George Patinios
Interviewer(s):
Theo Xenophontos
Project:
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
INTERVIEW LOCATION:
Unionville, ON
LANGUAGE:
English
DATE:
July 20, 2022

Interview Summary:

George Patinios was born in Kyrenia, Cyprus in 1939. In 1965, he migrated to Canada due to the intercommunal violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. In 1974, his father went missing as a result of the Turkish invasion.

Date and Location
July 20, 2022
Unionville, ON
Interviewee(s)
George Patinios
Interviewer(s)
Theo Xenophontos
Languages
English
Reference ID
FAMREF006
Project
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
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Categories
Tags
Decades Referenced
Locations Referenced
Cyprus; Kyrenia; Kambos (Nicosia District); Kykkos Monastery; the Ledra Palace Hotel; Geneva; Germany; Greece; Italy; Spain; Ukraine; Olympia (immigration ship); Canada; Halifax; Danforth; Saint George's Greek Orthodox Church (Toronto); Ryerson University; Cypriot Community Centre (Thorncliffe); Scarborough; Mississauga; Kitchener; Vancouver; New York City; Brooklyn; Cuba; South Africa; Australia
Occupation(s)
He worked as an electrician.
Parents Occupation(s)
His father served in the Cyprus Regiment of the British Army during World War II and his mother was a harvester.
Names Referenced
Alex Patinios; Alexis Patinios; Theodoros Xenophontos

[00:00:08] The 48th anniversary of 1974 and biographical info

[00:02:10] His father's service during World War II

[00:03:26] Helping family migrate after 1974 & life before

[00:06:21] Leaving Cyprus in the 1960s due to the troubles

[00:08:47] The story of his father going missing in 1974

[00:09:44] Family background and settling in Canada

[00:12:35] Interactions with Turkish Cypriots

[00:14:44] Balancing Cypriot and Canadian cultures

[00:18:09] Communication with family in Cyprus

[00:19:34] Details about the immigration process

[00:21:05] Visiting Cyprus and in-laws moving to Australia

[00:22:26] Memories of Kambos and Kyrenia

[00:26:31] The importance of photography

[00:28:40] Feeling more Cypriot than Canadian & future hopes

[00:31:24] Details about the boat ride when immigrating  

[00:33:07] Photographs of Kyrenia

[00:40:36] Photographs from the 1960s

[00:57:14] Photographs of the missing from 1974

[01:05:38] Plaques commemorating his father

[01:10:15] Photographs on Facebook of the invasion

[01:15:48] Facebook photographs of modern Kyrenia

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George, 1967
The writing on the back of the previous photo, 1967
George with his nephew and niece (fellow interviwee, Helen Power), March 1967
George's wedding photo, 1967
George's wedding photo, 1967
George, late 1960s
George with his son and wife at the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls, early 1970s
George's wife, son, and in-laws at the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls, early 1970s
George with relatives in the car, early 1970s
George with his wife and eldest son, early 1970s
George with his wife, son, and in-laws on the Danforth, early 1970s
George with his wife, son, and in-laws on the Danforth, early 1970s
 Information on George's father, Alexis, who went missing during the Turkish invasion
The Red Cross disaster tracing form for George's father, 1974
The back of the Red Cross' disaster tracing form for George's father, 1974
 George's father alongside other missing Cypriots from Kyrenia, 1974
George (obscured in the back row) with his wife's family at a wedding in Kambos, early 1980s
George's son, Alex, baptizing the interviewer at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, May 1992
 George with his brother-in-law and fellow interviewee, Theodoros Xenophontos, July 21, 1996
George's son, Alex, promoting KEO, the national beer of Cyprus, early 2000s. York University Libraries, ASC61672
George with his wife and one of his sons at a wedding, 2010
No items found.
George, 1967
The writing on the back of the previous photo, 1967
George with his nephew and niece (fellow interviwee, Helen Power), March 1967
George's wedding photo, 1967
George's wedding photo, 1967
George, late 1960s
George with his son and wife at the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls, early 1970s
George's wife, son, and in-laws at the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls, early 1970s
George with relatives in the car, early 1970s
George with his wife and eldest son, early 1970s
George with his wife, son, and in-laws on the Danforth, early 1970s
George with his wife, son, and in-laws on the Danforth, early 1970s
 Information on George's father, Alexis, who went missing during the Turkish invasion
The Red Cross disaster tracing form for George's father, 1974
The back of the Red Cross' disaster tracing form for George's father, 1974
 George's father alongside other missing Cypriots from Kyrenia, 1974
George (obscured in the back row) with his wife's family at a wedding in Kambos, early 1980s
George's son, Alex, baptizing the interviewer at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, May 1992
 George with his brother-in-law and fellow interviewee, Theodoros Xenophontos, July 21, 1996
George's son, Alex, promoting KEO, the national beer of Cyprus, early 2000s. York University Libraries, ASC61672
George with his wife and one of his sons at a wedding, 2010
No items found.