Ep50: Effy Alexakis, Documentary Photographer & Leonard Janiszewski, Socio-cultural Historian

You’re listening to Perspectives in Parryville. I’m particularly excited because this a milestone episode—number 50—with a slightly longer duration because it features two guests, both with interesting, interwoven personal insights and stories to share. So, today my guests are Effy Alexakis, a Documentary Photographer & Leonard Janiszewski, a Socio-cultural Historian. In this episode we find out about Effy and Leonard’s collaborations in researching the Greek-Australian historical and contemporary presence in both Australia and internationally. Effy and Leonard recount how they have taken their camera and tape recorder, paper and pen to respectfully and honestly capture the human faces and authentic, personal stories that gave Australian popular culture some memorable expressions. We learn about cultural developments as diverse as transforming American soda fountains into local Australian cafes and milk bars, through to connections with Indigenous Australians resulting in barramundi being introduced onto the menu for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. We explore the often complex social inter-relationships that might be found just beneath the surface of such stories, then chat further about the significance, value, and associated archival complexities of socio-cultural documentation. Effy and Leonard reflect on the significance of recording a diversity of opinions and experiences that capture ideas and wonder, music and architecture, society and history, food, fantasy, and culture, memory and identity. Life itself, really, as past, present and future. Links: https://cafesandmilkbars.com.au/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/effy-alexakis-41124832/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-janiszewski-3b352720/ With lots (!) more links below: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318521752_In_their_own_image_Greek-Australians_NationalProject https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/the-history-of-the-milk-bar-20160617-4gno1.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pvYvAVXNcE https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/leonard-janiszewski-with-the-story-of-australias-greek-cafes-and/7788740 https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/news/food-news/counter-culture-2770 https://neoskosmos.com/en/2022/03/25/features/greek-australian-experience-as-a-forty-year-photo-chronicle-by-effy-alexakis/ https://www.sbs.com.au/language/greek/en/podcast-episode/effy-alexakis-new-photo-exhibition-survey/qgmlxpjxv https://www.ekathimerini.com/society/diaspora/259616/a-visual-history-of-greek-australians/ https://www.goodfood.com.au/eat-out/news/parramatta-roads-olympia-milk-bar-forced-to-shut-its-doors-20171124-gzso7c https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2104/ha090013 https://oralhistoryaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012_journal_full.pdf https://studylib.net/doc/8433484/in-her-own-image--greek-australian-women-beyond-the-stere... https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/world-s-first-milk-bar-leaves-sour-taste-in-downtown-sydney-20221014-p5bpvi.html https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/greekaustralians-olympia-cafe-in-stanmore-one-of-the-last-original-milk-bars-20160606-gpct88.html https://neoskosmos.com/en/2020/12/01/news/community/honouring-the-photographer-who-popularised-greek-australian-history/ https://www.sbs.com.au/language/greek/en/podcast-episode/effy-alexakis-a-symposium-celebrating-the-work-of-the-greek-australian-photographer/vhptewiez https://tracesmagazine.com.au/2014/04/dream-merchants-australias-greek-cafes-2/