The long-awaited 42nd Street Anzac Memorial will be dedicated as part of the official Battle of Crete commemorations on 19 May, with the ceremony near Chania a highlight of the opening day of the 75th anniversary events on the island.
The memorial, on the site where Australian and New Zealand forces fought German mountain troops on 27 May 1941, has been five years in the making, and the initiative was established by Glenda Humes, eldest surviving daughter of Captain Reg Saunders MBE.
Ms Humes, who will attend the dedication ceremony with representatives of the Australian and New Zealand governments, told Neos Kosmos she was thrilled that the project was finally being concluded.
“It’s been quite a journey, with some obstacles on the way, but with the help of the donors we’re going to complete what will be the first memorial in Greece marking the duty and sacrifice of Australian and Kiwi troops together,” said Ms Humes.
“I want to say how thankful we are to the individuals and community organisations from the Greek community throughout Australia who have helped us, and to our friends in New Zealand. Without your assistance we couldn’t have got this far.”
Since December final works at the memorial site have been underway, with landscaping improvements and the construction of a new pavement funded by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). Further works scheduled include the installation of a granite ‘stone of remembrance’ and interpretive displays in Greek and English.
“It’s going to be very tight to complete all the work, and we’re still having to fundraise to meet all the costs, but fingers crossed we’ll have everything in place by May,” said Ms Humes.
With the project undergoing a number of enforced technical changes in the past 12 months, the memorial organisers (the not-for-profit Friends of 42nd Street Trust) of which Ms Humes is president, have been faced with increasing costs, but funds raised through DVA, as well as new donations from the Greek Australian community and Battle of Crete veterans’ families in New Zealand, look likely to get the remaining works over the line.
Donors to the 42nd Street Memorial include the Andriotakis family of Sydney, the Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW, the Cretan Association of Canberra, the Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne, the Pancretan Association of Melbourne, and the Cretan Federation of Australia and New Zealand.
Despite the severe economic crisis in Greece, the Municipality of Chania, spurred on by Mayor Tassos Vamvoukas, contributed $16,000 to the memorial’s construction costs in 2015.
The official dedication ceremony for the 42nd Street Memorial will take place at 6.30pm on 19 May at the memorial site on Odos Tsiklaraion near the village of Tsikalaria.
The Cretan authorities are yet to release the full program for the major commemorative ceremonies, but most, including those at the Australian memorials in Rethymno and Stavromenos, as well as Maleme and Suda Bay Allied War Cemetery, are likely to take place between Thursday 19 May and Sunday 22 May.