Melbourne was the focal point of Battle of Crete commemorations this weekend, attended by a high-ranking delegation from the Hellenic Armed Forces and the community at large.
Events began on Friday with the Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne and the Pancretan Association of Melbourne co-hosting a memorial cocktail party at the Cretan House.
During the event, the Deputy Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Vice Admiral Christos Sasiakos, gave an address highlighting the commitment of Greece’s Armed Forces to do everything in their means to secure the country’s security as a “guard on constant alert”.
The Vice Admiral led the delegation, accompanied by Captain Pavlos Angelopoulos, Captain Pavlos Angelopoulos, and Lieutenant Commander Stylianos Mitsiotis.
Speakers included Kat Theophanous representing the Victorian premier, and the state opposition leader John Pessuto.
Both stressed the significance of the Battle of Crete as a pivotal point in the WWII trajectory of historical events and its contribution in forging links between Greece and Australia.
The event was well attended by community members, many of them of younger generations, with young Cretans impressing audiences with their dance performances.
The series of events included wreath-laying ceremonies at the Shrine of Remembrance and at the Hellenic-Australian Memorial on Saturday, organised by the Battle of Crete and Greece Memorial Committee.
On Saturday evening, the Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne and the Pancretan Association of Melbourne co-hosted an official memorial dinner at the Cretan Village.
Commemorations concluded on Sunday with the inauguration of the Hellenic ANZAC Memorial of the Northern Suburbs in the Holy Transfiguration Church churchyard, jointly conducted by the Battle of Crete and Greece Memorial Committee, in collaboration with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
It followed a Divine Liturgy – Doxology at the church.
