Sotirios Gravanis | Greek-Australian Archive

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Greek-Australian Archive

Sotirios Gravanis

Speaker Profile Προφίλ ηχείου

Sotirios Gravanis

| Language: Greek

Sotirios Gravanis

Speaker background

Occupation: Photographer, BusinessmanYear of arrival: 1959

Sotirios Gravanis was born in Patra in 1933. After completing his tertiary studies, Sotirios was unable to find a job and ended up working in his father’s photographic studio. In 1959, after working six years with his father, he made the decision to come to Australia as an assisted migrant.

Place of birthPatras, Peloponnese

Location in AustraliaStanmore, Dulwich Hill, Darling Harbour

Interview summary

In the interview, Sotirios explains how he was inspired to come to Australia by the customers who came into his father’s photographic studio in Patra seeking photos for their identification and migration documents. In Sydney he held several odd jobs before establishing the Athena Photographic Studio in Dulwich Hill, in Sydney’s inner west. The studio operated for over thirty years.

Interview highlights

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Sotirios Gravanis explains the circumstances surrounding his migration to Australia and his efforts to convince his father to make the move

Sotirios: I remember being in the photographic studio. I was taking photos for people leaving for Australia, and I said to my father why don’t we also go to Australia like the people coming in here. He said we’re okay here. The job situation will improve. Don’t create dreams about going to Australia
Interviewer: Were you taking photos for passports?
Sotirios: Yes, for passports, Assisted Migration documents, photos needed for doctors etc.
Interviewer: So the migration idea came from them?
Sotirios: Yes, migration started in 1952 and ’53. I had just finished school and that’s when migration to this country began. And those who’d already come here were happy. They were saying that jobs existed. It was primarily work that you wanted, given you couldn’t find a job in Greece. The main purpose for coming was to find work and everyone had their own dreams.
Timecode 27:05 - 28:05

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In 1964 Sotirios Gravanis set up his Athena Photographic Studio on New Canterbury Road in Dulwich Hill. Here, he describes the large number of Greeks and Greek shops in the neighbourhood

Sotirios: Dulwich Hill had become the second Marrickville. Many Greek homes. Many shops and the majority were in Greek hands. Opposite me, beside me was the barber. A little further along was a Lebanese man. A shop further down was bought by a Greek as well as the one on the corner. Just about all the shops were Greek. There were so many Greeks... The only thing we didn’t advertise was that we also spoke English.
Interviewer: What relations did you have with the other shops? Did you help each other out?
Sotirios: Yes, certainly. Next to me, I had a Greek tailor, Yiannis Karvouniaris. Further up the road I had another tailor. There was the Greek school in an old church on the corner of Lewisham Street and New Canterbury Road.
Timecode 59:11 - 01:00:11

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Sotirios Gravanis, Sydney, 1959

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