The Parish of the Resurrection of Our Lord Kogarah was joined by Unity in Philia and Pontoxeniteas NSW on Sunday in celebrating the legacy of George Devine Treloar while paying tribute to the Remembrance Day for the Genocide of the Hellenes of Asia Minor. In the spirit of the feast day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the event brought together faith, history, music, dance and art.
The centrepiece of the event was the presentation of Genocide to Regeneration: The Photographs of George Devine Treloar by Prof David Treloar and Dr Panayiotis Diamadis.
Delivering his address, the new Consul-General in Sydney, Georgios Skemperis, eloquently focussed on the intertwining threads that make the Treloar legacy simultaneously part of the Hellenic and Australian heritages.
In the words of one attendee, “This compelling publication captures the extraordinary humanitarian legacy of George Devine Treloar, an Australian who played a critical role in assisting thousands of Christian refugees in the wake of the Greek Genocide.”
Treloar’s story, still largely unknown in mainstream Australian and Hellenic narratives, “was brought to life through a deeply engaging presentation by Panayiotis Diamadis through rare, haunting, and poignant photographs.”
Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia, representing His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, during his closing address of the event, spoke about his own family history, reminding the audience of the importance of keeping our stories, language and history alive.
Amongst the special guests present were the Co-Presidents of the Federation of Pontian Associations of Australia, Maria Anthony and Peter Papoulidis.
As a tribute to the victims and the survivors of the Genocide of the Hellenes, the Pontoxeniteas Dancers presented a program of traditional dances of the Pontos region, while the Kogarah Parish Greek Dancing Group presented dances from the region of Thrace.
Almost all the survivors Colonel Treloar assisted in the 1920s were Pontians and Thracians. As Commissioner for Refugees in northern Hellas, Treloar organised initial efforts at re-settlement and reconstruction across eastern Macedonia and western Thrace.
Presenting an artistic aspect to the event, local artist Christina Tsaou unveiled her latest work, inspired – in part – by her desire “to honour parts of my roots” (from the Smyrne region), as she informed the audience.
“A short time ago, I found myself in a boat floating over the Vosporo in search of my painting, witnessing the scaffoldings and crane above Hagia Sofia’s head. Then I remembered when I was a kid and my dad took me to that church.”
Colonel Treloar was based in Constantinople between 1920 and 1922, working with refugees from the Russian Civil War, meeting and later marrying the love of his life. The Queen of Cities indeed played a major role in Colonel Treloar’s life.
Dr Vasilis Adrahtas, co-founder of Unity in Philia, the publishers of Genocide to Regeneration: The Photographs of George Devine Treloar, most ably served as the Master of Ceremonies.
As he emphasised in his remarks throughout the evening, the legacy of George Devine Treloar takes many forms: remembering the Asia Minor Catastrophe, documenting and educating about Treloar’s re-settlement and reconstruction work, and especially the living communities Treloar created out of the destruction of the Genocide.
“The story of George Devine Treloar, showcased by his photographs,” stated Vasilis Adrahtas, “is as much an Australian as it is a Hellenic story.”
