Page 44 - Bulletin 12 2008

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THE BASSIOS AND STAVROU FAMILIES

Alex Bassios

Introduction

The stories of the immigrants are similar: hard times, hard work, frugality, close family,

and success. As an example, I will concentrate on the stories of my grandfather Alec
Bassios (who owned the ‘Station Café’, the ‘Olympia Café’, and the Olympia building) and

his best friend, Stephanos Stavrou (who owned SL Bazaars). They settled in Kalk Bay for

most of their lives.

First: their lives in a historical and chronological context of what was happening around

them.

Historical background

The Balkans and Asia Minor were part of the Ottoman Empire since the 1400s. Prior to this
the area was part of the Byzantine (or eastern Roman) Empire. This was the remnant of the

Roman Empire, and Greek was the lingua franca. Both Empires were multi-ethnic. The

Ottomans were Muslim Turks, but in accordance with the tenets of Islam, they tolerated
Christian and Jewish communities within the Empire.

By the 1800s the Empire was in steep decline and was called “the sick man of Europe”.

Nationalism was a new and powerful concept inspired by the French revolution. It
galvanized the subject Christian nations such as the Serbs, Bulgarians and Greeks to rebel.

These different groups fought for and achieved independence from the Ottomans. Through

wars and treaties the borders of these young states increased at the expense of the
crumbling Ottoman Empire.