http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/Corporate/History/HoF_nomination_-_Theseus_John_Marmaras.pdfTheseus (Theo) Marmaras was born on the island of Lemnos in Greece on 10 July 1910. In 1923
he followed his elder brother Arthur to Australia where he arrived with no English and no
money. He worked as a dishwasher and in odd jobs and then began selling oysters travelling by
bicycle and tram to deliver to his customers. Gradually he built up a flourishing business, though
his daughter Olga remembers that she and her mother had to put ice on his bleeding hands
when he came home from work. He opened the Melbourne Oyster Bar, importing rock oysters
from Sydney and distributing them all over the country by air. He became an Australian citizen
in March 1940 but he had already begun to contribute to Australian society which he believed
had given him such opportunities.
He did not play football but in the post-war years when Greek migration expanded rapidly he
became involved with the Hellenic club and was instrumental in the amalgamations with Yarra
Park in 1959 and South Melbourne United in 1960 which resulted in the formation of South
Melbourne. The new club played its first season in 1960 and the fans called it Hellas as it went
from strength to strength in Australian football. He was president of the club for many years.
Almost immediately Theo Marmaras was caught up in the great split in the game which began in
New South Wales and spread to the rest of the country. When the Australian Soccer Federation
was founded in November 1961, Marmaras was elected chairman of the new body, but in a
typical show of personal modesty, he deferred to Henry Seamonds of New South Wales who had
been expected to take the post. He took on the vice-chairmanship and acted as president when
Seamonds died unexpectedly in 1963. He then stepped aside for Sir William Walkley to take
over.
Theo Marmaras became the first chairman of the Victorian Soccer Federation helping to smooth
the transition to the new body and playing a major part, along with Michael Weinstein, in the
negotiations which led to Australia rejoining FIFA in July 1963. He also helped overcome a
conflict in the Croatian ranks in 1962 enabling the emergence of a single club to take part in the
State League and thereby contributing to one of the great rivalries in Victorian football history.
He helped purchase Soccer House in St Kilda and went to Russia to arrange the tour by Torpedo
Moscow in 1965. Theo Marmaras remained chairman of the Victorian Soccer Federation until he
succeeded Harry Dockerty as president in 1967. He stood aside for Sir David Hill-Wood and
Michael Parker in 1971 to 1973 but then resumed the presidency from 1974 to 1978. He was a
tireless worker for the game at state and national level.
Theo Marmaras did much to make it easier for Greek migrants to find their way in Australian
society urging them to become contributors to their new country. He led the way with a wide
range of charitable and community activities including being an active life governor of the Royal
Children’s Hospital and several other Melbourne hospitals and the St John’s Ambulance
Association. He was awarded the Gold Medal of Mount Athos by the Greek Orthodox Church and
was appointed honorary Trade Commissioner for Victoria. He received an MBE in 1972. He is a
Member of the Hall of Honour of the Australian Football Hall of Fame. Theo Marmaras died in
1984 after a lifetime of service to football and the wider Australian and Greek societies.
Edited by chris: 20/9/2013 12:32:41 PMEdited by chris: 20/9/2013 12:33:20 PM