By George Chiotis
This year’s ANZAC Day parade in the heart of Sydney was truly impressive. Tens of thousands of people lined Pitt, Bridge, Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets, waving flags, banners, and holding moving “THANK YOU” signs to pay tribute and honour to Australia’s veterans, their descendants, and other allied forces.
The Greek contingent always receives a particularly warm welcome and appreciation from the public, earning resounding applause every year. However, this year, for some inexplicable reason, the reception was even more emotional.
Leading the Greek group was the Greek Returned Servicemen’s League (Greek RSL) of New South Wales, headed by President Panagiotis Tsigounis. They were followed by the Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW, and the Greek Australian Society (GAS).
A large group of more than sixty proud Greek Australians marched together.
The Greek Australian Minister for Small Business, Steve Kamper, was represented at the parade by Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism, Mark Buttigieg.
Following the parade, participants gathered for a luncheon at the well-known “Diethnes” restaurant, generously hosted by the GAS.
