LEMNOS GALLIPOLI COMMEMORATIIVE COMMITTEE UPDATE AUGUST 2016

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1 LEMNOS GALLIPOLI COMMEMORATIIVE COMMITTEE UPDATE AUGUST 2016 The Following update report has been prepared by the President and Secretary of the Committee. COMMUNICATIONS REPORT Since our last meeting, our Committee s work has continued to be promoted in the media and through presentations. In February, Neos Kosmos published Jim Claven s article on Sister Evelyn Hutt s collection of photographs of Lemnos, entitled The Lost Photographs of Lemmos. Copies of this article are available on request. Secretary Jim Claven has continued to give presentations on Lemnos and its link to Anzac to various community and other organizations on request. These have included Stonington Historical Centre and the Waverly U3A. The Port Melbourne Historical Society has also requested a presentation for later in the year. During Speak Greek in March (2016), Jim Claven was recorded explaining the significance of the Hellenic connection to Australia through Anzac. This was conducted at our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial and publicized on the GOCMV dedicated Speak Greek in March website. The Australian Ambassador to Greece, His Excellency John Griffin, encouraged by Vice President Christina Despoteris, visited our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in Albert Park and publicized his visit on the Australian Embassy website. This followed the visit of the out-going Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to Australia to our Memorial in mid-december The latter was covered in both the Greek and English editions of Neos Kosmos. Jim Claven also publicised the commemorative events on Lemnos on our Committee website and Facebook page, having received information from the Lemnian and Regional authorities, as well as the Lemnos Friends of Anzac Association. Both President Lee Tarlamis and Secretary Jim Claven were invited to give a number of Anzac Day addresses or to lay wreaths on behalf of our Committee this year - Essendon RSL, Noble Park RSL, Nurses Memorial Centre, Caulfield Grammar and Alphington Grammar. Where addresses were given, Lemnos was a feature of our addresses (with particular reference to Sister Evelyn Hutt) as well noting the 75 th anniversary of the Greek campaign in WW2 (by reference to the story of Gunner James Zampelis, the sole Hellenic Anzac to be killed and buried in Greece during the campaign). The Brunswick Boys WW2 commemorative event held at Moreland Town Hall (April 2016) also provided an opportunity to explain the Hellenic link to Anzac from Lemnos and the Salonika campaign, the Australian veteran refugee workers in the inter-war years, to the Greek campaign in LGCC Update Report August 2016 Page 1

2 WW2 and finally to post-war Greek migration to Australia. Executive Members Jim Claven and Christina Despoteris assisted and spoke at this event. As a consequent of the donation of the Sister Evelyn Hutt photographic collection to the State Library of Victoria, Jim Claven has produced an explanatory historical article for the State Library of Victoria s La Trobe Journal on Lemnos. This is entitled The Sister Evelyn Hutt World War 1 Collection: an Australian nurse at war. This will be published in September Three further communications opportunities are scheduled over coming months: Jim will make presentations on Lemnos and the Anzacs at Eltham Library on Tuesday 16 th August (to coincide with the Lemnos Gallipoli Photographic exhibition) to the Kilmore Historical Society on Tuesday 6 th September and the Port Melbourne Historical Society on Monday 26 th October. All are welcome to attend these coming addresses. Following representation by Jim to Monash City Council, we have been offered to share a display tent at the coming Oakleigh Glendi event to be held on 29 th -30 th October. We will share the booth with the George Devine Treloar Memorial Committee and the Greek Anzacs group. This is the first time that we will have provided a display and information booth at this important event in Melbourne s Greek community calendar. We will need volunteers to staff the stall and all are welcome to help with this event. Contact Jim Claven if you are able to help. Finally, hundreds of our commemorative badges have continued to be sold, promoting our work and awareness of Lemnos role in Anyone who would like to support the Committee by selling our badges is encouraged to do so. FINANCIAL AUDIT As a result of the substantial funding received and expended for our Memorial Project last financial year, we had our financials audited prior to submitting them to the Victorian Department of Consumer Affairs. To reduce outlays, we were able to gain the pro-bono services of a qualified professional auditor. The audit was conducted and duly lodged. The time in conducting the audit required extensions to our lodgement, with the fees associated with these extensions being donated by the President. The Executive would like to thank Committee supporter Evan Binos of EBAA Chartered Accountants and auditors Mr Terry Vail of Rycrofts Pty Ltd for providing their services free of charge. A copy of the audited financial report will be available at our next meeting. RE-NAMING FOOTE STREET RESERVE LEMNOS RESERVE Our application for the re-naming of Foote Street Reserve was duly lodged, in consultation with officers of the City of Port Phillip. The application is still under assessment. LGCC Update Report August 2016 Page 2

3 LEMNOS GALLIPOLI PUBLICATION UPDATE A detailed update will be provided at the next meeting. GOVERNMENT GRANT APPLICATION LEMNOS GALLIPOLI PUBLICATION A further grant application was submitted for Victorian Government funding for our forthcoming Lemnos Gallipoli publication. This will enable us to maximise the presentation quality of the publication. This was submitted late While this grant application was subsequently unsuccessful, a new funding round has opened up and we will re-submit a revised application in coming weeks. LEMNOS GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL COMMEMORATION - AUGUST 2016 This year will see the first anniversary of the erection of our Memorial. This will be the first of our regular annual commemorative services. Unlike the unveiling, this service will feature the laying of wreaths in commemoration of those who served and those who died on Lemnos in 1915 as well as the role played by the local Lemnians. The service is to be held at 11am on Saturday 13 th August, the first Saturday following the 8 th August. This date has been approved by the City of Port Phillip and all the required permits have been obtained. The Commemorative Event Sub-committee, chaired by Vice-President Christina Despoteris, established by the Committee has been operating for the last few months to organise this event. Invitations have been issued to those on our mailing list (expanded from the unveiling event), as well as public invitations via our website, Facebook page and through other supportive organisations (such as the Nurses Memorial Centre). A media release was prepared by Jim Claven and distributed, with resulting news reports published with Neos Kosmos, Ta Nea and on radio. Ms Christina Despoteris will be our Master of Ceremonies for the event, our key note speaker will be the Hon. Ted Baillieu, Committee member Mr Ange Kenos (President of Essendon RSL) will read the Ode. Oakleigh Grammar school students will sing the Greek and Australian national anthems. The event will climax with the laying of wreaths at the Memorial. A Scottish piper has been arranged, as well as the nurse re-enacters who attended our unveiling last year. Nick Kydas as confirmed the presence of Lemnian community representatives in traditional costume and Terry Kanellos has organised the cadets and catafalque party to participate in the commemorative service. LGCC Update Report August 2016 Page 3

4 Many RSVP s have been received (including the Mayor of Port Philip and other councillors, State Government representation and a range of Greek community organisations). We anticipate a significant crowd to be in attendance. LEMNOS GALLIPOLI PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION The Lemnos Gallipoli Photographic Exhibition has continued to be hosted at various locations. Following its display at Yarra City Council s Richmond Town Hall, the exhibition has been hosted at Alphington Grammar as part of its Anzac Day Assembly. It was most recently launched at Eltham Library as part of a WW1 display, including a display by the State Library of Victoria and the launch of a new community publication detailing the effect of the war on the local community. The exhibition was launched by Mr Andrew Giles, Federal MP for Scullin, with over 100 people attending. The exhibition will be on display until the 29 th August. Jim would like to thank Whittlesea Councillor, Cr Mary Lalios, for making this display possible and Committee member Ange Kenos for helping with the transportation and erection of the display. Work is progressing on a proposal to display the exhibition at another library space in the City of Whittlesea as well as at Manningham City Council sometime next year. Any member with other expressions of interest to display the exhibition should contact Jim. LEMNOS GALLIPOLI VIDEO DOCUMENTARY PROPOSAL Lee and Jim have been in discussion with New Zealand documentary filmmaker, Mr John Irwin, regarding a proposal to produce a video documentary on the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial and the broader Lemnos Gallipoli story. John is a professional documentary film maker, who has been researching and recording the Anzac connection to Greece over many years. He has made a number of documentaries and has visited and filmed Lemnos on a number of occasions, including during the Anzac Centenary last year. He also attended and filmed the unveiling of our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial last year. He is currently preparing a short 3 minutes video on our Memorial for our Committee. This is effectively a teaser for the production of a longer documentary (with 30 minute and 60 minute options). The longer documentary would include the story of Lemnos and Gallipoli, using video footage, stills, music and historical commentary. This longer documentary could be great educational product to bring the story of Lemmos and Gallipoli to schools, other educational institutions and the wider community. Along with the 3 minute video, a detailed proposal is being prepared for the Committee to consider in coming months. LGCC Update Report August 2016 Page 4

5 LEMNOS WW1 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY The Executive understands that a formal professional archaeological survey will be conducted on Lemnos to accurately identify the location of sites of significance to the Gallipoli campaign and the Anzac presence on Lemnos. The aim is for this work to culminate in the erection of a series of memorials at the Anzac sites on Lemnos, a commemorative trail map, smart phone application and culminate with the erection of a new international-standard interpretive museum on Lemnos, funded by Australian authorities. This will be financed and conducted by Australian University authorities, with the cooperation of the Greek authorities. It is understood that this will expand to include Anzac sites across Greece connected to both WW1 and WW2. The first step will be an initial preliminary survey to be concluded by the end of 2016, followed by detailed excavation work. The project will be undertaken over a number of years. This is a great development and an essential activity for the development of commemorative visitation to Lemnos in the future. BATTLE OF CRETE AND THE GREEK CAMPAIGN COMMEMORATIVE COUNCIL PARTICIPATION Executive Members were invited to take part in the newly formed Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign Commemorative Council. The aim of the Council is to raise community awareness of the Anzac link to Greece during WW2 through commemorative and educational activities. This year is the 75 th anniversary of the Greek and Crete campaigns. Mr Lee Tarlamis as President was formally invited to participate, as was Jim Claven as a historian. Mr Steve Kyritsis (Hellenic RSL) and Mr Ange Kenos(Essendon RSL) are also members of the Council. The Greek Consul, the GOCMV, the RSL Victoria and the Shrine of Remembrance are also members. Lee has assisted in providing advice regarding the future incorporation of the Council as well as work to produce a unique commemorative badge (based on the Greek Day badges in 1941). Jim has assisted in and proposed a range of events that the Council could consider and a number of these have been organized. This included putting together a photographic exhibition of images of the battle of Greece and Crete, approaching the AFL to commemorate footballers who served in Greece or who died there and the creation of a dedicated website/facebook page to promote the Council s activities and to host a daily historic timeline of events that occurred in the campaign. Jim has produced daily posts regarding the latter, curated a preliminary battle of Crete photographic display, assisted in organizing the Brunswick Boys event at Moreland Town Hall(with Vice President Christina Despoteris and Committee Member Ange Kenos). LGCC Update Report August 2016 Page 5

6 This was established late last year and has organized a full range of commemorative events throughout These have included a formal wreath-laying service at the Shrine of Remembrance, book launches (Peter Ewer s new book Forgotten Anzacs), a photographic exhibition (that has already been exhibited at Alphington Grammar and Oakleigh Grammar), an event commemorating Brunswick s connection with the Greek campaign in 1941 (The Pontiaki Estia, Pancretan Association and Pallaconians), a musical commemorative event (The Achaean Community) to name a few. As you can see, the Council has expanded to encompass representatives of many of Melbourne s Greek community organizations and their members from Thessaloniki to the Peloponesse, to Crete and Cyprus. The work of the Council has brought together many of those across Melbourne s Greek community who are keen to commemorative the Hellenic link to Anzac in WW2. Many of these organizations have mentioned the work of our Committee as an inspiration to them to take part in organizing or participating in these events. Many members of our Committee have already assisted in these events and participated in them. Given that our statement of purpose included the raising of community awareness of the Hellenic link to Anzac across both world wars, the Committee is encouraged to take part in the work of the Council and to support its events. A copy of the programs of events is available. The Council has established a Facebook Page. GEORGE DEVINE TRELOAR MEMORIAL COMMITTEE PARTICIPATION The President and Secretary have also been approached over recent months to assist with another related community project commemorating an Australian connection to Greece. The George Devine Treloar Memorial Committee was established last year. On the initiative of Melbourne s Pontiaki Estia (a financial supporter of our own Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial), the Committee comprises a range of community representatives. The role of the Committee is to have erected a permanent memorial to the service of Major George Devine Treloar. Goerge Treloar was born in Ballarat and served with the British Army in WW1. He subsequently worked as League of Nations representative in Thrace, assisting over 100,000 Christian refugees re-settle in Greece following the Asia Minor catastrophe. The Greek government named a former refuge village in his honour (Thrylorion) and awarded him the highest civilian medal. However he is not memorialised in Australia. Members of Melbourne s Pontian community led by the Pontiaki Estia are keen to redress this deficiency. They aim to erect a Memorial statue in Ballarat in George s honour. This will be erected in Ballarat s main sculptural avenue. LGCC Update Report August 2016 Page 6

7 The project is supported financially and in the granting of a location by Ballarat City Council. It is also supported by the Ballarat RSL and State and Federal parliamentarians. Fundraising has commenced, with a significant sum already raised but more is needed. Commemorative badges have been created and are available for sale as part of this fundraising effort. Jim Claven has produced an information brochure on the Major George Treloar, his war service and his refugee work and the Committee s proposal. Those members who would like more information on this project, on George Devine Treloar or who are wishing to work on the project, please contact either Jim Claven or Lee Tarlamis. LGCC Update Report August 2016 Page 7