Theodoros Xenophontos (Interview 3)
Interviewer(s):
Theo Xenophontos
Project:
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
INTERVIEW LOCATION:
Toronto, ON
LANGUAGE:
English
DATE:
May 29, 2022

Interview Summary:

Theodoros Xenophontos was born in Kyperounda, Cyprus in 1936. In 1966, he migrated to Canada for economic reasons, intending to return to Cyprus once his debts were cleared. Later that year, he sent for his wife and children once it became apparent that he would need to stay in Canada long term. In 1968, he became a certified electrician for IBEW Local 353. He would later become an electrical foreman, working on such notable buildings as the SkyDome and SickKids - The Hospital for Sick Children.

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Interview Details
Categories and Themes
Content
Media
Date and Location
May 29, 2022
Toronto, ON
Interviewee(s)
Theodoros Xenophontos (Interview 3)
Interviewer(s)
Theo Xenophontos
Languages
English
Reference ID
FAMREF001C
Project
Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive
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Categories
Canadian Society
Culture and Tradition
Education
Historical Events
Homeland Activism
Migration
Rites
Working Life
Tags
Baptism
Cypriot Canadian 1974 Protests
Cypriot Canadian Identity
Cypriot Intercommunal Violence
Cyprus 1974
Cyprus Coup
Cyprus Relief Fund of Ontario
EOKA
EOKA-B
Greek School
Junta
Labour Union
Language
Marriage
Military Service
Parades
Post-1974 Migration
Pre-1974 Migration
Religion
Traditions
WW2
Decades Referenced
1910s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Locations Referenced
Cyprus; Kyperounda (Limassol District); Amiandos Asbestos Mine; Kykkos Monastery; Kambos (Nicosia District); Machairas Monastery; Nicosia; Limassol; Paphos; Agios Neophytos Monastery (Paphos District); Church of Saint George (Paphos District); SkyDome; Bloor Street; Danforth; Titania Theatre; Fairview Mall; Toronto Public Library - Fairview Branch; Greece; London, UK
Occupation(s)
He worked as a clerk in the electrical department of the Amiandos Asbestos Mine. He also worked in the telephone exchange in Amiandos during the EOKA struggle (the telephone exchange was owned by the mining company). During this period, he also took over a gas station that the mining company owned that was initially run by a Turkish Cypriot woman who fled due to the EOKA struggle. Afterwards, he did electrical installation in his native village of Kyperounda. In Canada, he worked as an electrical foreman on the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre). In 1974, he was the Treasurer of the Cyprus Relief Fund of Ontario.
Parents Occupation(s)
His parents were farmers. His father also served in the Cyprus Regiment of the British Army during World War II. In this interview, he also mentions how his father was involved in the 1948 Miners Strike.
Names Referenced
George Patinios; Georgios Grivas; Grigoris Afxentiou; Helen Power (née Xenophontos); Makarios III; Nikos Sampson; Socrates Theophilos; Theodoros Eliades

[00:00:24] Examining sepia tone photos from the 1930s & 1940s

[00:09:42] His father’s union activism in the late 1940s

[00:11:12] How he came to work in Amiandos

[00:13:28] Taking over a gas station from a Turkish Cypriot

[00:15:50] The importance of the kafenio in Cypriot life

[00:17:28] Grivas supporters bullying his son in 1973

[00:20:09] His sister’s home being burnt down during the coup

[00:23:53] His opinions on Afxentiou, EOKA, and EOKA-B

[00:26:30] Going to the Titania & renting Greek films on VHS

[00:28:43] How he differed from most Cypriot parents

[00:31:04] His siblings level of education and work lives

[00:34:08] The Cyprus Relief Fund and other memories of 1974

[00:37:52] Photos from the opening of a 1974 memorial

[00:41:21] Uses of various communication technologies

[00:44:18] Discussing familial obligations

[00:45:32] Going through photos from Cyprus, circa 1980s

[00:50:35] Going through Super 8 footage from 1973

[01:01:46] VHS footage of a traditional Cypriot wedding

[01:08:30] VHS footage from a 2001 trip to Cyprus

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Theodoros' father, mother, and aunt just before his father left to fight in World War II, 1939
Theodoros with his extended family, mother, and sister, 1940
Theodoros on a bike near the airport in Nicosia, 1953
Theodoros with his wife, children, and sister-in-law, late 1960s
Theodoros and his family going back to Canada after a long trip to Greece and Cyprus, 1973
The cover of a 8-track cartridge of Cypriot music that Theodoros had in his possession, 1970s. One of the key themes of this project is how individuals use various forms of media to stay connected to their culture
Portrait of Makarios III, the first President of Cyprus, that Theodoros had in his possession, 1970s. In this interview, the divide between Makarios and Grivas supporters was discussed, a topic often obscured by Greek Cypriots after the Turkish invasion
Letterhead for the Cyprus Relief Fund of Ontario, 1974. According to this letterhead, the headquarters were located at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (30 Thorncliffe Park Drive)
Theodoros' membership card for St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, November 17, 1975
Theodoros' membership card for St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, December 12, 1976
Theodoros, his wife, and some friends, 1976
The cover of an edition of Cyprus To-day that Theodoros had in his possession, January - April 1978
Theodoros at a social event with some friends, February 24, 1978
Theodoros with his friend Socrates Theophilos, the individual who lended his Super 8 camera for Theodoros to use for his first trip back to Cyprus after migrating to Canada, late 1970s
Theodoros with his wife in his home office, March 1984
Portrait of Theodoros and his wife taken before his son's wedding, 1986
Theodoros with his wife and parents in Cyprus soon after completing work on the SkyDome, August 12, 1989
Theodoros' mother holding the interviewer, December 28, 1991
The cover of a book about the Amiandos Asbestos Mine where Theodoros worked, 2021
Theodoros back in his village of Kyperounda during his most recent trip to Cyprus, September 24, 2023
No items found.
Theodoros' father, mother, and aunt just before his father left to fight in World War II, 1939
Theodoros with his extended family, mother, and sister, 1940
Theodoros on a bike near the airport in Nicosia, 1953
Theodoros with his wife, children, and sister-in-law, late 1960s
Theodoros and his family going back to Canada after a long trip to Greece and Cyprus, 1973
The cover of a 8-track cartridge of Cypriot music that Theodoros had in his possession, 1970s. One of the key themes of this project is how individuals use various forms of media to stay connected to their culture
Portrait of Makarios III, the first President of Cyprus, that Theodoros had in his possession, 1970s. In this interview, the divide between Makarios and Grivas supporters was discussed, a topic often obscured by Greek Cypriots after the Turkish invasion
Letterhead for the Cyprus Relief Fund of Ontario, 1974. According to this letterhead, the headquarters were located at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (30 Thorncliffe Park Drive)
Theodoros' membership card for St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, November 17, 1975
Theodoros' membership card for St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, December 12, 1976
Theodoros, his wife, and some friends, 1976
The cover of an edition of Cyprus To-day that Theodoros had in his possession, January - April 1978
Theodoros at a social event with some friends, February 24, 1978
Theodoros with his friend Socrates Theophilos, the individual who lended his Super 8 camera for Theodoros to use for his first trip back to Cyprus after migrating to Canada, late 1970s
Theodoros with his wife in his home office, March 1984
Portrait of Theodoros and his wife taken before his son's wedding, 1986
Theodoros with his wife and parents in Cyprus soon after completing work on the SkyDome, August 12, 1989
Theodoros' mother holding the interviewer, December 28, 1991
The cover of a book about the Amiandos Asbestos Mine where Theodoros worked, 2021
Theodoros back in his village of Kyperounda during his most recent trip to Cyprus, September 24, 2023
No items found.
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