Antonis (Tony) Koufos was just as surprised as anyone when he was awarded with the Medal of the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) this year, being paid back by the Greek community for the lifetime of voluntary service he dedicated to it.
The 94-yr-old was one of the recipients at this year’s King’s Birthday Honours for all his time supporting the Greek and local community, though it happened almost completely without his knowledge.
His daughter, Eva Magriplis, aided the Castellorizian Association of Western Australia (CAWA) in their desire to nominate him, with Mr Koufos having been part of the organisation since he arrived in 1955 and serving in that time as a committee member, Treasurer, Vice-President and President.
“I was approached about 12 months ago from Helen Anastasas, who at the time was Vice-President of the Castellorizian Association of Western Australia, and they said they were tossing around names to nominate, preferably a Kastellorizian, to hopefully be presented with the Order of Australia,” Mrs Magriplis told Neos Kosmos.
“In those 12 months, I did a bit of research. I had to dig into all these history books from Dr John Yiannakis, who is renowned here in Perth. I was digging in to records and interviewing him discreetly where we found dates and photos.”
From the moment he arrived in Perth, Mr Koufos gravitated towards his community, helping any way he could.
In addition to his long service to the CAWA, he also served 30 years on the committee of the Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of the Annunciation of Our Lady – Evangelismos Church as a committee member, Secretary and Vice-President, before eventually becoming a Life Member.
Eva and the CAWA compiled all of their research on Mr Koufos’ vast volunteering service to send in an application for an OAM.
Eva especially credited Ms Anasatas for all her work, labelling her “the backbone of the research” for the whole effort during the 12 months.
“We did that in the course of the year and a few months ago, the CAWA told me they were going to put in the application which they did. But we knew it would take about 18 months if he was going to be accepted. ”
Fortune was on his side, however, as Eva received an email shortly after confirming that he was being considered.
This was also when Mr Koufos first found out something was going on as they sent a letter to his home that also mentioned the nomination, which Eva had to quickly clarify.
“I explained that it was an award and he had friends in the past who did get an OAM award and he thought that it was really beyond him. He said ‘I have so many awards. Δεν θέλω τίποτα άλλο. I’m quite happy. I don’t need anything else’,” she told Neos Kosmos.
Eva ensured that all communications went through her from then on so that he would not know anything further, and therefore preserve the surprise, when roughly one month ago she received the confirmation email that he was accepted.
“We kept it really quiet, and I made sure not to say anything until the night before where I dropped a hint and said that maybe he would get an award. I told him we would have to wait for the papers in the morning,” she said.
“He was overwhelmed yesterday. He got so many calls and I think in his heart, he feels that this is it. ‘This is the big award that I’ve got’. Some of the others he has gotten, such as the Church awards, are closer to him because they have directly from the places he has been involved in.”
Mr Koufos has been recognised with numerous awards and honours for his service to the CAWA, including being made a Life Member and given a Certificate of Honorary President,
He was also awarded an Honorary Diploma of Appreciation, a medallion and medal of Saints Constantine and Helene and a Diploma of Honour from the Kastelloriziaka Nea newspaper, where he contributed pieces in Greek on Perth’s local events and social news for 37 years (starting in 1975).
Outside of his efforts to help the Greek community, he also made time for his local area of Yokine, initiating the revival of the then neglected Dog Swamp, an important wildlife habitat and an indigenous heritage site, in 2003 which eventually was re-developed.
His contributions to his local community cannot be understated, having earned the Local Federal Perth Award ‘Our Community Remembers Voluntary Community Services Award’ in 1999.
Eva elaborated that he has never been interested in the awards themselves, wanting to help because “it’s his nature”, though they hold meaning because they are given to him by people who wish to recognise him.
“He’s very humble but he’s very appreciative of everyone’s gratitude and desire to honour him for all he has done in his life,” she said.
“He’s just one of those people that everyone looks up to. He’s also very good in his memory, which is great, so he can tell people a lot of stories, tell people about their ancestors when they ask. He does things like that.”
Eva explained that her father, who earlier in his life served as a sailor in the navy at Kastellorizo for a few years, has left a strong impression on all who have known him.
“If I speak to anyone who knew him, they say, ‘Your father was such a lovely man and we knew he would be someone very special’ and he is. He’s a very gentle person and he’s just happy to help out. He loves Kastellorizo, and anything to do with his πατρίδα,” she said.
“Straight away, he got involved with the Kastellorizian Association in the 50s when it was very new. He was a newlywed when he came to Australia and he first came on his own, leaving my mum (Maria) alone. He had no one so he was drawn to the group of fellow Kastellorizians there and, over time, it became larger and larger.”
Mr Koufos has a big family, with two other daughters in Alexandra and Gina, six grandsons and 7 great-grandchildren.
Mr Koufos told Neos Kosmos on the phone in Greek with a chuckle that Eva would be better to speak to as his English was not strong, though he did express his tremendous gratitude and appreciation for this honour as well as the many other honours he has received in his life.
