Melbourne gained another street with a Greek name after a unanimous decision of the Darebin Council in May to rename a street in Thornbury Kalamata Lane.
The unveiling of Kalamata Lane, precisely between Gooch and Raleigh Streets, is now adorned with another sign providing context. It tells all that Kalamata Lane is there to honour the Greeks who settled in Thornbury in the 1950s.
Street names, locations and spaces change; many once British-named sites, a legacy of Australia’s colonial past, now have Indigenous names. Others like Kalamata Lane reference the great mass migrations of post-war South Eastern Europeans and, in this case, the Greeks. All add to the historical recognition of a multicultural Australia and pay homage to First Nations and waves of immigrants who make Melbourne what it is.
The Papaflessas Brotherhood, representing many from Kalamata and Messinia who settled in the area, lobbied Darebin City Council. This once working-class immigrant area is now enjoying gentrification. Its suburbs are dotted with cafes, craft breweries, and new restaurants frequented by the young, hip. Yet, Until the 1980s, the clusters of immigrant businesses and services represented mainly post-war mass migration from Greece, Italy and the Balkans.
Though Thornbury, Preston and Reservoir suburbs still boast a healthy dose of Greek Diaspora businesses and organisations. There have also been new waves of immigrants from India, Africa, and the Middle East. Darebin is a palimpsest of modern Australia.
The board of the Papaflesas Brotherhood, headquartered next to Kalamata Lane, welcomed the council’s decision. Papaflesas rightfully claim they have succeeded in ingraining public recognition of the Greek community in Darebin and its cultural heritage.
