Nota Eliopoulos
Interviewer(s):
Effrosyni Rantou
Project:
Greek Canadian Stories
INTERVIEW LOCATION:
Toronto, ON
LANGUAGE:
Greek
DATE:
January 19, 2024

Interview Summary:

Nota Eliopoulos was born in Athens and migrated to Canada in 1955. Growing up in Toronto, she faced the poverty, bullying, and racialized treatment. She describes the help of the Greek Orthodox church, the small network of Greek shops, and the associations that were beginning to form. Married at sixteen and a mother of two by twenty, she worked in her family’s worm‑picking business, later at Bell Canada, and carried a lasting pride in being a “worm picker’s daughter.” Over the years she emerged as a respected community leader, serving nearly three decades in the Panarcadian Association women’s division and now as president of the Panarcadian Federation (2022–2026), where she guides scholarships, festivals, youth dance programs, and international gatherings.

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Interview Details
Categories and Themes
Content
Media
Date and Location
January 19, 2024
Toronto, ON
Interviewee(s)
Nota Eliopoulos
Interviewer(s)
Effrosyni Rantou
Languages
Greek
Reference ID
GICREF065
Project
Greek Canadian Stories
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Categories
Associational Life
Canadian Society
Culture and Tradition
Education
Migration
Rites
Working Life
Tags
Dance
Discrimination
Entrepreneurship
Gender
Greek Canadian Heritage
Greek Canadian Identity
Greek Community
Greek School
K12Education
Language
Marriage
Post-WW2 Migration
Religion
Decades Referenced
1950s
1960s
1970s
2000s
Locations Referenced
Athens, Constantinople, Smyrna, Oropos, Peloponnese, Crete, Pontus, Laconia, Epirus, Cyprus, Tripoli, Florida, Montreal, Niagara Falls, Quebec City, Boston, Washington, United States, Australia, Toronto, Cabbagetown, St. George Church, St. Dimitrios Church, Panagia’s Church, Maple Leaf Gardens, Parkview Manor, Ellas Banquet Hall, University of Toronto
Occupation(s)
Accountant for father’s worm-picking business, Bell Canada worker
Parents Occupation(s)
Father: Airplane mechanic/assembler, dish washer, worm picker
Names Referenced
Kostas Filippaouis, Kokkinidis (tailor), Nancy Athan-Mylonas, McDonnell Douglas

[00:00:17] Familial background and coming to Canada

[00:04:30] Bullying and racism in Canadian schools

[00:09:58] The Greek Church

[00:12:49] Scattered Greeks, immigration, and work

[00:16:22] Marriage and her husband

[00:19:28] Worm picking business

[00:32:00] Panarcadian, Greek school, Philoptochos

[00:39:57] Identity and Greek education today

[00:42:22] Continuation of the Panarcadian Association

[00:49:03] Discussion and the connection to other associations

[00:55:53] Greek and non-Greek differences

[00:57:00] New generation and youth dances

[01:00:54] President of the Panarcadian Association

[01:12:52] Political news and visiting Greece

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