Obituaries for March 13, 2021: Restaurateur Zeffie Kathreptis and geologist Dr Roy Woodall

Today we pay tribute to Mezes Greek restaurant founder Zeffie Kathreptis and Olympic Dam ore discoverer Dr Roy Woodall.

Zeffie Kathreptis with Maggie Beer, Lew Kathreptis and Irene Kathreptis.

The Advertiser obituaries for March 13, 2021.

SAPHERO ‘ZEFFIE’ KATHREPTIS

Restaurateur

Born: December 1, 1929, Adelaide

Died: February 15, 2021, Adelaide

Zeffie Kathreptis and her family took Mezes from a humble Greek canteen to be one of the country’s most celebrated restaurants. At a time when Adelaide’s food scene was at its hottest, she was the godmother of the East End.

Zeffie’s father Apostoli Taliangis came from Mitilini on the island of Lesvos and her mother, Dimitra Poulea, from Smyrna in Turkey. They migrated to Australia separately, met by proxy and married at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Adelaide as there were no Greek churches here at the time.

Zeffie was the third of six children and attended Sturt Street Primary and then Adelaide Girls High. But she was kept home to look after younger siblings, Christopher and Julia, while yiayia Dimitra was helping Greek migrants settle into life in Australia. The family lived on North Terrace next to the Newmarket Hotel and became good friends with the publicans and their children.

Zeffie married George Kathreptis in 1954 but divorced about 25 years later. They had three children, Irene, Elias (Lew) and Anthony. Zeffie was a devoted wife and mother. She would go to the football with Tony and barrack loudly, she encouraged Lew with his painting and drawing, and, when he decided to give up teaching to work at Mezes, she supported him. Her mantra was to believe in people, to see the best in them, and life would be grand.

Zeffie loved sport, particularly cricket, tennis, the West Adelaide football club and the Adelaide Crows. She would ring FIVEaa talkback radio until she became so well known they recognised her voice straight away: “Hi Bessie, what do you think about the game on Saturday?” Bessie was her pseudonym.

Zeffie was a qualified seamstress and would sew gowns for herself and sisters Rose and Connie for upcoming dances. She never stopped sewing. At Greek Easter, she would make matching outfits for her young children, sailor outfits or corduroy suits, with a skirt for Irene and shorts for the boys.

In 1981, Zeffie opened Mezes with her son Tony. They both did the shopping and cooking. Tony served and Zeffie cleaned. They served adventurous dishes like hot ham and cheese rolls, chicken schnitzels, and chicken stuffed with cheese and olives – gourmet indeed. But the favourites were Zeffie’s homestyle Greek dishes such as moussaka, pastitso and yemista.

Later, when Lew became involved and took command in the kitchen, Mezes blossomed into a foodies’ destination frequented by other restaurateurs, politicians, musos, winemakers and journalists. Alongside the growing popularity of Mezes, Zeffie became a celebrity in her own right. It was fun times. The staff were fabulous and they all became children by default. The customers could see Zeffie doing the dishes and she was very welcoming with “hello luv”. So the kitchen was often a place for social gatherings. Zeffie was an absolute trooper, a matriarch of the Adelaide food scene. She was a hoot.

Zeffie was as Aussie as they came, but she was proud of her Greek heritage, a trait she instilled in her children. When the family left the hospitality industry, she continued to cook and bake from home.

She was famous for her orange cake.

When she entered St Basil’s nursing home she would offer advice to the kitchenstaff and even demonstrated cooking two or three times. She was instrumental in St Basil’s winning an award for best food in an aged care centre.

Zeffie was capable of laughing at herself and provided much entertainment. Like the time where she smelled gas in the kitchen and called the fire brigade, only to be told that the gas was the smell of mouldy lemons in the fruit bowl.

Zeffie was a smooth talker. She visited Albert Hall in London for a tour to find that it was closed. There was a man standing at the front and she started talking to him. She told him she was staying in Australia House cooking for Paul Keating. He arranged for a private tour of Albert Hall then and there.

She loved being associated with celebrities. She was tickled pink knowing Maggie Beer and always spoke about it.

She talked about the royal family like she knew them all.

Zeffie will be forever loved and remembered for her cooking, generosity and cheeky smile.

DR ROY WOODALL, AO

Geologist

Born: November 3, 1930, Perth

Died: February 14, 2021, Adelaide

Geologist Dr Roy Woodall

Roy Woodall is internationally recognised as one of the 20th century’s most successful discoverers of ore deposits.

Roy was the director of exploration for the former Western Mining Corporation.

At age 16 he began his career as a junior clerk at the Western Australian public works department. But he had much grander plans, studying at Perth Technical College so he could qualify for university. While studying at the University of WA, Roy worked for WMC during the holidays.

He joined WMC as a geologist in 1953, and his career advanced quickly. He won a scholarship to study at the University of California and got his masters there in 1957.

Returning to WMC, in 1967 Roy became chief geologist. By 1978 he was director of exploration, and in the mid 1990s Roy became a non-executive director. He retired in 2001.

Under his leadership, WMC discovered more than 150 ore deposits. These included the Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium in 1975 under 300m of barren rock. It was the fourth-largest copper deposit in the world, the fifth-largest gold deposit and the largest uranium deposit.

Roy’s contributions to the mining industry, and the high scientific standards that he insisted upon and supported, were reflected in the long list of honours he received. He was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1981 for service to the mining industry.

He had an Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of WA, and was a fellow at the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, the Australian Academy of Science, and the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM).

In 1984 Roy won AusIMM’s highest honour, the Institute Medal “in recognition of his success in the application of original geological concepts in exploration. And for his professional competence and outstanding leadership qualities.”

His many medals included the 2001 Centenary Medal for service to Australian Society and Science, and the 1983 William Smith Medal from the Geological Society of London.

His lifelong achievements and ore-deposit discoveries are testament to the value of his ideas and how he managed people.

Roy is survived by Barbara, his wife and lifelong companion of more than 65 years. The couple had 10 children: Jennifer, John, Peter, David, Susan, Cynthia, Christopher, Timothy, Geoffrey and Ian. In turn, they have had 30 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren to date. Roy will not only be missed by his family and friends, but also by the hundreds of geoscientists who were inspired by him.

State Energy and Mining Department chief executive Paul Heithersay said “Roy left a lasting legacy in South Australia through his contribution to the discovery of the Olympic Dam copper-gold-uranium deposit in 1975.”