HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS

Rare and historically important original typed letter, dated May 18, 1939, issued in Sydney by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and hand-signed by Metropolitan Timotheos of Australia.

This exceptional document is addressed to a woman named Eleni and contains a clear and serious warning against migrating to Australia, just a few months before the outbreak of World War II.

Content & Historical Importance

In this letter, Metropolitan Timotheos explains that after careful study of the situation and thorough consideration, he has reached the conclusion that:

• The conditions in Australia are extremely difficult

• Life there would be full of hardships, struggle and suffering

• He does not recommend that she should come, as it would lead to an unfair and exhausting struggle for survival

This is a powerful, first-hand historical testimony about the real conditions of Greek migration in the late 1930s, written by the highest Greek Orthodox authority in Australia at that time.

About the Signatory

The letter is signed by Metropolitan Timotheos Evangelinidis, who served as Metropolitan of Australia and New Zealand from 1932 to 1947, a key figure in the history of the Greek Orthodox Church and Greek diaspora.

Details

• Date: 18 May 1939

• Place: Sydney, Australia

• Format: Original typed letter on official Archdiocese letterhead

• Signature: Hand-signed by Metropolitan Timotheos

• Language: Greek

• Size: approx. 20 × 32 cm

• Condition: Original, with age wear, folds and small edge losses (see photos)

Two original handwritten letters dated July and October 1940, written from Kavala, Greece by a Greek Army officer of the Automobile Corps (Δ’ Όρχος Αυτοκινήτων), during the mobilization period preceding the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War (28 October 1940).

Rare official Greek diploma issued by the prestigious “Philological Society Parnassos” in Athens, dated May 8, 1940.

This document certifies the election of John (Ioannis / John) Tsatsos as a regular member of the Society.

The diploma bears:

• Original embossed (raised) seal of the Philological Society Parnassos

• Handwritten name and date

• Original signatures of the Society’s President and Secretary

• Official printed border and typography of the period

Issued just months before Greece entered World War II, this document represents a pre-war, pre-occupation artifact from the final phase of Greece’s interwar intellectual life.

 Historical Significance

• Philological Society Parnassos: founded 1865, one of Greece’s most important cultural institutions

• Date: May 8, 1940 (before WWII reached Greece, before the German occupation)

Original 1942 banking check issued by the National Bank of Greece (Ethniki Trapeza tis Ellados) during the WWII Greek Occupation era.
Dated 6 March 1942 in Korinthos, with a printed portrait of Georgios Stavrou, founder of the NBG.
The check is handwritten and issued for 30,000 drachmai.

Vintage wartime document with expected age toning. Light folds from storage. No major tears. All text clearly legible.