ΚΑΛΩΣ ΗΛΘΑΤΕ! Kalos ilthate! Welcome!
Welcome to the Global Greek World - a world of Greek-Somethings which stretches from Auckland to Zanzibar, from Aruba to Zimbabwe.
Wherever you are in the world, this is YOUR world!
Εδώ Πολυτεχνείο! Εδώ Πολυτεχνειο! Σας μιλά ο Ραδιοφωνικός Σταθμός των ελεύθερων αγωνιζόμενων φοιτητών, των ελεύθερων αγωνιζόμενων Ελλήνων...
Today is the 17th of November and in Greece it marks the culmination of the 3 day anniversary commemoration of the events and the victims of the Polytechnic student uprising against the Junta in 1973.
We dedicate this post to all those involved who fought and resisted the dictatorship so that the future generations could enjoy the benefits of freedom and democracy in the land which invented them; to all those who resisted so that the future generations could enjoy the ideals they fought for, namely the right to
ΨΩΜΙ - ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ - ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ
(Bread - Education - Freedom)
ideals which seem as relevant today as they did then, as Greece and her people struggle for economic survival in one of the most difficult periods seen in the last 30 years...
The great Nikos Xylouris' presence inside the Polytechnic in November of 1973 was catalytic, rallying the students and the people who gathered outside the gates with the depth and the power of his distinctive voice ...
His song Pote Tha Kanei Xasteria, was a call to battle, a rally to resistance against the Junta and the 7 year old dictatorship.
This song, this call is as relevant today as it was then, because as Greeks we need to take stock and determine where we go from here.
We have all played a role in allowing our society to get out of hand, not that we have all taken part in or benefitted from the corruption endemic in Greece today, but we have allowed it to happen... by not protesting, by not resisting, by giving in to all the shallowness around us we are almost as guilty as those who accepted the bribes or squandered public funds.
We need to take the 'opportunity' that this economic crisis has given us to re-examine the values our modern Greek society has acquired, focus on what is important in our lives and reset our objectives, rediscovering our values, ethical as well as economic, such as work and family and a host of other values intrinsic to Greece and important to Greeks...
If we do that, and do it fast, we have every hope of improving things dramatically and leaving something better for our children just as our parents did for us ...
"Until now we used to say that the Greeks fight like heroes.
Now we shall say: The heroes fight like Greeks."
Sir Winston Churchill - Prime Minister United Kingdom
(From a speech he delivered from the BBC in the first days of the Greco-Italian war)
Today is the 28th October in Greece, and for all those who don't know, it is the anniversary of one of Greece's most glorious moments - OXI Day.
Today we are rejoicing! Along with the whole of Greece, Cyprus and the Greek communities around the world, we are celebrating the day that our small country decided to be David and take on Goliath.
Today we are honouring our heroes and giving thanks for the valiant and courageous stance our forefathers took on that historic day in October of 1940.
This is our tribute to those noble men and women who fought and died so that today we can be free.
We, not just as Greeks, but as citizens of a free and democratic world, owe an enormous debt of honour to them.
OXI Day commemorates the day that Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas rejected the ultimatum given by Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, on October 28, 1940.
This ultimatum, a demand that Greece allow Axis forces to enter Greek territory or otherwise face war, was presented to Metaxas by the Italian Ambassador in Greece, Emanuele Grazzi, on October 28, 1940, at dawn (04:00 AM), ironically enough after a party in the German Embassy in Athens.
Metaxas, is supposed to have immediately answered with a single word:
'OXI'
Whether he actually did or not, is almost irrelevant... That simple but determined OXI, however it was said, was symbolic and significant. It represented the sentiments and principles of the entire Greek people. This word marked the beginning of Greece's involvement in the Second World War, an involvement which was to cost Greece dearly, from every point of view.
An hour and a half after Metaxas' response, at 05:30 AM, Italian troops stationed in Albania, then an Italian protectorate, attacked the Greek border.
The Greek nation was now officially at War!
On the morning of October 28, the people, regardless of political affiliation, took to the streets, shouting 'OXI', and this reverberated throughout the country as people everywhere started to fight and resist the invading Italian Army. Greece's participation in the war, daring to take a forceful and determined stand against the spreading fascism in Europe, was so much more impressive than many of the surrounding countries who gave in relatively quickly and with a much smaller 'cost', that it inspired a lot of admiration around the world.
One of the more well known salutes to the heroism of the Greek people was given by the US President Franklin D Roosevelt, who summed it all up beautifully...
"On the 28th of October 1940 Greece was given a deadline of three hours to decide on war or peace but even if a three day or three week or three year were given, the response would have been the same. The Greeks taught dignity throughout the centuries. When the entire world had lost all hope, the Greek people dared to question the invincibility of the German monster raising against it the proud spirit of freedom."
Franklin D Roosevelt, US President 1933 - 1945
The resistance against Mussolini's troops and the subsequent German invasion was legendary. The Battle of Crete, in May 1941 was pivotal. A small nation, with very few means but with valiant and courageous people who showed determination and nobility of spirit, refusing to bow to the oppressor, worked with the Allied Forces and succeeded in delaying the German advance enough to affect the outcome of World War II. The cost was enormous for Greece, economically, structurally and more importantly in terms of 'casualties'. The entire male population of some villages was sent to the firing squad, executed because they refused to name a saboteur or the perpetrator of an anti-Nazi act. This did not cower the Greeks, they resisted with heart and soul until the very end.
The period that was to follow the war, and the Greek Civil War, would prove to be much more divisive and catastrophic for Greece and it's people, but we won't dwell on this today. Today we will dwell on Greece's legendary heroism which was acknowledged and praised by all, friends and enemies alike. This much lauded cover on LIFE Magazine says it all...
"For the sake of historical truth I must verify that only the Greeks, of all the adversaries who confronted us, fought with bold courage and highest disregard of death.."
Adolf Hitler (speech he gave at Reichstag, 4 May 1941)
"The word heroism I am afraid does not render the least of those acts of self-sacrifice of the Greeks, which were the defining factor in the victorious outcome of the common struggle of the nations, during WWII, for the human freedom and dignity. If it were not for the bravery of the Greeks and their courage, the outcome of WW II would be undetermined."
Winston Churchill (speech to British Parliament, 24 April 1941)
"Regardless of what the future historians shall say, what we can say now, is that Greece gave Mussolini an unforgettable lesson, that she was the motive for the revolution in Yugoslavia, that she held the Germans in the mainland and in Crete for six weeks, that she upset the chronological order of all German High Command's plans and thus brought a general reversal of the entire course of the war and we won."
Sir Robert Antony Eden (Minister of War and the Exterior of Britain 1940-1945, Prime Minister of Britain 1955-1957
In the name of the captured yet still alive French people, France wants to send her greetings to the Greek people who are fighting for their freedom. The 25th of March, 1941 finds Greece in the peak of their heroic struggle and in the top of their glory. Since the battle of Salamis Greece had not achieved the greatness and the glory which today holds.
Charles de Gaulle, President of the FrenchRepublic
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Greece upset the plans of Germany in their entirety forcing her to postpone the attack on Russia for six weeks. We wonder what would have been Soviet Union's position without Greece.
Sir Harold Leofric George Alexander (British Field Marshal during WWII)
Paraphrased from a speech of his to the British parliament on 28 October 1941)
If the Russian people managed to raise resistance at the doors of Moscow to halt and reverse the German torrent, they owe it to the Greek People, who delayed the German divisions during the time they could bring us to our knees.
Georgy Constantinovich Zhoukov
(Field Marshal of the Soviet Army: Quote from his memoirs on WWII)
You fought unarmed and won, small against big. We owe you gratitude, because you gave us time to defend ourselves. As Russians and as people we thank you.
Moscow Radio Station following Hitler's attack on the U.S.S.R
The war with Greece proved that nothing is firm in the military and that surprises always await us.
Benito Mussolini (From a speech he delivered on 10/5/1941)
These quotes, along with many others are on the slides of the presentation that follows. There you can also see some of the statistics of the War, including the tremendous number of casualties suffered by Greece in comparison to other countries.
Technology today gives us the ability to share with everyone something that a few years ago was in limited circulation. We have included some of the very interesting videos available on You Tube, showing some of the photos and newspaper headlines available at the time, for those who are interested in hearing some of the songs and looking at some of the people who helped motivate and sustain the resistance.
Greece's wonderfulSophia Vembo, like other artists of the time such as Anna Kalouta and Mimi Traiforos, added her magnificent voice to the fight against the occupying forces, and became synonymous with resistance and uprising, thus earning her the title of Singer of Victory (Τραγουδίστρια της Νίκης). One song which is a feature of nearly all the videos is magnificent Paidia, tis Ellados Paidia, (Sons of Greece) - a particularly moving patriotic song which inspired everyone, regardless of his or her political affiliation, because it spoke directly to the heart of every Greek in Greece, so 'real' it became the national song of a whole generation. It talks to the soldiers and their Mothers, women desperately trying to find, or get a glimpse of, their sons. Their sons, the sons of Greece, have been conscripted and are fighting the enemy in the mountains and villages of Greece, and the song urges the mothers not to weep because such faint-heartedness does not suit the temperament of Greek women and mothers; it tells them that they should be as heroic as Souliotisses**, the women of Souli, who joined hands as if in dance and jumped to their death from the heights of Zaloggo, in Epirus, rather than be taken captive by the Turkish troops during the 1821 revolution. (see note and pictures below).
The final chorus tells the soldiers that everyone is praying and waiting for them to return on the wings of victory!
A truly beautiful song.
Μες τους δρόμους τριγυρνάνε,
οι μανάδες και ζητάνε
ν' αντικρίσουνε τα παιδιά τους π' ορκιστήκαν,
στο σταθμό σαν χωριστήκαν
να γυρίσουνε.
Μα για κείνους πού 'χουν φύγει και η δόξα τους τυλίγει,
ας χαιρόμαστε
και καμιά ποτέ ας μην κλάψει
κάθε πόνο της ας κλάψει
κι ας ευχόμαστε.
Παιδιά, της Ελλάδος παιδιά,
που σκληρά πολεμάτε
πάνω στα βουνά.
Παιδιά, στη γλυκιά Παναγιά, προσευχόμαστε όλες,
νά 'ρθετε ξανά.
Λέω σ' όσες ξαγρυπνάνε
και για κάποιον ξενυχτάνε
και στενάζουνε,
πως η πίκρα κι η τρεμούλα
σε μια γνήσια Ελληνοπούλα
δεν ταιριάζουνε. Ελληνίδες του Ζαλόγγου
και της πόλης και του λόγγου
και Πλακιώτισσες, όσο κι αν πικρά πονούμε,
υπερήφανα ας πούμε
σα Σουλιώτισσες. Παιδιά, της Ελλάδος παιδιά,
που σκληρά πολεμάτε
πάνω στα βουνά.
Παιδιά, στη γλυκιά Παναγιά,
προσευχόμαστε όλες,
νά 'ρθετε ξανά.
Mε της Νίκης τα φτερά,
σας προσμένουμε παιδιά.
Vembo's rendition and ridicule of Mussolini in the satirical song, Vazei o Duce ti Stoli Tou, and the other anti-Italian-occupier songs which you can hear for yourselves below, raised the roof wherever they were performed during those dark days of the Occupation, and helped uplift a people who despite the fact that they were struggling to survive, with limited food and water supplies, strongly and courageously resisted the occupying forces with every means at their disposal.
A child with his ration card and measly portion during the Occupation...
If you are interested we urge you to have a look, listen to the songs - rousing, haunting or melancholy they are a testament to, and represent the extreme hardship and poverty the people of Greece experienced, without losing their will to fight or survive - a particularly moving tribute to the men and women who sacrificed themselves for the rest of humanity...
Eager to get to the mountains of Albania...
This post is dedicated to our parents...
To you, Mama kai Baba, and to all those young men and women, who, like many of the young people of the day, stood firm in your beliefs, inspired by your ideals of democracy to fight for freedom in the face of adversity, to persist and to resist and in so doing passed down to us some very valuable lessons and values : a passion for life, for working for the common good and a steadfast knowledge of what's right and wrong, firm principles or 'arhes' and a natural optimism which we have kept to this day.
To you, Baba, who, with your friend Vangeli, had the strength and courage, to take down a German Flag in your hometown and raise the Greek one, singing the Greek National Anthem, fully knowing what the consequences would be if they caught you!
To our parents, who didn't hesitate for a moment despite their misgivings, when it came to ensuring a better future for their children, to abandon their homeland, the homeland which they had fought so hard to free and take the hard and often hostile road of emigration, abandoning family and friends, all things dear and familiar, to go to a faraway land which bore no resemblance to their own, where the language was vastly different, where the attitudes and values were also different, but which was able to offer the security and opportunity that Greece of the 60's was unfortunately not in a position to do!
For all this we are eternally grateful - Efharistoume ...
During the German Occupation of Athens, the House of Troy, Schliemann's House, was commandeered. The detail on the gates of what is now the Numismatic Museum on Panepistimiou Street in Athens, remains as a 'souvenir' or evidence of that occupation.
** Souliotisses
Zaloggo in the mountains of Epirus - O Horos tou Zaloggou
These truly awe-inspiring giant marble statues depict the women of Souli joining hands and dancing - singing "Adieu Sweet life. Soulitiosses cannot live without their freedom" before jumping to their death to avoid capture and slavery...
The marble plaque dedicating the giant marble statues to the heroic women of Souli, The Souliotisses.
The current difficult economic conditions in Greece present numerous and significant challenges for the Government and business but at the same time present major opportunities for those who are willing to look at things from a long-term perspective.
The topics to be discussed during the Forum include the investment environment, business experience and prospects, investment opportunities in the energy and innovation sectors, as well as the prospects for foreign investment in Greece.
The Forum is under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping
and aims to explore the challenges and opportunities presented in Greece today while trying to navigate through the exit from the crisis.
Mrs. Louka Katseli, Minister of Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping will be the keynote speaker on "The Investment Environment and the Business Experience".
The Former Prime Minister of the Republic of France, Mr Laurent Fabius, will be the keynote speaker during the lunch which will be held in the Mouson Foyer between 13:00 – 14:30
Please note that there are no participation fees for the Conference, but there will be a charge of 120 Euros (+ VAT) per person for participation in the official luncheon with M. Laurent Fabius
John Catsimatidis, one of our Golden Global Greeks, and # 616 on the Forbes Billionaires List for 2010, is the personification of what we all call the American Dream.
Photo Source: John Catsimatidis' Website
Born in Nissyros, Greece in 1948, John’s parents emigrated to America when he was six months old. With little money, they settled in a rented apartment on 135th Street in Harlem. While his father Andreas worked long hours as a busboy, his mother Despina brought up their only son.
Gia tin Agapi ton Allon by Ioustini Frangoulis is the story of this dynamic lady's life! An incredible tale of love, betrayal, and dignity set in the context of the conservative and tradition-bound island community of Nissyros.
Growing up, Catsimatidis attended both public and parochial grade schools. His youthful fascination with mechanics and how things worked led him to Brooklyn Tech and then on to NYU as an Engineering major. While in college, a part-time job in a family friend’s grocery store at 137th & Broadway gave him the impetus to open a small grocery at Broadway and 99th Street in Manhattan which would become the flagship for a conglomerate that would eventually generate over $3 billion dollars in annual sales and employ more than 8000 people ... Catsimatidis himself was to become a business tycoon who might one day be the Mayor of New York... Read More
Photo Source: Ioustini Frangoulis
Justine Frangouli-Argyris is one of our Global Greeks! Justine, or Ioustini as she is known in Greek, was born in Lefkada. A best-selling Greek author and journalist, Ioustini has been a contributor to daily newspapers, radio, television and magazines in Greece since 1983. Since 1989 she has been living and working in Montreal, Canada as a correspondent for the Athens News Agency (ANA), Eleftherotypia and Ethnos newspapers. During the same period, she also collaborated with local Greek-Canadian and American radio stations and publications, but more importantly has written a number of very successful books which have been published both in Greek and English.
Gia tin Agapi ton Allon is the latest and by all accounts will be her most successful!!!
After the highly symbolic and moving official launch of this book in November 2009 at Athens' Grande Bretagne Hotel, in the presence of John Catsimatidis himself, the author Ioustini, many friends and dignitaries, it is time to take the story back to the adopted home of it's leading lady ... the city of New York!
On Sunday, 11 April, 2010, in the most appropriate of places...Nissyros House, Gia tin Agapi ton Allon will be launched in New York, in the presence of John Catsimatidis, his family, the author and MPs Yiorgos Nikitiadis and Gregoris Niotis. Mr Niotis is currently Deputy Speaker of the Greek Parliament and is an MP with vast experience in matters of Greeks Abroad, in fact it was during his term that SAE, the World Council of Hellenes Abroad, was established.
Ioustini, Global Greek World once again wishes you every success for this tremendous book! It is well deserved!
To read more about Ioustini on Wikipedia, Click here
Tomorrow, 21 February at 19.00, at the Olympic Velodrome, at OAKA, the Olympic Complex in Maroussi, there will be a tribute concert in memory of the legendary 'Archangel of Crete' Nikos Xylouris.
150 artists, among them Haralambos Garganourakis, Ross Daly, Psarantoni, Psaroyianni, Loudovikos ton Anogeion, Manos Mountakis and Nikos Androulakis along with the Athens, Kifissia and Heraklion Municipal choirs will be performing at a concert in honour of one of Crete's most famous sons - Nikos Xylouris, the legendary Cretan singer and musician.
The concert which has been organised by the Cretan Association of Marousi and the Athens, Heraklion and Rethymnos municipalities, is directed by composer Christos Leontis who worked with Xylouris in the past.
Entrance is free of charge for all.
Συναυλία στη μνήμη του Νίκου Ξυλούρη την Κυριακή στο Ποδηλατοδρόμιο του ΟΑΚΑ
Τον Νίκο Ξυλούρη, τον σπουδαίο λυράρη, τραγουδιστή και άνθρωπο, που έφυγε πρόωρα χτυπημένος από τον καρκίνο πριν 30 χρόνια, τιμούν την Κυριακή η Ενωση Κρητών Αμαρουσίου «Ο Κρηταγενής Ζευς» και οι Νομαρχιακές Αυτοδιοικήσεις Αθηνών, Ηρακλείου και Ρεθύμνης, με μία μεγάλη συναυλία στο στο Ποδηλατοδρόμιο του ΟΑΚΑ.
Η συναυλία ξεκινά στις 7 το απόγευμα και η είσοδος είναι ελεύθερη.
Την καλλιτεχνική διεύθυνση της συναυλίας υπογράφει ο συνθέτης Χρήστος Λεοντής.
Στη σκηνή του ποδηλατοδρομίου θα βρεθούν 150 καλλιτέχνες: Οι Χορωδίες των Δήμων Αθηναίων, Κηφισιάς, Ηρακλείου, που θα ερμηνεύσουν κομμάτια από το «Καπνισμένο Τσουκάλι» και οι Νίκος Ανδρουλάκης, Χαράλαμπος Γαργανουράκης, Ross Daly, Βασίλης Καρεφιλάκης, Λουδοβίκος των Ανωγείων, Μάνος Μουντάκης, Μίλτος Πασχαλίδης, Στέλιος Πετράκης, Μαρία Σουλτάτου, Ψαραντώνης, Ψαρογιάννης.
REMINDER PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE FORUM & THE MINISTER’S LUNCHEON
We invite you to the 11th Annual Capital Link Forum which marks ten years of consistent and laborious efforts to raise awareness about Greece as an investment destination to a wider investor audience and focuses on investment and business opportunities in Greece and the wider region of South-East Europe.
The Forum will take place at the Metropolitan Club in New York City on December 3rd and 4th, 2009.
It should be noted that the Forum is under the auspices of the new Ministry of Economy, Competitiveness & Shipping and that the recently appointed new Minister, Mrs Louka Katseli will be the keynote speaker during Lunch on Thursday, December 3rd.
Today, Greece is at a particularly challenging threshold. The new government has affirmed its priority on positioning the Greek Economy to participate in the global recovery through a series of initiatives that will improve the country's macro-economic fundamentals. As the global economic recovery is on its way, Greece can take advantage of its unique and inherent competitive advantages as a safe gateway to Southeastern Europe for international investors. The global economic recovery may present several business and investment opportunities in Greece itself.
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy, Competitiveness & Shipping of Greece
In co-operation with the New York Stock Exchange and under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy, Competitiveness & Shipping of Greece
Keynote Speaker:
Mrs. Louka Katseli, Greece’s Minister of Economy, Competitiveness & Shipping
Thursday, December 03, 2009 8:00am - 5:00pm
at
Metropolitan Club One East 60th Street New York, NY 10022
Followed-by Cocktail Reception
Admissions: Attendance for morning and/or afternoon sessions is free of charge. Registration subject to email verification by Capital Link. Lunch: $100.00 fee to attend lunch session
The 11th Annual Capital Link Forum organized in co-operation with the New York Stock Exchange and under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy, Competitiveness & Shipping of Greece, with the Minister, Mrs. Louka Katseli, as keynote speaker.
Panels on Global Shipping Markets (Tsakos Energy Navigation, Teekay Corporation, Euroseas, Safe Bulkers, Seanergy Maritime) the government plan for the Greek Economy, the Greek Stock Market, Investment & Business Opportunities in Greece.
Presentations by key listed companies (Alapis, OTE, Coca Cola HBC, Hellenic Petroleum) and major international firms (Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, Knight Capital Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sal Oppenheim).
January 2003 100 Young Ethnic Greeks from Southern Hemisphere Countries on their Visit to Athens 2004
The General Secretariat for Hellenes Abroad has announced it's next hospitality programme.
From January 17 to February 6, 2010, 100 young Greeks Abroad , ie young people with some Greek parentage or ancestry, are being invited to take part in a Greek Language and Culture programme organised by the General Secretariat. Those eligible will be aged 18-25, and from countries of the Southern Hemisphere, i.e. Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay, Panama, Peru, Chile, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The program has been running for several years and is particularly successful as it brings together young ethnic Greeks from many countries and allows them to taste and experience elements of our Hellenic culture, traditions and daily life in the 3 week period that they are here.
Based in Athens, the programme is multi-purpose and aims at
1. Improving the level of Greek language skills for young ethnic Greeks, whatever their field of studies or area of employment.
2. Reinforcing the Greek cultural identity of the participants.
3. Familiarising them with modern Greece
4. Bringing together young Diaspora Greeks from different countries but who have common cultural roots thus promoting and strengthening friendship bonds between them.
Those selected are very fortunate as they get to see so much. As guests of the Government, in fact, they have a kind of privileged exposure to so many facets of Greek daily life, of Greek Culture and History and even get to meeting many of the Nation's political and cultural leaders! They have so many events, excursions and happenings concentrated into that three week period that the experience is a life-changing one for many of the participants! The benefits from it stay with them forever!
Experience from previous programmes has taught us that the bonds of friendship that are forged during these hospitality programmes remain strong throughout the lives of the people who participate.
The Greeks Abroad Poster for the Athens Games
The hospitality programmes offered the year before the Athens' Olympics brought all the participants to the Athens 2004 HQ where they heard all about the Olympic Games and what they could expect. A lot of these young people went on to volunteer and come back to Athens to be part of the Homecoming of the Games and the celebration that followed, putting their considerable language skills and valuable services at the disposal of the organisers, as part of a large group of about 5000 volunteers referred to as Greeks Abroad, and putting their own mark on the success of Athens' Magical Olympic Games!
During the Games, the General Secretariat, referred to as GGAE, also offered hospitality for a small group of Greeks Abroad volunteers at a summer camp, or kataskinosi, in Vari in Southern Attica. This post is dedicated to them - the wonderful group of young Greeks from Australia, France, Jordan, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Cyprus, The UK, Egypt, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, the USA, Canada and Japan, who came to be known as the Vari Group!
The Vari Group - Athens 2004
Members of the group keep in touch via Facebook and still meet whenever they get the chance! In fact, an official reunion is being planned for the Summer of 2010 - 6 years after the Games and they are hoping that the people who hosted them as well as their contacts at Athens 2004 will be there too!
These hospitality programmes offered by the GGAE are unique and wonderful programmes and we urge all those who can to take the offer up and send in an application.
Applications are available at Greek Embassies and Consulates in the countries that are eligible for participation! Apply now!
In Crete during the Second World War a wounded Maori Battalion soldier and a young Cretan woman fall in love when the young infantryman is sheltered by her family.
After marrying in Crete, Ned and Katina come back to live in New Zealand, settling in the Far North. They lived a long, rich and happy life together, raising a family and involving themselves in community affairs there and in the Wellington region. Ned died in 1987, Katina in 1996.
Years later, the whanau, the family of Ned and Katina approached New Zealand writer Patricia Grace to compile their parents' story. Ned & Katina is the result. This warm, beautifully written true story is impossible to put down, simply because it is a true story with real life heroes and heroines!
We found a speech given by New Zealand Maori Affairs Minister, Parekura Horomia, at the 63rd Anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Crete, in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2004, very appropriate and informative and have reproduced it below so that our readers can read a little about the background to this story.
In 2001, a large delegation of veterans and business people led by Prime Minister Helen Clark and including a Maori Concert Party, visited Greece and Crete to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the battle which succeeded in changing the course of the 2nd World War.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark on her way to the 60th Battle of Crete Celebrations Galatas, Crete, May 2001.
Photo Source: Athens News
Ned and Katina's family, sons Alex and Manos, were part of that delegation, and were also in Crete in 2006, when another group of veterans, led by Katina's nephew John Petritakis, came to Greece on a Pilgrimage for the 65th Anniversary. With the assistance of the Hellenic New Zealand Association, the veterans and members of the Pilgrimage group, including Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast, were warmly received in Athens by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Dora Bakoyanni, whose own father, former PM Konstantinos Mitsotakis is a veteran of the Battle of Crete himself, and by the Mayor of Athens, Mr Behrakis.
Battle of Crete Veterans from New Zealand listen to Greek Foreign Affairs Minister, Dora Bakoyannis, welcoming them at a reception in their honour at the Greek Foreign Ministry.
Photo source: Jim Christie
To read Minister Bakoyanni's speech to the Veterans, Click here
14 May, 2004
63rd Commemoration of the Battle of Crete
Mihi in Maori and English to guests, including: Mayor of Hania, Kiriakos Virvidakis; Greek Ambassador His Excellency, Evangelos Damianakis; Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church, His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph; My Parliamentary colleague Mahara Okeroa;
Ladies and Gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to have you all here this evening. Especially the veterans from the campaign and the Greek and Cretan people who had to live through that terrible time in our joint history and the aftermath of that bloody battle on your soil.
No reira nau mai, haramai, tena rawa atu tatou katoa.
I also want to briefly mention one of my own whanaunga who took part in the battle, survived it, but who was one of the 1800 or so kiwis who were captured and had the misfortune to spend four years as a prisoner of war. I’m referring to Sir Henare Ngata from my own Ngati Porou iwi who lives in Gisborne and who we invited to attend tonight, but because of his age and health he felt he was not able to come.
Engari tena koe, te Papa Ta Henare.
Sixty-three years ago we knew very little about each other but because of a war, which had broken out on the opposite side of the world to our country - that was about to change.
In April 1941 allied soldiers including Pakeha and Maori New Zealanders were part of the force trying to prevent the German invasion of Greece. They failed. They were outnumbered, but fought their way out to an orderly retreat and evacuation.
Some of the evacuees were taken to safety in Egypt. But about 42,000 ended up on Crete. They were made up of New Zealand, British, Australian and Greek troops.
The allied command decided that those troops should be used to defend Crete, and that they stood a chance of beating the Germans.
The dry facts of history show that that was not so.
The battle for Crete began on the 20th of May 1941. It started with the biggest airborne attack the world had ever seen, with German paratroops and glider borne troops landing on the island in their thousands.
At first the allies did very well and the Commander of the German airborne troops began to fear a humiliating defeat. But the allied troops were outnumbered and eventually outgunned.
The battle lasted for 12 days and according to some military historians was the most dramatic that New Zealand troops have fought in.
The benefit of hindsight always allows shortcomings to be identified, but no one could criticise the bravery of the Cretans and Greeks who fought for the homeland and the soldiers who tried to help them.
Just over 7,700 New Zealanders took part in the battle for Crete; 619 of them were Maori.
Of the Maori 244 were killed, wounded or taken prisoner.
But those are the sad facts, and the one thing I know about my uncles who went away to the war and came back, is that they seldom talked about the bad times. Instead they talked about the good times, the humorous and sometimes mischievous things that they got up to.
And tonight I’d like to end my korero with something good and very positive that came out of the battle for Crete, which will unite our people forever.
I am talking about the remarkable tale of what happened to Ned Nathan from Taitokerau, who was one of the soldiers in those dry statistics.
Ned was wounded, very badly. So much so that his cousins who were in action with him reported that he had been killed.
But Ned wasn’t going to go that easily. He woke up on the battlefield surrounded by dead and dying men, and somehow he got to an aid station. They patched him up as best they could and marked him down for evacuation to Egypt. This all took a few days but I’m trying to keep the story short.
Eventually he was loaded onto a ship at Suda Bay and it set off for Egypt, only to be sunk by a German bomber. He saw the bombs coming and simply rolled off the ship into the sea.
He made it to shore with other wounded and after several days of hunger, thirst and deprivation he was tended by a local doctor and some of the doctor’s family.
One of those who cared for him was Katina Toraki. He fell in love with her and held that thought for the next few months while he evaded the Germans on the island, before being caught and sent off to a prisoner of war camp.
He held that thought for a further 3 years while he was in prison, and suffered such ill health that he was repatriated to England. He’d lost the sight in one eye and his injuries included a broken jaw and machine gun wounds.
But the moment he was well enough he sought permission to return to Crete.
He left England on a ship on which he’d scrounged a ride on V J Day, and arrived on Crete shortly after letters he’d written to Katina had reached her. He wasn’t sure what his reception would be. He had harboured these feelings for the young Cretan woman all these years, but he had no idea apart from a hunch, of how she might feel towards him.
Well in this room tonight we have evidence of what happened next. Ned and Katina married, and their three sons – Alex, Manos and Evan - are here with us.
Sadly their parents are not.
Maori soldiers got on well with the people of Crete. Ned always spoke of the debt he owed the people who looked after and fed him, during his time as a fugitive. But he also respected his hosts. He learnt their language, and that gave him a freedom Pakeha soldiers didn’t have. His complexion too helped, allowing him to walk around and mix with the locals. And as I’ve already said he not only fell in love, but after the war rather than head home to Taitokerau, he headed to Crete.
So here we are tonight brought together by something tragic that happened nearly sixty-three years ago. Our people met in a time of war, but from that not so good start, we’ve forged links, which in some cases have resulted in shared mokopuna and whanaungatanga.
