Greek Cypriots from Cyprus to Australia to South Africa

[Fide et Fortitudine]

More thoughts:

Did Lottie receive a Catholic burial in Bulawayo in 1948?  If so, where is she buried?  Her tombstone might give further clues.  The Catholic Church of Bulawayo might be another avenue to explore:
http://www.thecatholicdirectory.com/directory.cfm?fuseaction=search_directory&country=ZW&absolutecity=Bulawayo

[Fide et Fortitudine]

Going back to your 1st query, Trevor, "The major port of entry by ship [to South Africa] was Cape Town. The ports of Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban were also used...  It is usually easier to trace shipping and passenger records in the port of departure."
http://southafricanresearcher.blogspot.com/2010/04/sources-of-information.html

If your grandfather, Frederick Charles Robas, was born on a ship just outside Durban in November 1901, you could try the Ship's Passenger Lists at the Public Records Office, Kew, London, UK, to look for details of Frederick's parents, Gabriel & Lottie.  Ref: BT 27 Passenger Lists, Outwards, 1890-1960.  However, "Post-1890 lists have not been microfilmed, many of them are in fragile condition and searching them can be very time consuming. There are no indexes of names, and most lists are not alphabetical. The information given varies, but can include age, occupation, last address and proposed destination. They are arranged monthly by port of departure. To use them, a researcher must know at least the approximate date of departure and the port [of departure] to have any realistic hope of finding a passenger’s name."

So, even if your great-grandfather Gabriel Robas sailed originally from Australia with the final destination of South Africa, he might have changed ships anywhere in Europe or the Middle East first, so the departure port before Durban may be hard to find.

It would be very interesting to find out why Gabriel Robas was deported from Australia in 1901 - presumably with his wife Lottie, if she was pregnant during the sailing (aged about 25, if she was born circa 1876).  The record of the deportation may be held by the Australian or British governments?  In 1901 Australia was still a fledgling republic - first parliament May 1901.  Australia was still part of the British Empire.  So your great-grandparents Gabriel & Lottie may have acquired British nationality before sailing to Durban.  In 1901 the Second Boer War was going on.  Could Gabriel have been sent to South Africa in the military?  (Cannon fodder if he was an immigrant from Cyprus.)  Or for another reason.

"Hamburg is the only European port for which complete passenger lists exist for the years 1850-1934. The lists document more than 5.5 million persons and include sailings to other European ports and to overseas locations in North America, the Caribbean, South America and Africa. Each passenger’s hometown (place of origin, not necessarily birthplace) is included. The lists are alphabetically arranged and indexed for 1850-1854 and 1855-1934."

More on http://southafricanresearcher.blogspot.com/2010/04/sources-of-information.html

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PS, this might be of interest too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Restriction_Act_1901

[Fide et Fortitudine]

You have probably already seen this -
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-14684-822-60?cc=1838530&wc=M6DF-Q29:164471901,164508601
Zimbabwe, Death notices, 1904-1976 Bulawayo Death Notices 1939, Vol. 56 Image 407 of 688
for FREDERICK CHARLES ROBAS

It confirms Fred was of Greek ethnicity and born in Durban, Natal, so his birth record (mentioning the name of the ship he was born on, which you could then trace back to a port in Australia) might be held by the South African government.  So your grandfather Fred died only 3 years after his father. It must have been hard for Lottie to lose both her husband and son within 3 years of each other, and she survived another 9 years. 

I can't find the death register for Gabriel Robas in Southern Rhodesia in 1936 on FS.  He might have died outside Rhodesia.  Or the register may just be incomplete. 

Going back to Lottie's death notice, the birth or baptismal registers of the three surviving adult children, Michael Robas, Nicholas Robas & Elizabeth Dore (nee Robas) may have more info about Gabriel and Lottie.  Also Elizabeth Robas's marriage register pre-1939 - probably in Southern Rhodesia - may hold further clues. 

There will be censuses of the British Empire too, possibly held at Kew.  Although the early censuses for the colonies tended to be just long lists of stats and a showing off of increase in population numbers rather than detailed info of household members.  Any censuses from 1915 onwards may not be available yet. 

Lottie was living at 112a Wilson Street, Bulawayo when she died.  She is probably buried in Bulawayo cemetery.  Husband Gabriel and son Fred may be in the same grave.  Her local Catholic church may have a record of the burial(s).  Also, her death notice mentions a will.  It is likely she left everything to her children & grandchildren, but the will might also mention possible family members and their home addresses in Cyprus?