Sunday, March 23 will witness the unveiling of a special commemorative plaque in Hampton in recognition of the role of the northern Aegean island of Imbros in the Gallipoli campaign.
The plaque is one of a number of new specially created bronze plaques that will be inserted in the footpaths of the streets of a former veterans housing estate created after First World War. Imbros will be honoured along with a number of others, mostly commemorating battles of the Western Front.
The Castlefield Estate was created on 67 acres of land by the government to house veterans and their families in the 1920s.
The project was initiated by locals, led by the former Bayside Mayor Felicity Frederico OAM and media consultant Robert Curtain. Auspiced by the Sandringham & District Historical Society and supported by Bayside Council and corporate sponsors, the project received funding from the Victorian Government’s Victoria Remembers grant program. The Society has created a very informative webpage detailing each of the streets, their battlefield connections and details on the first residents, with brief military biographies of the veterans.
Melbourne’s Imvrian community – many of whom settled in the bayside area – have been invited to participate in the event with a stall and exhibition explaining the role of Imbros in the Gallipoli campaign. This photographic exhibition has already been shown in Melbourne and Sydney. Historian and author Jim Claven will be in attendance. His book on that role – From Imbros Over The Sea – will be available for purchase.
Mr Claven said that it was especially significant that Imbros should have been chosen all those years ago as one of the battles to be recognised.
“Imbros was one of the key advanced bases of the whole Gallipoli campaign, with the campaign headquarters, medical facilities, rest camps and supply bases located there. It was home to major military aircraft bases and its harbour was a key roadstead connecting the battle front with Allied bases across the sea,” Mr Claven said.
He added that his research had shown that Imbros and its people – overwhelmingly Hellenic in character at the time – met the ANZACs and other Allied soldiers; welcoming them and helping them visit their island. Like nearby Lemnos and Tenedos, Imbros provided one of the first major contacts between Australians and Greeks.
“How appropriate that this recognition should be bestowed in a suburb that has also provided a new home to Hellenes from Imbros in Melbourne,” he added.
George Xinos of the Imvrians’ Society of Melbourne thanked all involved in this important project and the Society welcomed its recognition of this important role it played in Australian history.
The unveiling ceremony will be overseen by Her Excellency the Hon Professor Margaret Gardner AC Governor of Victoria, in the presence of many dignitaries.
The event will take place at Castlefield Reserve and commence at 11am and conclude at 3pm. No bookings are necessary. All are welcome.
