LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

Waipawa Mail, Volume LXVII, Issue 62, 8 February 1939, Page 1

LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

FORTUNES FOR PENNILESS GREEKS. SYDNEY, January 27. Australia has proved the land of opportunity for a number of Greek immigrants, who arrived here poor and made their fortunes. Those opportunities, says Mr John Kouvelis, who has put the matter to the test, are even more available for penniless Australians. “But one of the troubles of the modern youth,” he says, “is that while he knows that a pound has 20 shillings in it, he never remembers that 20 shillings make a pound.” Mr Kouvelis, who sprang into the news with the annoueement of his gift of £2lO to the Greek-Australian National Defence Fund, to purchase a war ’plane for the defence of Australia, came to Australia penniless in 1910, says the “Sunday Sun.” To-day he owns a string of country theatres and Lennon’s Hotel in Brisbane. On the hotel, which he purchased recently, he plans to spend £250,000. “MARRY YOUNG.” There is no secret of success, according to Mr Kouvelis, who lives at Bellevue Hill. ‘ 1 But the way I found to success in life was to marry young. The responsibility of a wife and children makes a man work harder —realise the value of money, determine to be successful, and make the most of luck,” he said. “To do it I missed all the ‘good times’ of youth. The Australian youth has more opportunities for success than the foreign, youth, who is handicapped by a new language and ignorance of the country of his adoption. ’ ’ Mr Koulevis came to Australia from Akrata, Greece, at the age of 14, after his people had lost their money. His first business was a bakery, then he entered the picture show business in Junee. When he was 18 he married an Australian girl, and found that the responsibility of an early marriage spurred him on his road to success. SEIZED CHANCES. Mr Leon Bigannes, editor of the Greek-English newspaper, “National Tribune,” published in Sydney, can quote many cases of Greeks who have made good and have become good Australians. He is organising the defence fund. Here are some of his stories: — Peter Michelides came to West Australia from the isle of Samos with a knowledge of tobacco, and very little else. He started business in a small tobacco shop, became one of the pioneers of tobacco growing in that State, and introduced many new varieties of tobacco to Australia. To-day he is a big tobacco and cigarette manufacturer with large plantations. Anastatius and Menas Aroney started cleaning- fish in the Sydney markets. They finished with big interests in the fishing- industry, wholesale, retail and trawling. When Menas died he left big sums to Sydney charities. KITCHEN TO FORTUNE. Antony J. Lucas started life in Australia as a kitchen-hand, walked down one of Melbourne’s streets one day, saw its largest building, and determined to own one just as big. His first business was a small restaurant. To-day he is a big property owner, a director of many companies, a man with a fortune, Consul for Greece in Victoria, and president of the Defence Fund. Peter Limberidis also started as a kitchen hand, but in one recent wheat crop he was the largest individual producer in Australia. He is at Forbes. George Veneris tried Queensland. His farm at Hellen, where he has thousands of acres, was described recently in a bulletin of the Queensland Agricultural Department as one of the most modern and scientific in Australia. From ancient Kythera, where, according- to ancient mythology, the goddess Venus was born, came young Jack Simos to Katoomba. Starting as a confectioner in a small way, he now sends his cakes and sweets not only to all parts of Australia, but to Australians living abroad and to people of other lands who know Katoomba,' but not Kythera. The Gleeson brothers, of Urunga and Goff’s Harbor, and Harry Corones, of Charville, found their star in modern hotels; Christy and Peter Soulos and Antony Louisson, of Sydney, in confectionery. To Mick Adams there are many monuments. He introduced the milk bar to Sydney and Australia. A. Zymaris helped pioneer sultana growing at Mildura. A prominent Sydney doctor was a penniless Greek immigrant who saved University fees by washing dishes. HIGHLY EDUCATED. The first Greeks who came to Australia found their way into the restaurant and fruit businesses. Others following went to their compatriots for help because they did not know the language, and made their start in the same type of business. “That is why,” said Mr Bigannes, “so many Greek migrants started as kitchen hands, although many of them were highly educated when they left Greece. But they rose above kitchenwork. ’ ’