A leading light of one of Canberra’s pioneering families has sadly passed away.
John Notaras, 74, was farewelled by his many friends and family at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas in Kingston last Monday.
He was the son of Harry and Helen Notaras, the pair among Canberra’s first Greek-Australian residents, opening the Highgate cafe in Kingston in the early days of the national capital. Born and raised in Canberra, John, with his siblings Jim, George, Nina and Emmanuel, went on to become a formidable force in Canberra’s retail and property development sectors. He had been a past president of the chamber of commerce.
Married to Koula, John was also something of a local rugby legend, playing for both Easts and the ACT.
John made a big contribution to the community, working with Rotary, Scouts ACT and the Salvation Army. The family had also set up the Harry and Helen Notaras Memorial Fund to help local charities.
John passed away on May 27, soon after the birth of his new grandson and namesake John Harry Notaras, now just four weeks old.
Harry Notaras – son of John senior and father of the newborn John – said the baby had given his father strength to hang on. ”Dad was just over the moon,” Harry said. ”Dad told us he had been holding on to see the little boy.”
