Greek Melburnian and army veteran Peter Adamis has created a memorial to the Greek and Anzac forces who fought in the Second World War at his birth place of Pellana in Laconia, in the Peloponnisos.
Mr Adamis told Neos Kosmos that the Hellenic Anzac (HANZAC) Gardens were created to pay tribute to the Greek, Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) forces who died fighting in Greece during the Second World War. He said that the memorial had been developed over a period of four months and that more work was planned to be done on the site.
Mr Adamis was born in Pellana which is also reputed to be the birth place of Helen of Troy.
The memorial draws parallels to the Greek stand against the Persians in 480BC and the Allied rearguard action at Thermopylae in 1941.
Mr Adamis said that the memorial at Pellana was designed with Hellenic and ANZAC symbolism. He said he had received support from Maria Vamvakinou – Bill Papastergiadis – Peter Jasonides and many many other Australians of Greek heritage who had donated towards the creation of the memorial memorial.
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“The memorial is continually being developed such as all of the ANZAC forces who were killed in action will be engraved on marble. A family area is being prepared at the rear of the memorial.
“A marathon run is being planned and tours for tourists from all over the world, as it is the only of its kind,” Mr Adamis said.
