South Australia's oldest Greek club celebrates its 100th birthday in Port Pirie
The Greeks are famous for their ancient culture, and while it might not be that old, a Hellenic club in South Australia's Mid North has certainly reached a milestone. This year, SA's oldest Greek club, and Australia's second oldest, is celebrating its one hundredth birthday. With many of the state's Greeks being able to trace their roots to Pirie it's no wonder why this centenary was a big one.
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00:00It may not be Mykonos, but for the Greeks who live on this small South Australian island,
00:08it's close enough.
00:09You should soak some of these in ouzo too.
00:12You should soak everything in ouzo there.
00:14You can see the water that side, you've got the mountains on that side, and that's a pretty
00:18traditional view in most of the Greek islands.
00:20Siblings Nix and Darnas and Koulakorni Atarkas call Wirruna Island, just outside Port Pirie,
00:26home, while their brother Fred lives in the town.
00:29I've got my young grandson, he's sixth generation Greek, still living in Port Pirie.
00:37How does that make you feel?
00:40Yeah, very proud.
00:43Just down the road lives Nix's friend, Nick.
00:50Nick Kataras grew up in Port Pirie.
00:52His family's links to the area date back to the 1920s, and it was around that time, about
00:57100 years ago, that the Greek community of Port Pirie Club was created.
01:04Established in 1924, it's SA's longest running Greek club and Australia's second oldest.
01:10A lot of Greeks came here to work in the smelters, they came here, you know, through working
01:15on the ships, a lot of seafarers, and a lot of people came here to farm.
01:19We're proud of our heritage, and we're proud to share it with people as well.
01:22You know, when you think about the bigger cities, and we're just a little dot on the
01:26map, yeah, we are, you know, very proud, very proud.
01:30The Greeks who still live in and around Port Pirie continue to celebrate where they've
01:35come from, and create their own little slice of home.
01:39And that celebration culminated on the weekend, with 350 people attending a ball to acknowledge
01:45the club's centenary.
01:47Many returning to the town to remember their Greek heritage, to share stories, laughter,
01:53and the dance floor.
01:56And if the passion for culture continues, they'll be celebrating here for another hundred
02:00years.