The Australian Embassy in Athens will commemorate Anzac Day 2013 with ceremonies at Lemnos in the northern Aegean next weekend and the Greek capital on April 25.

The ceremonies will be attended by veterans and their families, members of Australian federal and state parliaments, as well as representatives of the Greek government and defence forces. Both events are open to the public.

In Lemnos the main ceremony will be held at the Portianou Commonwealth Military Cemetery on Saturday 20 April at 11am, with commemorations also taking place at the East Moudros Commonwealth Military Cemetery and the Australian Memorial at Moudros Harbour. In attendance will be Australia’s Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Raymond Griggs.

Lemnos – just 130 kilometres from the entrance to the Dardanelles – was the main assembly, embarkation and supply base for the Gallipoli landings in April 1915.

It was also home to Australian military hospitals and a place of refuge for wounded Australian soldiers during the doomed campaign.

At least 148 Australians are buried in the Lemnos Commonwealth war cemeteries – the last resting place of more than 1200 Commonwealth troops who served in the Gallipoli campaign.

Australian Ambassador to Greece Jenny Bloomfield told Neos Kosmos that the annual commemoration was an occasion to remember the fallen and mark Australia and Greece’s shared history.

“Lemnos has a special significance for all Australians. Along with allied forces, the first ANZACs embarked from Lemnos’ Moudros Harbour on the campaign that shaped our nation,” said Ms Bloomfield.

“The ANZACs found shelter, refuge and the friendship of the Lemnian people. Many died here, finding their final resting place on Lemnian soil.”

Ambassador Bloomfield added that the Australian Memorial at Moudros Harbour and the Commonwealth cemeteries on Lemnos were “testament to the enduring bonds between our two peoples, and the proud Lemnian community in Australia keeps the memory strong”.

“From the coast of Lemnos in 1915 to the battlefields of Crete fighting against Nazi invasion in 1941, Australians and Greeks have fought together to defend our shared ideals.”

The Anzac Day service in Athens will be held at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Alimos on Thursday 25 April at 11.00 am, followed by a reception and photographic exhibition hosted by the Australian Embassy.

“The spirit of the ANZACs draws us together in time of need. Through those we have lost, we have gained a story that belongs to all Australians, a story of courage, of sacrifice, of standing by our mates,” said Ms Bloomfield.

The Ambassador added that the Anzac story ensured “a stronger commitment to our democracy and freedom, and the responsibility to stand together united, to serve our community and our country, now and for future generations”.

“In today’s challenging times, that spirit endures more than ever, in Australia as in Greece.”