Yiorgos Xylouris and his band will appear at the BMW Edge Theatre in Federation Square on Friday 14 December in a special concert to raise funds for a new ANZAC memorial in western Crete. The concert is an initiative of the PanCretan Association of Melbourne and promises to be a thrilling night of music and cross-cultural celebration, with a leading Indigenous act also likely to appear.
The memorial – to be erected beside the road linking Chania with the village of Tsikalaria – is the brainchild of Glenda Humes, the eldest daughter of Aboriginal ANZAC Reg Saunders MBE who fought in the Battle of Crete. Saunders was the first Aboriginal man to be made an officer in the Australian Army and was hidden from the Nazis by the Cretan people after the island’s occupation.
42nd Street was the Diggers’ name for a road near Souda Bay during the war (now called Tsikalarion) and was where a vital battle took place on 27 May 1941. Saunders took part in the battle, along with other mainly Victorian soldiers and NZ Maori units. The charge at 42nd Street as it became known, saw the ANZAC troops push an elite division of German mountain troops into retreat; one of the few occasions during the Battle of Crete where the invaders were forced backwards – buying time for the Allies to evacuate from Crete’s south coast.
The site has been totally unmarked for over 70 years. The action was also the last major battle by the last true ANZACS – the name formally given to Australian and NZ Battalions on the eve of the Greek campaign in WWII in honour of the original ANZACS in WWI. The Municipality of Chania has given its backing to the 42nd Street memorial. Earlier this year Glenda Humes established the 42nd Street Memorial Trust to manage the project and its funding.
John Rerakis, Vice President of the PanCretan Association of Melbourne told Neos Kosmos that the Association was delighted to offer its support to the project. “We’re very grateful to Yiorgos and his world-famous Ensemble for supporting this initiative. It promises to be a very special night,” said John. “We’re also grateful to the family of Reg Saunders, and Reg’s eldest daughter Glenda for getting the 42nd Street memorial project up and running.
“It’s an important cause and the concert is going to help mark a crucial part of the ANZAC story in Greece for future generations.”
The Xylouris Ensemble was conceived in the early 1990s in Melbourne and released five albums over a ten year period, two of them ARIA-nominated. The last decade has witnessed a new spurt of growth in the Ensemble’s life, with old hands being joined by a new generation of musicians – children of the original members.
The Ensemble draws its inspirations from the many historical and metaphorical links between Crete and Australia; from stories of urban and rural landscapes, the epic poetry of Erotokritos, and the threads of connection woven by the sheltering of Australian soldiers by Cretans in 1941. Federation Square is sponsoring the concert by reducing hire fees for the BMW Edge Theatre – one of Melbourne’s most prestigious Yarra-side venues. Organisers have asked for other sponsors to come forward to help cover the concert’s technical costs.
Sponsors will receive premium seats along with a variety of branding opportunities and access to related VIP events. Tickets will be available through www.trybooking.com. All proceeds from the concert will go to the 42nd Street Memorial Trust. *Neos Kosmos’ Maja Jovic spoke with Xylouris’ father Psarantonis from his home in Crete. Psarantonis reveals all about his unique playing style of Cretan folk music where no two songs are ever the same.