Nicholas Ellis

Story

My father left his homeland at 14 years of age because his uncles thought it would be good for him to come to Australia and earn some money for a short time. Unfortunately the depression then the war and then his father’s untimely death meant that he ended up not going back for 34 years.

He often talked of the boat trip and how all the children from different nationalities figured out how to play together with no language in common. It was a shock to find himself so far from his home and so unwelcome. He was not allowed to speak to Australian children. Very shortly after arriving he got rheumatic fever and spent a very lonely time in hospital until he simply discharged himself.

He learned very quickly about Australian life and when the war came he joined the army in a heavy artillary unit. Some years after the war he married a greek girl and they lived in Canberra until he died in 2006. Some of the highlights in my father’s life came about as a direct result of his commitment to his fellow Greeks in Australia. He helped to build the church and the club and this earned him an OAM for services to the Greek community. He was highly regarded as one of the elders of his community.

< Back to the Stories