For Cypriots the division of Cyprus is deeply and personally felt. Its Hellenic history dating back thousands of years is what Cypriots have in common with all Greeks, both in Greece and in the diaspora. That’s why with one voice all Hellenes are calling for a free united Cyprus. It is in our very DNA.
When my father Charalambos Theophanous was still alive he insisted on attending the annual march for “Justice for Cyprus” that finished in front of Parliament House in Melbourne. He would say that he wanted to see Cyprus united before he passed away. He did not see that happen and neither did my mother.
It’s now 50 years since the Turkish invasion that resulted in 9000 killed, or missing Greek Cypriots and 175,000 of our compatriots forced out of their ancestral homes. We owe it to them and to our parents that felt the pain of seeing a divided homeland to redouble our efforts to bring about Justice for Cyprus.
We are a resilient people and 50 years might seem a long time but do not forget that for 307 years under Turkish Ottoman occupation we retained our Hellenic culture and our religion.
They hung our priests, our bishops, our Archbishop and our heroes, but they could not break our spirit.
In Australia, we might be far away from the wall and the barbed wire that divides our homeland, we may not be confronted daily by 30,000 Turkish troops, but we can feel their presence even here and the division of our homeland cuts deep.
We reject the new fundamentalism that has emerged in Turkey and amongst some Turkish Cypriots seeking to rewrite the history of what was a brutal Turkish invasion and to permanently divide Cyprus.
The Turkish Cypriots who have been silenced are also suffering as they are overrun by new Turkish settlers and their human rights suppressed. We are fighting also for them.
The Turkish Invasion in 1974 was no more a peacekeeping intervention than Putin’s invasion and land grab of Ukraine – or the Turkish backed Azerbaijan dictatorship’s military takeover of Armenian ancestral lands.
The Armenian, Assyrian, Ukrainian and Kurdish communities as well as many others are all supporting our peaceful commemorative event.
In this 50th year all Hellenes, whether from Cyprus, or from anywhere in Greece, as well as those from the broader community who are Philhellenes will gather together at Federation Square on 21st July at 2pm.
We must come together to remember the fallen and shout loudly in their name, “We will never forget”. We must show a strong voice to demand a free unified Cyprus as supported by the UN, The EU and Australia. We will not rest until there is “Justice for Cyprus”.
Theo Theophanous, President of Cyprus Community of Melbourne and Victoria Former Victorian Government Minister
