Hampton’s Castlefield Estate came alive on Sunday, March 23 as more than 400 people gathered to witness the unveiling of a commemorative bronze plaque honouring the role of the northern Aegean island of Imbros in the Gallipoli campaign of 1915–16.
The event was part of a broader commemorative project recognising key battles and support bases of the First World War, with specially designed plaques embedded in the footpaths of streets within the historic Castlefield Estate — a post-war housing development built to accommodate returning veterans and their families in the 1920s.
Imbros was honoured alongside major Western Front battlefields, acknowledging its critical function as a strategic Allied base during the Gallipoli campaign.
Historian and author of From Imbros Over the Sea, Jim Claven OAM was present at the event with a stall and exhibition run by the Imvrians’ Society of Melbourne, showcasing historical photographs and stories from the island’s wartime role. His books were available for purchase and drew significant interest from attendees.
The ceremony was formally overseen by Her Excellency the Hon Professor Margaret Gardner AC, Governor of Victoria, and attended by several dignitaries including Victorian Veterans Minister Natalie Suleyman, Ryan Batchelor MP, Federal Member for Goldstein Zoe Daniel, and RSL State President Rob Webster.
The event was coordinated by the Castlefield Estate Commemorative Group, with the support of Bayside Council, the Victorian Government’s Victoria Remembers grant program, and the Sandringham & District Historical Society.
