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Greek wharfie killed in tragic accident

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Greek wharfie killed in tragic accident

Wharfie, Nick Fanos died after a tragic accident.

11 Apr 2010
Alexandros Logothetis

Dock workers across Australia paid tribute to a deceased Greek Australian colleague by stopping work for an hour on Wednesday morning.

The action was planned to coincide with his funeral service that was held at St Stephanos Greek Orthodox Church at Hurlstone Park in Sydney.

Nick Fanos, 49 died on March 28 while loading containers on a ship.

According to Maritime Union of Australia delegate (MUA) Vasilis Tsilimos who visited the site shortly after the accident, everyone was in complete shock over the incident.

Although, the exact circumstances of the accident are still under investigation it appears that Mr Fanos was hit by a container and pushed against a second one dying instantly.

Mr Tsilimos knew Mr Fanos for over 25 years as the uncle and brother-in-law of the latter worked in the docks.

Mr Fanos himself started working as wharfie in the last 6-7 years.

“He was a very hard-working man and he came from Kafalonia Greece with his family when he was 9 years old. From an early age he was working hard and for many years he got involved with take-away shops,” Mr Tsilimos said.

Mr Fanos’ death was the second one in an Australian port in less than two months. The accident sparked renewed calls from the MUA for the adoption of federal safety regulations for stevedoring.

Hundreds of people including many of Mr Fanos’ colleagues flocked the St Stephanos church to pay their respects some of them still dressed in their work gear.

At the Sydney port there are approximately 40-50 Greek wharfies working according to Mr Tsilimos. Mr Fanos is survived by his wife Ourania and his children Gerasimos and Evangelia.

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