By Meagan Kearney
Proprietor of the iconic Olympic Doughnuts van for almost 40 years, Nick Tsiligiris has died aged 86.
Opening at Footscray Station 1979, Mr Tsiligiris was a much loved mainstay and cherished member of the Footscray community.
Customers came from near and far to devour the famous fresh, hot jam donuts and enjoy his light-hearted banter.
“The world is certainly sadder and poorer without him in it,” Tsiligiris’ daughter Gina Hasapis said in a statement. “His legacy and memories of his smile, cheekiness and doughnuts will live on in all of us.”
As a tribute, when Olympic Doughnuts closed in 2017, a plaque was installed on-site complete with the Olympic rings and leaping dolphins; a nod to Mr Tsiligiris’ famous jam dolphin dispenser.
The award winning short film ‘Olympic Nick: A Donutumentary’ was released in 2015 depicting Mr Tsiligiris’ colourful life and of course the comfort of being handed a bag of jam donuts with a warm hearted smile.
