Quilt No.799GN - Guna Naoumidis

"Guna's Paploma
Guna Naoumidis was very young when she and her parents arrived at the Bonegilla migrant camp, near Albury NSW, to begin their new, uncertain life in Australia. Edgar and Elga Grislis had fled from their homeland Latvia, and spent five years in a German refugee camp. These were the 'Displaced Persons' camps, filled with thousands of central Europeans, unable to return to their countries because they were now under Soviet Control.
After working out his compulsory contract with the Government, Guna's father took the family to Grafton NSW, where he became a highly skilled woodworker and French polisher. But growing up in 1950's country town Australia was difficult for young Guna: 'I had a very hard time in Grafton, because I was the only new Australian. You can imagine in those years, it was really hard. That's why I left my hometown. I came to Canberra where all the other new Australians were."
One of these 'new Australians' was Steve Naoumidis, recently arrived from Greece. Guna's life continued to be complicated, and when she and Steve married in 1960, Steve had little English and Guna did not speak the fluent Greek she does now. But indeed, marrying into this Greek family was how Guna acquired her gold satin 'paploma' (quilt). Her mother-in-law, Agapi, ordered quilts for all the family, from the local quiltmaker in Florina, northern Greece. (see separate story)
This paploma has been much used over the years, especially when their boys, Alex, George and Lazo were young. Guna followed the standard Greek practice of pinning a sheet to the underside of the quilt, then removing it every week for washing. Not surprisingly, the quilt has now been replaced by a modern doona!
Guna and Steve now retired, have three grandchildren - Stephanie, Christopher, and Lia, children of Alex and Nikki (Dascarolis).
[Written by Lula Saunders; adapted from interview 10/1/01 for the National Quilt Register]