Oakleigh Glendi Festival Success

Well what a successful weekend the Committee had at Oakleigh's Glendi Festival in Warrawee Park in Melbourne's Hellenic heart of Oakleigh!
We have taken part in the festival over a number of years but this was truly our most successful year in terms of promoting awareness of the Hellenic link to Australia's Anzac story and also for providing a great opportunity to promote our new book - Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed: A Pictorial History of the Anzac's in the Aegean 1915-16.
Thanks to all who stopped by our stall, including Consul General of Greece Mr Dimitrios Michalopoulos, Ms Clare O'Neil Federal MP for Hotham, Mr Steve Dimopoulos Victorian MP for Oakleigh, Mr Nick Staikos Victorian MP for Bentleigh, Mr Michael O'Brien Victorian MP and Victorian Leader of the Opposition, Ms Nina Taylor MP and Ms George Crozier MP both representing the Southern Metropolitan Region in the Victorian Parliament's Upper House, Mr Mark Robertson Principal of Oakleigh Grammar and his wife Kerri, former Monash Councillor Mr Bill Pontikis, Ms Ann Barker Secretary of the Oakleigh Carnegie RSL and former Victorian MP for Oakleigh, Mr Paul Sougleris of the Pammessian Brotherhood Pappaflessas, Ms Litsa Athanasiadis of the Melbourne Pontiaki Estia, Ms Kris Stamboulidis of the Australian Krythian Association, Mr Peter Andrinopoulos of the Society of Kalamata, Mr Nikolaos Kydas of our Committee and the Victorian Lemnian Community, Ms Mary Sinanidis from Neos Kosmos, Mr Pano Apostolou from SBS Radio and Ms Roula Krykelis and Mr Lee Andrikopoulos of Rythmos Digital Radio - as well as countless others.
A special thank you to those who purchased copies of our book - we sold twenty copies on the weekend, along with our Committee badges. Many purchased books as gifts for their Lemnian-born relatives - including young Sam for his pappou Stavros - as well as school teachers and others.
A big thank you to Sam and Lee Tarlamis who set up and dismantled our stall display on both Saturday and Sunday - even during the rain on Saturday - and who stayed all day on both days promoting our work. Thanks to our Vice President Christina Despoteris for helping out all weekend, as well as to Committee member and Essendon RSL President Ange Kenos for helping out too. Thanks also to Vicki Kyritsis and Chau Huynh for also helping.
Another big thank you to Andrew Ballis, President Pan-Macedonian Association of Melbourne and Victoria and to George Carydias, Director, Aubrey Paton & Associates for their assistance in obtaining the stall at the festival, we can't thank you enough.
And thanks for all those who dropped in to say hello, to learn about Lemnos and its link to Australia's Anzac story and to all who purchased our new book.
Above and below are photos from the weekend - thanks to all who contributed their photos too.
Jim Claven,
Secretary, Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee