Cyprus Memories: My service time in Louroujina with UNIFICYP

Readers mail….

From Brian Parker….

I am a retired member of the Irish Defence Forces and during the period 1970/71, I served with the United Nations in Cyprus (UNIFICYP) and part of my 12 month tour of duty I spent in the beautiful Turkish Cypriot village of Louroujina as a Radio Operator.

The Camp was located beside the little school on the outskirts of the village. A regular visitor to the Camp barrier was Mehmet Osman (ugy ugy) he sold oranges mostly and we often gave him a few cigarettes.  On one occasion we took him into the dining room to have dinner and he particularly liked the potatoes laced with a lump of Kerry Gold butter.

Entertainment was scarce in those day, we could visit the Village and the local bar run by Suleyman Gursan he served tasty sefdali kebabs and a nice cold beer to me and my very good friend Sean O Rourke.and we built up a good relationship with the locals of Louroujina and I have fond memories of it, and have always wished to return.

Recently on a visit to Northern Cyprus I had lunch with village resident Raziye Kocaismail and founder of the Tulips cancer charity and Chris Elliott of CyprusScene in Louroujina and after we departed the village for Kyrenia (Girne).

I cannot thank both Chris and Raziye enough for their help and hospitality and for making this visit to Louroujina possible and also to the village locals who I met and showed so much interest talking about the past and also finding Suleyman Gursan who took me for a short walk around the village whilst we talked about old times. .

Thank you.

Brian Parker.