Reflections on primary resource material research in Lahania, a Greek village on the island of Rhodes, and migration to Thebarton, Adelaide, South Australia. Part One

Abstract

Arriving in the village of Lahania on the island of Rhodes in 1978 I had as my primary goal to determine why some two hundred persons had emigrated from this village to Thebarton, an inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. Eventually, I gained access to an extensive range of official records housed in the village office with the exceptional support of K. Ιωάννης Γαλαντόμας and the village council, of which Ιωάννης was then secretary. In addition, Ιωάννης and three other men were formally interviewed, focusing on developing pictures of the social, economic and historical fabric of the village, as well as material on religious customs and traditions. Other collective approaches were used to involve the villagers in sharing their knowledge. Briefly stated, my research established the immense strength of certain interconnections, with family as the core element. Threats to any of these elements or their interconnections produced a family survival reaction.