Daily Archives: February 22, 2016

The council already has a series of plans for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Crete.

The 75th anniversary of the Battle of Crete will be marked in 2016 in Victoria by a series of events planned by the Battle of Crete and Greece Commemorative Council.

The Council was formed recently in Melbourne and is an initiative of the indefatigable leadership of the Pancretan Association of Melbourne and the Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne, under the guidance of the Cretan Federation of Australia and New Zealand.

Its purpose is to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Crete in Australia in such a way that will preserve and promote the shared history and the links between Australia, New Zealand and Greece, raise awareness of the importance of the Battle of Crete and to remember and honour the fallen and the remaining veterans.

The council has the support of a cross-section of the Greek Australian Communities, the Greek authorities in Australia, veterans’ associations, prominent politicians, researchers and authors and veterans’ descendants.

Some of the events planned include a photographic exhibition, a schools’ competition, lectures and seminars on the Greek involvement in World War II, the Greek campaign and the Battle of Crete, parades, olive tree plantations, plaque and memorial unveilings, commemorative services, wreath-laying ceremonies and book launches.

The Battle of Crete and Greece Commemorative Council welcomes the community’s involvement in the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Crete and beyond, and would like to hear from any interested parties, especially veterans’ descendants, youth organisations and readers in history with a special interest in military history, Cretan Greek history and WWII history.

The composition of the council is as follows:
Larry Irwin (chairman); Tony Tsourdalakis (secretary); Ms Christina Simantiraki, Consul General of Greece in Melbourne; Mr Stephen Blair, Consul General of New Zealand in Melbourne; Mr Michael Houdalakis, president of the Cretan Federation of Australia & NZ; Mr John Nikolakakis, president of the Pancretan Association of Melbourne; Mr Jim Papadimitriou, president of the Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne; Lt. Colonel David Blackwell, vice president of the Victorian Returned Services League; Mr Chris Widenbar, from the Shrine of Remembrance; Mr Mark Dalton, Department of Veteran Affairs; Mrs Mel Johnson, secretary from the 2nd/2nd Field Regiment; Mr Peter Cooksley 2nd/1st Machine Gun Battalion; Mr Peter Ford, president of the New Zealand-Crete Association; Mr Steve Kyritsis, president of the Hellenic RSL Sub branch; Mr Leonidas Vlahakis, board member of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne; Mr Peter Andrinopoulos, secretary of the Australian Hellenic Memorial Foundation; Mr Ange Kenos, president of the Essendon RSL Sub branch; Mr John Pandazopoulos, former minister of multicultural affairs and former president of the World Hellenic Inter-parliamentary Union; Mr Lee Tarlamis, former member of parliament and president of the Lemnos Gallipoli Committee; Mr Jim Claven, author and historian; Dr Peter Ewer, author and historian; Mrs Dina Gerolymou, author and journalist; Mr Paul Sougleris, representing the Peloponnese Federation of Victoria.

source:Neos Kosmos

THE Bogey Hole is without a confirmed re-opening date, while the NSW Department of Primary Industries waits for the results of a geotechnical engineering report it said would be delivered “soon”.

A department spokesperson said DPI Lands commissioned the report following Newcastle City Council’s concerns about the stability of the terrain above the convict-built swimming pool.

“The results of this report are expected soon and the department will advise the community shortly thereafter on any work required to make the Bogey Hole safe,” the spokesperson said. “Members of the public should respect the exclusion in place and stay away. Attempts to enter the site are highly irresponsible and a potential danger to the public.”
DPI Lands closed access to the landmark in December.

“SURE is majestic,” a cyclist at Queens Wharf said of the berthed Queen Elizabeth on Monday, in a line seldom overused in Newcastle.

The youngest of Cunard’s signature liners sailed into the harbour at 7am, a 91,000-tonne conversation starter measured in football fields and Titanics.
Onlookers drove, walked and rode to Nobbys to clap and cheer and fill their camera phones with the ship’s 16 gleaming decks and the sweep of its bow.
At Queens Wharf at 10am, Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes presented the company with the keys to the city.

“It’s my great pleasure now to bestow the keys to the city on the Queen Elizabeth,” Cr Nelmes said.

According to tradition, the keys entitle the ship to “parade” through the city at will. A troupe of bellboys in Cunard red livery marched through an Air Force guard of honour. Onlookers clapped.

David Jones, of Cunard’s parent company Carnival, said the 2000 passengers were delighted by Novocastrians’ “warm” response.

The Queen Elizabeth’s visit comprised one day of 120 on its world tour, and passengers had paid up to $33,800 for the privilege.
Onboard, the ship’s main lobby is a three-level cathedral of marble and wood, discreetly adorned in the block-letter Cunard font.

Corridors painted with the ports of the world lead to glass shopfronts of duty free Dior, Absolut and Tag Heuer.

A cruise ticket buys nightly entry to the 820-seat theatre, where private boxes come with champagne and fondue strawberries.

A crew of more than 50 nationalities caters to passengers’ every need – from the croquet deck to the library to the royal spa – with unerring Cunard presentation and manners.

Those to have dined in the Britannia restaurant include the actor Sir Ben Kingsley, journalist and presenter David Frost – who died onboard of a heart attack in 2013 – and Her Majesty herself.

World War II veterans Frank Hall, 93, and Kevin Murphy, 95, were special guests at a ceremony on the ship’s aft deck on Monday to honour Williamtown’s 450 Squadron.

The two men, both based in Victoria, sailed from Sydney Harbour aboard the original Queen Elizabeth in February 1941 to join the war.

“It was unreal,” Mr Hall said.

“You didn’t know where you were going or when you would come back.”

Mr Murphy remembered finding his room on the luxury liner refitted with bunk beds, and how the men fought boxing bouts to keep themselves entertained.

The squadron landed in Egypt, and served throughout the Mediterranean.

source:theherald.com.au