Isolated episodes interrupted several ceremonies that took place on Friday across Australia to mark Anzac Day, in honour of those who fought and sacrificed for Australia.
In Western Australia, the state premier Roger Cook, described as “unacceptable” the abusive chants heard at the dawn prayer in Perth’s Kings Park.
In Melbourne, police arrested neo-Nazi Jacob Hersant while an Aboriginal man was welcoming people to the land of his ancestors in the traditional way.
Jacob Hersant and a small group of his supporters booed him.
In Adelaide, as part of the events, members of the Greek Presidential Guard, the Evzones, marched and stood solemnly in a moving tribute.
Remembrance ceremonies and parades across Australia marked the anniversary of the 25 April 1915 Gallipoli invasion by Australian and New Zealand soldiers, along with British, French and Indian troops.
The eight-month campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, but their courage and bravery in the face of hardship have become an enduring symbol of military sacrifice.
Anzac Day honours the more than 1.5 million men and women who have served Australia in all conflicts, wars and peacekeeping operations, as well as the 103,000 Australians who have lost their lives during their service.
The Evzone programme
On Saturday the Evzone’s visited St Basil’s aged care.
On Sunday, April 27, they will attend a service at St. George’s Church, Thebarton. At noon they will visit the Thebarton Hellenic Festival where the community will be able to see them and have their pictures taken with them.
In Sydney
On Monday, April 28, 4pm: A church service will be held at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady in Redfern, with Archbishop Makarios officiating. This solemn ceremony will set the tone for the week’s commemorations.
On Wednesday, April 30, 1pm: Half of the convoy will visit the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW’s Home for the Aged in the Earlwood and the other half will visit the St Basil’s in Lakemba.
Thursday, May 1, 12.30pm: An event on ‘The Greeks of ANZACs’, at the the Hellenic Club, in the city centre. This event will honour the contribution of Greek Australians to the ANZACs’ legacy.
Thursday, 1 May, 6.15pm: Visit to the St Basil’s in Randwick. There will be an exhibition by photographer Nikos Bourdaniotis, depicting the Evzones, from previous tours of Australia and from the photographer’s visit to Greece.
Friday 2 May, 1.30pm: Guard of Honour ceremony at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, Sydney city centre. It will be a moving moment to honour the sacrifices of the men and women who served.
Friday, May 2, 7.30pm: Service at St John’s Church in Parramatta.
Saturday, May 3 1.30pm: The week’s highlight event will be held at the ANZAC memorial in Hyde Park. The Evzones will participate in a march and flag-raising ceremony, which will be the highlight of ANZAC week events.
Sunday, May 4, 9.30am: Church service at The Resurrection of our Lord in Kogarah and attendance at a wreath laying ceremony at an adjacent memorial to the ANZACs. Also, a congregation will visit the All Saints Church, Belmore.
Sunday, May 4, 12 noon: The Evzones will attend a luncheon hosted by AHEPA NSW to mark the 91st anniversary of the organisation’s founding, at Hermes Lounge, Kogarah.
The Evzones will take part in a series of events through which the unbreakable ties between Greece and Australia will be highlighted, particularly through the shared spirit of the Anzacs.
The visit commemorates 125 years since Australians and Greeks fought side by side for their shared ideals and their homelands.
2025 also marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, making this visit a cornerstone of the Greek Australian community’s tributes to those who sacrificed for our present and future.
From the battlefields of Lemnos, Macedonia and the Gallipoli Peninsula in World War I to the liberation of the Aegean islands in World War II, Australians and Greeks have stood together in defence of freedom and democracy.
It should be recalled that over 50,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers fought during the Gallipoli Campaign (1915), an Allied campaign to conquer the Gallipoli Peninsula to enable Allied naval forces to access the Dardanelles. Their central objective was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was an ally of Germany.
Expatriates, members of the then small Greek community in Australia, had also taken part in this campaign. Some of them never returned.
This shared history continues to inspire generations, and the visit of the Evzones is a powerful reminder of this legacy.
