Thursday, 20 June 2024

Anzac: The Greek Chapter

Lee TARLAMIS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (10:25): It was a pleasure to welcome the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee’s documentary project team to the Victorian Parliament. Unfortunately, one member of the team, filmmaker John Irwin, was unable to make it. The team provided me with an update on their great progress, and I was able to thank them personally for their efforts. The 90-minute documentary, entitled Anzac: The Greek Chapter, tells the story of the Anzacs who served in the Greek campaign in April–May 1941. It tells this story vividly in the words and images of those who served themselves, drawing on over 130 hours of unique interviews, with added footage and still photographs from archives from across the world. With access to these resources, the documentary reveals the story of the Anzacs in Greece in 1941 as it has never been seen before.

It was also a pleasure to welcome well-known news and political affairs journalist Barrie Cassidy to the Parliament. Barrie kindly offered to lend his distinctive voice as the narrator of this documentary. This is more than appropriate given Barrie’s strong family connection to the documentary story with his father having served during the Greek campaign in the Battle of Crete. The project is the latest major project to be successfully undertaken by the committee, following on from the erection of the Lemnos Gallipoli commemorative memorial in Albert Park, the Australian Pier Memorial on Lemnos, the publication of the Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed book and the various photographic exhibitions that have been held.

The film is now completed and is scheduled for its premiere screening as part of the Greek Film Festival this coming October. Screenings will be held in Melbourne, Sydney and possibly Brisbane. Along with the rest of the committee, I am proud to have been associated with this important new legacy project which commemorates the service of those Anzacs who served in the Greek campaign and is also a vivid reminder of the Hellenic link to Australia’s and Victoria’s Anzac tradition.