By Michael Peters Kyriacou, President of the Cyprus Community of NSW
At 65 years of age, Cyprus is amongst the youngest of nations, with an ancient soul and a troubled past. Despite this, Cyprus celebrates its birth with reflection of the past and confidence for the future.
The birth of Cyprus as a nation in 1960 was the culmination of centuries in the making, led by many generations of brave proactive selfless citizens, yearning for their freedom from the latest occupier.
With over two millennium of foreign occupation, broken with a few scattered years of self-governance, Cyprus is accustomed to foreign occupation but has never let it interfere with its character and identity.
Cyprus is the custodian of the foundations of Western civilisation and admirer of eastern and north African traditions. It is the melting pot of ideas, people and endeavours.
A birthday is a day of celebration, marking a milestone, looking forward and honouring the struggle and sacrifices that gave birth to this important day. For Cyprus, it’s more than a birthday. It’s a time to reflect on centuries of long hard struggle and the sacrifice of many generations.
The history of Cyprus Independence Day started during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877.
The series of wars reflected the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of Russia as it expanded its frontier and influence into Ottoman territory.
At the end of the Russo-Turkish war in 1878, Cyprus was “leased” to the British Empire and was later annexed by Britain at the end of World War I. The idea of ‘enosis’ – joining with the Greek world – was a flame that was to form the character of the island for over a century.
On April 1, 1955, this idea became a military aim, leading to the start of National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (E.O.K.A.) with the aim to join Greece.
The EOKA campaign lasted four years, then in 1960, the foreigners left. Well not quite… they kept a portion of the island as part of the London-Zurich Agreement between the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Greece.
Despite the occupation by its neighbour Turkey and the British bases, this has not deterred the people of Cyprus to abandon hope, initiative and their ancestral traditions and identity.
The relentless struggle and perseverance of the people of Cyprus for their independence and their unwavering resilience in the face of foreign occupation is a hallmark of the island, renowned to all the corners of the world.
Cyprus rightly takes immense pride in their achievements, the democracy, and its place within the European family and is the only nation in the Middle East with good relations with every single other nation, except of course the nation that invaded the island in 1974.
Although the people of Cyprus here in New South Wales have lived in this state for well over a century, we all look upon our ancestral land’s achievement with pride. Our support of their democracy, their sovereignty, is a matter we all must reflect on and recommit to, as we all do on the first day of October each year.
This year, the Community and its subcommittees, and supporters and members have organised once again to take part in a thanksgiving church service and lunch to be held this Sunday, October 5, 2025, 9.30 am at St Sophia & Three Daughters Greek Orthodox Church, 411A Bourke St, Surry Hills NSW 2010.
All Greek compatriots and people with Cypriot ancestry, friends, supporters of Cyprus are invited to the church service and lunch to share an opportunity to pay respects for the hard-fought independence and the resilience of the people of Cyprus.
