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Emanuel Comino
Speaker Profile Προφίλ ηχείου
Emanuel Comino
| Language: English
Emanuel Comino

Speaker background

Occupation: Insurance broker

Emanuel was born in Rockhampton in 1933 to a Kytherian father and mother. He returned to Greece with his widowed father just before World War II but was trapped on the island for the duration of the conflict. He returned to Rockhampton in 1947 where he worked in café kitchens and then joined the Air Force in 1952. Once discharged, he followed his father to Sydney and started a café in the early 1960s in Carlingford but then shifted to selling insurance. Emanuel is best known for his work in the Greek community, and most especially his leadership in the campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.

Place of birthRockhampton, Queensland
Location in AustraliaKogarah, Sydney

Interview summary

Emanuel recalls his father's story of migration from Kythera to Australia in the early 20th century and the family trip back to Greece and blockade during World War II. He then elaborates on their return back to Australia, his move from Rockhampton to Sydney, his involvement with the Greek community and the establishment of the family business in insurance. He concludes with his continued advocacy for the return of the Parthenon Marbles.

Interview highlights

highlight
Emanuel explains how he found a renewed pride in being Greek

One night while I was in the Air Force, we had a special evening with all the officers, next to me was a commodore from London. He was a high-ranking officer and he said to me, "Comino. So you’re Greek. Your name is ‘Cominos’ with an ‘s’ at the end." “Oh no sir, I am an Australian. I have a Greek name. I'm Australian. I was born here, my father came here very young." Because of my experience of Greece during the war I didn't want to know anything about Greece or Greeks. I didn't want to go back to Greece. […] But this man said to me: “Oh no, my boy. You should be proud to be Greek. The whole world owes so much to Greece and the Greek people”. And then he says to my fellow mates: “And you young men! You ought to be proud having a Greek fighting on your side!” He made me feel ten foot tall!

Timecode 18:47 - 19:55
highlight
Emanuel asked himself “how I started with the Parthenon marbles.”

We got to Paris and went to the Louvre. I’ll never forget the very first things the guide said was said: “I am going to take you to the most famous part of the Louvre, the Greek section”. The moment she said: ‘the Greek section’, my blood boiled… “Excuse me madam, did you say all these wonderful things came from Greece?” She said “Yes, they are from Greece. I said, “I don’t believe you, tell us the truth, tell us the truth, where is it all from! It is impossible that a small country like Greece to have so many antiquities. Tells us where is it all from!” “Oh no sir, its all from Greece”. “And how did it get here. Thieves! Send it all back, thieves! I got really angry. She threw her hands up and walked away... I took an oath to myself. The first thing I do when I go back to Australia is form a committee and get these antiquities back to Greece. From Paris we went to London. My wife said to me: “No more museums for you!”

Timecode 34:28 - 35:22

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