On the second last day before returning back home to Australia, the long Walls of HANZAC have been completed. If the weather holds, the sign (HELLENIC ANZAC) above the walls will be installed this week.
Every category has been paid for and there are no outstanding debts. Funds from the many donors and in-kind support went into the planning, construction of the walls and the installation of the marble stele and iconography.
An iron bar embedded into the walls connects the ANZAC wall with that of the Hellenic and Inspirational walls. This to symbolise the deep connection between all three nations, Hellenic, Australian and New Zealand. All warriors now brothers in arms and companions in a realm unknown to the living.
All in all there are 55 marble steles, not including the large signs at the front wall on the main road. All are contained within the Hellenic ANZAC Gardens Memorial. This memorial is a dedication to generations who rose up to the challenges of life and did what was right for the freedoms we have today.
The images do not do justice to the memorial and only by seeing the HANZAC memorial in person can in be appreciated. I apologise in advance for errors in translation or that I have missed or forgotten names that should have been included.
In March I turn 75 and yet my heart is that of a 25-year-old. I did not want to leave this world without paying tribute to the past and to the many that I have served with, Cobber, Diggers, mates and those very special people I have known throughout life. This memorial for them.
Although it has been eight years in the making, the memorial and its adjacent family area is not yet completed. Two areas of the memorial are to be covered, the family area to be developed and signage at the front wall to be completed. All of the above will be completed on future excursions to the old country.
For those new to the HANAZC Memorial, it is located on a knoll, 500 metres to the East of the village of Pellana in Lakonia, Greece and 20 kilometres North of modern Sparta. The village of Pellana, once a major Mycenaean Administrative Centre was it is believed the home of King Menelaus (Master of the War Cry) and his enchanting wife Helen of Troy.
In the future another article will be posted, describing almost of the memorial and symbolism to the past, present and the future.
In closing, I would like to thank everyone in Greece, Australia and New Zealand who contributed to the HANZAC Memorial. Without the many donors and in-kind support the memorial would not have become a reality.