The Battle of Crete was commemorated in Perth, Western Australia from May 9 to May 12 in the presence of Lieutenant General Georgios Kiriakou, Chief of Staff of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS).
According to a Facebook post by the Consulate of Greece in Perth, Lieutenant General Kiriakou met with an array of representatives of Perth’s Greek community during his visit and participated in a number of commemorative events.
The first stop of the visit was to St Andrew’s Grammar, WA, where a Battle of Crete Assembly took place on May 10. Lieutenant General Kiriakou made a presentation to the students about Greece and the Battle of Crete.
The military delegation then visited the Offices of the Archdiocesan District of Perth where they met with Bishop Elpidios of Kyanea and other members of Perth’s clergy.
On Thursday, May 11, the Consulate organised at the State War Memorial in King’s Park the usual Wreath Laying Ceremony for the Battle of Crete, while also commemorating, like every year, the Genocide of the Hellenism of Pontos.
For the first time, the new Governor of WA, Chris Dawson AC APM, was present.
The ceremony included a Trisagion Service presided by Bishop Elpidios, poems and songs performed by students of St Andrews Grammar, as well as short speeches by the Consul of Greece in Perth, Georgia Karasiotou and Lieutenant General Kiriakou.
The military delegation then visited the ANZAC House and the Lieutenant General paid an official visit to the Consulate of Greece in Perth. At the Consulate, a meeting was hosted with representatives of the Battle of Crete Memorial Committee, who updated the delegation on the progress of the ongoing project of erecting in King’s Park a Memorial dedicated to the Battle of Crete.
