Lemnos and Anzac - E-School Twinning - Linking Schools from Greece and Australia

On 23rd April 2015, our Executive Member, Christina Despoteris, addressed a local Greek school on the Lemnos Anzac story. This is a great beginning to linking schools in Australia and Greece through the study of the joint heritage of these two nations linked through Anzac.
Well done Christina.
The following article and photos are from Christina:

E-School Twinning - Linking Greece and Australia and telling the story of Lemnos and Anzac

From left to right: Dr Maria Kaskantami, Principal, 1st Junior High School, Voula; Christina Despoteris; Angeliki Methodiou, English Teacher, 1st Junior High School, Voula

"e-School Twinning" or "Voula - Melbourne: Building Bridges across Continents" is the official cultural program developed and is being implemented during the 2014-2015 school years. It is all about the partnership between two schools located on two different continents.

The first is - 1st Junior High School of Voula, a state public school located in Voula, Attica, Greece.
The second is - Alphington Grammar School, a private, independent school offering English and Greek immersion education, situated in Melbourne, Australia.
Some of the aims of this program are: that the student becomes aware of his/her cultural identity; that students familiarise themselves with a different culture -therefore broadening their horizon; create new relationships with peers and share thoughts, concerns and feelings; express themselves using a foreign language; use computer technology tools effectively; familiarise themselves with the basic concepts and rules of using on line communication and create original works - reports and videos, through working together to promote teamwork and cooperation.
The blog below (see the link below) is designed to support communication between the two schools, provide program organisation and gather and publish material produced by the students of both schools during the program. That is to say students "talk to each other" through the blog. They write stories, produce creative and artistic pieces which are uploaded and can be seen by the students of the other school. So far, the program has produced sections on "Let me introduce myself" - where students talk about their families and friends; "My City" - students talk about their respective neighbourhoods; "My school"; they created and sent "Christmas Cards" to each other and they have written about Australia and Greece. More particularly they focus on such things as National Days, 25 March and 26 January. Recently the Greek students looked at "Learning about Anzac".
I was fortunate enough to be in Athens around Anzac Day and visited the school in Voula and distributed Aussie flags to the students who are involved in this program.
The Principal, Dr Maria Kaskantami invited me to distribute the flags and maybe say a few words. I spoke to the students in Greek about the Anzac story and of course focused on the Lemnos connection to Anzac. Then I began speaking in English and was pleasantly surprised at the response. The students wanted to converse and practise their English. I was very impressed at the level of their English. They are all very enthusiastic about this program and are very interested in coming to Melbourne and meeting up with their new "e-friends".
At the 1st Junior High School of Voula, teachers responsible for the project are:

• Ioanna Gardiki, Vice Principal & ICT – teacher, responsible for the project organization and the technical part - use of web-2 tools, current blog construction.
• Angeliki Methodiou, English Teacher, responsible for the cultural English part of the project - preparation of reports, interviews, literature activities.
• Dr Maria Kaskantami, Principal, Greek Language Teacher, responsible for the cultural Greek part of the project. 
• At Alphington Grammar School the teacher responsible for the project is Toula Terezakis
• and the Principal of the school is Dr Vivianne Nikou.

Congratulations to all involved both in Athens and In Melbourne.
As a matter of fact both Dr Kaskantami and Mrs Methodiou attended Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee's event in Athens on Anzac Day at the War Museum.
Photos are of my visit to the school and Dr Kaskantami, myself and Mrs Methodiou at the War Museum.
To read about this new education initiative, click here.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Lemnos and Greece Centenary of Anzac 2015 - Congratulations!

As the President of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee I would like to thank everyone who participated in the Centenary of Anzac Commemorations in Lemnos and Greece. Including those who have traveled all the way from Australia to be part of the events including many members of our committee, Bronwyn Halfpenny MP and Richard Dalla-Riva MP and so many more.

This years commemorations on Lemnos were the most successful yet and exceptionally moving and being part of them was extremely humbling.

From the unveiling of the new nurses memorial at the Portianou Commonwealth War Cemetery on Lemnos, the ceremony at East Mudros Commonwealth War Cemetery followed by the parade through Mudros, the ceremony at Mudros Harbour, the re-enactment of the historical soccer match that occurred in 1915 and the visit and participation in all the events by the HMAS Success, the first visit on an Australian Naval vessel since 1915. Witnessing the sailors from HMAS Success travelling across the island and interacting with local Lemnians, as they did 100 years ago, was very moving.

Another sprcial moment was meeting descendants of Matron Grace Wilson's Family who were on Lemnos for the commemorations.

Also moving was the Anzac Day Dawn Service on board the HMAS Success in the Port of Piraeus in Athens, followed by the commemoration ceremony at Phaleron Commonwealth War Cemetery and concluding with our Photographic Exhibition and Presentation on Commemorating Gallipoli's Hellenic Heart - Lemnos and the Anzac's 1915 at the Athens War Museum.

I would like to thank the Australian Ambassador and his team at the Australian Embassy in Greece for their work in organising these commemorations, the Athens War Museum, the Hellenic Military and Navy, Liz Kaydos and Lemnos1915, The Lemnos ' Friends of Anzac, the authorities on Lemnos, the Lemnian Community of Victoria, the HMAS Success and members of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, specifically Christina Despoteris for all her efforts, hard work and passion in organising events on Lemnos and in Greece and Jim Claven for all his amazing research and his passion and commitment to ensure that critical par

ts of history are not forgotten.

There are many that I have not mentioned but I congratulate you all and look forward to working with you in the future to continue to build on what has been achieved this year.

Below are some images featuring some of the highlights of the centenary commemorations on Lemnos and in Greece. Well done.

Lee Tarlamis

President

Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Greece Centenary of Anzac - Commemorative Event 12 - Lemnos-Gallipoli Presentation at Athens War Museum

The Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee's Anzac Day event at the War Museum of Athens was extremely successful with around 250 people coming to view the Photographic Exhibition and Presentation on Commemorating Gallipoli's Hellenic Heart - Lemnos and the Anzac's 1915.

This event was organised to honour and pay tribute to those soldiers, nurses and those who's lives were so dramatically affected and in so many ways changed forever.

Thanks to our partners in this event, the Australian Embassy and the War Museum of Athens. I would also like to thank Christina Despoteris who was instrumental in making this event the success that it was and Jim Claven for his informative and well researched presentation.

At the conclusion of the event we gifted the Photographic Exhibition to the War Museum of Athens as a symbol of the strong bonds between Greece and Australia that began over 100 years ago during the Gallipoli campaign.

We were honoured to have been able to hold this event as part of the Centenary of Anzac Commemorations in Greece and on the 100th anniversary.

Some of the officials that attended the event included the Deputy Defence Minster Nikos Toskas, Australia Ambassador to Greece John Griffin, the British Ambassador to Greece John Kittmer, Honorary Consul of New Zealand Costas Cotsilinis, Charge d'affairs Canadian Embassy Julie Croteau, Representatives of the Chiefs of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Hellenic Police, Hellenic Coast Guard, Captain Justin Jones and Officers and Sailors from HMAS Success, Director of the War Museum of Athens Brigadier General Panayiotis Kaperonis, Former Deputy Chief of Defence Vice Admiral Alexandros Theodosiou, Former Consul General for Greece in Victoria Eleni Lianidou, Richard Dalla-Riva MP and Bronwyn Halfpenny MP.

Lest We Forget.

Jim Claven and Lee Tarlamis

Secretary and President

Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Greece Centenary of Anzac - Commemorative Event 11 - Anzac Service at Athens Phaleron Military Cemetery

Anzac Day, 100 years on, at Phaleron Commonwealth War Cemetery Athens, where over 800 Australians are commemorated -  including Greek-Australian Anzac  Private James Zampelis of St Kilda  who served in the Middle East and the Greek campaign, only to be killed on Crete.
Along with many others representating various countries, our President Lee Tarlamis was honoured to lay a wreath on behalf of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee. Malama Varvaras layed a wreath on behalf of the Lemnian Community of Victoria, Liz Kaydos on behalf of Lemnos 1915.
Another humbling experience along with all the events that we and so many others have participated in over the last week as part of the Centenary of Anzac Commemorations on Lemnos and in Greece. 
Lest we Forget.

Jim Claven and Lee Tarlamis
Secretary and President
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Greece Centenary of Anzac - Commemorative Event 10 - Anzac Day Dawn Service HMAS Success Piraeus

We were honoured to attend this unique event - an Anzac Day Dawn Service on HMAS Success in Piraeus Harbour. 
Honouring the Anzacs who served and those who fell in Greece in WW1 and in WW2.
This was a very moving event, attended by Mr John Griffin, Australian Ambassador to Greece, other diplomatic representatives and many members of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee.
Lets hope the first of many.

Jim Claven and Lee Tarlamis
Secretary and President
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Lemnos Centenary of Anzac - Congratulations!

Well the four days of centenary festivities came to a close on the deck of the HMAS Success on the evening of 20th April - the best ever held on Lemnos.
Congratulations to the Lemnos authorities, the Australian Embassy, the many other diplomatic representatives who attended the events, Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee , Lemnos1915, the Lemnos Community of Victoria, the Pan Lemnian Federation of Australia, the Lemnos ' Friends of Anzac, the people of Lemnos and all those Australians and others who travelled here to take part. 
A special thank you to the ships company of the HMAS Success. Well done.
Lets hope this years events are the beginning of bigger and better commemorations in years to come.
On behalf of our Committee, well done Lemnos!

Jim Claven and Lee Tarlamis
Secretary and President
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee