Blue skies and the salty tang of Port Melbourne’s sea breeze set the scene for the 10th anniversary of the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial on Saturday, August 9.
The haunting sound of bagpipes, played by Stacey Harris, made a solemn and stirring backdrop as wreaths were laid. But this year’s commemoration offered something new, allowing guests to place books at the memorial alongside the traditional flowers.
“People who brought the books, decide to donate them… schools, libraries, anywhere they wish,” historian Jim Claven told The Greek Herald, adding wreath flowers wilt, but books keep history alive for generations to come.
Liberal MP David Davis commended Jim Claven’s work. “The generosity, kindness and welcome of the people of Lemnos to Australian soldiers and nurses during that first world war period is a very important thing for us to recognise. I want to single out Jim Claven for the research he has done to document many of those links.”
Among the many dignitaries in attendance from federal, state and local governments was Josh Burns MP, summing up Lemnos’ significance simply: “No Lemnos, no Gallipoli.”
He shared the story of Sister Clarice Lawrence, who married Sergeant Ernest Alfred Lawrence on the island, the only recorded ANZAC marriage there. After the war, they ran a second-hand furniture store in St Kilda near his office and are buried in St Kilda Cemetery.
Greek Consul General in Melbourne Dimitra Georgantzoglou noted that 148 Australian soldiers are buried in Lemnos’ military cemetery and that, despite hardships, “the Lemnians supported and welcomed the ANZACs.”
She departed upon finishing her speech due to another private engagement, not managing to hear Deb Stewart’s key note address on her grandmother nurse Evelyn Hutt’s hardships on the island. Her wartime keepsakes, a handmade Turkish flag and a Quran, are now preserved at the State Library of Victoria.
For the last 10 years, Nina Taylor MP has attended the August ceremony.
“Monuments like this one are an important way to reflect our shared history, remember the courage and resistance of those who have served, and pass down veterans’ stories and memories to future generations,” she said, while Port Phillip Councillor Rod Hardy emphasised the local connection.
“The memorial’s location near Port Melbourne is no coincidence. This area shares a deep connection with Lemnos as one of the major departure points for ANZAC soldiers and nurses,” Cr Hardy said.
Lemnian Committee chair and Victorian MP Lee Tarlamis, master of ceremonies, reflected on a decade of milestones, from the memorial’s unveiling to the naming of Lemnos Square in 2018, the plaque at the Australian Pier in Moudros Bay, the publication of Lemnos Gallipoli Revealed, and documentary screenings.
Over the years, the bronze figures of nurse and soldier, sculpted by Peter Corlett, have stood as silent witnesses to changing seasons and enduring memory. They have weathered misty dawns and searing summer light, occasional graffiti swiftly erased, autumn leaves falling at their base, and the daily stream of Albert Park College students passing by with their own stories to tell.
Albert Park College, whose campus neighbours the memorial, could not be missing from the ceremony. Assistant Principal and history teacher Duncan Box said, “The memorial makes the history more visible, especially when discussing the nurses’ role in conflict. WWI is an important part of our curriculum, especially in Year 9.”
Vice Captain Ollie O’Connor, laying a book on behalf of the school, reflected: “It’s important for us to see this every day.”
House Captain Alice Reid Rodriguez recited In Flanders Fields by Lt Colonel McRae, and School Captain James Keating read Vera Brittain’s Sisters on Lemnos, both moving tributes to the Anzacs.
Two retired nurses, Marita and Giselda, stumbled upon the service while heading to the nearby Gasworks and were visibly moved. “It was a serendipitous moment,” said Marita, whose great-aunt served in Thessaloniki.
Giselda spoke of her grand uncle, Ted Pyke, a Port Melbourne boy wounded at Gallipoli, treated in Lemnos, Malta, and later Egypt and the Western Front. “War left many scars on him and he was very patriotic,” she said.
People lingered, discussing history. And as the sea breeze stirred the wreaths and rustled the pages of the books left in tribute, the memorial stood steadfast, holding in bronze and stone the memories of courage, sacrifice, and the unbroken thread between past and present.
*All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis
