March 25, 1941: Canberra was preparing to celebrate Greece's national day. Concert, flags, decorations, official guests filled Albert Hall, the capital's largest hall. The acting prime minister, ministers, ambassadors, prominent figure of the political, social, economic and military participated in the event which opened by Evzones marching and followed by songs and traditional Greek dances among other acts.
The following day The Canberra Times published an extensive article where the Greek Day event was described in great detail.
The title of the article was:
GREEK DAY CELEBRATION
IN CANBERRA
ENTHUSIASTIC SCENES IN ALBERT HALL
Acting prime minister Arthur Fadden received the Greek flag from the Consul of Greece in Australia Emilio Vryzakis as a gift, while the same article states that the Greek community had supplied the Greek flag gifted to Arthur Fadden. The
event was also attended by Secretary of State Sir Freiderick Stewart and Lady Gowrie, wife of the Governor General.
This episode describes the celebrations on Greek Day in Canberra and also the events leading up to Canberra's marking the fundraising efforts for Greece.
Research - production - narration: Dina Gerolymou
The Greek Program extends its appreciation to Gareth Boreham (SBS News) and Will Holden, whose voices are heard in this episode, for their kind contribution to the series The Greek Days of Australia.
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