Some of the most moving scenes I experienced in life were the ones
related to the departure of people from their villages in Cyprus to
emigrate abroad. It was an atmosphere of near mourning, with
relatives, friends and neighbours, sometimes all the inhabitants,
accompanying the ones to leave to the village bus to say their
goodbyes. Even heavier was the atmosphere at the quays of
Famagusta and Limassol ports with parents and other close relatives
and friends in tears waving their handkerchiefs to their loved ones on
the boat slowly moving away. In those difficult years of the thirties
and forties parents were wondering whether they would be able to
see their sons or daughters again.
We are proud of thousands of people who have served in the
United Kingdom, in Australia, the United States, Canada, South Africa
and in other countries as local councillors, as Mayors and have stood
and are standing as candidates for Parliament and the Euro-
Parliament. As we are proud of so many achievers in many walks of
life.
For the real heroes of this marvellous and at the same time noble
story, though, we must go back to the beginning of the adventure. To
those moving scenes at the ports of Famagusta and Limassol in the
thirties, the forties and the fifties. To those people who were leaving
beloved homes, people and places, going to the unknown, in most
cases without any knowledge of another language and in some cases
without any money in their pockets. They were determined to
succeed, though, and, mostly, they succeeded. Through many years of
hard work which would mean many kinds of suffering, physical and
psychological, in an environment so different from what they had
known back home, they prevailed over hardships and other
difficulties, to prosper and see their dreams for a better life for
themselves and, more so, for their children, largely realised.
To all those people and to the memory of those who are not any
more with us but helped in creating a second Cyprus abroad, this
book is dedicated...
Kyriacos L Tsioupras, Editor |
