Posted on

Major Anders Lassen Event

Thessaloniki Association “The White Tower” in co-operation with the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign Commemorative Council organised another successful event in Melbourne on Monday 6th November 2017 and at Denmark House (Danish Consulate in Melbourne). The hosts were lead by the Honorary Consul General of Denmark to Melbourne Mr Jan Ravnholt.

There were a number of VIP attending the event, including his Excellency the Ambassador of Denmark to Australia Mr Tom Norring and his lovely wife (of Greek background, from Thessaloniki), Mr Ross Alatsas Deputy Chair at the Victorian Multicultural Commission, the Consul General Mr Jan Ravnholt and his also lovely wife, Mr & Mrs Paul and Toula Mavroudis OAM, Mrs Maria Dikaiou President Modern Greek Teachers Association of Victoria, Mrs Maria Gidarakou, from the Greek Consulate in Melbourne representing the Consul General Mrs Christina Simantiraki, Mr Lee Tarlamis Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, Mr Bill Papastergiadis President Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne, Mr John Pandazopoulos former State Minister in Victoria, Mr Steve Kyritsis President Greek RSL in Melbourne, Lt. Colonel (retired) Athanasios Masouras, Mrs Litsa Athanasiadis President Pontian Community of Melbourne and others including some war veterans from both communities the Danish and Greek. Continue reading “Major Anders Lassen Event”

Posted on

Major Anders Lassen

Anders Fredrik Emil Victor Schau Lassen born Høvdingsgård, Denmark 22nd September 1920, the son of Emil Victor Schau Lassen and Suzanne Maria Signe Lassen, of Nyhavn, Copenhagen.

He was a first cousin of Axel von dem Bussche, a German Resistance member who unsuccessfully tried to kill Adolf Hitler in 1943.

Serving with the Danish Merchant Navy, Anders came to Britain in the early days of the Second World War. He joined the British Commandos in 1940, serving with No. 62  Commando (also known as the Small Scale Raiding Force) as a private. Continue reading “Major Anders Lassen”

Posted on

Meeting the Danish Consul General

Today, 19th April 2017, Thessaloniki Association “The White Tower” represented by Mr Iakovos Garivaldis OAM, Vice-President of the Association along with Mr Tony Tsourdalakis, Secretary of Commemorative Council of the “Battle of Crete” and Mr Jim Claven, Secretary of Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee and historian, visited the Denmark House in Little Bourke Street Melbourne and met the Honorary Consul General of Denmark Mr Jan Ravnholt. Continue reading “Meeting the Danish Consul General”

Posted on

A Thessaloniki Anzac – Balwyn’s Sister Dorothy Sevilla White

Recently I visited the impressive war memorial in Balwyn. It stands like a miniature cenotaph on the top of the hill which is surrounds the gardens which form Beckett Park in Melbourne’s eastern suburb of Balwyn.According to the Monuments Australia website, the Balwyn War Memorial was unveiled by Brigadier-General Brand on the 24th May 1919. The monument at the time of the unveiling contained the names of 146 soldiers and two nurses.
The memorial contains the names of the residents of north war in the City of Camberwell who fought in World War One. The memorial contains a further dedication to those who served in World War Two, Malaya, Korea, Borneo and Vietnam. Continue reading “A Thessaloniki Anzac – Balwyn’s Sister Dorothy Sevilla White”

Posted on

Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial

Inaugural Annual Commemorative Service

11am Saturday, 13th August 2016

The Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee (LGCC) organised the Annual Commemorative Service at Foote Street Reserve in Albert Park, part of the City of Port Phillip, the place where young Australians left for Gallipoli more than 100 years ago. The spot at Foote St. Reserve is for ever marked with the wonderful sculpture by Peter Corlett OAM, the renowned Melbourne sculptor who has designed a number of other ANZAC sculptures. The sculpture mainly serves as a memorial to the 130 Australian nurses who served at Lemnos in WWI and the sixty thousand ANZAC soldiers who were cared for at Lemnos during that period.

memorial-plaque

Thessaloniki Association “The White Tower” was also there supporting this wonderful initiative which exemplifies the ties between Greece and Australia, among a large number of other organisations which lay wreaths of respect to those who fought in the line of duty, for freedom and justice, in another land and another time. Thessaloniki Association was represented by the Public Relations Officer Mr Iakovos Garivaldis OAM. Continue reading “Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial”

Posted on

Melbourne to Canberra for Alzheimer’s

Thessaloniki Association “The White Tower” is proud to support Mr Mathew Staios’ efforts to raise money for research into providing treatment options for individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease within the ageing Greek-Australian community. The best place to promote such an important event is at the Annual Sister-Cities Festival at Federation Square.

Mathew is a clinical neuropsychologist and psychology-teaching associate at Monash University. He is currently in the process of completing his PhD at Monash University, in conjunction with their academic partner, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Mathew’s PhD will result in the development of an extensive range of tests to accurately diagnose diseases that are observed in the ageing process (such as dementia), provide treatment to options to disease sufferers and support their family members through this process.

At present, tests used to assess Greek-Australian migrants are not appropriate and have been reported to result in misdiagnosis. Mathew’s hope is to establish a memory clinic specifically for the ageing Greek-Australian community to ensure that Greek elders receive the best possible standard of care should they encounter any form of dementia.

As part of his efforts to raise money for this very under resourced area of study, Mathew will be riding from Melbourne to Canberra over a period of eight days (approximately 750km) with his support team to raise money for the ageing Greek-Australian community on behalf of Alzheimer’s Australia.

Mathew will set off on his ride from Melbourne on Sunday 27th of November, during the opening ceremony of the Thessaloniki Association “The White Tower” 32nd Sister-Cities festival and arrive at Parliament House in Canberra where he will be greeted with a welcoming reception organised by Federal MP, Ms Maria Vamvakinou. While in Canberra, Mathew will act as an advocate on behalf of the ageing Greek Australian community and increase awareness in the area of multicultural healthcare issues.

So if you are interested in supporting Mathew on his compassionate journey, come to the Festival at Federation Square on Sunday 27th November 2016. It is bound to be a journey not only for research but also full of experience and wonder for Mathew and the Greek Community of Melbourne.

Staios

In the photos, Mathew is proudly presenting his idea, along with Bill Papastergiades (President Greek Community of Melbourne), Paul Mavroudis (President Thessaloniki Association), Hon Maria Vamvakinou (Federal Member of Parliament). Cr Phillip Vlahogiannis (City of Yarra Councillor)

Η Ένωση Θεσσαλονικέων “Ο Λευκός Πύργος” με περισσή περηφάνεια στηρίζει τον κ. Mathew Staios στην προσπάθειά του να συγκεντρώσει το ενδιαφέρον της κοινωνίας στη θεραπεία της νόσου Αλτσχάιμερ που είναι τόσο διαδεδομένη στην Ελληνική Παροικία της Μελβούρνης. Ο Mathew θα ξεκινήσει από τη Μελβούρνη και θα φτάσει μέχρι την Καμπέρα με ποδήλατο για να διακινήσει το ενδιαφέρον του κόσμου. Η εκκίνηση θα γίνει από το Federation Square την ημέρα του 32ου Φεστιβάλ Αδελφοποίησης της Μελβούρνης με τη Θεσσαλονίκη στις 27 Νοεμβρίου 2016.

Ο Mathew είναι νευρο-ψυχολόγος και κάνει το διδακτορικό του στο Πανεπιστήμιο Monash. Ελπίδα του είναι να δημιουργήσει μελλοντικά μια κλινική ειδικά για τους Έλληνες της τρίτης ηλικίας της Μελβούρνης όπου θα νοσηλεύονται με τις καλύτερες πρακτικές και διαδικασίες όσοι υποφέρουν από ανία.

Η Ένωση Θεσσαλονικέων καλεί τα μέλη της να στηρίξουν τον Mathew και την προσπάθεια που γίνεται. Θα βρισκόμαστε εκεί στο Φεντερέισον να τον ξεπροβοδήσουμε και να του ευχηθούμε καλό ταξίδι. Όταν με το καλό ο Mathew θα φτάσει στην πρωτεύουσα θα τον υποδεχτούν εκεί μέλη της κυβέρνησης συμπεριλαμβανομένης και της αξιότιμης κυρίας Μαρίας Βαμβακινού.

Posted on

The Lemnos Connection to ANZAC

From left to right - Lee Tarlamis President, Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, Christina Despoteris, Vice President, Thessaloniki Association 'The White Tower', Panos Kammenos Minister of National Defence, John Pandazopoulos President, World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association, General Mikhail Kostarakos, Chief of National Defence
From left to right – Lee Tarlamis President, Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, Christina Despoteris, Vice President, Thessaloniki Association ‘The White Tower’, Panos Kammenos Minister of National Defence, John Pandazopoulos President, World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association, General Mikhail Kostarakos, Chief of National Defence

 

The Anzac events on both Lemnos and Athens were all very well attended

There were commemorative services at both Portianou Military Cemetery and East Moudros Cemetery.

From left to right - Christina Despoteris, Vice President, Thessaloniki Association 'The White Tower', Athina Roussi, Lee Tarlamis President, Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, Bronwyn Halfpenny MP, Representing the Victorian Parliament
From left to right – Christina Despoteris, Vice President, Thessaloniki Association ‘The White Tower’, Athina Roussi, Lee Tarlamis President, Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, Bronwyn Halfpenny MP, Representing the Victorian Parliament

Various events were organised around the island including a key note address by Jim Claven and the Lemnos Gallipoli Photographic Exhibition. A highlight of the activities was the visit to Lemnos by the HMAS Success, an Australian ship. Christina Despoteris, Vice-President, represented the Thessaloniki Association and laid a wreath at the memorial at Moudros Habour on 20 April.

From left to right - Lee Tarlamis President, Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, Christina Despoteris, Vice President Thessaloniki Association 'The White Tower', The Hon Richard Dalla Riva MP, Representing the Victorian Parliament, John Pandazopoulos President, World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association
From left to right – Lee Tarlamis President, Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, Christina Despoteris, Vice President Thessaloniki Association ‘The White Tower’, The Hon Richard Dalla Riva MP, Representing the Victorian Parliament, John Pandazopoulos President, World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association

“The Lemnos Connection to Anzac” an event organised by the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee on Anzac Day in Athens at the War Museum was a great success.. It was the first time that such an event was held in Athens. The auditorium of the museum was a sea of colour with representatives of the HMAS Success, representatives of the various military academies and of course many members of the public as well as the following official guests:

  • Mr Nikolaos Toskas, Deputy Minister of National Defence
  • His Excellency the Australain Ambassador, Mr John Griffin
  • His Excellency the British Ambassador, Mr John Kittmer
  • Mr Costas Cotsilinis, Honorary Consul General of New Zealand
  • Ms Julie Croteau, Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of Canada
  • Representatives of the Chiefs of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff –
    ΓΕΕΘΑ, ΓΕΣ, ΓΕΝ, ΓΕΑ and the Hellenic Police
  • Bronwyn Halfpenny MP and The Hon Richard Dalla Riva MP
    Representing the Victorian Parliament
  • John Pandazopoulos, President, World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association
  • Captain Justin Jones and Officers and Sailors of Ship’s Company, HMAS Success
  • Brigadier General Panayiotis Kaperonis, Director, War Museum of Athens
  • Vice Admiral Alexandros Theodosiou, Former Deputy Chief of Defence

 

unna1Christina Despoteris was the host for the evening. Mr Nikolaos Toskas, Deputy Minister of Defence addressed the audience, followed by His Excellency the Australian Ambassador Mr John Griffin.
Mr Lee Tarlamis then welcomed guests and spoke about the LGCC and this was followed by the screening of a new documentary produced by Yiannis Korodimou the Manager of Cinema Archive of the museum especially for this event. The key note address was then given by Mr Jim Claven.
The event concluded with some presentations.

Lemnos Connection to ANZAC