Fonds F0735 - Basil and Dora Avramis fonds

Basil Avramis was born in 1936 Lepreon (Zacharo), Greece. His experiences with the Axis Occupation of Greece in the Second World War and subsequent Greek Civil War inspired him to pursue a career in journalism. He attended the School of Journalism at the University of Athens and received a degree in Journalism. In 1964 he immigrated to Toronto, where he worked as the foreign correspondent for Εθνικός Κήρυξ (The National Herald), a Greek-language newspaper based in New York City, USA. He was also a correspondent for Μακεδονική Ζωή (Macedonian Life), a magazine based in Thessaloniki, Greece. In the 1970s he served with the Queen’s Own Rifles in Petawawa, Ontario.

Around 1970, Basil began working with Rogers Television to produce the Avramis Greek Show, with the aim to provide unbiased coverage of Greek events in Toronto, as well as Greek-language programming on Canadian news topics. As part of this work covering an upcoming election, Basil contacted the Chief Librarian at the Toronto Public Library looking for a guest who could speak Greek. He was put in touch with Dora, who participated in the interview. They were married in 1975.

Around 1975, the Avramis Greek Show was also picked up by Global TV and aired live from their studios at 81 Barber Greene Road every Sunday morning. This would continue until around 1985, when the Avramis Greek Show would air exclusively on Rogers Television. Basil produced the Avramis Greek Show on his own using his own equipment. He employed a cameraman named Dan Starteck who also worked with the CBC, but Basil would also act as cameraman on occasions when he was not available. He ran his company, Avra Productions, out of the basement of his home, where he edited episodes of the Avramis Greek Show for Rogers Television.

The Avramis Greek Show had many notable regular guests on the show, including former Ontario Premier Bill Davis, Professor John Mylopoulos, Professor Tasos Venetsenopoulos, Dr. Demitrios Oreopoulos, and Dr. Tony Vlasopoulos. The Avramis Greek show also covered events in the Greek Cypriot Canadian community, including the demonstrations in Ottawa around the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus.

In recognition for his work on the Avramis Greek Show, Basil Avramis was awarded the Diaspora Media of the Year 2000 (Ομογενειακό Μέσο της Χρονιάς 2000) award by the Hellenic Republic’s Ministry for the Press and Media (Υπουργείο Τύπου και Μέσων Μαζικής Ενημέρωσης). The award was presented on July 5, 2001, by Minister Dimitris Reppas.

Two years later, on July 10, 2003, a committee assembled by the Hellenic Republic’s Ministry of Press and Media awarded Basil Avramis the prize for the Best Report of the Year 2002 in diaspora radio and television (Βραβείο για το καλύτερο Ρεπορτάζ της Χρονιάς 2002 σε ομογενειακό ραδιοτηλεοπτικό μέσο) for his coverage of the Greek Community of Toronto’s Greek Language education program.

The Avramis Greek Show ceased production in 2012. In his retirement, Basil spend time pursuing research and writing short stories and poetry.

In addition to his degree in Journalism, Basil Avramis also completed a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Political Science from York University.

Dora Drivas-Avramis was born in 1947 in Lakonia, Greece. She immigrated to Toronto at the age of 9 with her family. She attended the University of Toronto and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in History and Political Science. She then attended the University of Michigan and completed her Master of Arts (MA) in World History. After obtaining her MA, she returned to Toronto to wait for her supervisor to return from overseas so she could pursue a PhD. It was during this time that she was hired by the Toronto Public Library for her fluency in English, Greek, and French.

Around 1970, Basil began working with Rogers Television to produce the Avramis Greek Show, with the aim to provide unbiased coverage of Greek events in Toronto, as well as Greek-language programming on Canadian news topics. As part of this work covering an upcoming election, Basil contacted the Chief Librarian at the Toronto Public Library looking for a guest who could speak Greek. He was put in touch with Dora, who participated in the interview. They were married in 1975.

Dora and Basil Avramis worked together to develop programming for the Avramis Greek Show. Dora used her passion for public affairs, and her skills from her position as the Head of Publicity and later as the Marketing and Communications Officer for the Toronto Public Library to act as the creative advisor who would suggest guest speakers and topics. Dora would also cover news from Greece in English as part of the show, but this segment was short-lived as she needed time to focus on her career and her young family.

The Avramis Greek Show ceased production in 2012. In her retirement, Dora Avramis spends time pursuing research and writing. She has written opinion pieces for the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail. She is also the author of an anthology titled “The Buses and Other Short Stories”. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Dora began work on writing a history book on the every-day lived experiences of Greeks during the Axis Invasion and Occupation of Greece during the Second World War.

In addition to her BA and MA, Dora Drivas-Avramis completed a postgraduate certification in Communication from York University, where she studied under Eric McLuhan.