Olga Kanitsaki: From war-torn Crete to healing in Australia

As 1 procreation of the Greek Australian assemblage succeeds the next, we are rapidly losing the surviving representation carried by those who migrated to Australia successful the 1940s, ’50s, ’60s and adjacent the ’70s.

These are the radical who, arriving by the thousands to Australian shores, laid the foundations for the Greek beingness successful the Antipodes—building a 2nd Greece that flourished crossed each tract of life.

How tin this invaluable treasure of representation beryllium preserved earlier it is swept distant by the tide of time? The answer: done signaling the idiosyncratic stories of our elder migrants.

Olga Kanitsaki. Photo: Supplied

That’s the ngo of the task “Our People, Their Stories” , a surviving archive of oral past launched to papers the lives and legacies of first- and second-generation Greek Australians. These audiovisual stories are hosted astatine www.opts.org.au, where visitors tin watch and perceive to bilingual video stories and podcasts.

From clip to time, Neos Kosmos will stock highlights from some of the stories already recorded. Today, we statesman with the beingness of Olga Kanitsaki—a profoundly quality and almighty communicative that reveals the wounds of civilian war, the courageousness of a generation, and 1 woman’s devotion to caring for others.

Olga arsenic a kid successful Crete.

A puerility successful war-torn Crete

Born successful 1940 successful the mountainous village of Prases, Kissamos successful Chania, Crete, Olga grew up surrounded by fear, loss, and a idiosyncratic household tragedy that would signifier her life.

She was the youngest of 8 children successful a middle-class household that lived disconnected their onshore and concern ventures. Her eldest brother, Giorgos, met a tragic extremity successful 1949—ambushed by guerrilla fighters while returning to the village by autobus to be an engagement.

“They were lying successful wait… 5 radical were killed that day. My member was 1 of them,” she recalls, her voice trembling. “It was horrible—I still retrieve it similar it was yesterday.”

The tragedy didn’t extremity there. Not agelong after, under the screen of night, guerrillas acceptable occurrence to their household home. Olga’s parent fled with her successful her arms. The flames destroyed not lone their roof, but the dreams of a lifetime. Despite the symptom and governmental division, the villagers came together to assistance successful immoderate way they could.

Her father, a progressive antheral with onshore and an olive press, had refused to nonstop his son to war—something the household believes led to the tragedy. “Giorgos’ decease devastated him. He couldn’t carnivore it—he died a fewer years later,” Olga said. “It was arsenic though helium carried the weight of each that sorrow with him.”

Yet contempt the unbearable loss, her parent responded with dignity and forgiveness. “She ever told maine that God is the lone judge, and that emotion indispensable triumph implicit hate.”

Olga Kanitsaki.

Childhood innocence successful a divided world

Olga remembers increasing up successful a state torn by governmental division. “We were conscionable children… I erstwhile asked a person if she would termination maine if the guerrillas ordered her to. She said ‘yes’.” That moment—where innocence collided with the brutal world of violence—left a heavy scar.

But galore years later, Olga carries nary hatred. Instead, with the wisdom of property and experience, she speaks of the tragedy of part and sends a connection of reconciliation to aboriginal generations.

First years successful Australia. At her sister’s location successful Preston successful 1970.

The determination to permission and the imagination of freedom

By the precocious 1950s, Olga was yearning for a amended future. Life successful the provinces was particularly harsh for women, who often felt invisible. She initially took up dressmaking similar her sister—not retired of passion, but necessity.

When she began proceeding stories astir Australia—from strangers passing done the village and films she watched—something sparked successful her. The thought of “education” took basal successful her mind—not conscionable to gain a living, but to physique a amended life.

Her member Manolis was the archetypal to use for migration. Though hesitant astatine first, helium yet sent her an invitation, and Olga made the determination to leave, contempt her fears and the looming unknown.

Olga Kanitsaki when she became a nurse.

A farewell and a travel into the unknown

In 1961, Olga tearfully said goodbye to her mother—the woman who had raised her with emotion and faith. “She was successful black, crying. She told me, ‘God beryllium with you, my child. Write to me,’ though she didn’t cognize however to write,” Olga remembers. She threw a achromatic stone down her—a symbolic motion that she wouldn’t return.

The voyage lasted 4 weeks aboard the Patris. Though primitively bound for Perth, a cyclone diverted the vessel to Melbourne. While astatine sea, Olga assisted the ship’s doc successful caring for sick passengers—her earthy inclination to assistance others already showing.

At Fairfield Hospital with a diligent and a colleague.

Hardship, connection barriers, and the will to survive

Life successful Australia was not easy. With lone a suitcase and a fewer clothes, Olga recovered herself successful a overseas land, where the connection and customs were unfamiliar. She stayed with her member successful Westgarth and took a occupation astatine a nutrient factory, waking aboriginal to peel onions.

She faced information too. In 1 terrifying incident, she narrowly escaped an attempted assault. “I was strong from Greece—I had worked successful the fields. I wasn’t afraid,” she said, though the acquisition taught her not to trust strangers easily.

Ironically, she was aboriginal fired from a occupation for speaking English—a paradox that revealed conscionable however challenging integration could be. But Olga didn’t springiness up. With a dictionary successful hand, she began learning English—word by word, acquisition by lesson.

In Queensland with a section successful 1964.

A calling to care: Nursing and compassion

Caring for others was her true calling. She began volunteering astatine the Children’s Hospital, cleaning and assisting successful immoderate way she could. Her emotion of nursing led her to further training and study.

Learning the connection was a large hurdle, but Olga recovered support from Vivian Bullwinkel, the legendary matron and war heroine, who taught her that strength of spirit and dedication could flooded immoderate obstacle.

Olga saw firsthand the challenges faced by migrant patients—many of whom couldn’t speak English oregon pass their needs. She became a span betwixt worlds, helping patients consciousness seen, understood, and cared for.

Beyond her infirmary work, Olga became progressive successful supporting recently arrived migrants, helping them navigate their fears and dreams successful a caller country. To her, connection and taste understanding were vital for healing and integration.

Her compassion and dedication earned her promotions—from caregiver to supervisor—gaining the respect and trust of her colleagues.

In Chalkidiki backmost successful 1972.

Looking back, Olga recognises that each hardship shaped her strength. Her passionateness for nursing ne'er faded, and her tendency to springiness to others kept her bosom full.

She besides kept her connection and traditions alive, embracing her caller state with respect and emotion while ne'er forgetting her roots.

Her story is not lone a testimony to the suffering of civilian war and migration—it is simply a luminous illustration of resilience, dignity, and humanity. A connection of anticipation and reconciliation for generations to come.

You tin watch Olga Kanitsaki’s afloat story here