Lonsdale Street Festival - George Devine Treloar and Greek Anzacs Displays

Promoting awareness of the Australian link to Greece. Photo Jim Claven 2016

It was great to see a stall combining two displays commemorating Australian connections to Greece across two world wars at last weekends Lonsdale Street Greek Festival.

Paul Sougleris of Greek Anzacs putting up his display, Photo Jim Claven 2016

Cr Jim Grivokostopoulos of the Pan-Tryfillian community and Paul Sougleris explain the Hellenic link to Anzac in WW2. Photo Jim Claven 2016

The Pan-Tryfillian community and the Greek Anzac organisation displayed historic images from the Greek and Crete campaigns of WW2, including photographs of many of the Anzac's who served and died there in 1941. This year is the 75th anniversary of these campaigns and many events are being planned to commemorate this important part of Anzac and Greek history. More information on these events will be posted soon.

Myself (centre) with Committee members Ange Kenos (second left) and Deb Stewart (right), with Sanker Nadeson (Anzac Commemorative Artist - left) and Peter Ford (son of Kiwi Greece-Crete campaign veteran). Photo Jim Claven 2016

Many veterans and their families enjoyed the stall - especially the photographic display assembled by Paul Sougleris. This has identified a range of new contacts and potentially historic memorabilia collections that will be brought to the public over the year of commemorations.

The Estia stall, with Litsa Athanasiadis on right. Photo Jim Claven 2016

The Pontiaki Estia display promoted their project to erect a memorial statue to Ballarat's Major George Devine Treloar. Treloar, who served in the British Army in WW1, assisted in the settlement over 100,000 christian - mostly Greek - refugees in northern Greece after the war. The display featuted many images for the time, a commemorative booklet and information on the Memorial project and how to people can assist and donate to the project. For further information on the Treloar Memorial project, please contact the Estia's Public Relations Officer Mrs. Penny Tsombanopoulos on 0409 850 109 or by email at GDT.memorial@gmail.com

Below are some general photos from the day.

Committee Exective member Deb Stewart and member Ange Kenos also attended the stalls.

Congratulations to Cr Jim Grivakostopoulos, Paul Sougleris and Litsa Athanasiadis for their great work keeping alive the Australian link to Greece in WW1 and WW2. Good luck for all their efforts and projects.
Great to see that the work of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee is spreading to our Hellenic organisations.
Jim, Paul and Litsa - and the Pontiaki Estia - have all been supporters of our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
 

Joseph Tsombanopoulos and folkloric group - in pre-Lenten carnival dress.Photo Jim Claven 2016

Photo Jim Claven 2016

Litsa, Dean Kalymnos and myself. Photo Jim Claven 2016

The great Dean Kalymnos with Ange Kenos. Photo Jim Claven 2016

Photo Jim Claven 2016

Photo Jim Claven 2016

Nurses promote our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial

Late last year, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) reported on the unveiling of the our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in Augsut in Albert Park.
The article from the ANM Journal of September 2015 is reproduced below.
The ANMF was a strong supporter of our Memorial, along with many members of Australia's nursing fraternity. Thanks again for all your support.

Jim Claven
Secrtary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Speak Greek in March - Μίλα ελληνικά τον Μάρτιο

The "Speak Greek in March" campaign started by individuals and representatives of literary and cultural organisations within the Greek community who have an interest in the Greek language and culture.
The Organising Committee for 2016 comprises volunteers of first, second and third generation Greek Australians including John Pandazopoulos and myself.

The approach to the campaign is to stimulate interest amongst the community, the school system and government to give greater priority to the speaking, learning and teaching of the Greek language.
The Organising Committee's policy is to encourage the various stakeholders to initiate, develop and implement activities appropriate to their own fields of endeavour.
For example, schools that teach Greek may organise during March (but also throughout the year) competitions, celebrations, debates, lectures and special projects related to the Greek language.
The Committee chose March for the campaign for a number of reasons. March incorporates a plethora of Greek cultural activities, it is the beginning of the school year and includes the celebration of the Greek National Day.
Speak Greek in March Themes
To assist schools and other organisations as well as individuals to plan for their participation in next month's campaign, we have developed an exciting concept to ensure a heightened interest on a daily basis. We have identified 31 themes, one for each day of the month - see attachment/link. The themes vary from simple topics like the "alphabet", "arithmetic", "grammar" to "philosophy", "politics", "economics", "the Olympics" and "mythology" to name a few. All the themes chosen are English words which have their origin in the Greek language.
To read about the themes for each day, click here.
Do you speak Greek?
Do you speak Greek? No you say, but you do, because the English language has 490,000 words out of which nearly 42,000 are of Greek origin. In a typical English dictionary with about 75,000 words, about 5% of the words are directly borrowed from Greek. The real percentage is more like 25%, as many Greek words, which were borrowed originally by Latin, ended up in English.
For more information on the Greek origins of many English words, click here. 
And for a list of some of these wordsm click here.
Speak Greek in March - Australia-wide and overseas!
While the campaign originated in Melbourne, it has quickly spread to other parts of Australia and overseas. The aspiration of the organising Committee is that the campaign be embraced not only by the Hellenic Diaspora, but also by the other minority communities in Australia.

"Speak Greek in March" is an opportunity for everyone who speaks Greek to practice it and for those wishing to learn the Greek language, whether they are of Greek heritage or are just interested in learning another language, to make a start.

Victoria from Speak Greek in March at the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial. Photo Jim Claven 2016

Anzac's from NSW with Evzone's on the Acropolis, 1941. AWM

Anzac's Speaking Greek
When the Anzac's arrived in Greece in 1915 and again in 1941, they were welcomed by the Greek people. Famously in 1915 one Australian nurse gave up-to-date midwifery advice to all the midwives on Lemnos. Photographs abound of the camaraderie between the Anzacs and their Greek hosts - like the famous one above - taken on the Acropolis in March 1941.

Ballarat's Lt Henry Moran with his copy of the Crete News from 1941. Photo Ballarat Courier

Did you know that when the Anzac's arrived on Crete to defend the Island in May 1941, they were given some tips on how to speak Greek! Not many words, but a start. Here it is reproduced from the Allied troops newspaper, Crete News:

Excerpt from Crete News, Friday May 16th 1941, Vol 1 No 1. Courtesy of Mick Moran

Thanks to Mick Moran, the son of Anzac Henry Moran, MiD, for supplying this information.

To read the media release for Speak Greek in March, please click here.

Christina Despoteris
Convenor
Public Relations Sub-Committee - "Speak Greek in March" Campaign
and
Vice President
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

You are invited - Lemnos and Gallipoli - Waverley U3A Chadstone - This Thursday

Matron Grace Wilson on her rounds, 3rd Australian General Hospital, Lemnos, 1915. AWM

You are invited to attend my next presentation on Lemnos and Anzac.
The presentation will take place at the Waverley U3A as part of their Naval & Military classes
When: 1.30pm, next Thursday 3rd March 2016
Where: The presentation will be held at Level 1 of the Batesford Community Hub, situated at 94 Batesford Road, Chadstone 3148.
The presentation will begin at 1.30pm, with a break for afternoon tea of ten to fifteen minutes at approximately 2.30pm.
How to get there.
The Community Hub is situated close to the Chadstone Shopping Centre and Holmesglen College (right along Batesford Road from the intersection of Batesford and Warrigal Roads, travelling from Chadstone.) Proceed through 2 roundabouts and the U3A car park is the first right turn following the second roundabout.

RSVP is not required.


Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

The Piraeus Artemis - and our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial

Peter Corlett, OAM, the creator of our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial, was inspired by many things in designing the Memorial. He reviewed amny of the photographs from 1915 taken by the soldiers and nurses on Lemnos.

But he was also inspired by his appreciation of Classical Greek sculpture - in particular the 4th Century BC statue of Artemis at the Piraeus Archaeological Museum, klnwon as the Piraeus Artemis A.
Peter had visited the Museum at Piraeus many years before and in creating our Memorial these memories came back to him and in the pages of the book reproduced below.
Below are images taken from this book detailing the story of the Piraeus Artemis.
Thank you Peter for creating a perfect fusion of Classical Greek and modern imagery. And how appropriate for this Memorial - a symbol of the Hellenic link to Anzac.

Jim Claven
Secetary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

The Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial - Nurses Pay Tribute

It has come to our notice that the Alfred Hospital Nurses League Inc has publicized a report and some photographs from the unveiling of our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in August 2015.
In the Spetember 2015 edition of their Newsletter, the League published a small story about the Memorial in the Message from the League President, Ms Helen Hamilton. This is reproduced below:

Excerpt from the Alfred Hospital Nurses League Inc, Newsletter, September 2015.

They also reproduced two photographs from the launch of our Memorial in August last year. They should members of the League as well as the President of the Royal Brisbane Hospital Past Nurses Association at the Memorial. They are reproduced below.
The Alfred Hospital Nurses League assisted our Committee with research and the promotion and sale of our Memorial Badges. Thank you to the League.
We hope that nurses from across Australia will visit our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial into the future as one of the major memorials dedicated to the role of nurses in Australia's Anzac story.

Source: Alfred Hospital Nurses League Inc, Newsletter, September 2015.

Source: Alfred Hospital Nurses League Inc, Newsletter, September 2015.

Thanks to Committee Executive Member Arlene Bennett for sharing this information.

Jim Claven 
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Ballarat Commemorative Event - WW1 Nurse Annie Westcott - Saturday 27 February 2016

BHS trained nurses league's Trina Jones and Ballarat General Cemetery Trust's Anne De Jong at Westcott family grave, Ballarat Old Cemetery. Photo Ballarat Courier

Members and supporters of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee are urged to attend and support a special ceremony to celebrate the service of  former WWI Nurse Annie Westcott, AANS (1875 – 1951) and the memory of all the forgotten nurses of WW1.
The event will be held on:

• Saturday 27 February 2016 at 10.30am-11.30am, 
• Ballarat Old Cemetery, Cnr Drummond St Nth & Macarthur St, Ballarat VIC 3350.

The Ballarat Nurses League has extended an invitation to all Ballarat Base Hospital trained nurses and midwives to attend the commemoration service for former nurse Annie Westcott and the unveiling of the plaque on her grave.

A.M. Westcott as depicted in Melbourne Punch, 2 December 1915.

Nurse Annie Westcott
Annie Westcott was born at Leigh Creek, with the birth being register at Warrenheip near Ballarat, Victoria. Her parents were Frederick Westcott and Rachel Abrams/Abrahams. 
She trained as a nurse at the Ballarat Base Hospital from January 1899 to January 1902. When she enslisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) in 1915, Annie had experience as a Sister at Maryborough Hospital and as a Matron at both Maldon and Inglewood Hospital.

Staff Nurse Annie Westcott was 40 years old when she joined the Australian Army Nursing Service on 16 October 1915, departing Australia on 12 November 1915 at Melbourne on the transport ship Orsova.
She arrived in Egypt just in time for an influx of soldiers evacuated from Gallipoli. She served with the 1st Australian General Hospital. To join the AANS, women had to be unmarried and aged 21-40, so Nurse Westcott’s service was cut short. She returned to Australia on 27 December 1917 aboard the Commonwealth and her appointment with the AANS was terminated on 4 February 1917.
She married Frederick Smith in 1917 and moved to Gippsland, where they unsuccessfully tried to make a life on  a soldier settlement block at Trafalgar, Gippsland, Victoria, but it was relinquished in 1926 due to non-payment of fees.
She later returned to Ballarat. Annie Smith died and was buried at Ballarat Old Cemetery on 10 May 1951 (Area F1, 9, Row 1, Grave 26) surrounded by other members of the Westcott Family.
Funding the Memorial

The League has raised funds for a memorial to be placed on Annie’s grave to ensure she will be recognised and remembered for the service she gave to her country during WW1. A donation page has also been set up for the memorial: http://trybooking.com/170527.
The League hopes people can come along and acknowledge and show respect for a past trainee who served her country as a WW1 nurse.

Note that the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (or ANMF) supported the erection of the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in Albert Park, as they have other projects commemorating Victoria and Australia's WW1 nurses.

RSVP Jeanette (03) 5332 1469 or jeanette@ballaratcemeteries.com.au
Source: Victorian Anzac Centenary Committee, the ANMF, Federation University Ballarat and the Ballarat Courier.
Ballarat Courier Story
To read the story about Nurse Westcott and the commemorative service, click here  to read the story from the Ballarat Courier.





Thanks to Committee Member Arlene Bennett for bringing this event to our attnetion.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee