Aristotelis Koutlemanis
Interviewer(s):
Alexandros Balasis
Project:
Greek Canadian Stories
INTERVIEW LOCATION:
Toronto, ON
LANGUAGE:
Greek
DATE:
February 6, 2025

Interview Summary:

Aristotelis Koutlemanis was born in 1937 in Argos Orestiko and moved to Kastoria, where he grew up working in a bakery. He has memories of his father’s work as a livestock trader. Koutlemanis migrated to Canada in 1957 and initially worked in Toronto in the fur industry. He later moved to New York, where he continued working in the fur business. Koutlemanis became actively involved in Greek community activities, participating in dance groups, including one that performed for the Queen. He was also involved in the Pan-Macedonian Association.

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Interview Details
Categories and Themes
Content
Media
Date and Location
February 6, 2025
Toronto, ON
Interviewee(s)
Aristotelis Koutlemanis
Interviewer(s)
Alexandros Balasis
Languages
Greek
Reference ID
GICREF109
Project
Greek Canadian Stories
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Categories
Associational Life
Canadian Society
Culture and Tradition
Working Life
Migration
Rites
Tags
Dance
Furriers
Marriage
Multicultural Work Environment
Pan Macedonian
Post-WW2 Migration
Sponsorship
USA
Decades Referenced
1950s
1960s
Locations Referenced
Argos Orestiko, Kastoria, Canada, Toronto, New York, Burlington
Occupation(s)
Furier
Parents Occupation(s)
Names Referenced
Anastasia Koutlemanis (wife), Thomas Sarras, Christos Stanois

[00:00:30] Childhood and working in Kastoria

[00:01:50] Memories from WW2 and his father’s job

[00:08:50] His sister’s migration to Canada

[00:12:52] His migration to Canada in 1957

[00:16:32] Reaching Toronto and working with fur

[00:22:17] Working in New York

[00:27:03] Participating in dancing groups

[00:30:41] Buying Pan-Macedonian Association’s building

[00:34:15] Dancing for the Queen and the dancing group

[00:39:17] Working with fur in a Jewish factory

[00:44:38] Meeting his wife and getting married

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