The Roman philosopher Cicero
famously wrote that to add a library
to a house is to give that house a
soul.
After years of accumulating books,
articles, newspapers and other
memorabilia the Kytherian
Association has finally unveiled the
jewel in its crown: a fine
Hellenic-themed library and cultural
resource centre on the first floor
of New Kythera House at 24 King
Street, Rockdale.
The range of subject matter covered
in the library is wide, including
Kythera - its history, culture &
people; Greek immigration to
Australia and the USA and the
migrant experience; the Greek War of
Independence; Byzantium and Greek
Orthodoxy; archaeology and the
Minoan colonisation of Kythera;
Classical Greece and the history of
the Parthenon; Greek folkloric
costumes and dancing; Hellenic
cuisine; photography; the Smyrna
catastrophe and Greece during World
War II; modern Greek history and
much more.

The library has been named the
Nicholas Anthony Aroney Library in
honour of the great benefactor. His
trustees, in recognising the true
spirit of his generosity, have
expanded the scholarly horizons of
the will by generous bequests to
assist with the ongoing acquisition
and collating of books and other
materials.
The cultural resource centre also
features computers, a copier and
scanner and printers to enable
members to carry out research.
We hope to be able to open Kythera
House on a regular basis for our
members to use the facilities. A
Kytherian Book Club is also being
planned. More details will follow.
We are confident that we now have a
rich and varied cultural resource
centre that will serve as a valuable
inheritance for generations to come.
For our library is more than just a
room full of books. It is a place
where our history, our sense of
being, comes to life. It is indeed a
library for the soul.
Kytherian Association of Australia
Library
Email:
culture@kytherianassociation.com.au |