Representatives of the Australian armed forces, Australian veterans, many Australian politicians and many Greek-Australians attended an event held in St Kilda town Hall, organized by the Returned Services League (RSL) in collaboration with Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee.
The organizers of the event aimed to raise money in order to set up a bronze statue in honor of the residents of the Greek island of Lemnos and the Australian nurses who served on the island during ANZAC landings in Gallipoli in 1915.
The statue was designed by the renowned sculptor Peter Corlett, and will be set up in the seaside district of Albert Park, Melbourne as a reminder of the huge contribution of Greek community and Greece to the Australians’ military campaign in Gallipoli.
The Gallipoli landing was the first military campaign of the Australian Army during World War I. Almost 50,000 Australian soldiers took part. Around 8,700 of them died while 19,000 were wounded. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary from the Gallipoli campaign, Greek-Australian politicians want to highlight the crucial role of Lemnos where the Australians camped before attempting the fateful landing at the Dardanelles.
Lemnos is located near the Gallipoli peninsula. The Greek island was used for the planning of the campaign and the treatment of the wounded soldiers.
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