This weekend Sunday September 1, is Father’s Day, a special day everyone honours and celebrates fathers, grandfathers, fathers-in-law and paternal figures in their family.
Neos Kosmos talked to leaders, business owners and creatives in the Greek community about how they honour or reflect on their fathers, how they recall what they taught them.
President of the Greek Community of Melbourne Bill Papastergiadis OAM reflected on his father who passed away a few years ago.
“My father was a man of few words. Rather, he led by example through his commitment to hard work and conviction to supporting his family. As a child I felt safe and loved.”
AFL great Anthony Koutoufides, who is running for Lord Mayor of Melbourne, remembers his father who died in 1998.
“My father was a labourer but I put him on a pedestal, to me he was the greatest dad. I didn’t spend enough time with him but the time I spent with him was priceless.”
Continuing a legacy
Many businesses run by Greeks in Australia are family owned, and are handed down through generations.
Peter Patisteas’ father Dennis and uncle Peter started Oasis Coffee in the seventies and in the mid 1980s acquired what is now Griffiths Bros.
When Peter took over the business, he then recruited his brother-in-law, Chris Togias and both are now Co-Directors of Oasis Griffiths Co., more commonly known as the OG group.
Peter began working with his dad from a young age during the holidays.
“My strongest memory as a kid working with my dad was by about 1.30pm, 2.00pm, I used to just run outta steam,” he told Neos Kosmos.
“You know, dad would start at 6.30am and by 2.00pm I was done.
“So you’re probably eight or nine. The beans come in pallets. So, there’s 60 kg bags lined up with one another and they peel up and they used to just stack them. And I would climb up the side of it – so, three pallets high – and hide and go to sleep on those bean bags. And then, you know, my dad would start yelling and I would avoid all correspondence.
“So yes, avoiding work was my fondest memory” recalls Peter.
Growing up watching his father roast beans, Peter was inspired by the process of “making things”. And after a decade of life in finance, the obsession with the tactile never dissipated. Peter left the industry, went onto gain firsthand coffee farm experience in Africa before returning to Melbourne and the family business.
His father Dennis is now retired but he’s still around the business.
This Father’s Day Dennis and Pete will be reflecting on the past experiences and looking forward to build on their successes, like Griffiths Bros who this week won four medals for their premium café quality coffee blends in the 2025 Tasmanian Fine Food Awards.
Two silver, Espresso – Traditional Blend and Cappuccino/Milk Based – Decaffeinated, and two bronze, Cappuccino/Milk Based -Traditional Blend.
Chris’ Foods has a proud Greek heritage spanning nearly 40 years, founded by Christos Tassios.
His son Nicholas now runs the business, continuing his father’s legacy following Christos’ passing in 2012.
In a previous interview with Neos Kosmos, Nicholas shared what his father instilled in him.
“He never gave up, I even look back today and think, how did he keep going?”
“Even if you fail you need to keep going. It’s not about how many times you get hit, that’s inevitable in business, it’s about how many times you get back up.”
Over in Adelaide, Con’s Fine Food at Adelaide Central Market is another, having been around since 1959, started by Con, Savas, Peter and Petro Savvas.
Now it’s run by Con’s sons Ross, Alex and Anthony who keep the flame alive.
Our fathers and grandfathers made took that life-changing journey to Australia, leaving behind the ashes of a war-torn Greece and Cyprus, or Middle East and Asia Minor. Here we all carry their legacy and may wish to reflect on their journeys on Sunday.
