Oral survey of Hellenic Australians
An oral survey conducted by the author over a period of some 30 years whose aim was to capture the thoughts of Australians of Hellenic background during his generation. These oral notes were recorded in his diary to enable him and others who realized that Hellenism in Australia was at risk of being forgotten. It was also taken at a time when Australians were being faced with a generation who had no idea who they were, had no idea of the sacrifices of those who died at Gallipoli or the fields at the Western front (France); they had no concept of who the drovers were, the convict era and little of Australia’s contribution in two world wars.
Bruce Ruxton, the president of the Victorian RSL, along with his colleagues at the national level, realized that something had to be done to revitalize and re energize the youth of the day and educate them in Australian history and the achievements of their forefathers. Bruce Ruxton was a man of his day and subsequently his legacy and examples influenced the author to emulate these at an Australian Hellenic level.
Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that this interest in traditional values has grown to include others who are of the same ilk. The concept of retaining the cultural values and history of forbearers and those who made the journey to this country, quickly became a passion and the driver to see Hellenism survive in Australia. This interest in traditional values was also recorded to enable and assist those responsible for the maintenance of Hellenism in Australia and to provide a platform for the first, second, third and fourth generation Australians of Greek heritage. Some of the comments recorded are provided below:
1. “I never want to lose faith in “Greekness” and Greece. I love my Greek origins, but for Greeks, I weigh them on an individual basis and have no faith in them as a group”.
2. “I love my Hellenism but don’t wish to be associated with the community aspects as I do not find them stimulating or of any interest”.
3. “Why should I attend the community cultural events or parades when I can watch them from the comfort of home on television or the internet”.
4. “We who are of Hellenic background have much to learn from our Australian brethren”.
5. “For some strange reason we are always suspicious and jealous of each other and looking to see what we can get out of a situation and not contributing back into our community”.
6. “I am a wog and proud of it”.
7. “I have no time for the Greeks, they deserve what they get”.
8. “Greeks are only good with each other when faced with crisis on a monumental scale that effects all of them”.
9. “The Greek newspapers in Australia don’t have enough English sections to make them of interest to me”.
10. “I wish my parents taught me Greek when I was younger, I miss that part of my cultural background”.
11. “Mum and Dad would play Greek music at home and although I used to get embarrassed when I brought my Australian mates home, I think fondly of that music whenever I hear it again now as an adult”.
12. “The Greek Orthodox Church has failed to live up to its image and is more interested in assets, money and influence than thinking about us Greeks here in Australia”.
13. “The Greek media has failed to keep up to date with technology and is living in the previous generation”.
14. “There is no such thing as the Greek vote here in Australia as we are not as united as in the past. It’s each man for himself when it comes to politics, it’s just a joke”.
15. “I never learnt how to dance in Greek and whenever I hear a particular song or music, something within me wants to get up and dance, even though I cannot dance Greek”.
16. “When Mum and Dad divorced we lost contact with our grandparents who would always speak Greek or tell us stories of the old country. It’s too late now as they have all passed away”.
17. “I am a Greek Australian and proud of it”.
18. “Why is the Greek Orthodox church getting involved in community politics? It’s no wonder I don’t go to church any more”.
19. ” I am not a wog, dago, spag, greaseball, but an Australian of Greek background”.
20. “I am an Australian who has lost links with his Greek heritage”.
21. “I think I have some Greek roots but I don’t know how to locate them, as my relatives have passed away”.
22. “I can’t see the problem, you are either an Australian, Greek or Greek Australian (Australian Greek), whatever”.
23. “I don’t see the Greek Government doing anything to help Australians of Greek heritage”.
24. “I love being a Greek, but I get embarrassed by what Greeks are doing to each other”.
25. “We in Australia have lost our cultural and traditional roots because we don’t believe they are relevant in today’s society”.
26. “We who are divorced and separated have no community or clubs that we can go to so that we can relate to others who have the same background”.
27. “I have a Greek Orthodox background but have lost faith in the Greek Orthodox Community here in Australia because they are not setting a good example”.
28. “Hellenism, its traditions and culture, should be taught at home, otherwise where else are we to learn about our heritage?”
29. “Being Greek is not a dirty word”.
30. “We lack any role models who are not afraid to say they have a Greek background”.
31. “Watching Greek sporting identities is the only time where I can feel proud of being Greek”.
32. “We are losing many of our elderly to Aged Care homes and as result we are also losing a part of heritage through the absence of links to the past”.
33. “We Greeks are always thinking how we can make a deal and what is in it for us. What about giving back to the community?”
34. “I am gay and that’s why I don’t go to Church”.
35. “I wish there was an easy way to speak and write Greek”.
36. “I was in jail and I don’t think my community wants me near them anymore”.
37. “I am pregnant and my boyfriend has left me”.
38. “I cannot find the way to get off drugs, I am hooked on them”.
39. “I learnt to speak Greek at home”.
40. “The church says it forgives but I don’t feel that I am accepted”.
41. “I am living with my Australian girlfriend and my parents don’t want to see me anymore”.
42. “Why don’t communities adopt an old aged home and visit the elderly? The current generation still have much to teach, if only to hear the stories”.
43. “We only spoke English at home, it was easier to communicate when our Australian mates came for a visit”.
44. “We are making excuses and deluding ourselves by placing our elderly in aged care homes. The elderly are our heritage, a veritable gold mine of knowledge from the past”.
45. “There are no clubs or communities that cater for the youth, that’s why we party at night at other venues”.
46. “I love hearing Greek music and watching Greeks dance. It makes me feel Greek”.
47. “Just because I don’t have a Greek background does not mean that I don’t like things Greek”.
48. “As long as my children are aware of their Hellenic heritage is good enough for me”.
49. “Being a Greek in Australia is ok. I am not ashamed of it, in fact, I am proud of my Greek heritage”.
50. “Where does one go to find out about their Hellenic past?”
51. “Every time we Australian Greeks create something great, another Greek comes along and destroys the institution or structure”.
52. “All Greeks love to be leaders such as a president of a community, his own boss, and dislikes having to follow someone else’s idea or vision for the common good of the Greeks”.
53. “We must learn from our Anglo-Celtic and Saxon brethren and understand that the benefits of unity, discipline and being part of a team can produce positive results”.
54. “We Greeks are an undisciplined lot and think we can fix the world’s problems”.
55. “The Greek language and religion are an important part of being a Greek”.
56. “I hope our children marry someone who is of Greek heritage, it would make life so much easier”.
57. “Our children have married xeni (foreigners), how can we communicate and pass on our traditions and cultural values to their children?”
58. “Greek history, food, music, dance and faith are an important part of identifying with Hellenism”.
59. “I love both the Australian and Greek cultures”.
60. “We should be proud of our names, why must we anglicize our Hellenic names?”
61. “I don’t find many Australian Hellenic communities appealing to my generation”.
62. “I don’t care if they marry outside our culture, as long as they remember their Hellenic origins and cultural values”.
63. “The community leaders are reluctant to hand over the leadership reins to the youth”.
64. “I wish I could afford to go to Greece and visit my Hellenic origins”.
65. “I wish our leaders followed up on their words of action instead of making themselves look good. We are not a stupid people”.
66. “Those in leadership positions should look to deeds and creating institutions that will stand the test of time instead of just talking about it”.
67. “Believing and promoting your heritage does not make you less of an Australian”.
Retention of Hellenism?
Is Hellenism in Australia to remain as it is or will it develop into something that is an imitation of Hellenism in an Australian landscape? What is very clear from the above comments, is that Hellenism, its culture, religion and traditions must begin at home. Australian Hellenic community organisations should provide a stimulating environment where people of all ages can come together and share ideas of the old and blend them with the new.
Community centres therefore need to review their mission statements and objectives to create an environment that will embrace all individuals, no matter what their status is at the time. The Greek Orthodox Church, the Greek news media and the Greek Government are all stakeholders in retaining a vibrant and active Hellenistic culture within the Australian environment and should be seen as encouraging the trend to retain Hellenic language, religion, traditions and culture within the broader Australian community.
The other important stakeholders in this case are the parents of mixed marriages who strengthen their families by embracing both cultures and thus weaving them within the Australian fabric of society. In most cases, it is the women rather than the men who have married outside the Hellenic community that try and retain the Hellenic culture by ensuring their offspring do not forget their Hellenic roots. Whether the children of these marriages acknowledge it, is another matter.
What is important is that the parents of these mixed marriages instil in their children the positive aspects of the Hellenic culture and traditions.
These facts, again, are based on anecdotal evidence and cannot be corroborated by hard documentation or unbiased statistical data.
Stakeholder Responsibilities
The above stakeholders have much in common, but fail to reconcile any differences they may have. Instead of looking at their self interests, do what is in the best interests of Hellenism in Australia. Communities should not always have to bear the brunt of responsibilities, but need support and encouragement to ensure that Hellenism as a way of life survives as a cultural identity within Australia, abiding by the laws of Australia and supporting the institutions and freedoms that we (Australians) take for granted.
Leaders, supporters and influential personalities within the Australian Hellenic community should emulate our Anglo-Celtic and Saxon brethren and do whatever is necessary to reinforce Hellenism as a model of cultural identity for future generations, without any of the apparently negative and outdated baggage that may be associated with it. Hellenism, to survive, must be supported and reinforced by the Australian and the Hellenic governments, Australian Hellenic institutions at all levels, (industry, political, and academia), the Australian ethnic media, the Greek Orthodox archdiocese of Australia, the Australian Hellenic communities and by individuals themselves. It’s a responsibility that cannot be shrugged off.
Summation
The challenges that the Australian Hellenic community is faced with is to acknowledge once and for all that it’s ok to be an Australian of Hellenic origins, proud of their past and living in an Australian society according to its laws and institutions.
Furthermore, current community leaders should also be seeking to strengthen their communities be re-engaging those who have strayed and/or have been absent and attempt to find means of revitalizing and re energising their interest within the community.
Leaders must review and build cultural centres that will retain traditions, dances, culture, histories: no matter what the format, whether oral, written, visual or living monuments. Do not neglect the small clubs and communities that were created and try to absorb them without paying the appropriate respects to those who created them in the first place. Cultural centres must be implemented now, before those living in aged care homes who are the only living source of oral histories, food recipes, songs, dress, traditions, storytelling and a gathering of diverse cultural ideas, cease to exist.
Our Hellenic cousins in other parts of the world have in some cases failed to realize the significance of retaining Hellenism and have been absorbed slowly into the dominant culture that surrounded them. Past transgressions, grievances and petty jealousies should be put aside for the common good of Hellenism within the Australian environment and future generations will be thankful for their predecessors foresight.
Believing and promoting your heritage does not make you any less of an Australian, therefore, for Hellenism to survive, it must begin at home.
* The article may also be found by visiting the Hellenic Forum at abalinx.com/wordpress/hellenic/2012/06/30/when-being-greek-is-not-a-dirty-word/