In the early hours of Tuesday, we lost a genuine person. Someone is called “genuine” when they hide nothing and spontaneously open themselves up to those around them.
Nikos Kalliakoudis embarked on his “final journey with no return.”
A true immigrant of challenging times, a genuine Kefalonian, and above all, a true Greek.
Bold by nature, but not reckless, Nikos always compensated for what the difficult post-war economic conditions deprived him of in knowledge, through hard work and the resourcefulness of the Kefalonian spirit.
Always optimistic, always ambitious, always striving to surpass expectations, to take a step higher in social recognition.
A glimpse into his journey in Australia helps us understand all the above.
In his early days, he worked for a long time in the heavy labor of slaughterhouses.
However, he realised that a better and somewhat less grueling job was that of a photographer. Together with three fellow countrymen, he began photographing weddings, baptisms, and various social events within the Greek community.
Naturally, through this work, he met many people, and together with his partners, they decided to start a travel agency. It was in the late 1960s when immigrants began to become familiar with air travel, realising it was much faster to reach Greece by plane than by ship.
Thus, the “Parthenon” travel agencies were established, with Nikos Kalliakoudis standing out for many years as one of the prominent figures in the business.
He was never concerned about his command of the English language. His goal was always to explain to his interlocutor what he sought in the best way possible and to express his arguments convincingly. To not dwell unnecessarily on this matter, suffice it to say that at an Australian Federation of Travel Agents conference many years ago in Hobart, Nikos was the guest of honour and delivered a lengthy address to the delegates in English.
Tireless for as long as he was active in the travel sector, he reduced his workload when he saw that his son Panagiotis was successfully continuing in the same field.
He passed away at a ripe old age, having witnessed all his family members thrive—something that was always his life’s goal.
The English have a fitting phrase for those who leave after many years of contribution. When they invite you to a ceremony to honour someone who has passed away, they say, “We gather to celebrate his life.” This phrase is fitting for the multifaceted Nikos as well.
At such a gathering, everyone would have something to share and smile about, recalling their experiences with him.
Personally, I’ll never forget when he told me that he spent an entire day playing golf with a bank manager. When I curiously asked, “Why golf and not a nice meal at a Greek restaurant?” I received this disarming reply: “At a meal, you sit for two hours, and then it’s over—you leave. But golf lasts an entire day. You’ve got the other person there the whole time, and they can’t escape until they’ve heard all your requests. Most likely, they’ll give you what you’re asking for.”
A perfectly logical approach from a genuine Kefalonian.
Safe travels, Nikos. We’ll remember you until we… meet again.
