Father Terry Gerovasilis and Bishop Elpidios of Kyaneon blessing Castellorizian House as part of the reopening ceremony.

MOUNT HAWTHORN’S iconic Castellorizian House has reopened following extensive preservation works. 

The Castellorisian Association of WA had work done to its Anzac Street home after getting a $247,500 grant from the WA Office of Multicultural Interests which helped reroof the entire Federation building, install solar panels, a battery and universal access ramps, and build a new community activities room that’ll be made available to other groups.

The not-for-profit association was set up by the Castellorizian diaspora to keep their identity, culture and history thriving.

Castellorizo (or Kastellorizo) is a small, hilly, rocky island about six kilometres long and three kilometres wide, and its isolation from mainland Greece helped it develop its own distinct culture of a proud seafaring people. 

As prosperity waned in the later 1800s many Castellorizions left. Perth was a particular hotspot, and a majority of WA’s early Greek residents were from the tiny island. 

Perth lord mayor Basil Zempilas is himself a descendent and was named Kastellorizian of the Year in 2018 and acknowledged for always proudly representing his island heritage.