George Yianni was born on 25 March 1934 in Alexandria Egypt, son of Loukas Yianni and Fotini Karayianni, and younger sibling of Polyxeni. When George was three years old, he and his mother contracted typhoid, but sadly Fotini passed away from the illness. Loukas quickly remarried Irene Loupis. George adored his stepmother and was eternally grateful that she came into their life.

He completed his education in Egypt before migrating to Ghana where he met his wife Evangelia (Toula) from Rhodes, Greece. They married on 3rd December 1959, and emigrated to Melbourne, Australia in November 1961. They settled in Clayton in 1963 where they were blessed with three sons, Loukas, Konstantinos, and Alexandros.

George’s working life in Australia started as a Station Assistant with Victorian Railroads, followed by salesman in the Clayton branch of Okkas Electrics. He later became a Real Estate agent, deli owner in Oakleigh, and Bus Driver. George took pride in his role as a Justice of the Peace and theatre ticket seller for EEAMA.

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He was a proud founding member of the Clayton Greek Community and their creation of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Westall. After retiring, George volunteered at Fronditha as a bus driver to take residents on outings across Melbourne. During these trips, George co-authored the book “On The Buses”, documenting their experiences of people with dementia. He continued volunteering with Meals on Wheels until his cancer diagnosis in early 2020.

As a devoted father, he raised his sons with strong moral values and later enjoyed seeing them marry and start their own families, resulting in the joyful arrival of grandchildren Eva, George, Yvonne, Matthew, Joanne and Gabriel. George’s greatest love was for his talented and beautiful wife, actress Toula Yianni. Their love stood the test of time and their dedication to each other was the envy of everyone who knew them.