The sun shone throw on a crisp, bright morning in Ballarat to welcome the gathering to the annual commemorative service held at the Treloar Memorial in Ballarat’s Sturt Street last weekend.
The service is the sixth annual service since its unveiling in 2019 and ten years since fundraising began to erect the memorial to one of Australia lesser known but important refugee workers, Major George Devine Treloar.
Attendees had travelled from near and far, from beyond Victoria and Melbourne to join with Ballarat locals in this commemoration of George’s work helping over 108,000 Christian refugees fleeing their homes as a result of the Asia Minor catastrophe in the early 1920’s. Readers will be aware that earlier this year Australia’s Ambassador to Greece, Alison Duncan, honoured George’s work by visited Thrylorio in northern Greece, one of the villages established under George’s leadership for the refugees to begin their new lives all those years ago.
The annual service is organised by the George Devine Treloar Memorial Committee with the assistance of the Pontian women’s welfare organisation Merimna Pontian Kyrion of Oceania, the Pontiaki Estia and Ballarat City Council. The service was conducted by the Committee’s Penny Tsombanopoulos in the role of master of ceremonies. A number of addresses were made, including by Litsa Athanasiadis on behalf of the Committee, Cr Samantha McIntosh on behalf of Ballarat City Council and St Patrick’s College School Captain George Charles.
Litsa said it is always a great day to come and see our beautiful Memorial again, standing proudly in Ballarat’s avenue of statues. “Many will remember how we gathered ten years ago to start on our journey to see George’s efforts appropriately honoured in his birthplace”, she said.
She also made reference to Lemona – the name given to the young girl statue which sits as part of the memorial, protected by George. For Litsa this has a very personal connection. Not only is Lemona the name of a moving Pontian song but also the name of her grandmother’s sister who fled her home in Trebizond in Pontus and reached safety in Greece. “Lemona therefore symbolises all those refugees who suffered so much but survived due to the assistance they received from George and the League of Nations one hundred years ago”, Litsa said.
Councillor Samantha McIntosh, representing Ballarat City Council, who attended the unveiling of the memorial in 2019 and is a regular attendee at the annual service, said that Ballarat was proud to host this memorial, the work of much dedication and fundraising by the Hellenic Australian community. She also pointed to the fact that the memorial is the only one in Sturt Street designed and created by a female sculptor, the well-known Lis Johnson.
All welcomed the keynote address by Eleanor Lacey representing the Treloar family. In her address she shared key insights into George’s life both in Australia and overseas, especially his refugee work in Greece. She also talked about the life of George’s wife Kathleen who was part of his work in Greece. She described her early life, time in Constantinople and her meeting and marrying George in Constantinople’s Crimean Church as well as their time together in northern Greece. This was well received by the audience. It is important that we remember the partners of those we commemorate who also make sacrifices or provide vital support to those we honour.
This was followed by the reading of a special tribute to George and his work by the Committee’s Efthimia Kranitis. She had written this piece in the form of a letter to George, thanking him for his refugee work. The reading was met by warm applause.
The event then proceeded to the laying of floral tributes. This year was a special one with the Committee providing bouquets of special flowers which also grow in the Pontus region of Asia Minor from where many of the Christian refugees had fled. The floral tributes were laid by a number of organisations represented at the service including the Consul of the Hellenic Republic, the Greek Community of Melbourne & Victoria, the Ballarat City Council, the Ballarat Greek Community, Merimna Pontion Kyrion of Oceania, St Patrick’s College Ballarat, Central Pontian Association of Melbourne & Victoria Pontiaki Estia, the Ada Eimes Pontian Elderly Association, the Society of Kalamata 23rd March, Hellenism of Anatolia Educational Institution, the Greek Orthodox Inter-communities Parish Council of Victoria as well as of course the George Treloar Memorial Committee.
The service concluded with a performance by the Pontian dancers and musicians from Melbourne’s Pontiaki Estia, which was warmly received by the attendees. As a sign of recognition and thank you, Litsa together with Cr McIntosh then handed out bouquets of the flowers to each if the dancers and St Patrick’s students present. Finally Litsa thanked all for their attendance and congratulated Penny Tsombanopoulos for her conduct of the event and untiring efforts in support of the Committee and its work. As the service concluded a beautiful Ballarat sun shone in the Memorial.
On a personal note it was also great to see Mick Moran again attending the service. A Ballarat local, Mick is the son of Ballarat’s Lieutenant Henry Moran who served with the 2/8th Battalion in the Greek Campaign, serving on the frontline from northern Greece at Vevi in April 1941 all the way to the defence of Crete in May 1941. I have written about Henry’s service before and assisted Mick in his donation of Henry’s Greek campaign archive to our own State Library of Victoria in 2016.
Jim Claven OAM is a trained historian, freelance writer and published author. He is a founder executive member of the George Treloar Memorial Committee. He began his research into the George Treloar over ten years ago. His most recent publication is From Imbros Over The Sea and he is Associate Producer of the new 1941 Greek campaign documentary, Anzacs The Greek Chapter. He can be contacted via email – jimclaven@yahoo.com.au
