Parochialism in Perth: Aspects of regionalism amongst Western Australia's Castellorizian community

Abstract

Founded in 1912, the Castellorizian Association of Western Australia was the first Greek regional fraternity established anywhere in Australia. In the celebratory atmosphere of its centenary year, Perth’s Castellorizian population had the opportunity for a more critical and introspective examination of its community role. This paper seeks to outline aspects of that role and contribution to the Western Australian Greek community, past and present, while noting that in undertaking that role, Castellorizians were often dismissive of other Greeks and have sometimes excluded them from the local community’s mythology. This attitude has impacted on community politics, relationships and development. While such parochialism is not unique to Castellorizians or Western Australia, did Perth’s isolation, Castellorizian numerical dominance and assimilation accentuate this trend and to what effect?