Greek Families Seek Freedom In N.Z.

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30897, 2 November 1965, Page 8

Greek Families Seek Freedom In N.Z.

Two Greek refugee families will arrive in Christchurch on Friday morning. They have been sponsored by the National Council of Churches but immediate sponsorship has been arranged by local churches. Both families come from Egypt, from which they have been forced to leave for political reasons. The Tzicoukos family has been sponsored by St. Ninian’s Presbyterian parish. They have one son. George .aged three months. Mr Eleftherios Tzicoukos has had twelve years’ experience as a cinema projectionist and he has also worked as am electrical repairman. Arrangements were made for the family to come to New Zealand last year, but they had to wait until after their baby was bom.

The second family—Mr Nicolas Tattarakis, his wife, Charitomeni, and his daughter, Myrto-Marie, aged 12 — will be sponsored by the Anglican church at Hornby Mr Tattarakis is a chemical engineer and work has been arranged for him in Christchurch. He speaks Greek, English. French, Arabic, German and Italian. His wife speaks Greet English, French and Arabic, while his daughter speaks Greek, French and Arabic and is learning Engiiish. Painful Decision In a long letter to his sponsor. the Rev. C. Tremewan |of the Hornby Anglican parish, Mr Tattarakis told of the painful decision that he was forced to make. ■ “Just imagine some-one havling lived in a country nearly a life-time, having risen step by step to a certain position, being the owner of a factory, which, though small, is very vital to the country, a man having the satisfaction that he is doing something useful and suddenly he finds there is no future for himself or his family,” he wrote. “The leadership has changed and it has established a regime where there is no chance for Europeans.”

“These considerations forced us to abandon everything even our small capital (which we are not allowed to transfer abroad) and tn try

and establish a new future If not for us. then for our only child, Myrto-Marie.” “Even if we have not enough time for ourselves, at least we will have the satisfaction of having consigned her to a community of free people, where she wall be able to develop into a useful member according to her capacity, not hampered by considerations of origin, race or religion.”

“As such a country, we have chosen yours. We hope it will be ours in a few months’ time.”

“During the war, I met New Zealanders belonging to the forces stationed to this country. I was then and still am impressed by their gentleness, simplicity and civilisation, and I am hoping that this atmosphere to which we will find ourselves will be one free from the nerve-breaking agony of not knowing what will happen to us tomorrow.”