President of the Castellorizian* Association of WA, genealogist Allan (Agapitos) Cresswell has been named Kastellorizion* of the Year (KOY).

The creator of the Castellorizo Family History website, Mr Creswell is being celebrated for his achievements thus far in bringing Kazzies together from across the globe online.

“He is a household name throughout Australia for those who are descendants of Kastellorizians,” said Kastellorizian Association of Victoria (KAV) president, Dr Nick Lolatgis.

“He has reinforced in many people a genuine pride in knowing ‘who we are’ and has inspired not only the older generation, but also the younger generation to seek out more information on their background and take pride in their heritage.”

For the past three years Mr Creswell has also served as president of the WA chapter, prior to which he served as vice-president for six years.

An active genealogist for some thirty years, over the last nine Mr Cresswell has been focusing full-time on building up the free family history website.

To date there are 28,429 individuals listed on the site, all of which have been entered by Mr Creswell himself, and as a result has attracted 386,742 unique visits.

He admits to being inspired to create the database after setting out to research his own Kastellorizian roots in honour of his mother Cynthia Cresswell (nee Karasavas), who was born on the island in 1923.

“Anybody who accesses the site is absolutely amazed at the wealth and depth of information and associated documents,” said Dr Lolatgis.

“Allan has always made himself available, free of charge, to anyone requiring information and assistance in their endeavours to either research their family history or to preserve whatever information they have already amassed.”

In addition to the website, Mr Creswell has also created a ‘Castellorizian genealogy’ Facebook page, produced several videos, and travelled across the country to collect data and photographs – much at his own expense – to help preserve and promote all things Kastellorizian.

The annual KOY dinner will be held on Saturday 8 October at Yanni’s Tavern in Kew, where Mr Cresswell will be presented with his award.

To access the Castellorizo Family History website, visit: http://www.castellorizo.org

* Please note the spelling of Kastellorizo is with a ‘C’ when referring to the Perth Association and the genealogy website.