The Greek Centre will host Dr John Yiannakis OAM on Thursday 16 June as he presents an insightful lecture about Greek Australian women who settled in Australia during the 1960s.
Taking place as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminar series, Dr Yiannakis will discuss the results of the unique 45-year longitudinal study Black Night, White Day: Greece-born Women in Australia, which addresses the integration of 78 single brave young women who left their villages and small towns on their own.
Interviews commenced with the women in Greece prior to their departure to find out their motivations for taking part in the program, followed by subsequent interviews over four decades in Australia and Greece (as some returned to their homelands) to evaluate their adaptation.
Giving even greater insight into their experiences were the interviews conducted with their spouses, relatives living in Greece, and with their children.
The lecture will showcase the female role in the migration narrative and debate, highlighting their strength and resilience.
Based in Western Australia, Dr Yiannakis has conducted extensive research on the Greek experience of settlement, migration and adaptation in WA.
He has lectured Modern and Ancient History at Tuart College, where he was also Head of the Social Sciences Department.
More recently he has worked as a Research Fellow at Curtin and Murdoch Universities and is currently involved into the investigation of the role of Lemnos in the Anzac Gallipoli campaign of 1915.
The lecture will take place on Thursday 16 June at the Greek Centre Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC at 7pm. Attendance is free.