Andreas and Cleo Frantzeskos

FAMREF009

Interview Details
Categories and Themes
Content
Media
Participants
Andreas and Cleo Frantzeskos
Intervieweer(s)
Theo Xenophontos
Date and Location
May 28, 2023
Kingston, ON
Languages
English
Permalink
Project
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
Reference ID
FAMREF009
Use and Reproduction: Digital content found on the HHF GCA digital portal is meant for research and private study used in compliance with copyright legislation. Access to digital content, and the technical capacity to download or copy it, does not imply permission to re-use. Prior written permission to publish or otherwise use content must be obtained from the copyright holder. Please contact the HHF GCA at hhfgca@yorku.ca for further information.
Categories
Associational Life
Canadian Society
Culture and Tradition
Economy
Education
Historical Events
Migration
Rites
Tags
Cypriot Canadian Economic Relations
Cypriot Canadian Identity
Cyprus 1974
Dance
Entrepreneurship
EOKA
Greek Community
Greek Coup
Greek School
Intercommunal Violence
Junta
Language
Marriage
Post-1974 Migration
Pre-1974 Migration
Religion
Restaurant Work
Sponsorship
Traditions
UK
Decades Referenced
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Locations Referenced
Cyprus; Agios Ilias (Famagusta District); Apostolos Andreas Monastery (Famagusta District); Bogazi (Famagusta District); Gastria (Famagusta District); Trikomo (Famagusta District); Varosha (Famagusta District); Othello Castle (Famagusta); Famagusta; Kyrenia; Larnaca; Canada; Melville, Saskatchewan; Yorkton, Saskatchewan; Regina, Saskatchewan; Toronto; Scarborough; Keswick; Queen's University; Kingston; Belleville; Montreal; Newfoundland and Labrador; Huntsville, Alabama; The United Kingdom; Manchester, UK; Wales; Turkey
Occupation(s)
Cleo was a teacher in Cyprus and a Greek school teacher in Canada. Cleo also briefly helped run a motel in Melville, Saskatchewan. Andreas was an electrical engineer in Cyprus. During his early years in Canada, he was an electrician and plumber. Andreas briefly helped run a bus station that was part of the motel Cleo worked at in Melville. Andreas and Cleo then owned a sporting goods and clothing store in Melville. Once Cleo and Andreas moved to Kingston, he briefly worked at H&R Block for one tax season, before working as a night auditor.
Parents Occupation(s)
Andreas' mother cooked for the workers who toiled her father's farm. Andreas' father was a cook, then a fisherman. Cleo's father was merchant exporter of potatoes and fruits. Her father also had a hotel in Famagusta. Her mother was a cook at that hotel.
Names Referenced
William Shakespeare; Makarios III; Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Theodoros Xenophontos; Helen Power (née Xenophontos)

[00:00:03] Family memories and life in Famagusta before 1974

[00:11:33] Fleeing Famagusta due to the invasion

[00:18:09] British divide and rule destroying coexistence  

[00:22:56] Details on how they met and migrating to Canada

[00:26:14] Life in Melville, Saskatchewan

[00:32:56] Organizing a Greek school in the province

[00:37:59] Family in Cyprus and Wales

[00:40:02] Adjusting to life in Canada

[00:42:43] Balancing Cypriot and Canadian cultures

[00:45:50] Leaving their possessions behind in 1974

[00:47:55] Details about their children adjusting to Canada

[00:50:41] Joining Greek groups due to a lack of Cypriots

[00:58:27] Communicating with family in Cyprus

[00:59:10] Andreas’ photography and film hobby

[01:00:56] Difficulties visiting Cyprus

[01:03:45] How audiovisual media helps to sustain heritage

[01:07:55] This generation lacking interest in Greek school

[01:09:17] Photographs aiding the remembering of the past

[01:10:52] The divide between being Cypriot and Canadian

[01:12:10] Uncertainty over Cyprus’ future due to Turkey

About
TeamContactTerms of Use (Registered Users)Privacy Policy
Connect
YouTubeInstagramLinkedInFacebookX
Land Acknowledgement: York University recognizes that many Indigenous Nations have longstanding relationships with the territories upon which York University campuses are located that precede the establishment of York University. York University acknowledges its presence on the traditional territory of many Indigenous Nations. The area known as Tkaronto has been care taken by the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Huron-Wendat. It is now home to many First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities. We acknowledge the current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This territory is subject of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement to peaceably share and care for the Great Lakes region.
© 2025 Hellenic Heritage Foundation Greek Canadian Archives at York University. All rights reserved