The life and work of Major George Devine Treloar will be put in focus in an upcoming event that explores his legacy in aiding thousands of Greek, Armenian and Assyrian refugees fleeing from genocide in Asia Minor during the 1920s.
Treloar’s work while as League of Nations Commissioner for Refugees in northern Greece between October 1922 and April 1924 will come under the microscope in an event on Sunday 14 September, 5pm, at the Hermes Lounge.
The event, organised by the Greek Orthodox Parish of the Resurrection of Our Lord Kogarah, Unity in Philia and Pontoxeniteas NSW, will highlight his legacy with a presentation of the book ‘Genocide to Regeneration: the photographs of George Devine Treloar’.
The publication, co-authored by Professor David Treloar and Dr Panayiotis Diamadis, includes 200 rare, almost entirely unpublished photographs documenting his life and work, particularly his relief efforts in helping rescue thousands of refugees (many from eastern Thrace and Pontos).
Dr Diamadis, a leading Hellenic Genocide scholar, stated:
“These images are a testament to resilience. They show both the horrors of displacement and the hope of survival.”
Treloar was notably tasked with developing a program of refugee relief in response to the burning of Smyrna as head of the League of Nations’ Mission in northern Greece, initially based in Alexandroupolis and later in Komotini.
He focussed on economic reconstruction as the centrepiece of rebuilding the shattered lives of the survivors.
Alongside the book presentation will be performances of traditional Thracian and Pontian dances by the Kogarah School of Greek Dance and Pontoxeniteas NSW dancers.
It will also see the unveiling of original artworks by two Greek Australian artists, Angela Kiki and Christina Tsaou, dedicated to the terrible events at Smyrna in September 1922.
