Bonnie Lourakis
Interviewer(s):
Theo Xenophontos
Project:
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
INTERVIEW LOCATION:
Zoom
LANGUAGE:
English
DATE:
February 22, 2022

Interview Summary:

Bonnie Lourakis was born in Kato Mylos, Cyprus in 1957. She migrated to Canada with her family after the Turkish invasion of 1974. Her son, Tony Lourakis, is a former President of the Hellenic Heritage Foundation.

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Interview Details
Categories and Themes
Content
Media
Date and Location
February 22, 2022
Zoom
Interviewee(s)
Bonnie Lourakis
Interviewer(s)
Theo Xenophontos
Languages
English
Reference ID
FAMREF003
Project
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
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
Education
Historical Events
Migration
Rites
Working Life
Tags
Cypriot Canadian Economic Relations
Cypriot Canadian Identity
Cypriot Community of Toronto Inc.
Cyprus 1974
Dance
English Learning
HHF
Marriage
Post-1974 Migration
Religion
Decades Referenced
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Locations Referenced
Cyprus; Kato Mylos (Limassol District); Kyperounda (Limassol District); Nicosia; Toronto; Cypriot Community Centre (Thorncliffe); Humber College; Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections; York University; Guelph; Niagara Falls; Crete; Athens; Greece
Occupation(s)
She worked as a seamstress.
Parents Occupation(s)
Names Referenced
Chris Grafos; Helen Power (née Xenophontos); Sakis Gekas; Theodoros Xenophontos; Tony Lourakis

[00:00:11] Her family and life in Cyprus before emigrating

[00:04:33] Migrating to Canada because of the 1974 war

[00:07:13] Working in Canada and her impressions

[00:09:56] Joining the Cypriot Community of Toronto

[00:11:10] Communication with family in Cyprus

[00:16:09] Importance of photography

[00:18:50] Feeling both Cypriot and Canadian

[00:19:44] Future hopes for the Cypriot community

[00:21:52] A picture of her and her English teachers

[00:26:14] Early photo in Canada

[00:26:52] Photo in Kato Mylos

[00:28:03] Christmas and her first birthday party in Canada

[00:28:54] Dancing group, Easter, and her parents in Cyprus

[00:31:59] Her parent’s impressions of Canada

[00:34:26] Graduation and family photos

[00:35:54] Immigration struggle of her Greek husband

[00:37:12] Discussing project themes and family life

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