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PASPALEY, NICHOLAS (NICK) (1914–1984), master pearler, was born on the Greek island of Castellorizo on
14 November 1914, son of Theodosis Paspalis, a merchant, and his wife Chrysafina Stamboli. Castellorizo is one
of the islands of the Dodacanese in the Aegean Sea. It is very close to Turkey and many Castellorizons left during
the unrest of various Balkan wars and the First World War. Young Nicholas was about five when his parents and
his four siblings left their island home and made their way, by tramp steamer, to land eventually at Cossack on the
northern Western Australian coast. In 1919, the family settled in Port Hedland where a third sister was born and
where he received his education. His father soon died but his mother ran a family store that had been established.
Pearling was an early love and in the 1930s at Cossack he built his first pearling lugger named Pam. About 1937
Nicholas came to Darwin to join his brother, Michael. To avoid confusion Nicholas adopted the Greek pronunciation
of the family name and Michael retained the traditional Greek spelling. Before the outbreak of the Second World
War, among a variety of jobs, he drove a taxi and commenced the pearling business that he was to make his life’s
work.
During the Second World War, Nicholas served in the Royal Australian Air Force and on 26 August 1944
he married Vivienne Lavinia Barry. There were three children of the marriage: Roslynne (born 7 April 1945),
Nicholas (born 28 April 1948), and Marilynne (born 25 April 1952).
The family returned to Darwin at war’s end and in 1952 Nicholas founded Paspaley Pearling Company Pty
Limited and established a farm at Port Essington on the Cobourg Peninsula. By 1960, he had thoroughly surveyed
the waters of the Northern Territory and in November received approval to ‘take live pearl shell for the purpose
of experimental rafts’. In 1961, government approval was given for 10 Japanese pearl specialists to come to
Australia to assist with the operations. In 1965, he obtained a Special Purpose Lease over an area at Knocker Bay,
Port Essington. In the years following Nick Paspaley became an acknowledged authority on all aspects of pearls
and pearling. He took delivery of the mother ship Paspaley Pearl in 1972 and the fleet has been regularly added
to since then. After Cyclone Tracy Paspaley Pearl was ‘found deep in isolated mangroves above the tidal line’.
Paspaley II was added to the fleet in 1981 and the company obtained a 40-year lease at Port Bremer, also on the
Cobourg Peninsula.
Although he was frequently away from Darwin, Nick found time to become involved in community affairs.
He was a foundation member of Darwin Rotary Club and in 1983, on the club’s 25th anniversary, was awarded
‘a rare international Rotary honour, the Paul Harris Fellowship’. In the Queen’s birthday honours in June 1982 he
was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to pearling and to the community
The coffers of Christ Church Cathedral and the Red Cross Society and other organisations benefited significantly
from his philanthropy.
Nicholas Paspaley died suddenly in his office at Roslyn Court in the Smith Street Mall on 20 March 1984,
aged 70, having returned only the previous evening from a regular visit to the pearling beds. He was buried at
McMillans Road Cemetery according to the rites of the Anglican Church, and was survived by his wife, children
and grandchildren. A ‘quiet achiever’, one writer called him. Chief Minister Paul Everingham, believed that
he ‘typified the north Australian image, tenacious, determined and generous’. His pearling company, run by his
children, now has a significant place in the world’s markets.
D Muddimer, ‘Darwin Loses a Pioneer’, Northern Territory News, 21 March 1984, ‘Nick Paspaley, Master Pearler’, Northern Territory News,
22 March 1984; Northern Territory Parliamentary Record, 12 June 1984; family information.
HELEN J WILSON, Vol 3.PASPALIS, MICHAEL THEODOSIOS (1914–1972), businessman, was born in Castellorizo, Greece, on
St Gregory’s day 1914. He was one of four children, two boys and two girls. His early childhood was unsettled
because of the outbreak of the First World War; his family lived in a village which was close to the Turkish border.
The Paspalis family was forced to leave their island home in a small sailing boat and were subsequently picked up
by a tramp steamer. They were transported to Singapore and finally to the northwest coast of Western Australia in
1918.
Paspalis arrived with his family in Port Hedland in 1919 where his parents set up a small general store.
The Paspalis children attended school at Port Hedland. During this time their father died and their mother continued
to run the store.
In 1927, Paspalis came to Darwin with his brother Nick. Both had been involved in the pearling industry in
Port Hedland, a profession that Nick Paspaley pursued with eventual success along the northern coastline. Michael
Paspalis turned his attentions to the building industry and eventually to real estate.
Paspalis built his first two cottages in 1933 and his first home in Smith Street in 1937. He completed Roslyn
Court in Smith Street in 1942. His achievements during this early period are probably best recognised in terms of
his contributions to post-war reconstruction. After the evacuation of Darwin in February 1942 and the return of
civilians in 1945–46, he played a vital role in rebuilding the town and rebuilding confidence in its future.
After the war, Paspalis was involved in the building or renovation and extension of a number of well-known
retail shops and public venues such as the Hotel Darwin and the Drive-in Theatre. Paspalis had two daughters.
Phynea was born in 1943 and Helene in 1945.
Throughout his life, Paspalis maintained an interest in sport, specifically football in his younger days and
later he took an interest in cricket. He was also a member of the Rotary Club. In the latter part of his life, Paspalis
was described as a considerable philanthropist who gave substantial donations to the Heart Foundation, the
Greek Church in Darwin, the Nightcliff Youth Centre and St John Ambulance. In 1964 Paspalis was made a