Our international family 1972; Athina;

Athina from Athen, the tall girl with dark curls, holding Mireille from Paris, Mireille came to us for the summer holidays from "Brot fuer Brueder" as this help organisation was called then.

Peter, and our three girls.

Athina was in the Pestalozzidorf in Trogen, and came to us to spend her summer holidays.

The Pestalozzidorf was a refuge village for children in the second world war.

Later it was used for children from all over the world who's countries were in upheaval from wars and military coups like it happened at this time in Greece.

Dictatorship Military Junta 1967-1974

Shortly before the elections the Greek government was overthrown by a group of ultra conservative officers under Georgios Papadopoulos and established a dictatorial Regime Military Junta with exceptional conditions.

No freedom of the press, mass arrests and deportations ( Mikis Theodorakis was a victim) concentration camps. We want to save Greece for christian greeks was the slogan of the military junta. Men were not allowed to wear long hair and mini skirts were prohibited. Sophokles, Tolstoy, Euripides, Aristophanes, Ionesco, Sartre, Albee, Beckett, Dostojewski were prohibited. The traditional throwing of glasses, sociology, modern Mathematics and the letter Z which means in old Greek “He lives” were prohibited.

As this regime was extremely anticommunist it was supported and helped by the USA. The USA had fully accepted the coup regime of the Military Junta.

When Bill Clinton visited Athen on 2oth November 1999 he appologist for the USA ’s involvement and support of this terrible Military junta who caused the death, torture and incarceration of so many innocent people. He said, the USA was sorry to have let its own interest prevail, which they are still doing and is still going in many countries. Empty words of apology do not erase the suffering and bitterness.

I am glad we could give Athina a happy summer in our family. She was home sick.

Her father a minister in the previous government was tortured and incarcerated on an island.

Her mother had died and her elder sister was away in an other country at university.

Athina had extended family which she loved and missed. She spoke well Swiss German.