A short story of life and adventure…
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Panagiotis Combis left around the
turn of the century from Ag Nicolaos to Africa in pursuit of success.
Motivated by the gold rush notion, he obtains in 1901 a “Prospecting Licence”
for metals and minerals from the British South Africa Company. After some unsuccessful efforts to extract
gold for himself, he seeks employment as a worker at the construction of the
Victoria Falls Railway in Rhodesia and remains there until the end of the
works in 1905. At a later time (presumed early 1910’s) he is found in
Abyssinia where together with his brother Alexander are engaged in a flower
mill business near Addis-Ababa. The end. Towards 1920, Panagiotis becomes
father to a child born out of his relationship with a native woman employed
at their mill. Tension is rising between him and the locals and escalates
after his refusal to marry her. One day of November 1920 Panagiotis suddenly
falls ill of heavy food poisoning and dies in pain. The case is seen as
possible murder and suspicions soon turn to the young mother, but she has
vanished before police are able to question her…
Alexander Combis is presumed to have taken the same
adventurous routes to Africa as his brother. One recorded document at hand,
pinpoints him in South Rhodesia in 1905. This is when he becomes “British
subject” with a letter of Naturalization issued to him in Umtali on the 17th
of March 1905. Nevertheless, as Alexander has already a wife and children
living a parallel life – and growing - in Ag. Nicolaos, it is apparent that
he must have traveled back and forth at least a few times in between. In
early 1910’s according to the oral story, the brothers are joined together in
the Abyssinian enterprise as above. The end. The Ethiopian personnel is agitated and the relationship
with the owners at edge. It was a day in September 1917 when Alexander was
alone at the mill. One of the workers called him out on the pretext the water
feeding the mill was cut-off. Alexander went to investigate the matter and
whilst there, somebody else slipped unnoticed in the office and pinched his
revolver from his desk. The rest was easy for them. Alexander got a bullet in
his chest, shot dead by his employees with his own gun…
Demitrios Combis the youngest of all brothers served
in the Greek Royal Navy the years 1907-09 and was discharged from Salamis
base with honour. In 1913 he is in Athens to see his brother Michalis who is
ill and stays until his death. Some years later he joins his two brothers in
the Abyssinian enterprise as above. Around 1920 marries Zoe who comes to live
with him in Addis Ababa and their children are born there. Ten years latter
in 1930 he sends them all back to Ag Nicolaos, maybe anticipating the bad
days ahead. The end. It is believed that Demitrios in the mid 1930’s was
contemplating returning to Greece - However the course of events took its own
way. The war is raging and Addis Ababa falls to the advancing Italian forces
on the 3d of May 1936. It is not clear what really happened after that, but
Demitrios was brought one night to the American Hospital in Addis Ababa in
bad condition and died there alone and helpless on 23d of September 1936. |
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