LEMNOS GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL EVENT PARLIAMENT HOUSE SPEECH LEE TARLAMIS MP On behalf of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee I would like to welcome you to the official launch of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Memorial. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we stand and pay my respects to their elders past and present. I would also like to acknowledge:                    

ELENI LIANIDOU – CONSUL GENERAL OF GREECE JOHN GEARY – DEPUTY COMMISSIONER VETERANS’ AFFAIRS VICTORIA HON BRUCE ATKINSON MP – PRESIDENT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL HON KEN SMITH MP – SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TED BAILLIEU MP – CHAIRMAN OF THE VICTORIAN ANZAC CENTENARY COMMITTEE AND FORMER PREMIER OF VICTORIA DERRYN HINCH – VETERAN JOURNALIST & BROADCASTER MICHAEL DANBY MP – FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MELBOURNE PORTS CR AMANDA STEVENS – MAYOR CITY OF PORT PHILLIP PETER CORLETT OAM – RENOWNED AUSTRALIAN COMMEMORATIVE SCULPTOR STEVE KYRITSIS – PRESIDENT OF THE HELLENIC RSL SUB-BRANCH SONYA BOLOSKIS – REPRESENTING THE NEW ZEALAND RSL SUB-BRANCH MALAMA VARVARAS – PRESIDENT OF THE LEMNIAN COMMUNITY OF VICTORIA NICK MYLONAS – PRESIDENT OF HACCI LAMBIS ENGLEZOS OAM – PATRON, LEMNOS GALLIPOLI COMMEMORATIVE COMMITTEE PROFESSOR RAE FRANCES – DEAN, FACULTY OF ARTS, MONASH UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR BRUCE SCATES – CHAIR OF HISTORY AND AUSTRALIAN STUDIES – NATIONAL CENTRE FOR AUSTRALIAN STUDIES PROFESSOR JOY DAMOUSI – PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE MY PARLIAMENTARY COLLEAGUES LOCAL COUNCILLORS GEORGE CALOMBARIS

Tonight’s launch coincides with a significant but not well known event that is testament to the strong link between Lemnos and the Anzacs and I speak of course of the 95th anniversary 1|Page

of the signing of the armistice between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies on board HMS Agamemnon in Mudros Harbour, ending the war that began at Gallipoli. And I think it appropriate that we mark this occasion with a minute’s silence. Thank you. Lemnos is one of the most beautiful and somewhat undiscovered Greek Islands in the North Aegean located only 70 miles from Gallipoli. It has a long and mysterious history and is mentioned in the tales of Homer and the great Greek playwrights. It was the home to the Greek god of metallurgy, Hephaestus, its villages welcomed Jason and his Argonauts and it played a role in the mighty Trojan wars. Some of you may be aware of its strong links with Australia through the thousands of Lemnians who have made Australia their home but what is less well known is the connection with the original Anzacs. I’m very proud to stand here at the launch of our project to erect a memorial statue commemorating this connection and acknowledging Lemnos’ place in Australia’s Anzac story. This resonates personally with me as someone who has links to Lemnos from both sides of my family – through my father who was born in the village of Tsimandria, as was his mother, my grandfather who was born in the village of Agkariones – but also from my mother’s side of the family through my grandmother’s uncle who was an Australian soldier who spent time in the hospitals in Lemnos in 1915. I recall early in 2011 when visiting family in the village on Neo Koutali and standing on the porch of my auntie’s house when I turned to my cousins and told them that directly across from their house on the rolling hills was where in 1915 the Australian, French and British hospitals were located and up the hill to the left of their house was the Sarpi Rest Camp (now the village of Kalithea) and that this area would have been filled with Aussie’s – to which they responded – no the Aussie’s were never here – the Germans were – referring of course to the German occupation in WW2. It was at this point that I decided that something had to be done to promote and create awareness of the historical links so that they are not forgotten. 2|Page

And that brings us to the here and now and I would like to thank John Pandazopoulos for encouraging and assisting our group to help us get to where we are today. And of course all the members of our committee who have dedicated themselves to advance this cause. Our Committee was formed in 2011 with the aim of promoting greater awareness and the commemoration of the link between Lemnos and Australia’s Anzac story, particularly as we approach the Centenary of Anzac in 2015. It is a small but active group that has been meeting regularly at the Hellenic Sub-Branch of the RSL in Albert Park and is made up of representatives of the RSL, the Australian and Victorian Lemnian community, the wider Greek Australian community, historians, parliamentarians and local residents. We are pursuing a number of commemorative projects, including assisting the local authorities on Lemnos to enhance the Anzac Trail on the Island in advance of the 2015 Centenary. Another of our projects has been to encourage the visit to Lemnos of Australia’s official Gallipoli flotilla planned for 2015 and we have been successful in this project already, with the Vice Admiral of the Royal Australian Navy committing the flotilla to such a commemorative visit. But the project we are here to focus on tonight is our Commemorative Monument. But before I talk about the memorial in more detail I think it is important to highlight some key points about the links between Lemnos and the Anzacs and in many respects the forgotten part of the Anzac story. I won’t go into the whole story of Lemnos and Anzacs – as we would be here all night –  Lemnos was the vital and essential base for the Gallipoli campaign in 1915.  It’s proximity to the Dardanelles, its huge harbour at Mudros – the biggest in the eastern Mediterranean –and the offer of its use by the Greek Government, made Lemnos the perfect location for the campaign. 3|Page

 Prior to the landings on 25th April, the Island witnessed the assembly of the Allied flotilla – some 200 ships – and the arrival of the troops of many nations – but especially the Anzacs.  The troops practiced their landing procedures in Mudros Harbour, scrambling from their large troopships into the landing craft in full kit, rowing ashore and struggling up the sloping hills in mock attacks.  On the morning of April 25th, their landing would not be so peaceful. The casualties they suffered and the horrors of the peninsula from April until the evacuation in December 1915 brought them back to Lemnos.  Some came to rest and recuperate after the battles on the peninsula, staying at the Anzac camp at Sarpi (now Kalithea), for a few weeks before returning to the frontline at Gallipoli.  Those who were injured or sick with diseases that wracked the soldiers at Gallipoli were tended by the 130 Australian nurses in the two military field hospitals on the Turks Head peninsula on the western side of the bay.  But they would also travel the Island – sometimes on its donkeys, visiting the Therma Mineral Springs to enjoy a bath, purchasing fresh food from the local villagers, visiting the many churches on the Island and restaurants and cafes of Myrina, Portianou, Kontias and Mudros to mention but a few.  This was the first real inter-action between ordinary Australians and Greeks – an interaction that continues to this day.  This is one of the most positive aspects of the Lemnos story. The Anzacs on Lemnos gained an appreciation for their Greek hosts, enjoying the food, the music and dances, and the environment. They provided much needed medical care to the villagers as can be seen in the display.  We need to remind ourselves that the 50,000 Australians and 8,000 New Zealanders fought at Gallipoli – all of these would have known Lemnos. And over 200 of these brave soldiers remain buried in Lemnos’ two Commonwealth Military Cemeteries. I hope you take the time to view the display we have put together for you tonight. It is but a small sample of thousands of photographs left to us by the Anzac soldiers and nurses who took them all these years ago on Lemnos. And I would like to thank Jim Claven, our secretary and historical adviser, for his work in putting this display together for us tonight.

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The Commemorative Memorial will encompass the themes of the Australian soldiers and nurses on Lemnos. It is being designed by Peter Corlett, OAM, Australia’s leading commemorative sculptor and we are planning for this major new statue to be erected during the Centenary year. It has been a pleasure for us to work with such a distinguished sculptor to make our project a reality. Thank you, Peter. And you will hear more from him shortly. This will be the first significant memorial in Australia to commemorate Lemnos’ role in the Gallipoli campaign, as well as the vital role played by Australia’s nurses in the campaign. And we hope to be able to raise sufficient funds to publish an associated commemorative publication – hopefully a commemorative book – as a companion to our Memorial Statue. This will tell the story of Lemnos and Anzac in all its depth for the first time. The location of the Commemorative Memorial in Port Melbourne is especially appropriate. As you would have read from our prospectus prepared by Jim Claven, there many local links to Lemnos’ role in Anzac. It was from here that the Anzacs embarked for Lemnos in 1915. The recent release of the Troopship Orvieto’s embarkation list – thanks to Prof Bruce Scates and the Victorian Anzac Centenary Committee - underscores this fact. Many of the 1,500 Victorians who embarked aboard this ship in October 1914 came from this region. Our research has revealed that three of those who departed on this voyage are buried on Lemnos - Second Lieutenant Alfred Jackson, Private Francis Carter from nearby Brighton and Private Roy Clifford who enlisted at Albert Park. And the 37 Victorian nurses who were among the 130 Australian nurses who served on Lemnos also departed from Port Melbourne. There is Corporal Albert Jacka the first Victoria Cross winner who became Mayor of St Kilda after the war and is buried in St Kilda Cemetery. There is Corporal George Knight an electrician from Albert Park who is buried in East Mudros Cemetery. And there was Matron Grace Wilson, the head nurse of the 3rd Australian General Hospital on Lemnos, who returned to be Matron of the Alfred Hospital. And these are only a few of the names of the Anzac soldiers and nurses connecting Lemnos and the Port Phillip region.

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And of course Port Melbourne and its piers was where many of Victoria’s new Greek migrants arrived in the 1950’s and 60’s including my father, his brother and my grandparents. We have been heartened by the active support of the City of Port Phillip for our project, who have recognised its local, state and national significance - and are working with us to secure the location in Port Melbourne. On behalf of the Committee, I would like to thank the Mayor of Port Phillip (who is here tonight), the Council and Heritage Officer Sandra Khazam. Conclusion This is our first fundraiser and major event – but it won’t be our last. I would like to acknowledge the work of the volunteers on our Committee. They have worked tirelessly to get to this stage and will no doubt keep working to make this dream a reality. I would like to thank Neos Kosmos, the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria and HACCI for assisting us with publicity for this event. Thank you for coming tonight to support our work and our aim of making this memorial a lasting symbol of the great link between Lemnos, Greece and Australia’s Anzac heritage.

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