Image: PNT-00114 > John Codrington (1898-1991), Tulips and cyclamens, "The Majors" near Kyrenia, April 3 1973 Watercolour, 12.5 x 16.5 cm
In a house up in the mountains at Giklos, outside Kyrenia, lived two ex-matrons of the British army known as “The Majors”, and more commonly as “The Cave Women”, Betty Hunter-Cowan and Phyllis Heyman.
Betty was older and wealthier; she returned to Scotland in 1980. Phyllis was a great cook; in 1989 she left Giklos and moved to Kyrenia town.
Mostly secluded from the rest of the colony, they had few friends and fewer social invitations. When someone would invite them, they agreed not to approach each other during the event and would speak with different people. When they returned home, they could spend many hours exchanging information and comments they had gathered during their visit. Thus, their loneliness was easier until the next outing.
© Costas and Rita Severis Foundation
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