Ithacan Philanthropic Society – Amy

I am a Member of the Ithacan Philanthropic Society. This club has played an important role in the lives of my ancestors and distant relatives from the moment The Club was established in 1916 and continues to do so today. This year The Club celebrates a milestone. The Club is turning 100 years old in October. This makes The Club the oldest Greek Club of its kind in Australia.

Ithaca is a Greek Island in the Ionian Sea. To gain membership to The Club you must either be from Ithaca or a direct descendant of someone who was born there. I fall into the latter category. Both of my paternal sets of Great Grandparents migrated to Melbourne from Ithaca in the early 1920s.

Moving out here back then would have been incredibly difficult, leaving everything and everyone you knew behind and never returning. The sacrifices that my Great Grandparents gladly made to fit into British Australian society are actions that I greatly admire. In a lot of ways to become British Australian my family ‘let go’ of our Greek roots. Both of my Great Grandfathers decided to Anglicise their surnames. My surname used to be Lekatsas, my Granny’s Maiden name is Scott, this used to Siciotis. This was a common practice with migrants who came here in the early part of last century. So it must have been a great comfort to have The Club in Melbourne, being able to speak Greek with people who were familiar.

Every year The Club holds special social events for members and their families, starting the year with a picnic (as pictured) and ending with a Christmas Party at The Club’s headquarters ‘Ithaca House’ on Elizabeth Street in the City. These social events have helped to create a tight knit sense of community amongst the members and their families.

One of the main goals of establishing The Club was to provide financial aid to loved ones back on Ithaca, as the tiny Island was hit hard during World War 1. The philanthropic aid has continued through to today, now The Club supports children’s soccer clubs on Ithaca and philanthropic causes closer to home. Every year The Club proudly gathers for an event to raise funds for The RHC Good Friday Appeal in Melbourne, you might even see them presenting a cheque on TV! The Club and its Members are very proud of this aspect of the club. Many members will donate funds to the club in honour of loved ones.

I am proud of what the Club has achieved over the last 100 years and how The Club has contributed to the Melbourne Community and the Ithacan Community. I am proud of the way The Club created a sense of community for Migrants and their Australian born descendants. Today The Club is a connection to our heritage, a legacy of hard work and Philanthropy.