Kythera Time Again!
Dear Friends of Kythera,
the sunny rhythm of the Kytherian year has begun and lots of plans are being made. Most of them topographic plans, to be precise. Many of you will already have heard that the Greek government has announced a new land registration law which apparently requires all land owners to "re-submit" proof of ownership and provide topographic diagrams and more. You might be forgiven if you have a feeling of déjà vu: yes, back in 2009 the E9 tax form was introduced which had to be submitted by all land owners. This time they've raised the bar and have to submit your ID, an ownership declaration, and documents supporting your claim to ownership. Some engineers claim that the topographic surveys have to be GPS accurate, while others have said that the "old" survey's will be accepted as well.
|
|
|
One building which probably won't come under the scrutiny of the new land registry requirements: the magnificent Castro in Hora. © Nico Gianniotis 2019
|
|
Here we go again:
Land Registration on Kythera
|
|
Akrivi Stelliou, a land registrar on Kythera, recently gave some lectures to the Kytherian communities in Sydney and Brisbane about the new requirements of the National Land Registry, or "Cadastre". This PDF was distributed to announce the lectures. The official word is that all property has to be registered (again) this year, although I can imagine that deadline will be extended a few times to avoid rioting farmers. All land not (re-)registered will supposedly revert back to State ownership after 7 years and could be auctioned off. But note: to auction off a piece of land the State would have to survey it first which, in the case of all the small parcels of land on which our ancestors had gardens or kept animals or cultivated crops, doesn't seem likely to happen. Of course larger pieces of land – those in the towns or which are big enough to build a house on outside town limits (at the time of writing at least 4000 sq. metres) – which you want to keep, need to be submitted. As a result I expect land surveyors all over Greece to be busy bees in the foreseeable future. But don't be too envious of them as surveying a piece of land on Kythera is usually a royal pain.
|
|
|
Spring has sprung. Wildflowers cover the landscape of Kythera. Once kept at bay by the insatiable goats, sheep and donkeys, who also provided the mountains of manure used to fertilise the market gardens which no family was without, the high weeds and bushes dominate the hills and valleys all over the island. © Nico Gianniotis 2019
|
|
I've put my share of surveyors to the test and, except for the fresh air and contact with the natives which a professional surveyor might enjoy, their daily routine usually consists of clambering through thorn bushes and overgrown pathways, dodging irate wild goats and dogs chained to barrels, determining questionable borderlines with elderly and sometimes dotty local witnesses, enduring rain, gales and heatwaves, as well as the constant interruption of past, present and prospective clients who are sometimes impatient and often have to be chased up to pay their bills. So, unless you have the patience of a saint, if you want to remain sane, don't become a surveyor in Greece...
|
|
The editing of the Kythera film – "An Island named Desire" – is is more than two-thirds complete and the plan is to premiere it on Kythera in July or August and then in Australia later in the year. The new film is the sequel to my first film, Kythera mon Amour, which was about migration from the island by the young Casanova "Georgy" as well as two older Kytherian siblings Georgos and Poppy. All three return to Kythera in the sequel but their lives undergo upheavals due to their changed circumstances – Georgos and Poppy have struck it rich, and young Georgy has failed even to make it out of Greece and hides in shame in a remote ramshackle house. Although a light-hearted comedy like the first film, the plot takes the audience over the whole island, showcasing the beauty of Tsirigo from Agios Nikolaos (the "Lighthouse Beach") in the North to Hora in the South.
|
|
|
Grigoria Roussos ad Erofili Kastrisios discover something fishy going on in an old wine-press shed in An Island Named Desire.
|
|
"Desire" was shot back in mid-2017, but the film's editing has been delayed by various family and business commitments. Working on the scenes more than a year after it was filmed does have its advantages: it's easier to get personal distance from the material and to judge it more objectively. Which is important because one has to be quite ruthless when making editing decisions: to keep up the rhythm, scenes need to be pared back or cut out altogether (known in the industry as "killing your darlings").
|
|
|
Poppy and Georgos (Koroneos), back from their eventful trip to Australia, meet with the Mayor, played by the charismatic Panayiotis Vlandis, in the famous Pierros Restaurant on the main street of Livadi.
|
|
Another nice thing about not having seen some of the material for a while is that I too get to "discover" shots which I had forgotten about and they now seem fresh to me too. Although shooting a film is often quite stressful, I got to work with wonderful people and there was a lot to laugh about, as you can hopefully see in some of the pictures here.
|
|
|
Poppy with her sinister bodyguard Konstantinos out at the "Lighthouse-Beach" at Agios Nikolaos on the northern tip of the island.
|
|
Thanks again to all of you who have helped support the film with financial contributions and other forms of assistance. The editors and sound designers still have a way to go (and don't work for free) so if you'd like to support the film please let me know!
|
|
|
The adorable sisters Ioanna and Antonia guest star in a particularly magical scene in which the herbs of Kythera illustrate their transformational properties.
|
|
I'm off to Kythera again next week to get some missing landscape shots for the film. As you can see from the landscape pictures in this newsletter, kindly supplied by our Tokyo/Kato Livadi-based photo-reporter Nico Gianniotis, Spring is a wonderful time to record the island's beauty. The light is often dramatic with the sun and the clouds in constant interplay. I hope to see some of you there! And if not then in Summer or at the film's premiere in another part of the world!
Regards from a cool Berlin,
James
james@kythera-family.net
|
|
Kytherian Genealogy Club - More than just tracing people's family trees
submitted by Kalie Zervos on 18.01.2019
I notice quite a few people posting messages on how go about locating ancestors from Kythera.
Well there is no need to go all the way to Kythera to search for your family history. The Kytherian Genealogy Club has more Kytherian records under one roof than anywhere in the world!
The Kytherian Genealogy Club - which is Amalia Samios and myself, Kalie Zervos, was started about 5 years ago when we joined forces to compile our own common family tree. Frustrated with the lack of information available to us even though we knew Kythera, along with Corfu, has the longest continuous records in all of Greece, we made it our mission to gather, research and translate as much information as possible in order to compile a searchable English database containing information about Kytherian individuals born from the 1600s to 1917 for the benefit of Kytherians of the diaspora.
We have exclusive access to many records from both the Archives of Kythera and the General Archives of Greece as well as from the Municipal Council of Kythera. We are the only place which has all these records under one roof.
If you would like your family tree traced back to the 1600s, we are available to do all the research and present you with a booklet for a reasonable fee.
If you are interested contact us on genealogy@kytherianassociation.com.au
(Priority will be given to those who are members of the Kytherian Association of Australia. If you would like to sign up please download a membership application form from the membership tab of www.kytherianassociation.com.au)
Alternatively if you would like to contribute photos for the Kytherian Genealogy project of individuals born in Kythera up to 1917, please also email the photos to the email address above, stating the name of the individual in the photos the approx year of birth or death and the town they were from and any other details you wish to forward.
Kalie Zervos
genealogy@kytherianassociation.com.au
|
|
|
From a passageway in the Castro in Hora. © Nico Gianniotis
|
|
submitted by Gregory Perry on 04.03.2019
Ruby Perry (Hericlea Megaloconomos) at 100 years
|
|
Gorgeous Ruby! Ruby's father was Evangelo Megaloconomos born 7 September 1891, died 29 January 1983. Ruby was born 16 September 1916 in Toowoomba and died in Brisbane in 22 February 2017. She had 2 brothers Micky and Peter that she thought the world of! Much love Ruby
Link to the entry on Kythera-Family.net
|
|
People > Life Stories
submitted by Peter Makarthis on 19.08.2018
Anargyros Vretos Fatseas 1907 - 1998
“Whether in bliss or in distress, I never forget the land of my birth. After all, it was mother Greece who instilled into me those moral virtues, without which I would not have appreciated as fully as I do now what Australia has given to me.”
‘Andrew’ Fatseas, Australia Day 1974
Anargyros Vretos Fatseas, son of Vretos and Smaragda Fatseas was born at Potamos, Cerigo, Greece on 29th November 1907. He received a sound education on the island before departing at the age of seven for Australia in April 1924.
His brother, Jack Fatseas migrated to Australia in October 1920 with wife Jean (nee Fardouly). He was employed at Con Peters & Co. Tingha NSW, conducted by his Fardouly in-laws until taking up a partnership in S. Peter & Co Inverell in 1921. In 1922 he was a partner with his brother in-law, Harry Fardouly at the Alhambra Café in Byron Street.
With a position as a kitchen-man available at the Alhambra Café in Inverell, Anargyros departed Port Said, Egypt, aboard S.S. Hobson’s Bay, 4th April 1924 bound for Australian ports.
The S.S. Hobson’s Bay, of the Aberdeen and Commonwealth Line (ACL) a steamer 530 feet long with a gross tonnage of 14,198 tons was built in 1922 as a one of the famous fleet of “Bay” steamers. The passenger/Cargo ship accommodated up to 750 passengers (12 1stclass: 738 3rd class) and crew and travelled at an average speed of 15 knots. The Hobson’s Bay and sister ships maintained a regular monthly service from Southampton, England to the Australian ports of Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, calling at Malta, Port Said and Colombo en route. The fare for the full single voyage, 3rd class, cost £45.
Continue reading the entire entry here on Kythera-Family.net
|
|
|
By the way, if you'd like to keep up with the weather on Kythera,
the METEO SITE is probably the most accurate.
|
|
|
Perhaps the most photographed sights on the island: the view from the edge of the Castro down to Kapsali. This one, taken this week, has the Springtime touch: a magnificent poppy to add to the view! © Nico Gianniotis 2019.
|
|
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.
|
|
Don't forget to befriend the
Kytherian Association of Australia's
Facebook page!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|