sigalas Young
Pat Skoufis
Stavroula Spiropoulos
Toni Tsalikis
Eugenia Tsimiklis
Nikos Tsironis
Irine Vela
Anna Vlass
Elpida Vourvahakis
Stacey Zarifopoulos
Margaret Zoides de Souza

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