The commemorative events for the 84th anniversary of the Battle of Crete have been unveiled with numerous initiatives prepared to recognise the significant point during World War Two.

The Cretan Federation of Australia and New Zealand announced the national program of events on the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign, which will be held throughout May and June across both countries.

The Battle of Crete remains a defining moment in history, symbolising courage, sacrifice, and is an important marker of the strong friendship between Greece, Australian and New Zealand with the countries’ respective forces fighting side-by-side.

Its anniversary is honoured deeply in Australia every year and 2025 is no exception.

The events will be greatly boosted by the participation of a high-ranking delegation from the Hellenic Ministry of Defence, led by Vice Admiral Theodoros Mikropoulos (Deputy Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff).

The delegation will travel across Australia to Tasmania, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne for official ceremonies and events.

The full delegation will also consist of Lieutenant Commander Dimitrios Lekkakos and Colonel Kyriakos Kyriakakos.

The events commence in Tasmania on Saturday 10 May with the Cretan Association of Tasmania hosting a commemorative wrath laying ceremony in conjunction with the Hobart RSL Sub-Branch at the Hobart Cenotaph at 2pm.

The Cretan Association of Tasmania will later host a commemorative dinner dance at the Hellenic Hall that same day from 6.30pm.

The next day will see the state’s Cretan group combine with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia – District of Tasmania in holding a commemorative doxology and church service at the Greek Orthodox Church of Street George Church from 10am.

The Hellenic National Defence General Staff delegation will also attend private functions during their program in Tasmania held by the Honorary Consul of Greece in Tasmania and the Cretan Association of Tasmania.

The events will then move on to NSW with the first event taking place on Friday 16 May, wherein the Cretan Association of Sydney and the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney will co-host a presentation by Professor Peter Monteath and commemorative cocktail party at the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park at 6.30pm.

The Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign will then organise its annual commemorative wreath laying ceremony at the Martin Place Cenotaph Monument the following day at 1:45pm.

Later in the evening, the Cretan Association of Sydney & New South Wales will hold its annual commemorative ball at the Grand Vaudeville in Condell Park starting from 7pm.

The Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign will hold a commemorative church service at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church on Sunday 18 May from 10:45am.

The same day will also feature events in Western Australia, with the Consulate General of Greece, the Greek Australian RSL and Battle of Crete Memorial Committee co-hosting a commemorative doxology and church service in the morning.

Following this, the Greek Australian RSL and Battle of Crete Memorial Committee will co-host a wreath laying ceremony at the Battle of Crete Memorial at the Saw Avenue precinct at Kings Park.

They will then co-host a commemorative lunch at the Duxton Hotel in Perth.

The next events on the program will take place in the ACT on Wednesday 21 May 2025.

The day will commence with a commemorative wreath laying ceremony at the Australian Hellenic Memorial from 12pm, co-hosted by the Cretan Association of Canberra and the Embassy of Greece in Canberra.

Following this, the two hosts will combine again for a separate wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – Australian War Memorial at 1.15pm.

The Hellenic National Defence General Staff delegation will also make several visits during their program in Canberra including to the Embassy of Greece in Australia and the Australian War Memorial.

Private events will be held by the Embassy of Greece in Australia and the Hellenic Club of Canberra.

The schedule proceeds to Victoria with the Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne and the Pancretan Association of Melbourne co-hosting a commemorative cocktail party at the Cretan House on Friday 23 May at 7pm.

The following day will see the Battle of Crete and Greece Commemorative Council hold the official commemorative wreath laying ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance at 11.30am.

Following this, the Council will hold another wreath laying ceremony at the Australian Hellenic War Memorial at 12.30pm, with the Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne and the Pancretan Association of Melbourne later holding a dinner dance at the Cretan Village from 7pm.

Sunday 25 May will be the busiest day by far of the program with commemorative doxology and church service events in NSW, Northern Territory, New Zealand, Victoria, and Queensland.

In Sydney, it is being held by the Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign in conjunction with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos from 9am.

In Melbourne, it will be organised by the Battle of Crete and Greece Commemorative Council and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Catherine at 9am.

The Cretan Association of Queensland will organise their event to also take place in the morning.

The Cretan Association of Northern Territory will host their service at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George in Darwin at 9am, with the Cretans Association of New Zealand to hold theirs at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary at 10am.

Wreath laying ceremonies will follow the services in the Northern Territory and New Zealand at the Darwin Cenotaph War Memorial and the Greek – New Zealand Memorial respectively.

The next official event will be held in Queensland on 31 May in the form of the annual commemorative dinner dance hosted by the Cretan Association of Queensland at Olympic FC in Yeronga from 6.30pm.

South Australia will be the last stop of the events with the state’s Cretan Association hosting in conjunction with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia – District of Adelaide a commemorative doxology and church service at the Greek Orthodox Archiepiscopal Church of Saint Sophia on Sunday 8 June at 9am.

The events finish on Saturday 14 June with the Cretan Association of South Australia hosting its annual commemorative dinner dance at the Cretan House from 7pm.

In addition to the above events, the Hellenic National Defence General Staff delegation will also make numerous visits during their program in both Sydney and Melbourne including the Consulates, various schools, nursing homes, along with private functions from other groups.