Although officially the Civil War came to an end with the Agreement of Varkiza, its traces, usually bloody but also psychotic, took a long time to end. Their echo, even today, holds well. In the early 50s, life in Greece was not easy. The ruins of the second world war had to be washed away and rebuilt, while the ruins from the Civil War were difficult to overcome anyway. Economically, politically, socially, life in Greece was a challenge. Unemployment - because the jobs weren't profitable, anyway. Poverty - why the national economy had to be redefined. Security - because when the level of society goes down, so does life itself.
It was then that 900 women set sail from Greece on the Nyfokaravo, to find their fate and the man. Brides from Greece to Australia.
It was preceded by the flight of men to the USA, Australia, Belgium, and elsewhere, leaving deserted villages, women and grandparents.
The difficulty faced by the Greeks of that migration is well known. Almost like a myth now. Greeks abroad did not merge easily, because of mentality, because of appearance, because of diversity. We know these things, they are part of our history. (In fact, it is good for us Greeks of Greece to remember them today, when we welcome foreigners).
We know that the Greeks worked a lot, abroad, and some of them managed to get back on their feet or even build a strong position.
The Greeks who now set up their lives abroad were also the target for single women from Greece, who were looking for a man, but were also looking for a more creative and productive life.
And this is where the role of the matchmaker came into history, who accepted requests, mainly from Greeks abroad. Greek men abroad could hardly start a family relying on local women, who had such a different outlook. Do you remember the lyrics of G. Skurtis: "they don't want me, and it's a shame". A source of women, therefore, Greece, which anyway had remained full of women without a man. Requests for women began their own journey home.
About 900 such requests were answered when Nyfokaravo started with women holding their future husband's photo and passport. The journey took several days, and required more patience than contemplation.
After all, contemplation in this case was unnecessary. The facts of life were very specific.
The facility for these women when they arrived in Australia was to have a paper signed by the man who would receive them. With this paper they received the residence permit until the certain date of the marriage.
And the spirit of Mercury shone again for the Greek at home, who found a way to take advantage of this action economically and business-wise: businesses promised a better life abroad, offering marriages and a good life in another country.
The 900 Greek brides arrived in Melbourne in 1957 with Begonia. Panagiotis Fotakis, 8 years old at the time, on the boat, remembers years after the events, and from his research we learn more about the brides today.
As Mr. Fotakis informs us through his study, there is much to be said about this story that has not yet come to light.
Most women are engaged to a photo, without knowing "if the groom is good", if he works, if he is healthy. The photograph alone was no guarantee of such a relationship. Then, some who knew the groom (the "married women").
And finally, the free women would arrive in Melbourne to choose a husband for themselves. The free women would have to go through the bride market, that is to say, to visit the tables of foreign Greeks on Sundays, to go to gatherings, to celebrations, to the church, with the sole purpose of meeting a man. Knowing beforehand that they were being looked upon as women under investigation, and that their time in the foreign country was limited: ought to find a man at a certain time.
The engaged women had the option to return to Greece within a month with their already paid ticket, if the man they met was not "ideal" for them, or something, in any case, did not have an ideal turn.
These, when described so many years later are easy to write. But the women of a ruined generation, marrying or left alone after such a journey, were worlds shattered. Pain and heartbreak. Let alone the women who dreaded the journey back to Greece, and married a man they consciously knew was not what they were looking for in the distant land.
Journey of fate.
Another language, another thought, in a daily life with fear. That definitely toughens you up. By the time you get used to it, you've already become a suit of armor.
We tend to long for the past, but by knowing some details, only then will we understand how grateful we should be today for the freedoms we have. Respect and gratitude. That's all.
source, photo https://mynewaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/
