I was born in a large village a few miles north-east of Lefkosia.  I attended the primary school of Mia Milia and was then accepted at the prestigious Pancyprian Gymnasium.  I was perhaps one of the few young Cypriots who in the 1930s chose, for a combination of reasons, to emigrate to England.  Agriculture in Cyprus was in a bad state and illegal money-lenders charged exorbitant rates of interest.  The colonial government was disinterested and cared very little for the plight of the islanders.  The weather often seemed to ‘side’ with such negative forces.  As a result, farmers were often obliged to sell their family land in order to redeem their mortgages.  Interest charged outstripped the sum borrowed. 

As a young journalist, I felt the injustice.  I was also disgusted with the way the government used their secret police, to abuse what human rights existed, for the poor islanders at that time. Censorship was at its peak.  So I decided to emigrate.  My wonderful cousins, who were already in England, were very happy to have me in London.  I stayed in Shepherd’s Bush.  Immigrants from Cyprus were travelling primarily via two routes:  from Cyprus to Venice with the Italian company ‘Lloyd Trieste’ and from the island to Marseille with the French company ‘Mesazeri Maritime’.

Life in London was not all “milk and honey”.  Poverty and unemployment were the norm rather than the exception.   During the war period, there were excellent opportunities for the Cypriots to work, especially in the catering industry.  Many locals who worked in restaurants and hotels, were called up for their national service, leaving a gap in the market.  The young Cypriots took advantage of such an opportunity.  The need for coupons (rationing) in order to obtain food and the concentration of employment in the war effort, meant that many people were now finding it difficult to eat in their own homes, either because they had no time to cook, or did not have all the ingredients they wanted and would therefore, go to a local café or restaurant.  Our compatriots were quick to see that there was a market for caterers and catering establishments.

Those were years of extreme difficulty and simple living, for those Cypriot immigrants living in the UK.   Such times have now gone and will probably never return.  I feel that the current generation of Greek Cypriots should be proud of the achievements of their ancestors.  In fact, the starting point of the community was “zero”, but with hard work we have become strong and practically self-sufficient.  The professions, for instance, are now fully taken up by “our” people.  Happily however, we have also stayed faithful to our beliefs, our traditions and our roots.

In October 1946, I married Pearl.  We have been blessed with two lovely children: Peter, who studied electrical engineering and who now runs his own garage and Chrystal, who is a doctor.  Chrystal in turn has two children of her own:  Eleni, who is also a doctor and works in Reading and Arianna, who studied Ancient Civilisation at the University of Oxford.  I am very proud of all of them.