OOEGASA – Memories of Lemnos

The secret behind Australia and Lemnos being forever linked


OEEGA is not new. It was founded in Sydney in 1996 and expanded to local chapters in Perth and Adelaide. In Adelaide, the Organisation of Hellene and Hellene-Cypriot Women of Australia (SA), OEEGASA, was established in 2001, and commenced its activities in 2003 with a series of events that aimed to reconnect Greek Australian women with their culture whilst enhancing their Australian identity.

“The aim of the organisation nationwide is to advance Greek women, offer them knowledge and support in their daily efforts within Australian society, and ensure all generations evolve and grow whilst maintaining close ties with their heritage and culture, thus, gaining strength from each other,” Ms Helen Haltis, president of OEEGASA says.

Each year the organisation puts together events that aim to connect Greek Australian women with their culture and make them feel proud of their Greek heritage. This year, OEEGASA has focused on the 2015 Anzac Centenary, with celebrations taking place on Sunday 19 April at 12.30 pm at the Keswick Army Barracks, with Major Christopher Roe, manager of the Army Museum of South Australia (AMOSA), as keynote speaker and other distinguished guests.

“The Anzac Centenary is special this year and offers us the opportunity to contribute and make people aware of the nurses who volunteered to go and look after the Australian soldiers. It is an honour. Greece had graciously allowed the islands of Imbros and Lemnos to provide army hospital facilities due to their close proximity to Gallipoli. As a Greek women’s organisation, it is fitting to showcase the Australian nurses and the island of Lemnos and their joint contribution to WW1,” continues Ms Haltis.

It is not well known that Greece remained neutral in the early parts of World War One and that the Australian troops were frustrated at the lack of Greek fighting support against their then mutual enemy during the Gallipoli campaign.

However, in February 1915 the Greek government offered the allies the North Aegean island of Lemnos, as a strategic naval base from which to launch attacks on the Dardanelles and Gallipoli.

Lemnos also proved invaluable as a hospital base, a port for the allied hospital ships and as a convalescent camp. In Lemnos cemeteries at Moudros and Pontianou, 148 Australian soldiers and nurses now have their final resting places.

“Our nurses, together with their Greek hosts, in their efforts to overcome the inefficiencies of hospital administration, extremes of climate, lack of nutritious food and medical resources, managed to become angels of healing and mercy,” says Ms Petula Columbus, secretary of OEEGASA.

A few of the nurses wrote about their fear of constantly collapsing tents, dysentery, kitchens burning down on very windy days and plagues of centipedes.

Some spoke of sneaking around at 3.00 am putting sweets and toys in the soldiers’ socks for Christmas.

South Australia can be very proud of its two heroic nurses in this campaign, Sister Olive Haynes and Sister Anne Donnell.

“We owe these incredible women an enormous debt of gratitude for putting the care of our fighting troops before all else, knowing that, if they survived, their lives would never be the same again after this dangerous deployment,” Ms Columbus adds.

We must never forget these inspirational Australian nurses with their stoic and compassionate attitude in making a difference, as they selflessly tended to the wounded and dying Australian sons, husbands, sweethearts and brothers. Each one helped to forge an eternal friendship between Australia and Lemnos. Australia’s Bronze Commemorative ANZAC Plaque number 134 on the Greek island of Lemnos reads:

AUSTRALIA AND LEMNOS ISLAND ARE FOREVER LINKED BY THE EVENTS OF WORLD WAR ONE (1914-1918)

These nurses showed us the way and it is our duty going forward to always honour this connection between our two countries.