President of Victoria’s RSL Hellenic Sub-Branch, Steve Kyritsis, will give a talk at the Greek Club in South Brisbane on Monday 15 April – revealing insights into the exclusive research he undertook for his book Greek Australians in the Australian Armed Forces WWI and WWII.
A Vietnam veteran himself, Kyritsis began delving into the lesser-known aspects of Greek Australians’ experience in the military with his first book in 2009 that examined Diggers of Greek descent who fought in Vietnam.
The same year, Steve began the painstaking work of tracking down the names of all the men and women of Hellenic ancestry who served Australia in the Great War and WWII. The book, which was published in May last year, reveals every Greek who enlisted with the Australian military as far back as the second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902).
His research uncovered five individuals who took part in the Boer War, 80 who served in WWI, (including 11 who fought at Gallipoli), and nearly 2500 Greek Australians who served in WWII.
Organised by the Cultural Committee of the Greek Orthodox Community of St George and the Brisbane RSL Hellenic Sub Branch Qld, the talk will begin at 7.30 pm in the Ionian Room of the Greek Club, 29 Edmondstone Street, South Brisbane.
Admission is free.