Andreas Georghiades & Costas Antoniou | Oral History Archive | HHFGCA

Andreas Georghiades & Costas Antoniou

Interviewer(s):

Theo Xenophontos

Project:

Greek Canadian Stories

INTERVIEW LOCATION:

Kitchener, ON

LANGUAGE:

English

DATE:

March 7, 2026

Interview Summary:

Andreas Georghiades was born in Pentageia, Cyprus in 1937. Costas Antoniou was born in Xeros, Cyprus in 1934. They became lifelong friends when Andreas moved to Xeros as a child and the two migrated to Canada together in 1963 because of the worsening political situation in Cyprus at the time. Andreas and Costas were among the first Greek Cypriots to settle in Kitchener, and they detail how chain migration from Xeros, Potamos tou Kampou, and other nearby villages built up the local community. Throughout his time in Canada, Andreas was involved with church life in Kitchener, culminating in being one of the stakeholders of Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church, which opened at its current location in 1991. Meanwhile, Costas served as the President of the Kitchener chapter of the Cypriot Brotherhood from approximately 1974 - 1985.

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Date and Location

March 7, 2026

Kitchener, ON

Interviewee(s)

Andreas Georghiades & Costas Antoniou

Interviewer(s)

Theo Xenophontos

Languages

English

Reference ID

GICREF143

Project

Greek Canadian Stories

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Categories

Associational Life

Canadian Society

Culture and Tradition

Education

Historical Events

Homeland Activism

Migration

Rites

Working Life

Tags

Decades Referenced

1910s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2020s

Locations Referenced

Cyprus; Galini (Nicosia District); Lapithos (Nicosia District); Lefka (Nicosia District); Limassol, Morphou (Nicosia District); Pentageia (Nicosia District); Potamos tou Kampou (Nicosia District); Xeros (Nicosia District); Canada; British Columbia; Halifax; Hamilton; Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (London); Kitchener; London; Ottawa; Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church (Kitchener); Toronto; Waterloo; Australia; Greece; New York City; Turkey; the United Kingdom

Occupation(s)

They both worked as mechanics for the Cyprus Mines Corporation and they both worked in a landing gear factory in Canada.

Parents Occupation(s)

Costas’ father: electrician for the Cyprus Mines Corporation

Names Referenced

Athina Charalambides; Christine Amygdalidis; George Vassiliou; Hadjielias (ancestor of Costas executed in 1821); Makarios III; Professor Chris Charalambous; Professor Michael P. Paidoussis (McGill University); Spyros Kyprianou; Stathoula Paleshi

[00:00:34] Their childhood and early adulthood

[00:07:47] Costas’ family history (1821 – 1945)

[00:12:37] Their interactions with Turkish Cypriots

[00:15:56] Migration and early years in Kitchener

[00:24:01] The evolution of the Greek church in Kitchener

[00:38:16] The Cypriot Brotherhood, community life, and 1974

[00:50:19] How they and their families resisted assimilation

[00:54:49] Discussion of Cypriot identity and the future

[00:58:15] Changing demographics of the diaspora

[01:07:11] Feeling more Cypriot than Canadian

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