Paul calls it a day after 67 years serving up food, friendship and smiles

Everyone has been asking what's happened to his Goulburn Takeaway Fresh Food Spot in northern Auburn Street.

"I tell them everything has a beginning and end," Paul said.

The 85-year-old has called it a day on his shop, otherwise known as the 'Original Australian Kythiran Cafe.' It ends 67 years in business in Goulburn, Crookwell, Wollongong, Sydney and several other country centres.

The decision to sell came suddenly for the man who didn't believe in retirement. Under doctor's advice, Paul was told not to lift anything heavy.

"It was a very hard decision after 67 years in the game. One day I was fine and the next I had a sore arm," he said

"I said to my wife (Georgia), that's it. We've done well and now we can live comfortably."

The adjustment is taking time after working 6.30am to 9.30pm Monday to Friday.

But as Paul tells The Post, work has no boundaries in one's own business.

"It's a lot of work, worry and pressure but you get used to it," he said.

He and Georgia bought the cafe 22 years ago after operating the popular Paul's Cafe at Crookwell for 28 years. When the couple moved to Goulburn, their daughter Anna and husband, Fonda Keramianaki, took over Paul's Cafe.

Paul's uncle, who owned a cafe in Boorowa, recommended Crookwell.

"He said it was a gold town and during the depression there wasn't a single vacant shop," Paul said.

"I own five buildings in the main street and not one has ever been empty. It is a very welcoming town."

Hard work and a little luck have paid off for Paul who left his family and the Greek island of Kythira at age 15 in January, 1955. He was one of three boys and one girl born to mixed farmers, John and Anna Cassimatis.

After sailing onboard the Orion, Paul went to work for his uncles, Charlie and Con Tzaanes, at their Armidale cafe. Earning five pounds per six-day week, he paid off his ship fare and with help from a second job, saved to buy his first business.

At age 22 he bought a cafe in Binnaway. His brother, Emmanuel, arrived in Australia in 1961 and the pair then purchased a cafe in Glen Innes. After a brief stint back in Armidale, Paul moved to Wollongong where he worked at the Monterey Milk Bar for 10 years.

There he met Georgia who "worked for the opposition," two doors away.

They married in Wollongong and then shifted to Crookwell.

"I always wanted a shop and house together so the kids could be with us all day. It was also in walking distance of schools," Paul said.

Paul speaks proudly of his children, Anna and Helen, and the work ethic instilled in them and their children. His granddaughter, Mariah Keramianaki, otherwise known as singer, Mariah K, works in Paul's Cafe at Crookwell.

After moving to Goulburn, Paul and Georgia bought a house and the Auburn Street cafe.

"This was a fish market when I opened it up. My wife got worried on the first day when we didn't get our first customer until 10.30am," he said.

"I said 'give it time.' It finished up as one of the best shops in the main street."

Working long days he served everything from fish and chips to chiko rolls, hamburgers, schnitzels, fishcakes and more. These and his expertly made coffee were served with a smile and friendly word.

Before Covid, he returned to Greece for a yearly holiday. Paul still owns a house and farm on Kythira. In retirement he is planning a return trip and more time with family.

Despite his origins, Paul said he'd never been homesick or regretted his decision to leave for "a better future."

"I love this country; it's my home," he said.

"I love serving people, saying g'day and all the friendships. It's not the money but the friendships that count...It's awful just stopping work but I have to think there are better times ahead."