RSL Hellenic Sub-Branch - ANAGNOSTIS

RSL Hellenic Sub-Branch Memorial Hall, 14A Ferrars Pl, South , Melbourne Vic 3205

RETURNED SOLDIER – “APOSTRATOS” English Newsletter Supplement - March 2014

Please email any newsletter content suggestions including photos you may have to Emanuel Karvelas at "[email protected]"

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Dear Members and Friends of the RSL Hellenic Sub-Branch

A warm welcome to our first 2014 publication of our quarterly newsletter. There is a

lot of excitement in the buildup towards the 2015 Gallipoli Centenary. Our Sub-

Branch is actively involved in the planning of the Lemnos Gallipoli Statue which will

be erected at a location in the City of Port Phillip, not far from our club rooms.

The Sub-Branch congratulates our member Stephen Manos upon receiving the OAM

award for his many years of services to the Greek Community. We welcome to

Melbourne the new Greek Consul General Mrs Christina Simantiraki, whom we met

in February this year.

I hope you enjoy this edition of the Returned Soldier “Apostratos” Newsletter.

Steve Kyritsis, President

25th

March 2014 - Greek Independence Day

Sub Branch Secretary Major Terry Kanellos hosted two wreath laying ceremonies. The first was at the Australian

Hellenic Memorial in Birdwood Avenue, the second was within the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance. The day

concluded with a light complimentary lunch back at our club rooms.




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2013 Sub Branch Christmas Dance

Opa…, the event was an outstanding success.

Lots of dancing to the music of DJ George Dalaras.

2014 ANZAC Day Parade

As with every year, all Hellenic Sub-

Branch RSL members are invited to

march in the ANZAC Day parade.

Members are to assemble 11:30am at the

Princess Walk staging point for an

expected 12:00noon start. Princes Walk

is beside Federation Square on Swanston

St and opposite Flinders St train station.

Parade cars have been arranged for our

more senior members who find the

march a little challenging. Again this

year, a bus will be leaving from our

South Melbourne Clubrooms to the

march start point, at 11.00am sharp. At

the conclusion of the march, the bus will

pick up members at the corner St Kilda

Rd and Park St. We conclude with a

light complimentary lunch back at our

club rooms.

The Sub Branch would like to congratulate Ken Tsirigotis on his

promotion to Warrant Officer in the Australian Army. He is currently

posted to 4th

Brigade. Photo taken 25/Mar/2014 at the Hellenic Memorial.

A final reminder to members who have yet to pay your membership…., only $35…, Thank you.




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George Makris 1945

We are saddened by the

passing of

Mr George Makris

17th

February 1925

to

17th

January 2014

The RSL Hellenic Sub-Branch

would like to pass on our

condolences to

his wife Despina and the

extended Makris family.

George at Anzac Day 2013

George Makris enlisted in the Royal Australian Air force on the 19th

March 1943. He served in what was then

known as Dutch New Guinea in the Pacific as a Leading Aircraftsman. George was a humble man and never really

spoke about the perils of Japanese bomber planes that harassed their base. To us, George was famous for his war

time story with the coconuts that involved him and a couple mates rubbing coconut oil in their hair for better looks.

Whilst asleep at night, the rats would gnaw at the coconut oil till eventually they became extremely sick. He

survived to tell the story and would quietly laugh it off with us over a cup of tea. George was respected and well

liked at the RSL. He attended many Hellenic Sub-Branch functions with his family. We will dearly miss him.

Date Milestones and Past Events 14

th December 2013 Hellenic Sub branch Christmas function.

19th

February 2014 Milestone - The bombing of Darwin that first occurred on the 19th

Feb 1942

25th

March 2014 Greek National Day

25Mar2014 Left – Mrs

Simantiraki

addresses the

audience.

Right – Sam

Mourtzas,

Dimitra

Petropoulos,

Theo Spanos

with Shrine

Guards.




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We still have copies available

for purchase from our Sub-

Branch or order by post.

“Greek-Australians in the

Vietnam War 1962-72” ($25).

“Greek-Australians in the

Australian Forces WWI &

WWII” ($40).

Proceeds from all book sales

are donated to the RSL

Hellenic Sub-Branch.

Ms Dora Bakoyani at the Australian Hellenic Memorial

Early this year, Greek MP and ex Greek Foreign Minister

Ms Dora Bakoyani visited the Memorial and laid a wreath

for all Australian, New Zealand and Greek Servicemen

that fought and died in the WWII Greek Campaign of

1940-41.

Pictured (left to right) – Con Katsambanis, Pantelis

Kalimnakis, Dennis Patisteas, Dora Bakoyani, Steve

Kyritsis and Tony Tsourdalakis.

Bombing of Darwin 19th

February 1942 and The

Darwin Defenders

Darwin was bombed on the 19th

of February 1942 by

the Japanese Air Force three months after the start of

the war in the Pacific. The attack was only the

beginning of a series of Japanese bombing raids across

all of northern Australia that lasted almost until the

end of the war. War had never been fought on

Australian soil before and Australians had never

before seen bombs fall within their borders or seen

civilians lose their lives at the hands of the enemy. The

first raid on Darwin was at 9.58am on the 19th

February 1942. Over 200.000 Australian Servicemen

served in Darwin, till the end of WWII.

Every year across Australia on the 19th

February, The

Darwin Defenders Association commemorates the

bombing of Darwin. This year, I was fortunate to

attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Melbourne

Shrine of Remembrance and managed to catch up with

a number of Darwin Defender veterans, all of them

now well into their 90s.

Steve Kyritsis




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Date Future Events

Friday

25th

April 2014 ANZAC Day

3:00pm Sunday 27th

April 2014

Sub-Branch Annual General Meeting – All members are invited to attend.

1.00pm Sunday

4th

May 2014

Mothers Day function at the Sub-Branch. All members and friends are

invited. Lots of food, drinks, great music and Dancing. Only $30 per person.

Reserve your tickets early

Saturday

28th

June 2014

Dinner dance function at the St Kilda town hall commemorating the role of

Lemnos to the WWI Gallipoli campaign.

We are saddened by the passing

of

Mr Basil George Hayler

On 24th

February 2014 aged 92

A WWII Greek Campaign

Veteran, Basil was a regular

special guest at many Greek

Community Battle of Crete

wreath laying ceremonies.

The RSL Hellenic Sub-Branch

would like to pass on our

condolences to

the extended Hayler family.

Basil would recount

years later that whilst on

shore leave in 1941 his

memories of the Nazi

invasion of Greece.

“When the Greeks were

invaded by the Germans,

I was standing up on the

Acropolis watching the

harbour being bombed."

Below is an extract of an article that featured in the Neos Kosmos Newspaper on 24th Feb 2014

Basil was one of the last survivors of the WWII cruiser HMAS Perth - the Royal Australian Navy warship that

played a major role in the Greek and Crete campaigns of WWII and which was eventually sunk by the Japanese. In

1938 Basil enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy, aged 16. In March 1941 the Perth took part in the deployment of

Allied forces to Greece, making two voyages with troops from Alexandria to Piraeus.

After playing a significant part in the Battle of Cape Matapan, where Allied forces destroyed five Italian battleships,

by late April 1941 HMAS Perth was evacuating Allied troops from the mainland, taking off troops from Porto Rafti

and Tolos. In May, the Perth took part in the evacuation from Crete. Having picked up 1188 troops from Sfakia on

May 29, as it made its way to Alexandria it was subject to repeated enemy attacks. One bomb which penetrated the

boiler room killed 13 crew and passengers.




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Basil and his ship made it to Alexandria. Shortly after, he was transferred to HMAS Stuart which was deployed on

'the spud run' - ferrying vital supplies to the besieged Allied forces in Tobruk. The move to the Stuart was fateful. In

March 1942, HMAS Perth was sunk by the Japanese in the Battle of Sunda Strait, with the loss of more than 340

lives. In May 1944 whilst on leave in Australia, he married Pauline Kirkham. They had two children, seven

grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.

WWII veterans Basil

Hayler and Norman

Maddock lay a wreath

in the Cretan town of

Rethymno at the

Hellenic-Australian

Memorial during the

2011 commemoration

of the 70th

Anniversary of the

Battle of Crete.

Photo #110520 – taken

by Corporal Janine

Fabre, 1st Joint Public

Affairs Unit, ADF.

28th

October 2013 Wreath Laying Ceremony

Thesaloniki Greece

Pictured is Mr

Dimitrios

Harizanis laying a wreath

at the Military

Cemetery

“

”

on behalf of the

Hellenic Sub

Branch of the

RSL in front of

military and

civilian

dignitaries.

2013 Raffle Winners

Congratulations to the following

winners of the raffle which was

drawn at our Christmas function:-

1st prize - Mr K Pipilikas (#0860)

2nd

prize -Mrs E Potamidis(#0870)

3rd

prize - Mr G Peroulas (#1312)

4th

Prize - Mr G Verginis (#1353)

5th

prize - Mrs R Hronis (#0332)

Thank you to all

that supported our raffle.

Next Edition Returned Soldier “Apostratos” – Due June 2014

Documents

RSL Hellenic Sub-Branch - ANAGNOSTIS