Nick Tsiligiris’ gentle smile brightens up the corner of Leeds street in Footscray, very close to where his iconic shop ‘Olympic Doughnuts’ was situated for more than three decades.

His portrait was portrayed in a mural by street artist Ling, in mid May, further embedding him within the community of Footscray that had embraced him wholeheartedly.

“The doughnuts were great, but I think what made it iconic was Nick. His attitude towards the people, the longevity of the shop/caravan and that he was genuinely a part of the community for decades. I’m guessing if you ask anyone from the West they will have a story, a memory of Olympic Doughnuts,” Ling wrote in his post about his new work.

“I completed the mural on 19 May, within two days,” Ling told Neos Kosmos. “I tried to make it as close as possible to the original site of Olympic Doughnuts.”

Over the last couple of years Ling has concentrated increasingly on portraiture, working hard to develop his own signature style.

“This was originally intended to be larger scale and made the finals for the Footscray Street Art Prize. Even though it didn’t get the ‘nod’ I was always going to do it. I wanted to meet Nick and his family and get a more personal approach, an understanding of what he delivered to the local community.”Ling still remembers heading to Footscray Station in the early 2000s where he was enthusiastically introduced to Olympic Doughnuts. He considered that Olympic Doughnuts, Mr Tsiligiris, was a special part of Footscray that deserved to be portrayed, especially now that the shop no longer exists.

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Nick Tsiligiris closed the shop only when his health wouldn't allow him to do it anymore. He loved his job and being a part of the community. Photo: Supplied

A snapshot of Nick Tsiligris with his wife Niki. Photo: Supplied

Nick Tsiligiris' granddaughter enjoys his delicious doughnuts at Olympic Doughnuts. Photo: Supplied

Nick Tsiligiris as a young man. Photo: Supplied

Memories and nostalgia

“My father was never judgemental. He had a lot of empathy. He had a lot of understanding. It didn’t matter who you were, and I believe that was what the people of Footscray loved about him,” his daughter Gina Hasapis told Neos Kosmos. “When he first opened Olympic Doughnuts, Footscray was a working class suburb. People were doing it tough and it continued to be like that for a long time. The other thing is that he absolutely loved kids. A lot of these people were kids themselves when he started off.. I think we all talk about being mindful, respectful, kind. My father is all of that and very humble.”

“When we were young we often went to my dad’s shop in Footscray on Friday nights. It was the place to be. It was thriving with busy shops and the market would open up in the evening. For us, it was a novelty. Family, cousins would join us. We’d devour the doughnuts and have the best time.”

Nick Tsiligiris closed the shop only when his health wouldn’t allow him to do it anymore. He loved his job.

“You know, doughnuts are doughnuts,” Ms Hasapis explains. “People talk about his magic formula, his magic recipe. But there was nothing extraordinary in what he did. Whatever he did though, he wanted to do well. So if his dough wasn’t good, he’d shut shop. He’d rather not make any money than sell something that he wasn’t proud of.”

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Not about the money

“Initially he worked very hard. It was a successful business. None of us did without. In his late 60’s we discussed whether he should close the business. In the meantime Mum got cancer and passed away. The shop was what kept him going. By then he wasn’t making any money. He was never about making money or riches anyway. Towards the end he had a number of ladies working for him, and it was more about being part something.

“A long time ago we had made the decision that this was dad’s legacy and we didn’t want anyone else to take over Olympic Doughnuts. So when dad couldn’t do it anymore it was the end of an era.”

Today, Mr Tsiligiris is in a nursing home as he requires 24hour care. But seeing the mural in his favourite neighbourhood, brought a smile to his face. “He still feels that he is part of it,” Gina Hasapis said.

“I always said that if I’m half the parent he was, then I have achieved everything. What I really admire about him is his exceptional courage and strength. Dad is not a big man. But what he’s got in courage, strength and patience is amazing. No matter how bad things were, he would never give up. And I try to live by his example.”

“Ling did an amazing job with his mural. It’s beautiful. He has captured his essence.

But more so than the mural or the documentary that was made by Ian Tran and Rachel Morssink, what amazed us was the out pour of love we got from all these people who knew him. We weren’t aware how much he meant to so many people. We would never have realised that, because he never talked about it.”