Helen De Ponte (née Dionyssiou)
Interviewer(s):
Theo Xenophontos
Project:
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
INTERVIEW LOCATION:
Toronto, ON
LANGUAGE:
English
DATE:
August 29, 2023

Interview Summary:

Helen De Ponte was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1970. In 1974, she migrated to Canada with her parents following the Turkish invasion. Until the invasion forced her family to flee Cyprus, her father worked at the famous Ledra Palace Hotel.

‍

Interview Details
Categories and Themes
Content
Media
Date and Location
August 29, 2023
Toronto, ON
Interviewee(s)
Helen De Ponte (née Dionyssiou)
Interviewer(s)
Theo Xenophontos
Languages
English
Reference ID
FAMREF018
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
Australia
Baptism
Cypriot Canadian Identity
Cypriot Community of Toronto Inc.
Cyprus 1974
Cyprus Coup
Dance
Domestics
Engagement
English Learning
EOKA
Greek School
Junta
Language
Marriage
Post-1974 Migration
Pre-1974 Migration
Religion
Sponsorship
Traditions
UK
Decades Referenced
1950s
1960s
1970s
1990s
2000s
2020s
Locations Referenced
Cyprus; Kyperounda (Limassol District); the Ledra Palace Hotel; the UN Buffer Zone; Nicosia; Nicosia International Airport; Varosha (Famagusta District); Famagusta; Kyrenia; Limassol; Canada; Toronto; Cypriot Community Centre (Thorncliffe); Danforth; Scarborough; Lansdowne; Keswick; Azores; Portugal; Australia; the United Kingdom; Italy
Occupation(s)
Parents Occupation(s)
Her mother worked as a nanny in Cyprus. Her father worked as a bartender at the Ledra Palace Hotel and also worked as a bartender in Canada.
Names Referenced
Anna Ellinas; Costa-Gavras; Helen Power (née Xenophontos); Makarios III; Nitsa Benkovic (née Pingos); Stella Partheniou Grasso; Theodoros Xenophontos

[00:00:18] Memories of Cyprus and family stories

[00:11:26] Migrating to Canada due to the 1974 invasion

[00:14:50] Family divided between Cyprus and Canada

[00:16:00] Growing up in Toronto and the need for adjustment

[00:18:08] Assimilation and maintaining Cypriot culture

[00:23:25] Differences between Cypriot and Greek language

[00:29:49] Relations between Cypriots and Turks

[00:36:25] Keeping in touch with the news in Cyprus

[00:40:02] Multiculturalism in Cyprus

[00:41:10] Cypriot communities in Canada; Cypriot festival

[00:41:52] Infusing Cypriot identity into her daughter's life

[00:45:50] Communication with her family back in Cyprus

[00:46:57] Taking pictures and videos of events

[00:47:52] How audiovisual media helps us remember the past

[00:50:10] Identifying as a Cypriot Canadian

[00:54:20] Hopes for a unified Cyprus

This is some text inside of a div block.
Helen's mother, 1967
The writing on the back of the previous photo, 1967
Helen's parents, 1967
Helen's parents wedding photo, October 5, 1968
Helen's parents wedding photo, October 5, 1968
The back of Helen's parents wedding photo, October 5, 1968
Helen's pappou and aunt in Kyperounda, 1978
Helen's parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins having a picnic in Canada, 1978
Helen's mother (in the centre of the middle row) with her parents, sisters, one of her brothers, and son, late 1980s
Helen with her aunt and uncle (fellow interviewee, Theodoros Xenophontos), 1990
Helen (in the blue sweatshirt) with her cousins and siblings on Christmas Day, 1991
Helen's aunt, yiayia, and pappou in Cyprus, September 29, 1992
Helen's mother (seated in the coloured shirt) with her brothers and two of her sisters, July 21, 1996
Helen's mother with her parents, brothers, and two of her sisters, July 21, 1996
Helen's sister (with the microphone) in the Cypriot dance group, late 1990s. York University Libraries, ASC61632
Helen's sister (on the left) in the Cypriot dance group, late 1990s. York University Libraries, ASC61629
Helen's sister (in the centre of the background) in the Cypriot dance group, late 1990s. York University Libraries, ASC61630
Helen's sister (in the background, toward the left) in the Cypriot dance group, late 1990s. York University Libraries, ASC61633
Helen's younger cousins in Cyprus before a wedding, August 23, 1997
Helen's cousin (on the left) getting married, August 23, 1997
Helen's cousin and wife adorned with money at their wedding, August 23, 1997
The traditional raising of the bed at Helen's cousin's wedding, August, 23, 1997
Helen's yiayia and pappou outside their home in Kyperounda, 1998
Helen's ancestral village of Kyperounda, April 22, 1998
Helen with her goddaughter, 1998
No items found.
Helen's mother, 1967
The writing on the back of the previous photo, 1967
Helen's parents, 1967
Helen's parents wedding photo, October 5, 1968
Helen's parents wedding photo, October 5, 1968
The back of Helen's parents wedding photo, October 5, 1968
Helen's pappou and aunt in Kyperounda, 1978
Helen's parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins having a picnic in Canada, 1978
Helen's mother (in the centre of the middle row) with her parents, sisters, one of her brothers, and son, late 1980s
Helen with her aunt and uncle (fellow interviewee, Theodoros Xenophontos), 1990
Helen (in the blue sweatshirt) with her cousins and siblings on Christmas Day, 1991
Helen's aunt, yiayia, and pappou in Cyprus, September 29, 1992
Helen's mother (seated in the coloured shirt) with her brothers and two of her sisters, July 21, 1996
Helen's mother with her parents, brothers, and two of her sisters, July 21, 1996
Helen's sister (with the microphone) in the Cypriot dance group, late 1990s. York University Libraries, ASC61632
Helen's sister (on the left) in the Cypriot dance group, late 1990s. York University Libraries, ASC61629
Helen's sister (in the centre of the background) in the Cypriot dance group, late 1990s. York University Libraries, ASC61630
Helen's sister (in the background, toward the left) in the Cypriot dance group, late 1990s. York University Libraries, ASC61633
Helen's younger cousins in Cyprus before a wedding, August 23, 1997
Helen's cousin (on the left) getting married, August 23, 1997
Helen's cousin and wife adorned with money at their wedding, August 23, 1997
The traditional raising of the bed at Helen's cousin's wedding, August, 23, 1997
Helen's yiayia and pappou outside their home in Kyperounda, 1998
Helen's ancestral village of Kyperounda, April 22, 1998
Helen with her goddaughter, 1998
No items found.
Resources
HHF Greek Canadian Archives
Terms of use
Privacy Policy
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
Designed By Mahsa Karami