Nicholas Fotiou, a Greek immigrant and owner of Olympia Milk Bar from 1959 until its closure in 2017, died last week, leaving behind a massive legacy tied to the store he worked at for nearly six decades.
Mr Fotiou and the Olympia Milk Bar at 190 Parramatta Rd in Stanmore have become local fixtures, with its history chronicled by Leonard Janiszewski and Effy Alexakis in their book ‘Greek Cafes & Milk Bars of Australia’.
Dr Janiszewski said Mr Fotiou was a “discreet individual who kept intervention from government authorities and his intimate personal relationships beyond the family at arm’s length”, having personal secrets which he would allude to, but would not elaborate on. .
“He liked to speak Greek, discuss the milk bar and how it worked, but very rarely the details of his life. Some saw him as a recluse, others as a curiosity – an oddity, out of time and irrelevant, given that milk bars were rapidly disappearing in Sydney,” he said. Neos Cosmos.
Dr Janiszewski shared some insights into Mr Fotiou’s journey, noting that the Lemnos native (born 1936), believed to have been there during the German occupation, arrived in Australia aboard the migrant ship Cyrenia in 1955.
His arrival was sponsored by the operators of a Greek cafe in Wagga Wagga called Silver Key Café.
“He appears to have worked there, and possibly other Greek cafes in regional New South Wales, until he joined his older brother John in 1959 at the Olympia Milk Bar” , said Dr. Janiszewski.
“John died in 1981 at the age of 49, but Nicholas persisted in operating the milk bar until its forced closure in 2017; the local council considered it a threat to the safety and health of the general public.
The Macquarie University history academic mentioned that, according to a relative, the brothers had an agreement that the milk bar would continue if the other died, which Mr Fotiou honored for 36 years without fail .
“Operating cafes and a milk bar was essentially the only life Nicholas ever knew in Australia,” Dr Janiszewski said.
“The routine of daily dealing with customers and running the business was the pattern of his life and became an inseparable part of his self-worth and identity. »
Mr. Fotiou kept the Olympia (which had already been in operation since 1939) running well beyond its expiration date thanks to his unwavering dedication.
“The Olympia Milk Bar continued to serve its customers long after its use-by date because of Nicholas’ commitment to it and what it meant to him: safety, security, identity and self-esteem. »
Dr. Janiszewski noted that the business did very well in the 1950s and early 1960s, thanks to a strong symbiotic working relationship with the neighboring Olympia De-Luxe Picture Theater.
This continued when the theater was converted into a roller skating rink, enjoying good youth sponsorship, until a dispute arose between the Fotiou’s and the rink manager and difficult times ensued .
“Reasonable customer traffic persisted through the 1970s and 1980s, despite competition from an increasing number of other ‘fast food companies’ appearing in the area,” Dr Janiszewski said.
“When Nicholas decided not to renovate the milk bar, much of its original furnishings, such as the 1930s serving counter and later 1960s additions, such as Laminex tables and advertising, attracted the curious, the nostalgic, the writers, the musicians and the potential artists. in addition to the usual premises.
These types of visits, Dr. Janiszewski explained, allowed the milk bar to become a local cultural icon, inspiring two songs, being mentioned in two novels and even having a few mini-documentary films about it.
Dr Janiszewski explained that the Olympia was the last of Sydney’s traditional “modern, American-style milk bars”, as designed by Mick Adams (Joachim Tavlaridis) in November 1932 at his Black & White Milk Bar in Martin Place , Sydney.
The store had a long service counter with “Island Service” areas for milkshakes, soft drinks and confectionery, so customers knew where to find the item they wanted, with emphasis on milkshakes and sodas rather than confectionery.
Originally no food items or tables were provided, although there was a small number of seats.
The store had a confectionery counter, quite small, at the front of the service counter which faced the entrance, as well as an accordion door which allowed the activity inside to spill out onto the sidewalk – a typical feature of the very first milk bars. .
“Stylistically, it echoed what 1930s milk bars originally looked like and the emphasis on their service – there are no such original milk bars anymore (not to be missed). confused with Greek cafes) like this one in Australia,” Dr Janiszewski said.
The building is listed on the NSW Heritage Register and was sold earlier this year, with Mr Fotiou remaining at the property, which was also his home, until 2021 when he was moved to a retirement home.
He was laid to rest at Rookwood Cemetery last Friday, October 6, with his legacy forged and forever linked to his dedication and commitment to the Olympia Milk Bar.
