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Supported by The Kytherian Association of Australia.
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Summer 2018!

Dear Friends of Kythera,

Summer has arrived and so has the yearly pilgrimage to Kythera for many. I arrived with my youngest son the day before yesterday and we've already had a heatwave, wind, low humid clouds, dinner parties, a mini-village dance in Avlemonas, a swim in Pelagia and Kapsali and a funky soul concert at the Astikon in Potamos. What an island!

Most of the Kytherian Diaspora population live a long-haul flight away from our island, an expensive and tiring journey which prevents many from making it here as often as they might like, if at all. Which is a real shame, as July and August on Kythera are awash with dinner parties, village dances, beach outings and full-moon soirées. And most importantly, the meeting of old and new friends. The internet has made connecting on Kythera easier, and also, for those not visiting the island, social media connections mean that the diaspora community too can coordinate formal and informal get-togethers. The site I helped create 15 years ago, Kythera-Family.net, is now just one communication tool. There are multiple facebook groups with Kytherian themes, and simply by befriending a few members of the community on Facebook you can keep up with most of the news. While companies like Facebook have proven themselves unworthy of our trust, giving them up completely is the equivalent of ditching our cell-phones because our providers sell-on our usage data. You can do it, but it takes you out of the loop. 
Left to Right – Back Row: Jim Aroney, John Gravily, Stella Gravrily (Bridesmaid), John Trefilly (Groom),Metaxia Baveas (Bride), John Cordatos(Bestman), Angelika Psarou (Bridesmaid) , Mrs.Matilda Baveas, John Baveas, Mrs Beatty Psaros, at rear centre – Vassilios(Bill) Gengos.
Front row: Mrs. Toula Aroney, Maria Aroney, ‘Minnie’ Stavroula Baveas(train bearer), Olga Baveas(train bearer), Nicholas Baveas, ‘Kerry’ Kyriakos Baveas, Gengos girl(?)
Photo – Beatty Psaros Collection courtesy Deanna McCarthy-nee Psaros

Submitted to Kythera-Family.net.
My family and I will be on Kythera until mid-August this year. I had hoped to have my film "An Island Named Desire" ready to show in August but the editing has been delayed by my day-job, family commitments and film festival visits. It might sound strange, but shooting a film is much faster than editing. And An Island named Desire, an ensemble comedy with 16 main characters and seven intertwining plots, isn't a short film. We shot eighty scenes for it last Summer. Almost half have been roughly edited, and the others will require a few months full-time concentrated work. Then it will be time for the final editing. So you get the picture - editing a feature-film in your spare time isn't a walk in the park.

But I will be premiering Winter on Kythera on Kythera in the next few weeks here - as soon as I find a venue. That film was much more edgy than my first film, Kythera mon Amour, but I'm hoping at least a few locals will appreciate the darker humour. It was well-received at the Cannes and Cyprus film festivals earlier in the year despite the recreational drug use depicted in the film. 
Submitted to Kythera-Family.net by Tolis Kyriazis
If you'll be on Kythera in July or August, look out for me and my adopted brother George C. Poulos at the Sunday Markets in Potamos. We have a book and DVD stand and that's where you can find out about "Cinema Nights", hiking trips and other social events we have planned, as well as buy great Kythera media. If you don't know what we look like: George is the dashing charismatic one and I look like his hillbilly sidekick in a crushed straw hat. We usually set up on the National Bank side of the market next to Panaretos' excellent restaurant.

Below is some more community information from the site and elsewhere. 

James Prineas (james@kythera-family.net)

P.S. If you're interested in my controversial next film project which I will shoot after "An Island named Desire" is edited, here is a link to it: Trump Fiction. It will be a political satire - a sort of a Pink Panther romp as President Trump visits the "Great Cities of Europe" to avoid his impeachment proceedings at home. We've made a trailer for it which you can view on the site. If you like the project and have some contacts which might be useful, or just want to get on the mailing list for updates regarding it, please let me know!
 
"What a beach, what a day, perfect place to spend a day on the beach ... Chalkos!
submitted to Kythera-Family.net by Stephen Trifyllis.

More information from Elias Marsellos at kytheraismos@gmail.com

By the way, if you'd like to keep up with the weather on Kythera,
the METEO SITE is probably the most accurate.
 This appears to be a wedding. Does anyone recognize any of the peope in this photo? it could be people related to the Koulentianos family from Logothetianika but we really don't know.

Copyright Terry Chlentzos Panages, submitted to Kythera-Family.net by Vikki Vrettos Fraioli

More information from Elias Marsellos at kytheraismos@gmail.com

Panayiotis Viaropoulos (left) and Prof Manuel J Aroney (right) outside an Aronis-Beys kamara at Diakofti in 1966. (Before the port and bridge were built! - ed)
Copyright (1966) Prof Manuel J Aroney

St. Cosmas Treasure 

The church of St. Kosmas near Drimona was once very small, and so the Priest Metaksas decided he wanted to restore it and make it bigger. He therefore left the island to petition for the money. At that time the sea was still swarming with pirates. Metaksas travelled first to Athens and from there to Constantinople. There he chanced to go to a hospital and there he explained his business. A badly wounded patient called him to his bedside and said quietly: “I hear you wish to build a church on Kythera. Well I believe I can help you.” Metaksas asked how such a thing would be possible, and the man replied: “I was a pirate before I was wounded, and I know Kythera well, and there is a certain cave were treasure was hidden long ago in a barrel. No one ever managed to go back for it. So you go, find it and build your church.”
And when Metaksas returned to the island he found the cave and in it the barrel. He restored the church and the barrel can still be seen on its roof.

submitted to Kythera-Family.net by Thodoros Magonezos

Petro Cassinamtis (d.1967) with his wife Maria (nee Tzannes d. 1953) and some of their children: Sakaroula, George, Dimitri (Mitzo), Gregoria (my mother d. 1998, who married Emmanuel Constantine Fardoulis at Kingaroy in 1938), John and Danny. This photo was taken at Pitsinianika, Kythera.
Submitted to Kythera-family.net for Maria Emmanuel Johnstone

The Kytherian World Heritage Fund presents:
There are dozens of great Kythera-related titles on 
sale from the Kytherian World Heritage Fund. All make
the perfect Christmas present!
Just download their
ORDER FORM.
Copyright © James Prineas 2016

Our mailing address is:
james@kythera-family.net

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