The Dodecanesian Federation of Australia (DFA) will be celebrating Dodecanesian Liberation day on Sunday.
The ceremony will begin at Axion Estin Monastery at 7 Hartington Street, Northcote at 10:00 am. Following the service, the community will proceed to the Shrine of the Unknown Solider at the reas of the monestary for Father Spyridon to conduct the blessings. The Greek and Australian anthems will play. Dignitaries will place wreaths at the tomb. A lunch will be provided to members for $10.
Why celebrate? Because our forefathers vigorously fought for us to belong to the Greek nation with many of them losing their lives and livelihoods as a consequence. So why shouldn’t we celebrate the fact we are free to speak our language wherever we may be, to openly practice traditions that have been handed down through the ages and which we want to hand on to our children for safekeeping, to publicly announce that we are of Greek heritage and all that this entails, to teach our children our culture and history, to create a sense of belonging and a million other reasons.
The DFA want to also acknowledge the hard work of VCE students of Dodecanese heritage by giving them a “Certificate of Achievement” award presented by dignitaries who will be sharing this day with us.
The Dodecanesian Liberation Day Celebrations day will take place on Sunday 11 March at 10:00 at Axion Estin Monastery.
