Dear Friends,
Much has been written in the past few weeks about the death of our
beloved, Scotty, the last of the original hippies at Matala.
Unfortunately, most of the information that has been published about Scotty’s
death is incorrect. It has been reported that Scotty died in early
November. This is completely false! I traveled to the “girokemeo”
(old folk’s home) where Scotty had been living at the monastery of Agia Irini
Chrisovalantou in August 2016. The
senior priest provided me with the details
and facts of Scotty’s death,
which I respectfully submit here in an effort to correct the erroneous
information that has been reported about the death of Scotty:
To
those who knew and loved Scotty, the last of the original hippies who lived in
the caves (ancient Roman tombs) at Matala on the southern coast of Crete, it is
with a great deal of sadness that I must report that our beloved Scotty has
died. On Monday, August 29, 2016, I
traveled to the “girokemeo” (old folk’s home) on the south side of Heraklion to visit Scotty, but was told by
administrative personnel there that Scotty had died about the first week of July 2016. One of the senior priests was summoned and he
talked with me at great length about Scotty.
I was informed that in recent months, Scotty’s condition had
deteriorated and that Scotty had become mostly bedridden and seldom spoke. The priest further told me that in the last
year or so, Scotty had few if any visitors.
It seemed to me as if the implication was that Scotty had given up
Many
of you may remember when I first begin searching for Scotty back in 2010. My search carried me from the northern coast
of Crete to the southern coast, as well as to several cities and villages
between the two. At one point I was even
told that Scotty had died a few years earlier.
But I relentlessly pursued the search in the hope that I could uncover
definitive proof of Scotty’s whereabouts.
Finally
on August 31, 2010, I traveled to the “girokemeo” (old folk’s home) which was a
part of the monastery located at the Agia Irini Chrisovalantou Church on the
southern edge of the capital city of Heraklion.
I traveled there and had a most informative (and entertaining)
conversation with Scotty. I visited
there again on September 3, 2010 for a follow-up interview with Scotty. When I returned to my little apartment in
Amoudara just west of Heraklion, I wrote an article for my web site entitled,
“Scotty: The Quest for Matala’s Last
Hippie”. I also included photos of
Scotty that I took on both occasions.
That article and photos can be found at the following link: http://bobscretanadventure.blogspot.gr/2010/09/scotty-quest-for-matalas-last-hippie.html
The
existence of the little community of hippies living in the caves at Matala first
received world-wide attention when Life Magazine published an article and
photos in 1968. After that extensive
exposure, the community of hippies in Matala swelled as hippies seeking refuge
from the world traveled there to live their idyllic lifestyle. After the Greek government had assessed the
historical and archaeological importance of the caves (Roman tombs), the
hippies were forced out. Many left
Matala to sojourn elsewhere, but Scotty remained in Matala until he was placed
in the old folk’s home.
After
the Greek priest at the old folk’s home had provided me with the accurate details and facts of Scotty’s
death, he arranged transportation for me to the Neo Koimiterio (New
Cemetery) to visit Scotty’s grave.
Unfortunately, Scotty has been buried in a plain grave with no marker
indicating his name, date of birth or date of death. He has just a number - a very sad tribute to
the last of the original hippies of Matala!
I hope that perhaps some of Scotty’s many friends who read this post might
find it in their hearts to collect money to purchase a gravestone with Scotty’s
name, date of birth, and date of death on it, so that Scotty might be properly
remembered by those of us who knew and loved him.
I
will conclude this post with an entry from my 2010 article about Scotty: “When I left and
walked through the garden and courtyard beneath the large building where Scotty now lived, I turned and looked up at
the window under which Scotty and I had
been seated. I couldn't help but feel that somehow Scotty's heart and spirit
would always remain at Matala. As I walked away from the monastery, I think
that I came to the realization that Scotty
would never really die; he would just gradually fade into the tapestry woven
from the threads of his very colorful life.”
Rest in Peace, Scotty. You will
be missed!
Your Friend,
Bobby
