George Treloar and Lemona – The real story

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As we attack the day of the unveiling of Ballarat’s George Treloar Memorial this coming October, I decided to sermon the value of the Memorial with 1 of its cardinal assemblage organisers and champions – Litsa Athanasiadis, seat of the George Devine Treloar Memorial Committee.

As we chatted Litsa recounted her idiosyncratic transportation to the Asia Minor catastrophe and the Christian refugees who were forced to fly their homeland successful the 1920s. It was this nonstop household acquisition which has driven her to work with galore others to make the Memorial and to beforehand consciousness of the exile work of Australians similar Major George Devine Treloar.

Anyone who has travelled to Ballarat’s Sturt Street to spot the memorial to George Treloar will beryllium fascinated to larn of the story of the young miss depicted successful bronze seated adjacent to George. The operation of these two figures is an indispensable portion of the beauteous memorial created by celebrated sculptor Lis Johnson. Many who be the yearly work astatine the Memorial will beryllium alert that the miss has been fixed the sanction Lemona by the Committee.

Litsa explained to maine that the sanction Lemona was chosen due to the fact that it resonates so powerfully with some the Pontian diaspora mostly and personally with Litsa. As we sat successful her Melbourne home, Litsa recounted her household story passed down to her by her ain parent Varvara.

She began by telling maine that Lemona was erstwhile a young miss from Trebizond connected the Pontian coast, connected the southern shores of the Black Sea. Barely a teenager she had enjoyed beingness with her sister Irini and the remainder of the Kokinidis household successful this large trading city. Her sanction was not primitively Lemona but Anastasia but much of that later.

With the coming of the Asia Minor catastrophe to Pontus the household was forced to fly their homeland. As they boarded the vessel that would take them to safety, the sisters were separated and the past that Irini saw of Anastasia was her falling overboard into the sea. Whether she fell by mishap successful unreserved to flight oregon was thrown there by their enemies, we don’t know. Only that this is the past clip that Irini saw her sister arsenic they fled.

Many years would pass. The troubles for Varvara and her parent Irini and begetter Nikolaos would past galore years. Crossing the Black Sea, the household archetypal settled connected the southern seashore of Soviet Russia, adjacent Novorossiysk, a ample larboard metropolis with origins stretching backmost to a Greek colony named Bata successful antiquity. In the precocious 1930’s Irini remembers that the men were separated from their families and exiled to Siberia. It was present that galore died, including her begetter Nikolaos. As a effect of this, the household of parent and 5 children somehow made the hard travel from Soviet Russia to Greece. Arriving successful Athens successful 1939, the household made their way northbound settling successful Agios Dimitrios adjacent Kozani.

One tin lone ideate the beingness of these mediocre refugees. They had suffered expulsion from their Pontian homeland, the terrible acquisition of post-civil war Soviet Russia and then accomplishment successful bluish Greece, fatherless and astir to look the Axis penetration and occupation.

It was during their clip astatine Agios Dimitrios pursuing the extremity of the war that a unsighted pedlar approached Irini astatine the doorway of the household home. He was known to the household and the village, travelling astir the portion selling his wares. This clip helium enquired if Irini had a sister known arsenic Lemona. She said she didn’t. But the pedlar was insistent, there was a young woman surviving not acold from there – conscionable implicit 40 kilometres distant astatine Grevena – who sounded similar Irini. If Irini would write a missive of instauration the pedlar would present it. What did she person to suffer Irini thought. The funny story brought the representation of her sister Anastasia to her mind. Could she person survived?

Irini wrote the missive and the pedlar was σύντομα connected his way. Days passed and σύντομα a woman arrived astatine their door. Irini’s young girl Varvara remembered vividly the country galore years later. Here was a strong, young woman that looked similar her ain mother. She had a akin physique and her hairsbreadth was plaited successful a way that was akin to her mum’s, a style acquainted to those from Trebizond.

Soon her parent was astatine the doorway and the crying and emotion of designation flowed. Irini ne'er hide the emotion of the scene. This was agelong mislaid Anastasia. She had so survived being thrust into the waters of the Black Sea each those years ago. Somehow she had made her way to Greece successful the 1920’s. Soon she was married, arsenic a 13 year aged miss and was surviving successful Grevena. Her hubby had mislaid his archetypal wife and insisted that Anastasia take her sanction – Lemona. This is why Irini and her household had been unable to find her. Anastasia had go Lemona with her caller joined surname.

For each these tragedies, Anastasia – present Lemona – had survived the tragedy that befell Pontus and yet been reunited with her sister and her family. Her story was so almighty and evocative that Irini’s girl would clasp this representation for years, passing it connected to her ain girl – Litsa.

The story of Lemona is lone 1 of the hundreds of thousands that travel from the Asia Minor catastrophe. But successful a way it is symbolic of some this tragedy and the regeneration that followed survival. All of those successful Melbourne who supported the Treloar memorial person their ain akin household stories. Lemona represents them each and she lives successful the bronze sculpture beside her protector – Ballarat’s George Treloar.

In giving this sanction to the statue Litsa besides explained that Lemona itself has a peculiar resonance for the Pontian community. For it is besides the title of a celebrated traditional Pontian song. Melbourne Pontian instrumentalist and teacher Kostas Pataridis informed her that the sanction means virtually “the sun’s mother”. The τραγούδι forms a dialog betwixt Mother Earth and man, focusing connected the request for antheral to respect the world if helium is to stock successful its abundance. What a beauteous effect to the challenges facing the refugees of Pontus and an evocation of their ain transportation to their land.

It is the survival of idiosyncratic stories and songs similar these that drove the instauration of the George Treloar Memorial. It is implicit ten years agone this year – successful 2015 – that the fundraising began to make the Memorial successful Ballarat. George Treloar’s assistance successful the resettlement of implicit 100,000 Christian refugees from crossed Asia Minor connected to galore successful Melbourne’s diaspora whose practice stretched each the way backmost to this quality tragedy. Community discussions were held and meetings convened astatine Victoria’s Parliament House, Ballarat’s Town Hall and of people astatine Pontiaki Estia successful Sydney Road Brunswick.

As a effect of 4 years of hard work, the connection to make the caller Memorial had garnered important assemblage support crossed Victoria. Along with Merimna Pontian Kyrion of Oceania and the City of Ballarat, the George Treloar Memorial Committee received generous support from a wide scope of assemblage organisations and individuals. The erstwhile included the Central Pontian Association of Melbourne & Victoria ‘Pontiaki Estia’, the Panthracian Association of Melbourne, the Pancretan Association of Melbourne, the Central Union of Elassona & Districts ‘O Nikotsaras’ and The Greek Orthodox Community of Moreland. The second included Rev. Fr. Antonios Amanatidis & Presvitera Despina, Sakis & Litsa Athanasiadis, Family of Elizabeth Treloar (M Jones), Sotirios & Anastasia Kalaidopoulos, Emmenuel & Marina Pattakos, David & Helen Treloar, Kostas & Vicky Tseprailidis and the Tsalikidis Family. All of these contributors are acknowledged some connected the memorial itself and successful the commemorative booklet issued astatine the unveiling.

Litsa says that the Memorial Committee has ever felt strongly that those who supported the Memorial’s instauration should beryllium recognised.

“George Treloar helped tens of thousands of refugees, galore of them relatives of those who made caller lives successful Australia. This is what moved these organisations and individuals to so generously support our commemorative project. We will ne'er fto their acquisition spell unappreciated. The Memorial would not beryllium without them”, Litsa said.

The committedness to rise consciousness of the exile work of George Treloar led the Committee to financially support the George Devine Treloar Community Service Award astatine his aged school, St Patrick’s College. Litsa and I person attended the awesome assistance ceremonial connected a fig of occasions. This support has been indispensable to the continuation of the award.

The Committee has held an yearly memorial work successful Ballarat astatine the memorial each year since its unveiling successful September 2019. Students and teachers from St Patrick’s College take portion successful the service. This year’s work represents the tenth day since fundraising began and six years since its unveiling. An accomplishment indeed.

This year’s work will take spot connected Sunday 12 October, commencing astatine 11am. The work will take spot astatine the Memorial successful Sturt Street, located adjacent the intersection of Sturt and Errard Streets successful cardinal Ballarat. Following the work a luncheon will beryllium held astatine the Golden City Hotel, 427 Sturt Street, walking region from the Memorial. All welcome.

Wreaths will not beryllium indispensable astatine this year’s service. The Committee has decided that alternatively anyone contiguous who wishes to marque such a idiosyncratic portion successful the work will beryllium capable to laic special floral bouquet of Helichrysum flowers which turn successful the Pontus portion and person been chosen arsenic a symbol to correspond the Pontian genocide. These bouquets will beryllium available astatine the service.

*Those wishing to be should interaction Penny Tsombanopoulos by 1 October 2025 – 0409 850 109 oregon [email protected].

*Jim Claven OAM is simply a trained historian, freelance writer and published author. He has been caput of the George Devine Treloar Memorial Committee since its creation. He tin beryllium contacted via email – [email protected]

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