WA Parliament hosts discussion on book documenting legacy of George Devine Treloar

Community leaders and academics attended the discussion at the WA Parliament. Photos: Supplied

Staff writers
3 October 2025 2:38pm

A discussion at the Parliament of Western Australia this week highlighted the role of Australian soldier and humanitarian George Devine Treloar in assisting refugees in northern Greece during the 1920s.

The event, hosted on Tuesday 30 September by WA Legislative Council member Maryka Groenewald, centred on the book Genocide to Regeneration: The Photographs of George Devine Treloar, co-authored by Professor David Treloar and Dr Panayiotis Diamadis.

The volume draws on the photographic record of Colonel Treloar, who worked under the League of Nations in Thrace and Macedonia following the Asia Minor Catastrophe.

He is estimated to have helped more than 100,000 Greek, Armenian and Assyrian refugees displaced by conflict and persecution.

Professor Treloar, son of George Devine Treloar, shared accounts of his father’s relief work and explained how his camera became a tool to document both daily survival and the rebuilding of shattered communities.

Dr Diamadis, who has conducted fieldwork in northern Greece, outlined how he was able to match many of Treloar’s photographs to specific locations, reconstructing key parts of the humanitarian mission.

“This event is very special as it is the first time the co-authors have presented our book together, being physically present in the same place,” Dr Diamadis said.

Consul General of Greece in Perth, Eleni Georgopoulou, and Ms Groenewald both paid tribute to Treloar’s legacy, noting his efforts remain largely unknown in Australia.

Copies of the book were presented to the Consul General and Groenewald in recognition of their support.