Well-known Greek community figure in Melbourne Nicholas Vournazos, through his business success, generosity and community action, died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 98.
A fighter in his youth during the German Occupation, a businessman in Australia for many years, a member of the board of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, a significant contributor to other community organisations, an author, all attest to a life of complete devotion to Hellenic issues, the written word, and community affairs.
And as if that didn’t suffice, at the age of 78 he decided to study for a university degree by correspondence, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Amongst other activities, Nick and Anna Vournazos, also donated two million dollars to Fronditha Care.
“We didn’t have children and so we adopted the children of the world,” Anna Vournazos had said a few years ago.
As Nick Vournazos explained at the time, he owed everything to his family and his wife Anna.
The first grand token of the couple’s generosity came after their niece, who lives in Perth, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis while another girl from their neighbourhood was also struggling with the same disease. The Vournazos couple decided to donate $1.5 million to Fronditha to create a specialised independent wing for people with MS within the new proposed aged care facilities in Clayton. This donation was followed by another boost of $500,000 close to three years later.
The Vournazos couple’s donation was the most generous contribution in the history of Fronditha and the money has been used to provide specialised care and support to people with MS.
Furthermore, as we have often written in Neos Kosmos, Mr. Vournazos continued to write history. As a fighter for EAM during the occupation, but also as the man who received his university degree at 78 years old and went on to write seven books.
Mr Vournazos was particularly known to the readers of Neos Kosmos and the wider community for his participation in community affairs. Among other activities, he served the Melbourne Greek Community as treasurer for 12 years, as well as in other positions.
NICK VOURNAZOS BIOGRAPHY
Nick Vournazos was born in Chrysanthi Aigialeias in 1924. He completed elementary school and remained in the village to work for the upbringing of his six younger siblings.
During the German occupation, he joined the National Resistance (EAM-Hellas) and was demobilised in 1945 after the Varkiza agreement.
In 1951, at the age of 27, he completed high school as a self-taught student and passed the entrance exams for the University of Panteion in Athens, but financial reasons did not allow him to attend.
In 1952, he was called to serve in the army and was demobilised the following year.
In 1955, he emigrated to Australia and from 1965 he was involved with community organisations, which he served creatively in leadership positions.
In 1987, he was honoured with the medal of the National Resistance 1941-1945 and with state recognition for his participation in the fighting ranks of ELA.
In 1995, he enrolled in the University of New England and in 2002, at the age of 78, he received a degree in Philosophy.
In 2003, he turned to writing and put on paper what he had lived and experienced through events that others had shaped and those in which he himself had played a leading role. This culminated with the published book ‘Dancing Alone‘.
‘The Exiles – Migrants Who Build Foreign Homelands‘ was the title of his second book, one he wrote about the Greek community in Australia.
A witness himself to various periods of history, he describes, in a bittersweet way, with sharp language, details of the inter war years, but mainly the migration waves of Greeks abroad.
He also published ‘Western Corinth – Occupation, Resistance, Civil War’, ‘If the Dead Had a Voice‘, ‘The woman in the Stone Years’ and at 92, he wrote his final title, ‘Memories of a Fighter’.
Nikos Vournazos died on Saturday, December 31st. His funeral will be held at the church of Apostle Andrew in Forest Hill on Friday, January 13 at 11 am.
