Greek-Australian Archive – Poppy (Kalliope) Elliott

Item

Title
Greek-Australian Archive – Poppy (Kalliope) Elliott
Subject
Australia--Emigration and immigration—History
Immigrants
Greek language, Modern
Voyages and travels
Sydney (N.S.W.)
Employment
Category
5. Cold War (including Decolonisation)
Author
Elliott, Poppy (Kalliope)
Keywords
Greeks in Australia
Oral history
Creator
Doumanis, Nick
Current holder
State Library of New South Wales
Date
February 28, 2023
Link
https://greekaustralianarchive.sl.nsw.gov.au/oral-histories/poppy-kalliope-elliott
Access rights
Digitised
Country of origin
Australia
Place
Sydney
Language 
Greek (Modern)
Description from source
Interviewer: Nick Doumanis

Occupation: hospital attendant, factory worker, homemaker
Year of arrival: 1960
Method of transport: Ship (Patris)

Poppy (Kalliope) was born in 1934 on the island of Kos, which was then under Italian rule. She was hired at the age of 13 by a doctor in Athens to assist his wife with child-rearing duties. This was the first in a series of jobs where the employer neglected to pay her wages. This experience compelled her to emigrate to Australia in 1960. Very soon after her arrival, Poppy was introduced by a Kastellorizian woman to her son, Plato Elliott, and the two were married within a few months.

Interview summary
Poppy begins by describing her experiences in Athens, where she worked a series of jobs, including a long stint in a hospital. She then recalls her years in Rhodes, where she made many friends and enrolled in a migrant training centre for people bound for Australia. Poppy also provides a rich account of her early months in Sydney, the circumstances leading up to her marriage and life in her suburban home in Kingsford.
Physical format
Sound recording
Related resources 
https://omaa-arts.sydney.edu.au/texts/4892/
https://omaa-arts.sydney.edu.au/texts/4893/
https://omaa-arts.sydney.edu.au/texts/4894/
https://omaa-arts.sydney.edu.au/texts/4895/
https://omaa-arts.sydney.edu.au/texts/4896/
https://omaa-arts.sydney.edu.au/texts/4897/
https://omaa-arts.sydney.edu.au/texts/4898/
https://omaa-arts.sydney.edu.au/texts/4899/
https://omaa-arts.sydney.edu.au/texts/4900/