AustLit

Peter Crithary's only formal education occurred at the elementary school in his village. He spent his early years in Australia in Glen Innes, working in family cafes. In 1929 he returned to Greece but re-emigrated in 1935, returning to Glen Innes. In 1944 he moved to Sydney where he spent the rest of his life. He began writing in the 1930s contributing poetry to Greek Australian newspapers and for some time was a reporter for Panellenios Kerykas (Greece) continuing his association with that paper until 1950. For several years he wrote his own column, My Column by P.E. Crithary, in which he used to publish brief stories, sayings and verse. In 1964 he began contributing a column to the newspaper To Ethniko Vema and continued this association until he died. He was a vice-president of the Greek Community of Sydney and NSW (1945-46), president and council member of the Kytherian Brotherhood of Sydney and a member of the board of the Hellenic Club for many years. He also became a Justice of the Peace and was elected to the Town Council of Warialda.