Peter Craigie McCarthy
Παναγιώτης Μακάρθης
Greek-Australian research analyst
My New Kalymnos
Abstract
‘My New Kalymnos’ focuses on three extraordinary Greeks who left their homeland and all that they knew to seek out a new life in Australia. They represent the spirit of the pioneering Greeks who settled in Australia between 1850 and 1900, connected by a remarkable narrative of adventure, courage and contribution.
The life stories of Nicholas Lambert (from Sparta who arrived in Sydney, New South Wales in 1854), Nicholas Voyantzis (from Sitia Crete who arrived in Sydney, New South Wales in 1888) and George Pazakos (from the island of Kalymnos who arrived in Albany, Western Australia in 1890), remain largely untold until now.
They each shared an affinity with the sea and brought with them unique skills which established their livelihoods, created opportunities to travel and explore Australia, and ultimately enriched the many Australian communities with which they engaged.
This brief encounter of their lives encapsulates their Greek identity, their occupations, their difficulties and their success in becoming Australian citizens and creating a pathway for others to follow.
Biography
Peter McCarthy is a retired school teacher who over the last 30 years has taken delight in researching, documenting and promoting Greek-Australian history and heritage. He has been associated with the Greek community for well over 60 years, primarily as a result of marrying into a Kytherian family. However, to say that Peter is merely associated with the Greek Community is to under-estimate the high esteem in which he is held by those who know him and his valuable contribution to retaining a deep understanding of the pioneering Greeks from 1850 to 1900.
This significant period of early Greek immigration has largely been overlooked and remains at the heart of understanding what brought the earliest Greeks to a country so far away.
Through longstanding interactions with Greek-Australian communities across northern New South Wales in particular (and Australia) together with international research trips, Peter has unearthed connections and gained a deeper understanding of these early Greeks and how they experienced life in an exciting period for Australia about to become a nation.
Their tenacity and commitment at this important time was invaluable and their legacy has genuinely enriched Australia.
