A Trilogy of Greek Voices in Australia – Theophilos Efkarpidis

Theophilos Efkarpidis, the Megas Pontios, the longest serving President of the Greek Community of Canberra, whose undisputed authority on ethno-political and socio-economic affairs of the Greeks in Canberra seriously impacted upon the affairs of Greeks in Australia. Arriving as an unskilled labourer and seeking ephemeral employment in the kitchens of the rural Greek cafes in the vast hinterland of the NSW, he built his own supermarkets and later on his construction and development realm. His undeniable power over government authorities and politicians earned him the prosonyme ‘Megas Pontios’ for arranging and influencing decisive meetings involving Hellenic gelegations with Australian governments.