Marino Lucas - Early Years

Early Years

It was perhaps this British influence over the Ionian Island and Ithaca during the mid-19th century that influenced Marino and his brother to leave Greece for the young colony of Australia, at that time established for less than 100 years. After their arrival in Australia and no doubt a great amount of hard work and cultural adjustment, Marino and Anthony prospered. One inevitable byproduct of moving to what was an overwhelmingly Anglo-Saxon nation, was the need to modify their surname. Consequently, Lekatsas became 'Lucas'.

The brothers became interested in both the building industry and the theater. As the following excerpt from the Victorian Government Immigration website details, some of the immigrants may have been undecided as to whether their new home was to be a permanent one:

Greeks had been establishing new lives in Australia since the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s. Many Greeks were amongst the sailors who left their English ships in Australian waters when they heard the discovery of gold. Most intended to return home rich men, so few women came to join them. By 1871, there were still only 19 Greece-born women in Victoria, and 127 men. After the gold declined, those who stayed found work in restaurants, cafes and shops.