On Thursday, April 25, the Australian Ambassador to Greece, Ms Alison Duncan hosted a special ceremony for ANZAC Day at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Athens.
This was held in honour of all those who served in armed conflict, and 1315 Australians and New Zealanders attended the ceremony to commemorate the significant day in history.
It was revealed that during the Second World War, 584 Australians and 731 New Zealanders who fell defending Greece, therefore ANZAC Day highlighted their heroic sacrifices.
The ceremony consisted of many special members of Australian and New Zealand communities in Athens who participated in a wreath laying ceremony and paid their respects.
They include Greece’s Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr Yiannis Kefalogiannis, the Deputy Chief of the Hellenic Armed Forces, Vice-Admiral Christos Sasiakos, the representative of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Commander Konstantinos Laskaris, Ambassadors and representatives of foreign missions in Greece, the New Zealand Honorary Consul in Greece, Ms Ioanna Gouvatso, and members of Greek Australian and Greek New Zealand associations.
During the ANZAC Day event, the Hellenic Armed Forces Military Guard and Military Band, students from St. Catherine’s British School, and students from Campion School Athens also participated.
Honoured to host a moving Anzac Day service at the beautiful Commonwealth cemetery in Athens today where 1,315 Australians and New Zealanders are commemorated. We honour their service and sacrifice.
— Australian Embassy, Greece (@AusAmbAthens) April 25, 2024
Lest We Forget. #AnzacDay2024 pic.twitter.com/DlI22GBlnt
The Ambassador of Australia to Greece, Ms Alison Duncan made a post on X to commemorate the day.
“Honoured to host a moving Anzac Day service at the beautiful Commonwealth cemetery in Athens today where 1,315 Australians and New Zealanders are commemorated,” she said in the post.
“We honour their service and sacrifice.
“Lest We Forget.”
