Background
Born in 1926 into the wealthy land-owning Kotsakis family in the village of Kalamara , Messinias, Greece to father Dimitri and mother Dimitra Kotsaki , Stavroula had 2 silblings Maria and Leukothea. She was the apple of her father`s eye, and liked to sing and dance. After her education at the local village school at 20 she married the gentle George Rockas (see Prabook entry). and settled in far away South Africa, where the couple built up a substantial property portfolio , provided the best private education for their son Basil, and their three daughters Dimitra Rockas-Eftychis, Georgina Rockas and Angelique Rockas - (see all three Prabook Entries ) at school and uiversity levels.
Stavroula Rockas ensured that that her children did not forget their Greek heritage and insisted that Greek be spoken at home . An Orthodox Christian Iconostasis occupied a central position in the Rockas house-hold and every Saturday night Stavroula carried the Livanisma of the house. She earned the respect of the local Afrikaans, English, African Zulu and Xhosa staff that worked for the Rockas family.
At the instigation of her father Dimitri Kotsakis , her spouse George brought over to South Africa poor families from Stavroula`s village , mainly Ioannis Harbilas and Haralambos Drakopoulos , offering them with the opportunity to earn money to send home, improve the life of those in Greece and provide dowries for the marriage of their siblings .
A fresco Icon of the Theotokos The Mother of the Christ and the Christ Child in memory of Stavroula Rockas`s Memory adorns the wall behind the altar of the Kalamara Village Church , where she was baptised .
