A series of commemorative events will take place across Melbourne this month to honour the victims and survivors of the Greek Genocide, marking 107 years since one of the darkest chapters in Hellenic history.
Organised by the Coordinating Committee for the Commemoration of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontos, the 2026 programme aims to preserve historical memory while educating future generations about the atrocities committed against Pontian Hellenes in the early 20th century by Ottoman and Turkish authorities.
This year’s commemorations will begin on Friday, May 15, with a presentation and book launch for Genocide to Regeneration by author Panayiotis Diamandis at Oakleigh Grammar.
The central commemorative events will be held on Sunday, May 17, beginning with a Memorial Service at the Cathedral of Our Lady Axion Estin in Northcote from 9:30am, presided over by His Grace Bishop Evmenios of Chora.
Following the Divine Liturgy and memorial prayers, a Wreath Laying Ceremony will take place at 11:30am at the Monument of the Fallen, located at the rear of the Cathedral.
A new initiative introduced this year will allow families to honour ancestors who perished during the genocide by registering names to be read aloud at the conclusion of the wreath-laying ceremony. A $100 donation will allow up to two names to be commemorated as part of the memorial proceedings.
Community members will then gather in the Cathedral’s function hall for light refreshments and a cultural tribute featuring the haunting sounds of the Pontian Lyra, with organisers noting the music symbolises both the pain of loss and the enduring longing for ancestral homelands.
The commemorative programme will continue on Monday, May 18, with the opening of a ten-day exhibition dedicated to the Hellenism of Anatolia at St John’s College in Preston.
On Tuesday, May 19 – recognised internationally as Greek Genocide Remembrance Day – author and commentator Dean Kalimniou will deliver a lecture titled “Venizelos and Pontus; Legacy and Controversy” at the Greek Centre in Melbourne.
Organisers said the events are intended not only to honour those who lost their lives, but also to reaffirm the importance of truth, justice and historical awareness.
“All members of the community and friends are encouraged to attend and join in preserving the memory of those who perished and the heritage they left behind,” the committee said in a statement.
“As we gather in remembrance, we affirm that only when we cease to think of those who have passed away do they truly die.”
