scone.com.auGundy’s Connection to Athens and Crete
IT was another great turnout at Gundy for ANZAC Day, with the memorial hall packed to capacity.
See gallery below…
Charles Cooke gave the ANZAC Day address and spoke of his experience in Athens last year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the battle for Greece and Crete, a battle which was lost but Mr Cooke believes those who served there deserve the same recognition as other theatres of war.
Charles’ father who was from Scone served in the battle and his mother from Murrurundi also served as a nurse.
“Both of my parents were in that theatre and it was too good an opportunity to miss; to finally see the places I’d heard about all of my life and it was absolutely mind blowing,” said Mr Cooke.
“Experiencing ANZAC Day in Athens was incredible, ANZAC is treated with great reverence and standing in a war cemetery was an incredible experience to see the countless white head stones it really makes you stop and think; so many don’t have names just “known unto God”, there are so many who are lost,” he said.
“We were on battlefields, in some cases 75 years to the day, where our leader would indicate to the relevant person ‘this is where your family member would have been 75 years ago; it was riveting!
“On Crete my photo was taken in an olive grove where my mother and other nurses awaited evacuation.
“My talk today I have entitled “The Forgotten ANZACS”, the story of the Greek and Crete campaign that involved the Australian 6th division, the New Zealand 2nd division as well as some of the British regiments that included the Black Watch and the Seaforth Highlanders.
“This battle has, for the better part, not received the same accolades that have been afforded the Pacific and North African battles mainly because it was a loss and people don’t like to talk about losses.
“In many ways a complete replication of the stuff up at ANZAC Cove some 25 or so years earlier,” he said.
“Of the prisoners, some were captured on the main land but the majority of the ANZAC force were captured in Crete unable to be picked up and moved in time,” said Charles Cooke.
Charles’ father was one of those soldiers captured by the German forces and spent four years as a prisoner of war, while his mother was lucky enough to escape the island and spent the remainder of her time in New Guinea.
“The people of Greece and Crete were wonderful!” he said.
“The hospitality was unbelievable and they want out of their way to ensure we missed nothing.
“They are very conscious of this part of their history and certainly haven’t forgotten the efforts of the ANZAC’s.
“These people had, 75 years earlier put their neck on the block to help the Allies,” he said.
“It was quite obvious that the local population were all very grateful for what the ANZAC’s had done for them and it is plain to see that the event has become part of their history and folk law,” he said.
“There is no doubt ‘they will remember them’,” Charles Cooke said.
Special thanks to Dianne Pittard for photographing ANZAC Day at Gundy.
Di Brown placing a wreath in the Gundy hall.
