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Strathis (Stan) Raftopoulos MBE

– A Movie Mogul

By Gerry Kennedy

tan Raftopoulos’ story began as did many other immi- then spent most
grant stories of the early 20th century. The first mem- of the wartime
Sbers of the Raftopoulos family, and distant relatives of entertaining
Stan, arrived in Australia in the 1860s. (These were the broth- troops in concert parties and
ers Spiro, Platon and Demosthenes). performing in variety shows and concerts. As a mem-
Many impoverished migrant men came to Australia and ber of the National Follies he remembers playing in a lot of
embarked on years of hard labour in an attempt to make good. Melbourne venues including the Tivoli, Kings, Apollo, Savoy
It was often the intention to work for five years and then return and New Theatres. As film screenings were prohibited on
to their homeland. Their families were left behind and often Sundays, in those days, concerts were staged in cinemas if they
their children did not see their fathers for many years. Stan’s had any sort of stage facilities. He remembers Tivoli shows
grandfather Raftopoulos was one of these people and he moving to the Royal Hall at Footscray for a suburban season.
arrived in Australia in 1895. He returned to Greece in 1903 Stan still occasionally performs today at charity functions.
and again returned to Australia at the end of the same year In 1946 his father sent him back to work at the family
with his son John leaving the rest of the family behind. They property in Deakin Ave, Mildura, a vineyard of 25 acres! After
worked in the fruit business in the Sunraysia district around this property was resumed by the Education Department to
the large rural town of Mildura in Victoria. increase the grounds of the neighbouring High School Stan
Stan’s father, Spiros, came to Australia in 1922 and settled returned to Melbourne. Stan taught the Greek language to
in Redcliffs (near Mildura). He opened the Golden Key Café Greeks in Melbourne from 1946-51.
in 1923, becoming the best in the area. Five years later he Stan imported the first Greek film into Australia in 1949,
moved to Merbein (west of Mildura) and built four shops, one which he screened in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane
of which was the Kookaburra Café. Eleven years later in 1933 and Newcastle. The Finos Films production was entitled Voice
he returned to Ithaca, Greece. At the end of 1933 he returned of the Heart and in Melbourne it was shown at the Nicolas
to Australia taking with him his son Stan. The rest of Spiros’ Theatre (Lonsdale St), a 500 seat venue. In Sydney the film
family followed later and they all settled in Merbein. was screened in the Macabian Hall (Darlinghurst). From these
Stan was born in Ithaca in 1922 and recalled being the only early beginnings Stan embarked on a film-importing career
foreign student at the Merbein South State School in 1934 and through his company Dionysios Films. Up to 1956 he was the
being subjected to a lot of bullying for being different. only importer supplying films to the rapidly growing Greek
Opposite the Café was the Royal Theatre and a sidewall of community and he travelled to the eastern capitals and to larg-
the Café was used to post day bills in exchange for free cinema er country towns with his travelling shows. Today Melbourne
passes. Stan was a regular visitor to the Royal and befriended has the largest Greek population outside Greece.
the projectionist (in a manner reminiscent to the film Cinema In 1943 Stan published his first poetic works entitled
Paradiso). He often picked up bits of film from the waste bin in Freedom Selections; it was the first Greek poetical work pub-
the projection room. He later purchased a cheap hand projector lished in Australia. From this he later got the idea of becom-
from the Mildura Coles store for 2/6 (25¢). He then joined his ing a printer to produce all the posters and flyers for his film
scraps of film and screened it to friends. publicity. He established his own printing business in the
In 1937 the Raftopoulos family moved to Melbourne, after woodshed at the back of his father’s home in Madden Grove,
selling their shops in Merbein, and settled in Abbotsford. They Kew. He subsequently developed a database of addresses for
ran a milk bar and a fruit shop. Also, in 1937, Stan purchased Greek citizens for the eastern capital cities and Newcastle. He
his first movie camera, a 9.5 mm then sent them flyers of forthcoming
model and began to film school attractions. Stan’s wife Kay, and his
picnics and weddings (for sister, ran the postage and later Kay
free). was trained to run the printing
Stan’s theatrical talents press which is still housed, in full
were also being developed at this working condition, in the basement
time. He was, and still is, an accom- of their home.
plished magician. He started getting Tuesdays and Thursdays proved
work as “Rafto the Magician” and to be the best nights for screening to
worked with Audrey Anderson, Manager of the Greek Community as they were
the “Glad Eye Review Company”. Fire eat- mainly shop keepers and these were
ing was one of Stan’s spectacular acts. their quietest days.
He was called up for military service in In 1951 Stan returned to
1940 however, Audrey Anderson was able Greece and showed documen-
to get him an exemption for 6 months in
order to work the Glad Eye group. Stan Stan filming in Greece in 1954.

8 8 Autumn 2001 CINEMARECORD