In a special interview series by Greece Is, distinguished members of the Kastellorizian diaspora in Australia have spoken out about the ways in which their roots have defined them.

This is what they had to say:

Maria Skyllas-Kazacos, AM

Emeritus Professor from the University of New South Wales’ School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering.

In her interview, Mrs Skyllas-Kazacos describes how although she was born in Kalymnos and migrated to Australia at a young age, she became a Kastellorizian by marriage.

“My husband Michael Kazacos… who made me a “Kazzie-by-marriage,” is part of a large Kastellorizian-Australian extended family who, like so many other Kastellorizians, came to Australia to work hard and build a better life for their familiesm” Mrs Skyllas-Kazacos tells Greece Is.

READ MORE: Maria Skyllas-Kazacos: One of Australia’s first female professors in chemical engineering.

“As I came to know that extended family, I began to understand their deep-rooted love for and loyalty to their island.”

From there, Mrs Skyllas-Kazacos described her first trip to the island with her husband in 1985 and expressed her wishes that one day she is able to introduce the island to her grandchildren as well.

“As we got closer to the island and started to turn into the harbor, I was overcome with emotion as the small buildings and boats came into view – it felt as if we’d been transported to a different world, a different time,” she describes.

“Suddenly I knew why this tiny jewel in the Aegean Sea meant so much to its people and even to their descendants who had never known it.”

Nick Paspaley:

Head of the Paspaley Group in Darwin.

Nick Paspaley is connected to Paspaley Pearls, a company which is renowned for its beautiful pearl jewelry. Nick tells Greece Is that he thinks of Kastellorizo as “my patriarch.”

“My father passed away in 1984. He was very close and dear to me, and I am conscious that I exist because of him. My father existed because of Kastellorizo, so in a real sense I view Kastellorizo and my father as being the same thing. In this way, when I think of my father, I also think of Kastellorizo as my patriarch,” Nick says in the interview with Nicholas Pappas.

“I have very close friends in Australia who, coincidentally, also have roots in Kastellorizo. It’s interesting how successful those friends have become, just as my father was successful in his life.

“If asked how I identify myself: I simply consider myself as a Kastellorizian who is an Australian citizen.”

Dr John Yiannakis, OAM:

Well-known historian and academic in Perth.

Dr John Yiannakis begins his interview describing hos growing up in Western Australia, he was aware of its Greek world but “not appreciative of it or the Kastellorizian presence within it.” He stresses that this awareness came in his mid-teen years.

“Certainly, growing up in pre-multicultural Australia had its challenges. Yet, I knew there was something special and worthwhile about my Greek background, although at times as a teenager I tried to downplay it,” Dr Yiannakis told Greece Is.

“I came to realise that Greeks in this state, and Kastellorizians in particular, have made an extraordinary contribution at every level and in every sphere. From laborers to lawyers; academics to artists; entrepreneurs to sportspersons.

“In fact, the only non Anglo-Celt Governor of Western Australia has been a Kastellorizian. Despite their parochialism, there is a dynamism about Kastellorizians and a willingness to work for a greater good.”

Kerry Harmanis:

Mining magnate in Darwin.

Kerry Harmanis’ Kastellorizian roots are ingrained in him. He describes how his great-grandfather, Manolis Margaritis, lived with his family on Kastellorizo from at least 1860, his grandfather and father were born there, as well as his mother’s father.

“Being of Kastellorizian roots I have business, commerce and the sea in my blood, along with a strong and dynamic personality; I’m sometimes excitable, I love life, I laugh a lot and I work hard,” Harmanis says in the interview.

“The Kazzie community in Australia has done very well in commerce, academia, business, leadership – anywhere politics and argument exist, or else we aren’t Greeks!”

The business magnate then goes on to stress how the Kastellorizo community in Australia always comes together to support and promote their Greek heritage.

“A lot of money flows from Australia and the other Kastellorizian diasporas to the island. They have built houses and restored the island to the extent that it’s a very comfortable place now,” Harmanis says.

“Although we’re all busy in our own worlds, we still get together and are still close friends, no matter how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other.”

John Mangos:

TV presenter in Sydney.

John Mangos is a well-known TV presenter in Australia and he tells Greece Is how he has been a frequent visitor to the island of Kastellorizo for over 40 years, even becoming a part-resident after having built a home there.

“My family and friends all know it’s where I wish to be laid to rest. Why do I feel this way? I grew up in an environment where my family only socialised with the extended family and other Kastellorizians, holding picnics and name day celebrations,” Mangos tells Nicholas Pappas.

“It was indeed insular, and it was somewhat competitive with those from other parts of Greece, too. A strong sense of patriotism and resilience developed. I was personally unaware that our culture, cuisine, music and dialect was different to other Greeks; I thought our way was the norm.

“With this camaraderie came a strong sense of identity and pride… Kastellorizo is not just in my blood. It is in my heart, my soul and my state of mind. I am known to say that my body lives in Australia but my true self lives in Kastellorizo.”

Dr Maria Kailis:

A well-known medical practitioner and the daughter of the late Michael Kailis of the seafood and pearl industries fame in Perth.

Dr Kailis reminisces her first ever trip to Kastellorizo in 1975, and describes how she saw her dad, Michael George Kailis, cry for the first time as he saw that the island needed revitalising.

“My father could see the island needed revitalising. With my mother, Patricia, and with the help of the architect George Murray, they poured love and effort into one of the first house restorations on the island. They also commissioned Dr Norman Ashton to research ancient Megisti. And no one will ever forget my sister Amanda’s tours of the patitiria (wine presses)!” Dr Kailis tells Greece Is.

The medical practitioner then goes on to describe which parts of her personality she believes come from Kastellorizo.

“…I am sure my little stocky legs that love climbing up and down mountains come from there. In my office, I have pictures and paintings of the place to gaze at every afternoon, and I think about walking up the mountain to see the sun set or diving into the amazing blue waters,” she says.

Source: Greece Is.

“I think the real barrier for people entering areas like law is less on the basis of sexuality and gender and probably more on social class, although all forms of structural disadvantage of course are interconnected and play a role,” Lisa Koralia Sarmas says as we sit down for our exclusive chat.

“I come from a very proud working class Greek family, but a lot of people working in law come from very privileged backgrounds. That, I think, is what needs to change.”

It’s clear from the very beginning that the Associate Professor of Law at Melbourne Law School feels a great responsibility to call for social justice and inclusivity in Australian society.

Whilst many would say this commitment comes from Lisa’s proud identification with the LGBTIQ+ community, that’s not entirely the case. In fact, Lisa was attracted to the idea of fighting for equality from a very young age, when she used to watch old crime dramas on television and imagined herself as a lawyer.

“Probably like a lot of young kids watching movies with court scenes, I had quite a romantic view of what the law was like. But it was watching those movies and a real commitment to justice that got me interested in law,” Lisa tells The Greek Herald.

From there, Lisa went on to study a Bachelor of Arts at Melbourne University in 1983, before changing to a combined Arts/Law degree two years later and completing her practical legal training. All of this, Lisa stresses, couldn’t have been done without the incredible support of her parents.

“My parents have always been the most supportive people I’ve ever known of everything that I’ve wanted to do and without their support, I probably wouldn’t be able to do any of this. As far as law was concerned, they provided the perfect learning environment for me at home and supported me every step of the way,” Lisa says.

‘Social justice is at the forefront of what I do’:

It’s with this support and love which ultimately saw Lisa ‘stumble into academics’ at Melbourne Law School in 1991.

“A friend of mine, who was working at the same law firm as me, got a job at Monash University as an academic and I thought, ‘that sounds really interesting.’ It allowed that opportunity for deep thought in the law and I found that attractive. So I approached Melbourne Law School… and I was employed there,” Lisa says.

Since then, Lisa has never looked back and she says the school always accepted her as a female academic and LGBTIQ+ member, who has been in a relationship with her partner, Adele, since 1996.

“The Law School itself has been an incredibly inclusive and welcoming place and I found it quite a comfortable place to be an academic there,” Lisa says.

Of course, I had to ask – Can the same be said for the Greek Australian community?

“I think there’s homophobia in all communities and I don’t think there’s any more so in the Greek community. Certainly, the Greek community that I know has welcomed me with open arms and an open heart,” Lisa says passionately.

It’s this clear acceptance which has driven Lisa to fight harder for equality and the inclusivity of those people who don’t have the same privileges as her. Although Lisa knows there’s no easy way to achieve this, she says she’s more determined than ever to make substantial change.

“I feel I have a great responsibility… when I write things and when I deal with students to [make sure] that social justice is at the forefront of both those words and those actions that I take. That is the key really – that we’ve got to be aiming for inclusion on the basis of gender, sexuality and class as well,” Lisa explains.

Powerful words from a trailblazing female law academic who is determined to make waves in the field of social justice and equality.