The Story of Ted Yannas

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Felt this deserved its own dedicated thread. It's the story of Ted Yannas, a Macedonian from Lerin who migrated to Melbourne and had to face an identity crisis and a conflict of ideology in his community.

[Liberator of Makedonija]

[Liberator of Makedonija]

[Liberator of Makedonija]

[Karposh]

If anyone on this forum has any real insight with regard to Aegean Macedonian villages, I'd be really interested to know if Kladorabi has always been a Grkoman village or whether this village is symptomatic of a much broader cross section of Macedonian villages who share these types of pro-Greek attitudes. I don't mean to sound naive and I know circumstances have forced these pro-Greek attitudes on people but I also know that there are many villages who do not share these attitudes. And, there are still others which are slowly waking up from their Greek stupor they have found themselves in, as the main character from this thread's narrative, Ted, managed to do. The reason I ask is that the odds don't look good if we take Kladorabi as a typical example of attitudes among Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia. One or two people out of a whole village who are not afraid to announce that they are in fact Macedonians don't seem like good odds at all.

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Originally Posted by Karposh

If anyone on this forum has any real insight with regard to Aegean Macedonian villages, I'd be really interested to know if Kladorabi has always been a Grkoman village or whether this village is symptomatic of a much broader cross section of Macedonian villages who share these types of pro-Greek attitudes. I don't mean to sound naive and I know circumstances have forced these pro-Greek attitudes on people but I also know that there are many villages who do not share these attitudes. And, there are still others which are slowly waking up from their Greek stupor they have found themselves in, as the main character from this thread's narrative, Ted, managed to do. The reason I ask is that the odds don't look good if we take Kladorabi as a typical example of attitudes among Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia. One or two people out of a whole village who are not afraid to announce that they are in fact Macedonians don't seem like good odds at all.

I should have noted that names and birthplaces were altered for the protection of privacy, so "Jim Yannas" isn't actually from Kladorabi.

In saying that, there are some Pro-Greek villages in Lerinsko of course but many that aren't, it's a complex scenario.

[Bill77]

Originally Posted by Karposh

If anyone on this forum has any real insight with regard to Aegean Macedonian villages, I'd be really interested to know if Kladorabi has always been a Grkoman village or whether this village is symptomatic of a much broader cross section of Macedonian villages who share these types of pro-Greek attitudes. I don't mean to sound naive and I know circumstances have forced these pro-Greek attitudes on people but I also know that there are many villages who do not share these attitudes. And, there are still others which are slowly waking up from their Greek stupor they have found themselves in, as the main character from this thread's narrative, Ted, managed to do. The reason I ask is that the odds don't look good if we take Kladorabi as a typical example of attitudes among Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia. One or two people out of a whole village who are not afraid to announce that they are in fact Macedonians don't seem like good odds at all.

Look at my avatar

Thats a dedo of mine who was born, lived and died in Kladorabi. he was only 17, a Pro Macedonian independence partizan during the civil war when captured (lured into a trap) by the fascist Greek army. He had his head cut off and then his torso dragged by a rope tied to a horse through his village Kladorabi, in order to send fear through the population in that village. An auntie of his lunged at his torso with a blanket covering him to give him some dignity. Which is when a general dragged her off and inspected the body which his head was also alongside him. After realizing how young he was, He then started laughing and mocked him as he yelled to the rest of the villagers who gathered around the center "Are these the types we fear that will take Macedonia away from us?" This tells me at that time, Kladorabi was pro Macedonian. During a visit to that village around 10 years ago, i spent a couple of nights there and sensed nothing but Macedonian.

[Amphipolis]

This is Lithoxoou's synopsis of sources for Kladorahi (automatic translation)

https://translate.google.gr/translat...-text=&act=url





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[Risto the Great]

Originally Posted by Bill77

Look at my avatar

Thats a dedo of mine who was born, lived and died in Kladorabi. he was only 17, a Pro Macedonian independence partizan during the civil war when captured (lured into a trap) by the fascist Greek army. He had his head cut off and then his torso dragged by a rope tied to a horse through his village Kladorabi, in order to send fear through the population in that village. An auntie of his lunged at his torso with a blanket covering him to give him some dignity. Which is when a general dragged her off and inspected the body which his head was also alongside him. After realizing how young he was, He then started laughing and mocked him as he yelled to the rest of the villagers who gathered around the center "Are these the types we fear that will take Macedonia away from us?" This tells me at that time, Kladorabi was pro Macedonian. During a visit to that village around 10 years ago, i spent a couple of nights there and sensed nothing but Macedonian.

Terrible and infuriating to read, Bill. I am sorry.

Originally Posted by link from Amphipolis above

After being killed seventeen, Karavitis leaves the latter to live, telling the other Macedonians that anyone who does not become a Greek will not remain in his house " no cat alive "

Greeks either can't read their own resources or they are all lying to the world together in one cohesive group. I don't think they are that clever. What a bunch of duped fools.

[Bill77]

Originally Posted by Risto the Great

Terrible and infuriating to read, Bill. I am sorry.

Thanks Chris. Even more tragic is that he was taken away to some mass grave which his parents and siblings never found out exactly where. Though i did a little investigating for them while i was there (as they can never cross over the border) and found out roughly where he might be.

He with the help of the partisans transferred his parents and siblings over to Bitola after police threatened the family's lives if they don't hand their son in within 24hours. Which parent can hand their son over, to a certain death? He stayed with then a couple of days in Bitola making sure they ended up having a roof over their heads. Thats when this photo was taken. That was the last they have seen of him as the next day he head back to continue to fight and seven days later, he lost his life.

Oh most infuriating thing is, it was his uncle (Tetin) that ran to where he was captured and handed his own axe, which was used by the capturers so they could chop his head off. Wanted to show them (the weasel that he was) that he was a proud Greek. many many years later he, this tetin went to Bitola and looked up my Great grandparents and dropped to his knees asking for forgiveness. The piece of shit. He moved to Melbourne Australia not long after and gladly he died a decade ago. Not soon enough and i feel bad saying it.