The Kalavryton Society in NSW ‘Aghia Lavra’ held its annual memorial service at St Euphemia Greek Orthodox Church in Bankstown last weekend, to honour the victims of the 1943 Kalavryta Holocaust, one of the most harrowing atrocities of WWII.
The event featured a religious service, historical reflections, and a wreath-laying ceremony to remember the massacre in which Nazi forces executed nearly all of the town’s male inhabitants aged 12 and older, while women, children and the elderly escaped a burning school.
The event was emceed by John Kikilias, Secretary of the Kalavryton Society. Key speeches were delivered by Jim Papadopoulos, President of the Kalavryton Society; John Papadopoulos, Member of the Kalavryton Society’s Auditing Committee; and Chris Spiropoulos, President of the Greek Orthodox Parish of Saint Euphemia. Each of them emphasised the importance of preserving the memory of the tragedy.
The ceremony included wreaths laid by Mr Papadopoulos; Mr Spiropoulos; Vern Faulkner, representing the Bankstown Sports Club; Kostas Skouteris, representing the Achaian Federation; and Katerina Saul, representing the mothers of all Kalavrytini.
The memorial served as a reminder of the resilience of the Kalavrytan people and a call for peace, justice, and vigilance against future atrocities.
