This biography is part of a collection from "Life in Australia" :


Mr. Ioannis Makris, who comes from Valtetsi in Arcadia, is a valuable protector of, and advisor, as it were, to the Greeks settled in the coastal suburb of Manly in Sydney. Mr. Makris was the first to found his establishment there in 1902 and is the only person to have contributed to the foundation of most of the Greek shops in this suburb, offering his eager material and spiritual support to those who are now managers of the shops.

Most of the Greeks succeeded in achieving in a short time, thanks to Mr. Makris, what they would not perhaps otherwise have achieved after much work and a lengthy period in Australia.

Mr. Markris has never clashed with anybody nor has he ever denied his help to any for whatever aim – philanthropic or rational – whatever. He leads a quiet and unassuming life, the hallmark of this generous and serious man.

He is the owner of four splendid shops in Manly and of two in Sydney. Of these sixe, he holds four in partnership. His ability has kept pace with good fortune and so today he is very well established, proud of the esteem that the public justly accords him.


This biography is part of a collection from "Life in Australia" published in 1916 by John Comino. It is an important book as it was one of the first Greek books published in Australia for the Greeks back in the homeland. If they needed any more convincing of the golden opportunities awaiting them in Australia, it probably helped create interest amongst young Kytherians and other Greeks. Each of the men portrayed in the book paid for the honour, which, considering their reputation for thriftiness, must have made the decision a hard one for many a Kytherian.

The Kythera-Family.net team, with the support of the Nicolaus Aroney Trust and other generous sponsors, has undertaken to transcribe the entire book for the website and to translate it into English for the non-greek-speaking diaspora community. We hope to also produce a printed version of the translation of Life in Australia sometime in 2005.

For valuable information about the historical background of the publication of Life in Australia, please read the entry by Hugh Gilchrist I ZOI EN AFSTRALLIA in the History, General History section.