A vivid example of the Macedonian spirit is Peter Aloussis (Petse Alushev). A true patriot in every sense of the word, Alousis fought with the partisans from 1941 - 1944 against the Greeks, Germans, and others. His friend, Lazo Kochev (Kotsopoulos) was killed by the Bulgarians. His recollections of that period are grim. Peter was imprisoned by the Greeks for two years. "They asked me, Are you Macedonian or Greek?". I said, "I'm Macedonian! They punished me a lot for that." His fortunes took a turn for the better in 1947, when he married Helen Nichopoulos. They reared two children, Michael born in 1950, and Tom born in 1951. The turmoil and repression Peter experienced in the old country brought him to Canada.

He started as a dishwasher upon arrival in 1956, and later in 1962, entered the grocery business with his nephew and brother-in-law. He purchased Metro Marketeria in 1971. For a time, this entrepreneur-patriot owned a Macedonian travel agency. He was also one of the builders of the Macedonian meeting place, Macedonian Village, on Danforth Avenue. His contributions to the Macedonian community are inestimable. He was one of the founders of United Macedonians in 1959.

In 1962, he helped build the first Macedonian Orthodox Church in North America, St. Clement of Ohrid. "We signed our mortgages, our own money, for that church", Aloussis remembers. He was a member of the church committee and board of directors several times.

He's proud to be a Macedonian from Banitza. "It's the biggest village in the history of the Macedonian movement. Most of the activities and suffering took place there", says Alousis. And Peter's contribution to the Banitza Society over the years is to be commended. He has given a great deal of support to the Society over the years.

In 1971, Peter travelled to Skopje, Macedonia, where in his words, "saw my own language and saw my fellow villagers". In 1973, he returned to Macedonia, visiting acquaintances and relatives in Bitola.

He is especially proud of the Canadian Macedonian Hockey League as a vehicle for keeping the youngsters tied to their Macedonian roots.