It’s been almost seven decades since the first Greeks took a leap of faith and made Wagga home. Daily Advertiser editor Daniel Johns discovers while the Greeks are rightly lauded as one of our immigration success stories, the traditions of their home country remain very much a part of the community’s life.
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THEY once dotted every corner of Wagga’s main street, iconic eateries with names like the Paragon, the Peter Pan, the Silver Key and the Oceanic.
Behind the counter was the perpetually cheerful proprietor, sleeves rolled up and a pencil tucked behind his ear.
But while the Greek community’s contribution to Wagga used to be measured by the hot chip scoop, it remains one of our most enduring - and successful - migrant stories.
This week, the community, which once numbered about 200 families in Wagga but is now down to about 40, will celebrate a golden milestone - 50 years since the consecration of the city’s Greek Orthodox Church.
The Tompson Street church remains the spiritual and social heart for locals of Greek heritage - and they’ll celebrate as only Greeks can.
The weekend of August 15 and 16 will culminate in a colourful birthday bash on the Sunday, featuring Greek dancers and sumptuous cuisine.
It was food that originally won the hearts and stomachs of Wagga locals, and it’s food that continues to bind the local Greek community together.
“Greeks are famous for their hospitality and we show that through food,” Costa Papaiounou, whose family runs the New Oceanic Take Away in Morgan Street, said.
“From the 50s to the mid-70s, there were 15 or 16 Greek cafes in the main street alone.
“All us kids grew up working in them … it’s an important of our identity.”
One of the first migrant communities to call Wagga home, the Greeks used sinew and sweat - and a dash of Mediterranean charm - to build a new life and integrate into Australian life.
The church itself is a testament to that ethos.
Built entirely on volunteer labour, the church is both a place of worship and a cherished meeting place for the Greek community.
“Everything you see here today was established by Greek pioneers and the Greek community … we never got a loan, we saved up,” community leader Michael Georgiou, who arrived in Wagga in 1950 as an eight-year-old and rose to become a successful business owner and the city’s deputy mayor, said.
“All our kids were christened here, we were all married here, our kids even learned Greek in after-school class here.”
One of the key figures in the church’s history is Father Nicholas Scordilis, who led the church from 1970 to 1977.
“He oversaw tremendous progress in the community and was a very empathic man,” Mr Georgiou said.
“He had a great way with the children but was a grown-up with the grown-ups.”
So popular was Father Nicholas that after his one year secondment in Wagga, community leaders implored the archbishop to allow him to stay.
“We put up a petition and eventually the church relented and said we could keep him,” Mr Georgiou said.
Mr Georgiou’s son Nick is one of many second generation Greeks in Wagga, whose experience is vastly different from their parents.
Long before Wagga became a patchwork quilt of cultures, the Greeks stood out like a giraffe in a herd of zebras, he said.
“Growing up, we went to St Michael’s and there were 650 kids - including three Greeks, one Italian and one Vietnamese,” he said.
When Con the Fruiterer made way for Acropolis Now in the late 80s, popular culture suddenly made “wogs” sexy.
“It became almost fashionable to be Greek,” Nick Georgiou said.
“We were able to take that word ‘wog’ and it transferred ownership to us. We could call ourselves wogs.”
Despite the Greek community remaining a model for successful integration, tradition remains an important part of the culture.
“I’ve got two boys and I still teach them about Greek culture, language, music, food and dance,” Mr Papaiounou said.
“We accepted the Australian way of life but we still want our children to connect with their roots and ancestry.
“I want them to know where they came from … they have 5000 years of history to learn about.”
Michael Georgiou said, in many ways, the Greek culture had been preserved more in Wagga than in Greece itself.
“Visitors from Greece are all amazed at how much we’ve held onto the traditions here,” Mr Georgiou said.
“They say we’re more Greek than Greece now. When we travel back there, we realise it’s moved on and traditions have changed a lot.”
At the end of the interview, Mr Georgiou walks outside and a pall of gloom washes over his face.
“We came here for a better life but our numbers are dropping in Wagga,” he said.
“Our kids are going off to uni and not coming back, and not many new people are coming out here from Greece.”
When asked if the Greek economic collapse might make Wagga suddenly look more appealing to migrants, his eyes suddenly light up.
“Let’s hope so,” he laughs.
All Wagga residents are invited to next Sunday’s celebration, which starts from midday in the grounds of the Tompson Street church.