Sophia Haskas | Greek-Australian Archive

State Library of New South Wales

Greek-Australian Archive

Sophia Haskas

Speaker Profile Προφίλ ηχείου

Sophia Haskas

| Language: Greek

Sophia Haskas

Speaker background

Occupation: Dance InstructorYear of arrival: 1957Method of transport: Ship

In 1957, Sophia Haskas arrived in Australia with her mother and three brothers to join their father who had emigrated two years earlier. After studying bookkeeping, she started teaching dance to children at various Greek schools. This eventually led her to establish her own successful dance academy.

Place of birthRhodes Town, Rhodes

Location in AustraliaEastgardens

Interview summary

Sophia speaks about her family’s efforts to escape the war and occupation and their decision to migrate to Australia in 1957. She also reflects on the racism that she experienced in the years after their arrival. She recalls how she established her own dance schools, and, over time, became one of the city’s most well-known Greek dance instructors.

Interview highlights

highlight

Sophia tells us about one of the Greek priests on the Toscana and the story of one young promised bride on the boat

There was a priest from the Peloponnese, Father Giannopoulos. He was related to the Giannopoulos family who owned the shop in Bathurst Street which sold books and records and they also hired out wedding dresses. He was related to them.
He was a young priest and he was a bit rough. He would swear when he had to give holy communion to one woman (who was sick and possibly was dying). I was a member of a church youth group back in Rhodes, so I was shocked. I told him, “Father, you can’t swear.” And he replied, “I can because she isn’t sick, she is pregnant! And she is throwing up and being sick and I have to give her the last communion because she thinks she is dying.”
I learnt later that the young woman, who was also called Sophia, was getting out at Melbourne to marry her fiancé. I don’t know what happened to her. They may have sent her back as she was in love with someone in Athens.
Timecode 20:34 - 23:20

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