Following this year’s Anzac Centenary celebrations, the Organisation of Hellene and Hellene-Cypriot Women of Australia, SA (OEEGASA) gathered last Sunday afternoon 30 April behind the northern boundary of Government House to attend the unveiling of the first ever static WW1 Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) Memorial, honouring the 130 Anzac nurses who treated and cared for thousands of wounded Australian soldiers, 102 years ago, during the Gallipoli Campaign.
“Today is a special recognition of the Australian nurses who served in WW1 on the island of Lemnos and other parts of the Western Front and particularly the Gallipoli nurses, who saved so many of the casualties and were never recognised for any of the work they did at the time,” says Secretary of OEEGASA, Petula Columbus in an interview with Neos Kosmos.
This is the first time that a memorial has been erected in SA to honour these brave and skilled nurses who voluntarily left Australia determined to work on battlefronts that were often very badly equipped, had very little resources and, for many of the dying soldiers, they were the last connection with home.
“These brave young women left the security of their homes and endured unspeakable hardships during the Gallipoli campaign. It is finally such a blessing that we managed to bring their efforts to light, in the absence of any recognition of their services to Australia until now,” says Columbus, who together with the rest of the OEEGASA members and the South Australian Government worked tirelessly on this project for two and a half years.
“This is a wonderful initiative and I would like to praise you for the commitment you have made to this beautiful monument to acknowledge the sacrifices of the nurses in the war,” said His Excellency the Honourable Governor of South Australia Hieu Van Le, AC who, following the laying of remembrance wreaths, hosted a reception for his distinguished guests at Government House SA together with his wife Lan Le.
Amongst the dignitaries that attended the event was also His Grace Bishop Nikandros of Dorilaion; General Consul of Greece in Adelaide, Andreas-Konstantinos Gouras; President of the Inter-Communities Council of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of SA, Con Dalas; President of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia, Mr Bill Gonis; and Army Museum of South Australia Manager, Major Chris Roe, and members of the Lemnos Association, and OEEGASA.
“On behalf of our organisation, our committee and its members, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, your guidance and your friendship throughout those 15 years since the incorporation of our organisation and your help to bring this project to life and to commemorate the WW1 Australia nurses,” said the President of OEEGASA, Helen Haltis, in her speech at Government House.
According to Columbus, the initiative has been well-received locally, by both Greeks and Australians, while leaving some citizens bewildered as to why it has taken so long to come to fruition.
“There are so many heroic women that hadn’t received any recognition until recently and I am hoping that this is possibly the start of a new era where the sacrifices women have made are just as important as the sacrifices men have made,” says Columbus who reveals that there were four women amongst the 2000 nurses who were of Greek background.
“To us it means a lot to honour those nurses who possibly served with our relatives on the island of Lemnos and I strongly believe that we ought to acknowledge and honour the roles of our Australian sisters, whilst it is also our duty to keep the bond between Greece and Australia alive in people’s hearts.
“As the plaque on the memorial says: ‘The bond amongst the two countries will never been broken’,” Columbus concludes.