Kastellorizo has an extraordinary history of prosperity and destruction.  Without soil or water it sustained a population of 9,000 through trade. Trade brought with it opportunity and wealth, reflected in the homes, clothing and jewellery. Gold was the medium of trade and the reflection of status.  Trade also brought new ideas that challenged a strongly held cultural identity. This strength of identity seems to have carried through for many of the diaspora in Australia.  Many migrated before the island was destroyed. They brought with them items that today make for an important cultural archive of the island, in their photographs, traditional clothing and jewellery – an unrecorded archive randomly distributed across individual families.

Nick Bogiatzis’s family was a part of the  Kastellorizian diaspora of the early twentieth century. He has retained a strong interest in the island, with a particular focus on its social history. He has published ‘Kastellorizian Jewellery. A Dispersed Archive of a Past Culture’, and together with Dr Nicholas G Pappas AM ‘An Island in Time. Castellorizo in Photographs 1890-1948‘.  He resides in Canberra and is lucky enough to regularly visit the island.

Kastellorizian Association of Victoria are proud to be sponsors of the Greek Centre and the seminars.

During the course of the year considerable expenses are incurred in staging the seminars. In order to mitigate these costs individuals or organisations are invited to donate against a lecture of their choice.

You too can donate for one or more seminars and (optionally) let your name or brand be known as a patron of culture to our members, visitors and followers, as well as the broader artistic and cultural community of Melbourne. Please email: info@greekcommunity.com.au or call 03 9662 2722.