Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has sent a tribute message to Australia’s Cretan Community ahead of a commemorative dinner to be held on Saturday night, honouring the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Crete.

The Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW will be holding a ‘Battle of Crete Dinner Dance’ on the 10th of April to commemorate this historic landmark, held at the Croatian Club in Punchbowl.

The Australian Prime Minister said now is a time when Greek people can “draw strength from their rich history”.

“In the aftermath of a battle fought with honour, and conceded without disgrace, a deep friendship was forged,” Mr Morrison said in a statement.

“The record of the days and weeks that followed is a chapter of bravery and selflessness that has bound Australia to Crete ever after.”

The Australian PM recognised that on this anniversary in years prior, Australian veterans and their descendants would travel to Greece to honour the dead who rest in peace at Suda Bay.

“In 2021, those reunions are out of reach. But, the painful separation of a global pandemic has endowed togetherness with new meaning. The strength of our friendship is not bound by time or distance,” Mr Morrison said.

“In the theatre of war, the people of Greece and Australia were united in a quest for peace. As they confronted tyranny together, they upheld the principals of justice and liberty so beloved by both our nations.

“Today, we reflect on the spirit of sacrifice and shared humanity enacted on Crete in 1941. We rejoice in our enduring friendship, nurtured by ties of blood and fostered by mutual respect. As we stood together in war, so we stand together in peace — our eyes fixed firmly on a future shaped by the valour of the past.”

The Battle of Crete began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany began an airborne invasion of Crete. Allied forces, including Australian, British, New Zealand and Greek troops, fought in the battle which lasted over 12 days.

READ MORE: NSW Premier commends Australia’s Cretan community ahead of Battle of Crete 80th anniversary

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also sent her best wishes to the Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW, saying it is “heart-warming” to see Australians of Cretan heritage “honour the courage and sacrifices of the ANZAC troops and their forebears.”

Details of the event can be found here: https://bit.ly/3uR9noL

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has sent her best wishes to the Cretan Association of Sydney and New South Wales as they commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Crete.

The Battle of Crete began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany began an airborne invasion of Crete. Allied forces, including Australian, British, New Zealand and Greek troops, fought in the battle. Over 12 days, there were approximately 23,000 total casualties.

“The battle was one of the most dramatic of World War II, in which Australian and New Zealand solders fought alongside Cretan, Greek and British troops to defend the island of Crete from a sustained airborne assault,” Ms Berejiklian said in her statement.

“The bonds forged between Australia, New Zealand and Greece in the crucible of this fight for freedom continue to this day and it is heart-warming to see Australians of Cretan heritage honour the courage and sacrifices of the ANZAC troops and their forebears.”

The NSW Premier also commended the Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW and the Australian Cretan Community for “supporting our multicultural society and enhance our ties with Greece.”

The Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW will be holding a ‘Battle of Crete Dinner Dance’ on the 10th of April to commemorate this historic landmark. The event will feature the lyra and vocal performance of Sifi Tsourdalakis and will be held at the Croatian Club in Punchbowl.

On Thursday 8 April, the Official Launch of the Greek-Australian Society (GAS) was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney’s Central Business District.

A capacity attendance of close to 60 guests were present for the intimate cocktail event, with delegates and representations across the Greek-Australian community in Sydney, including the Consulate-General of Greece in Sydney, clubs and associations, and members of the media.

GAS President, Mr. George Psihoyios addressed those attending to thank them for their trust and support, announcing the first major initiative of the Society, the GAS Mentoring Program.

The GAS Mentoring Program, an initiative exclusive to members, will connect students and young professionals with senior community leaders, providing a competitive edge in professional development while encouraging community participation and leadership.

Mr. Psihoyios stated that the Program gave GAS a clear objective and point of difference in a rich community tapestry, adding that the Society would provide “a pragmatic and genuine platform for emerging Greek-Australian talents and leaders”.

Keynote speakers and GAS Mentoring Program mentors, Mr. Paul Nicolaou and Mr. George Karagiannakis, both spoke of their immense pride to participate in the Program, stating their excitement at the growing momentum in living culture and promising to learn as much from their mentees as they could offer themselves.

His Eminence, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Makarios also issued a letter of congratulations to GAS in his absence and wished every success, particularly to the GAS Mentoring Program launched on the night.

After the formalities, a silent auction was held for ‘GAS Member #1’ and, after a number of bids were received, the successful bid of $1000.00 was made by Mr. Emmanuel Alfieris.

Prince of Wales Hospital Craniofacial director Dr Mark Gianoutsos has warned against using shopping centre lip filler injection clinics, saying they are preying on social media obsessed young women.

The leading plastic surgeon said cheap credit services like Afterpay are fuelling the abnormal sized lip trend.

“Particularly in the filler market, there are a lot of people who are driven to have injections and people who go and put it all on Afterpay in the shopping malls,” he said.

Lip fillers became popularised in 2015, when Kylie Jenner admitted that her plumped lips were the result of fillers, after intense media and fan speculation.

On an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, she said: “I have temporary lip fillers. It’s just an insecurity of mine, and it’s what I wanted to do.”

Although popularised by mainstream celebrities, the trend has become ubiquitous with Instagram influencers.

“There are elements of that which are predatory on people who do live their lives through other people’s social media accounts,” Dr Mark Gianoutsos adds.

Dr Gianoutsos warned unscrupulous operators were providing lip filler services to people who did not need them with any counselling about having injections.

“You can see the results of that when you walk down the street and see what I would argue are people with very overfilled lips,” he said.

“It is often bizarre looking faces and appearances … I think it is a degree of body dysmorphia but it is largely social media driven.”

Psychologist Janine Rod said she had numerous patients who suffered with body image issues which she said came through social media because of the saturation of images which are edited beyond recognition of the original person.

“Abnormal has become normal because our sense of what is normal is so skewered,” she said.

“Their views are so distorted and then they look at their girlfriends who are all doing it so it becomes normal.”

Sourced By: News Corp