If I am not mistaken your family comes from Kefalonia. Where did you grow up and how was your childhood?

Yes, I was born & raised in Kefalonia. Growing up was tough as our family was poor and I was 1 of 8 children, however as tough as it was we managed and I was able to complete high school. I remember being told from an early age about the importance of education & how it provides freedom, respect and independence.

Did you grow up in the typical as we say, Greek family, with all the traditions?

Yes I did grow up in a ‘typical Greek family’. We followed all the core values of Greek traditions that my parents were raised with and these values continue, to a degree, generation after generation.

Your family left Greece and moved to Australia. Could you tell us about those first years and the conditions you came across?

My Brother came to Australia first in 1954; I followed in 1959 at the age of 20, with the rest of my family including my parents soon after in 1965. The first 5 years in Australia were hard, settling into a new Country that has a different culture & way of living can be difficult for anybody.

How did you decide to become involved with traveling and eventually make your own company?

I worked as a photographer taking wedding photos in a studio after arriving in Melbourne. I had no real intentions of setting up a travel agency/consolidator at that time. It was my love of Greece and returning back for holidays when I realized how expensive it was to travel via aeroplane. This was when I decided to become a travel agent/consolidator enabling me to provide family & friends with discounted airfares back to Greece.

How difficult was to succeed? You have one of the top travel companies in the world and you are amongst the wealthiest Greeks of Australia?

It was difficult back in those days to succeed; in 1967 when I decided to become a travel agent/consolidator, the process took about 4 years for me to receive my International Air Transport Association (IATA) accreditation.

Do you follow the news concerning Greece and the economic crisis?

Yes I follow the news concerning Greece and the economic crisis through various Media avenues. These situations concern me deeply and I often think about ways to help Greece & its people out of this crisis.

With your experience in travelling, what do you think that our country should do about our heavy artillery, as we call it, tourism?

With more than 40 years’ experience in the travel & tourism industry, my belief is that Greece is one of the best & most beautiful Countries for tourists to visit. Greece offers beautiful weather, many amazing Islands, history, culture & delicious Greek food and its diversity. By making improvements to the services offered to tourists, I believe Greece’s mainland & Islands would welcome more visitors & tourists.

You recently managed to convince Singapore Airlines to start flights from Australia to Athens, was it a hard task?

Thanks to my company’s 40-year cooperation with Singapore Airlines and our promise to support them by ensuring passenger numbers & business will increase on these dedicated flights, Singapore Airlines scheduled two flights per week to Greece during the summer months.

We know that you haven’t forgotten about your roots as you have helped several times Pylaro, as well as the Greek community in Melbourne. Is it something you and your family feel the need to do so?

From time to time I have been able to support & assist with opportunities in Greece & Melbourne. Recently I hosted a working luncheon with AFTA (Australian Federation of Travel Agents) and with the Minister of Tourism Development of Greece, at that time, Mrs Olga Kefalogianni, where we were able to share thoughts and ideas about our tourism industries.

Have you ever been in Greece? Do you have a favorite place?

I am lucky enough to return to the Island of Kefalonia 2-3 times a year. Kefalonia is my favorite place in Greece.

What does Greece mean for you?

Australia is my home; however Greece is where I was born, raised & educated. It is a very important part of who I am today and I will always consider Greece my motherland.

If you could address a question to all Greeks, what would you like to ask them?

This is more of a statement than a question; I encourage the people of Greece to embrace the opportunity to be an ambassador for this beautiful Country by promoting their home to tourists. I believe the opportunities to invest in Greece should also be encouraged especially now.