PHILLIP AND VASSILIKI RODIS
Phillip Rodis was born the eldest of 6 children in the town of Aithini in Ephesos in 1900. During the Exodus of 1922, his family fled from Ephesos and while Phillip arrived in Piraeus, his 5 siblings and parents were dispersed amongst several Greek Islands.
Phillip agonised for a period of 8 months, and with the assistance from the Red Cross, he found the other members of his family and had them reunite in Piraeus. After getting his family reunited, he emigrated to Australia in search of a better life at the end of 1922.
As a carpenter, he decided to disembark in Sydney with the intention of settling in Canberra as he had heard of a great need for skilled labour as they were con-structing the new Parliament House. During his time in Canberra he became a naturalised Australian working at his trade and sent most of his earnings back to his parents in Greece.
He intentionally isolated himself from other Greeks and lived in a series of Australian owned boarding housed so that he could learn the language and try to assimilate. He opened a Café and fruit shop in Queanbeyan and brought 3 of his brothers out from Greece to help him run the businesses. He returned to Greece in 1932 with the intention of staying permanently and married Vassiliki Daskalakis who hailed from Athens. However, due to issues with the business back in Queanbeyan, his stay in Greece was short-lived and he returned to Australia with his new wife in 1922. The first son, John Rodis, was born in 1934 in Canberra.
Phillip sold his businesses in 1935 and returned to Greece with the intention, yet again, of staying permanently. It was on this trip back home to Greece that his only daughter, Lea (Peterson) was born.
He set about establishing a factory that produced and bottled champagne, wine, spirits and liqueurs in Athens but when World War 2 broke out, the factory was confiscated by the occupying German Army. He established another factory that produced and bottled soft drinks some time during 1940/41. During his time at the soft drink factory, he lodged several patents covering the desins of the bottles and seals.
During the German occupation, he was seized on 2 separate occasions and was able to buy his way to freedom by ‘paying off’ German officials.
The soft drink factory was also confiscated by the German Army, so again, he start-ed up a factory that manufactured and packaged ice-cream in 1944/45. As the war ended, he sensed that there would be further trouble as the communist uprising was forming. So he fled Greece with his family and was destined for Australia yet again. This time the family was stranded in Egypt for a period of 3 months until they arrived in Sydney in 1946.
He established a ’mixed business’ in the suburb of Paddington and the family lived in several rooms above the store for a period of 4 years, until Phillip purchased the family home in Kingsford, Sydney. During this time, the last of his children, George Rodis was born in 1948.
He sold the business in 1952 and established a Delicatessen in Randwick which was sold in 1957.
His daughter, Lea, married James Peterson from Brisbane in a ceremony held in Syd-ney.
Phillip established the ’Gold Top’ Yoghurt and Cheese manufacturing and packing factory in central Sydney during the mid-60’s
Phillip passed away in 1974 in Greece and his wife, Vassillki, passed away in Bris-bane in 2000.
Submitted by Nick and Diane Peterson