A lasting tribute to the historic bonds between Greece and Australia has been unveiled in the rural town of Oberon, where a white marble plaque now stands in honor of the Australian Anzacs who served in Greece during both World Wars.
The memorial, installed at the Oberon RSL Club, was officially revealed during this year’s Anzac Day commemorations – a service that drew a record crowd, including some 50 guests from Sydney, according to The Greek Herald. Central to the tribute was the memory of Private David Oram, a young soldier from nearby Porters Retreat who lost his life in central Greece during World War II.
The plaque was a gift from Hellenic Village Ltd, an initiative uniting Greek Australian community organisations to preserve shared military heritage. Its unveiling reflects a broader effort to acknowledge the sacrifice and solidarity between the Greek and Australian peoples during times of war.
During the ceremony, Nick Andriotakis, Secretary of the Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign, delivered a heartfelt address. He not only honoured Private Oram but also paid tribute to three nurses from the Oberon region – Evelyn Clara Louisa Wilson, Ida Annie Burns, and Edith Victoria Agnes Purdon – who served on the Salonica Front during World War I.
Andriotakis also highlighted symbols of the deep connection between the two nations, such as the naming of Crete Street in Oberon and the historical role of the island of Lemnos, which served as a critical staging ground for the Gallipoli campaign. He described Lemnos as “the last paradise… the last smile of a child, last coffee,” before the horrors of war unfolded.
The upper section of the plaque features an ancient Greek inscription from the 5th century BCE, originally dedicated to Athenian soldiers who died at the Hellespont – the site of modern-day Gallipoli. Beneath it lies an English translation of the epitaph, praised in 1932 by Charles Bean, founder of the Australian War Memorial, as a timeless expression of the Anzac spirit.
The design was a collaborative effort between historian Panayiotis Diamadis, Andriotakis, and Stavros Kyrimis, former Consul-General of Greece in Sydney.
A limited number of these commemorative plaques are still available for donation to local councils, schools, libraries, RSL clubs, and other institutions across New South Wales. The initiative aims to ensure that the sacrifices of Australians who served in Greece throughout the 20th century are remembered and honored for generations to come.
