The sun shone as Melbourne’s Greek community joined with those from the wider community to commemorate the role of Lemnos in Australia’s Gallipoli story. The annual service is held on the anniversary of the arrival of Australia’s nurses on the Island in August 1915.
This was the 8th anniversary of the unveiling of the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in Albert Park in August 2015, a statue commissioned by Melbourne’s Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee and created by one of Australia’s most famous commemorative sculptors, Peter Corlett OAM. The Memorial comprises a statue of a nurse and that of a weary or injured soldier, placed on a sand-coloured plinth representing the particular stone of Lemnos’ ancient Poliochni, with the names of the Island’s towns and villages where the Anzacs walked etched on its base.
The formal service was again organised by the Committee and saw the participation of many diplomatic, political, veteran and community representatives. These included Mr Emmanuel Kakavelakis the Consul General of the Hellenic Republic in Melbourne, the Federal MP for Macnamara Josh Burns representing the Federal Minister for Veterans Affairs, Victorian MP for Bentleigh Nick Staikos representing the Victorian Premier, Victorian MP for Albert Park Nina Taylor, the Mayor of Port Phillip Cr Heather Cunsolo and Port Phillip Councillors Christina Sirakoff, Marcus Pearl and Tim Baxter. The Shrine of Remembrance was represented by CEO Dean Lee, Colonel (Ret) Jan McCarthy AARC representing RSL Victoria’s Nurses Sub Branch, and Major (Ret) Terry Kanelos representing RSL Victoria’s Hellenic Sub Branch RSL. Other community organisations represented included the Australian Nurses Memorial Centre, Australian Greek Cultural League, the Federation of Greek Elderly Citizens Clubs o f Melbourne & Victoria, the Australian Hellenic Memorial Foundation and the Friends of St Kilda Cemetery. The Victorian Multicultural Commission was represented by Commissioner Viv Nguyen and Deputy Commissioner Bwe Thay.
As Master of Ceremonies for the service, Committee President Lee Tarlamis OAM MP welcomed all to the service. He stated that the service was held in recognition of the role of Lemnos in Australia’s Anzac story, to honour the thousands of soldiers and nurses who served there, the Hellenes who welcomed them and those who remain in the Island’s war cemeteries. We recognise the care given by the more than 130 Australian nurses and other medical personnel to those sick and wounded from the Peninsula. We recognise also those Hellenes – from Lemnos, Crete, Asia Minor and indeed across the Hellenic world – who served alongside the Anzacs, whether as soldiers, as interpreters and guides or as labourers. In doing so, we acknowledge the personal connections of many of those assembled for the service to these Australians and Hellenes over 100 years ago.
Mr Tarlamis also specifically welcomed the teachers and students who were again in attendance. He thanked Kate Merakos and the students from Albert Park College as well as Louis Panagipoulos and the students from Oakleigh Grammar for taking part in the service. “Your participation is not only important in itself but also represents the awareness by our youth of the Lemnos story, its part in Anzac and its relevance to the Greek and wider community today”, he concluded.
The Mayor of Port Phillip Cr Heather Cunsolo, addressed the assembly thanking the Committee for its work adding that “the Council takes great pride in being the custodians for this beautiful memorial.” She went to say that the Memorial and what it represents is a part of Port Phillip’s history, with over 7,500 local residents leaving the nearby piers to serve in the war, many to arrive on Lemnos in 1915. These same piers would welcome the waves of post-war Greek migrants who made a new live in Melbourne and Victoria. She added that it was warming to see so many community members here after the interruptions caused by the recent pandemic.
In his address Mr Burns MP representing the Federal Veterans Minister stated how proud he was that the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial was located in the heart of his electorate. As a supporter of the Committee’s work and a regular participant in the service, he pointed out that our gathering complemented the annual event held on Lemnos each year in commemoration of those who served there. He reflected on the many locals who volunteered and served on Lemnos during the campaign, like Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Mitchell Wilson, Trooper Albert Bent and Corporal George Knight. And many of these young soldiers were cared for by the Australian nurses – like Nurse Clarice Daley from Elwood – serving on Lemnos.
Mr Burns went on to say that the Memorial was a powerful symbol of the link between Greece and Australia, forged during the First World War, strengthened during the Greek campaign in Two World War and reinforced by post-war Greek immigration. “I am grateful to all our Greek and Australian friends who have made this event possible”, Mr Burns said.
Representing the Victorian Premier, Mr Staikos MP mentioned his own personal visit to Lemnos and its war cemeteries holding some 1,300 Allied war graves. He said that the story of Lemnos and its connection to Australia’s Anzac story is also a reflection of Victoria’s multicultural society, where post-war migration has brought together the descendents of Anzacs and those of the local Greeks of Lemnos who welcomed these young Australians to their Island. “It is clear from those assembled here today that the legacy of these Anzacs and Greeks will not be forgotten”, he said.
Melbourne’s Consul General of the Hellenic Republic, Emmanuel Kakavelakis, acknowledged the work of the Committee in spreading awareness of the role of Lemnos in the Gallipoli campaign, thanking me for my ongoing research and commemorative work. He also cited the wider role of Greeks in the Gallipoli campaign, highlighting the participation of Cretan and Asia Minor Hellenes in the campaign, a role that is little appreciated. He looks forward to more being done to acknowledge this role.
A particularly moving part of the service was the reading by Albert Park College School Captain’s Molly Dalziel and Alexander Dahlberg of Vera Brittain’s poem – The Sisters Graves on Lemnos – written following her visit in 1916 to the graves at Portianou War Cemetery of the two Canadian nurses who died during the Gallipoli campaign.
Colonel (Retired) Jan McCarthy AARC took on the role of the formal reading of the Ode, with Major (Retied) Terry Kanelos OAM and Nick Kydas assisting with the lowering and raising of the Australian and Hellenic flags.
This year a number of those taking part in the wreath laying component of the service took up the Committee’s proposal of laying a copy of the book Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed instead of a wreath. Specially wrapped for the occasion, these will now be gifted to students or organisations to continue to spread awareness of the role of Lemnos in the Gallipoli campaign. Nina Taylor MP was one who took up this option and will gift her book to the students of Albert Park College, while Cathy Alexopoulos will be gifting hers to the students of Oakleigh Grammar.
The service was complemented yet again by the Committee’s piper Stacey Harris who played the bagpipes, in recognition of Scots-born Anzac Warrant Officer Archibald Monk of the 3rd Australian General Hospital who had played his bagpipes in welcome to the Australian nurses as they arrived at Lemnos in August 1915.
In concluding the service Mr Tarlamis pointed to the recent visit by the Australian Governor General to Lemnos, accompanied by the Hellenic President, to commence the creation of the new Lemnos Remembrance Trail, a multi-million dollar project funded by the Australian Government to enhance the commemorative infrastructure on the Island. He pointed out this was first proposed by the Committee in 2018 on the erection of the Australian Pier Memorial north of Mudros, an initiative supported by the Victorian Government. He also pointed out that the Committee’s Secretary and historian Jim Claven (this author) had been engaged as a historical consultant on the project.
A few years ago Lemnos Square saw the planting of an olive tree, complementing the Memorial, reinforcing its Hellenic connection and as a symbol of peace. This year as the sun shone on its abundant foliage, one could see that the tree was now with fruit. I couldn’t but think that this was more evidence that the Memorial was truly at home.
Jim Claven is a trained historian, freelance writer, published author and Secretary of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee who has been researching the Hellenic link to Australia’s Anzac story across both world wars for many years. He has made many presentations on the subject, both in Australia and overseas, and is the author of Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed, Grecian Adventure and the forthcoming Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed. He can be contacted via jimclaven@yahoo.com.au
