Steve Condous, from a Greek migrant west end background, breaks Adelaide lord mayoral mould, 1987 to 1993

Adelaide lord mayor Steve Condous served for 25 years on the city council from 1968.
Image courtesy City of Adelaide

Steve Condous, Australia’s first mayor of Greek descent as Adelaide lord mayor (1987-93), was a migrant product of the city’s west end, attending Sturt Street Primary School and having parents who ran a Gouger Street continental deli near the Central Market.

Condous served on Adelaide City Council for 25 years from 1968, playing a role in West End and Halifax Street residential projects, upgrades to Hutt Street and the Aquatic Centre in North Adelaide, and the greening of Adelaide streets.

Condous went from lord mayor to the first Greek-background state member of parliament with the Liberal party. Coundous actively supported many community groups and his wife Angela Condous, as lady mayoress and beyond, became a prolific worker for charity and philanthropy.

Steve Condous was born in 1935 on the Greek island of Kastellorizo, migrating to Adelaide and the working-class ghetto of the city centre’s west end in the 1940s.
Condous faced racist abuse  – physical and verbal – at Sturt Street Primary and described how, “at seven years of age, I saw my father being spat at in the streets and being called a dago.”

His parents progressed to running Gouger Street continental deli and an Unley wine shop before moving into food manufacturing and property.

Condous entered public life as a city council in 1968. As lord mayor from 1987, he broke the mould of lord mayors, dominated previously by those from city board rooms and the professions. He also set a then-record for long-serving lord mayors.

Condous was elected a member of the South Australian House of Assembly between 1993 and 2002, representing Colton. He was first of Greek background to join South Australia’s Liberal Party in such a capacity.

After being lady mayoress, Angela Condous continued her charity work, raising $15 million over 25 years as The Advertiser Foundation’s patron.