The launch of Return to Anatolia‘s photo exhibition on the Smyrna Catastrophe was held on Sunday, September 25 at the public library in Preston, Melbourne.
The exhibition coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Smyrna Catastrophe this year.
The event was well attended by over 45 people with a number of special guests including the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Emmanuel Kakavelakis.
On the day, keynote speaker, Stavros Terry Stavridis, gave an overview of the main events leading up to the Smyrna Catastrophe in 1922 and the subsequent refugee crisis to hit Greece.
Mr Stavridis also explained the importance of the photo exhibition in preserving the historical memory of the Smyrna Catastrophe.
The emcee of the event, Kris Pavlidis, then introduced the Consul General to the stage for a small speech.
In his speech, Mr Kakavelakis described the symbolic meaning of the destruction of Smyrna to the Greek people and stressed that the historical event should never be forgotten.
For her part, the President of Return to Anatolia, Sofia Kotanidis, thanked everyone for attending the event, as well as the Darebin Ethnic Communities Council for making the exhibition possible.
The photo exhibition will remain at Preston Library until October 22.
