A delegation from the Hellenic National Defence General Staff was officially welcomed in Brisbane, Queensland yesterday during a visit hosted by the Cretan Federation of Australia and New Zealand, the Cretan Association of Queensland and the Honorary Consulate-General of Greece in Queensland.
The delegation included Chief of Staff Lieutenant General (P) Konstantinos Bouzos, First Lieutenant (ABDF) Eleni Theodorou, Head of the External Affairs Department of the Directorate of Public Relations, and staff officer Lamprini Kokkori.
Also attending the visit was Military Attaché of the Greek Embassy in Canberra, Colonel Kyriakos Kyriakakos.
The delegation’s visit forms part of nationwide commemorations marking the 85th Anniversary of the Battle of Crete, organised by the Cretan Federation and its member organisations.
From May 4 to May 25, the delegation will travel across Brisbane, Wellington, Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, participating in commemorative ceremonies, official visits and community engagements recognising the historic wartime battle and the enduring ties between Greece, Australia and New Zealand.
The delegation’s first official engagement in Brisbane was a welcome by His Grace Bishop Bartholomew of Brisbane at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Paraskevi in Taigum.
The visit was followed by a morning tea hosted at the diocesan offices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, where community and consular representatives gathered to greet the visitors.
Among those in attendance were Honorary Consul of Greece in Queensland George Mastrocostas, Bico Athanasas, President of the Cretan Association of Queensland Anthony Katsanevas, and Vice-President of the Cretan Federation of Australia and New Zealand Hercules Kaselakis.
The visit highlighted the strong ties between Greece’s defence leadership and the Greek Australian community, particularly within Queensland’s Cretan organisations.
