Harry Thodis: A life of love, courage and a Greek heart

Harry Thodis, a pioneering Greek migrant who near a lasting people connected Australia’s assemblage and shipping industry, has passed distant astatine the property of 91. Founder of Hermes Shipping and a lifelong supporter of the Greek diaspora, Thodis embodied resilience, love, and boldness, adjacent opening to study doctrine astatine the property of 60.

Born connected 15 January 1934 successful Loutraki, Corinth, and raised successful his family’s village of Perachora, Harry grew up successful an epoch when schooling was a luxury. Despite the hardships, his caput remained curious, his spirit fearless.

Harry and Anne successful their youth, dancing together successful Melbourne during the aboriginal years of their beingness successful Australia.

Migration and family

In 1959, his beingness changed everlastingly when helium migrated to Australia, which helium described arsenic “winning life’s lottery.” At conscionable 25, helium met Antje (Anne) Maaten, a 17-year-old Dutch migrant. Their marriage, unusual for the time, was a testament to his assurance and courageousness and endured for 65 years, defined by communal emotion and respect.

Entrepreneurial spirit

After working successful factories and breweries, Harry co-founded Hermes Taxi Trucks successful 1964 with his member George and wife Anne. Beginning with conscionable two VW Kombis, they helped young Greek migrants determination betwixt shared boarding houses successful Melbourne’s interior suburbs.

A young Harry Thodis successful Greece, earlier migrating to Australia successful 1959.

As Greek families settled successful suburban and determination areas during the ’60s and ’70s, the institution expanded into a fleet of 30 trucks, offering employment to galore young Greeks and giving them their archetypal nonrecreational opportunities.

Driven by passionateness for his community, Harry aboriginal founded Hermes Shipping, gathering the needs of migrants who longed to nonstop and person goods from Greece, from idiosyncratic belongings to prized olive oil. For Harry, clients were ne'er conscionable customers; they became friends, often embraced arsenic family.

Although helium concisely ventured into Acropolis Travel, shipping remained his large love. Today, Hermes Shipping continues to run under the attraction of his children, Arthur and Connie, and grandson, Harrison.

Harry and his wife Antje (Anne) Maaten, whose matrimony spanned 65 years of emotion and partnership.

A household antheral and assemblage pillar

Harry was the arrogant begetter of Joanne, Arthur and Connie, and a devoted gramps and great-grandfather. He travelled overseas 47 times, ever anxious to learn, teach, and stock stories.

He cherished Melbourne’s Greek clubs, including the Cyprus-Hellenic Club, and played backgammon well into his nineties astatine the Greek Elderly Citizens Club successful Bulleen.

At 60, helium returned to study, embracing doctrine and holding lively debates with friends successful Pine cafés. His lifelong committedness to cognition and assemblage was besides reflected successful his devotion to speechmaking Neos Kosmos screen to cover, close up until a week earlier his passing connected 21 September 2025.

For Harry Thodis, family, community, and beingness successful Australia were life’s top gifts. His bequest endures done his businesses, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but supra each done the illustration helium set: a antheral who dared, who loved deeply, who created, and who lived with a Greek bosom unfastened to the world.

Harry Thodis astatine the Port of Melbourne, where his passionateness for shipping and assemblage connections came to life.