TA NEA 02 February 2019
"My family is from Kythera", explains the first campaigner for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, Emanuel J.Comino. "But I was born in Rockhampton Central Queensland Australia on the 13th May 1933 and continue to work and live in Sydney. My father John, was from Perlegianika and my mother Sophia from Drimona in Kythera. They met and were married in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1931.
I first visited Greece in 1938. War overtook us so I spent the war years on my parents’ island, Kythera. Growing up in a small Australian country town, and wartime Kythera, limited exposure to wider Greece. So, when I returned to Europe in 1976, it was without a substantial background in Greek culture or history.
After visiting many of the great museums I was intrigued and somewhat disturbed by the many Greek antiquities they held. Finally, on my arrival in Athens I saw the Parthenon for the first time and was struck by its magnificent. I’m sure everyone who visits the Parthenon for the first time has their own recollection of that magic moment. It was then, for the first time, that I also came to appreciate the damage Elgin had inflicted on the Parthenon. From that moment I became committed to seeking the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles.
I began reading everything I could find on the Parthenon and from 1976 onwards I started giving short talks on the Parthenon Marbles. As my reading and research expanded, and with the help of the Greek National Tourism Organisation and the National bank of Greece, I developed a set of slides to illustrate my talks.
In 1981, I formed the first committee to campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles under the auspices of the Australian Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association (AHEPA).
The following year, Melina Mercouri, the Minister of Culture and Sciences for Greece, addressed the World Conference on Cultural Policies, organised by UNESCO in Mexico. She told the conference that the Parthenon Marbles must be returned to Greece. I read an article about her address in the Sydney Morning Herald. Parts of her brilliant speech in Mexico were quoted. She said in part:
'I think that the time has come for these marbles to come back to the blue sky of Attica, to their natural space, to the place where they will be a structural and functional part of a unique whole.
We are not naive. The day may come when this world will create other visions, other concepts of what is proper, of what comprises a cultural patrimony and of human creativity. And we well understand that the museums cannot be emptied. But I insist on reminding you that in the case of the Acropolis marbles we are not asking for the return of a painting or a statue. We are asking for the return of a portion of a unique monument, the privileged symbol of a whole culture.'
I felt compelled to write to Melina Mercouri immediately and I was delighted to receive her reply. She enthusiastically supported my initiative and also introduced me to the chair of the newly formed British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, Robert Browning, Emeritus Professor of Greek at the University of London.
Melina was adamant, as was I that we should never use the term the 'Elgin Marbles', but rather the term, the 'Parthenon Marbles' to describe the pedimental sculptures, frieze and metopes Elgin tore from the Parthenon.
In the meantime, I sent the original motion of support for the founding of our committee to Melina Mercouri and Robert Browning. Early in 1983 I began to hear rumours that Melina was coming to Australia. So, I wrote to her and asked if we could meet and discuss the Parthenon Marbles campaign while she was in Sydney.
When she arrived in Sydney, the Premier of New South Wales invited me, along with some 25 other members of the Greek Australian community, to a meet Melina. At the beginning there was the usual formal line of guests who shook hands with her. I too greeted her in the formal manner. When she had settled into the meeting, I approach the official accompanying her and gave him a copy of the letter she had sent me. He walked over and handed it to her, on the other side of the room. She glanced at the letter, her face lite up, she threw up her hands, and turned towards me. She came straight across the room to me and hugged me.
We chatted a little about the Parthenon Marbles, but she soon had to move on and circulate amongst the other guests.
As she was leaving, she came over to me and said in Greek, “My boy, don't ever stop the campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to our country.”
I looked at her and replied, in English: “I will fight on for the return of the Parthenon Marbles until the England promises to send them back or until the day I die.”
She embraced me. There was a tear in her eye as she kissed me on the cheek.
She didn't kiss anyone else.
Emanuel J. Comino AM JP
Ta Nea carried an article on Emanuel Comino written by UK Correspondent, Yannis Andritsopoulos on Saturday 13 February. You can read it in Greek on the Ta Nea's website or in English by following the link here. This article has been published on other outlets also.
Founder and Chair of the International Organising Committee Australia for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (IOCARPM)
Emanuel and his Committee IOCARPM have worked closely with BCRPM for decades, starting with Graham Binns, Robert Browning and Eleni Cubitt. When Eleni retired as Secretary of the BCRPM in June 2012, the then Chair of BCRPM, Eddie O’Hara struck a very special relationship with Emanuel. This was born out of respect and by way of gratitude for Emanuel’s decades of support for the BCRPM. Such loyalty was in Eddie’s eyes priceless. The International Colloquies launched in London in June 2012, also took place in Sydney in November 2013 and Athens in July 2015, thanks to Emanuel's support.
In Room 18 of the British Museum with Graham Binns and Robert Browning
Robert Browning, Eleni Cubitt and Jules Dassin with Emanuel Comino
Emanuel Comino with Eddie O'Hara in London, June 2012
After the campaign lost Eddie, Emanuel and his Committee were in London for the Commemorative Event held at Senate House, where BCRPM were honouring Melina and 200 years from the date in 1816 when the British Parliament voted to purchase from Lord Elgin his collection of sculpted marbles collected from the Parthenon.
The Bicentenary Commemorative Event was jointly organised by BCRPM with IOCARPM and held at Senate House on 07 June 2016. Melina Mercouri had spoken at Senate House in the 80’s and BCRPM had hoped to hear Eddie speak in 2016 alongside key note speaker Tristram Besterman, Professor Paul Cartledge a Vice-Chair of BCRPM, Victoria Solomonides (who paid tribute to Melina Mercouri), Artemis Papathassiou, George Bizos, William St Clair and Russell Darnley. Eddie tragically passed away 10 days before the event and it was Emanuel’s tribute that touched all the hearts of the assembled, as it embraced his reflections of when he first met Melina Mercouri and what she had said to him at that time, which encouraged him to also forge the long stading relationship with BCRPM.
Bicentenary Commemorative Event, 07 June 2016, Senate House: William St Clair, Artemis Papathassiou, George Bizos, Emanuel Comino, Russel Darnley, Professor Paul Cartledge and Tristram Besterman
Emanuel is a man whose friendships means a great deal as he has welcomed campaigners from all over the globe. Melina meeting him for the first time in 1983 no doubt recognised in his twinkling blue eyes, the warmth of Emanuel as a human being and despite the difficult decades of the campaign, losing Melina in 1994 and others over the years, he has stood steadfast.
In April 2019, in Athens, Emanuel was elected as Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the International Association of the Parthenon Sculptures ( IARPS).
Emanuel Comino with Christiane Tytgat, Chair of the IARPS, in Athens in April 2019
Marlen Godwin adds:
"On a personal note…. I never met Melina Mercouri but having become acquainted with Emanuel for the last decade I see in those very blue eyes (which still twinkle), all the emotion of a very special person. Life may not always be fair (Emanuel lost his mother just aged 4 and despite his years of dedication to the campaign, he was not invited to the opening of the Acropolis Museum in June 2009). Nor is life as fair as we would always wish it to be, sadly the Parthenon Marbles remain divided. For some campaigners the fact that the marbles are still divided is a reflection of how ‘little’ BCRPM and IOC-A-RPM have done/achieved but the reality is that what has been achieved is the camaraderie across timeless, priceless moments, from the books published, to the photos, conferences, debates, exhibitions and myriad of peaceful protests. Emanuel's dedication to upholding principles continues to inspire many young people and will be forever treasured, not least the 400 school children of SAHETI School in South Africa which he addressed with George Bizos in 2012. There have been no gimmicks, no clever advertising or PR, just stripped back sensibility and sensitivity. And what does Emanuel hope for? That the campaign remembers his heartfelt messages and his infectious enthusiasm, which continues to inspire so many more young people to the campaign, and to this day."
June 2012
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