Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on last weekend's events marking the 76th anniversary of the Battle of Crete and the Greek campaign in World War II. I had the honour of attending the wreath-laying ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance, where we paid our respects to the fallen ANZAC veterans of this very important battle. Fought on the island of Crete, this battle was important not only to the World War II campaign effort itself; it was important in cementing the strong and enduring bonds between Australia and Greece—bonds of comradeship and shared values.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending the official luncheon at the Pancretan Village in Wantirna South, where I met the four remaining diggers of this campaign: Mr Norm Maddock, Mr Les Manning, Mr Ian Barker and Mr David Humphreys—war veterans of the Battle of Crete who have lived long and productive lives, revered and respected for their service and contribution. Norm Maddock served with the 2/7th Infantry Battalion. He joined up when he was 17 years old. He fought in the battles of Bardia and Tobruk before being sent with his battalion to Greece. He was evacuated from Kalamata in the early hours of 27 April on the troopship Costa Rica, which was attacked at sea. Norm and all on board successfully transferred to British warships. He then fought in the Battle of Crete in May 1941 at Georgiopoulos at Chania, and in the Battle of 42nd Street near Souda. Captured, he escaped and made his way to the North African coast by sea. Norm was very proud of the support of the Greek people during the Greek and Crete campaigns. In 2007, he was awarded the OAM for his services to the Victorian tramways union, of which he was a very proud union rep, and he was a member of the Australian Labor Party.

Mr Les Manning served with the 2/7th Battalion, joining up at the age of 26—'an old man', as he put it. He left behind a wife and a 13-month-old son. Like Norm, Les fought in the battles of Bardia and Tobruk before being sent with his battalion to Greece. Evacuated from Kalamata in the early hours of 27 April on the troopship Costa Rica, which was attacked at sea, Les and all on board successfully transferred to British warships. He then fought in the Battle of Crete and was taken to the Skines prisoner-of-war camp before being transferred to the infamous Thessaloniki prisoner-of-war camp and then to Germany. He returned to Australia. His son, by that stage, was six years old. The effervescent Les is a mad Richmond Football Club supporter, always attends Anzac Day parades—including this year's—and he loves the Cretan community, marching with them on Anzac Day.

Mr Ian Barker was a gunner with the 2/3rd Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery. Ian fought in the Battle of Crete. His troops were sent to defend the aerodrome at Heraklion following the defeat of the German attack on Heraklion. But, with the fall of Maleme on the west of the island, the forces at Heraklion were evacuated. Their transports were attacked as they left Crete, with many casualties. Ian suffered these air attacks and was captured following the bombing of his evacuation ship. He escaped from his POW camp in Italy, only to be captured again.

Mr David Humphreys was a sergeant with the 2/3rd Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery. David's troop fought in the defence of the Maleme aerodrome on the western side of Crete. He was successfully evacuated from the southern Cretan port of Sfakia. He is the only one of these four veterans who was not captured during the Battle of Crete. He continues to live in Bendigo.

Many thanks also go to historian and academic Jim Claven, who has dedicated most of his life to documenting Greece's war history, including Australia's own part in it. As the secretary of the Melbourne-based Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee since 2011, Jim has written extensively on the ANZAC connection to Greece. He was instrumental in another recent significant milestone for Australian and Greek wartime recognition: the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial, which was commissioned and unveiled on 17 August 2015. This sculpture centres around the arrival of Australian nurses on the island of Lemnos in 1915. It was designed and created by commemorative sculptor Mr Peter Corlett, who also created the magnificent sculpture of the Australian Light Horse at Beersheba, where with many of my colleagues I had the opportunity to be part of a very important Anzac Day ceremony this year. I do want to congratulate all four of our surviving war veterans and wish them further healthy life.