The Greeks of Sydney bowed respectfully to the heroes of 1940
The anniversary of “OXI” (NO) of 28 October 1940 was honoured with respect by the Greeks of Sydney, bowing to our heroic ancestors who fought with self-denial, sacrificing even their lives for the ideals of the Faith and the freedom of the Homeland.
On the morning of Sunday, 31 October, an official Doxology service was held at the Church of St Mary’s by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia and then a memorial service was chanted and wreaths laid at the cenotaph located in the courtyard of the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos. Among those present were Bishop-elect Prochoros of Charioupolis; the Chancellor of the Archdiocese, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Christophoros Krikelis; the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Mr Christos Karras; the President of the Inter-communities Council, Mr Kos Dimitriou; and representatives of community associations and organisations including the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, Mr Harry Danalis.
Addressing those present at the end of the ceremony, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios initially referred to the adverse conditions under which this year’s celebration of the “NO” anniversary was organised. As he explained, not only were there restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic but there were also the consequences of the devastating fire that recently occurred at the Cathedral. He thanked the representatives of the community organisations who responded to the invitation and attended the ceremony, although the relevant permission from those responsible for the restoration works was granted shortly before the event took place. Nevertheless, he said he was convinced that “God will bless us so that next year the conditions will be much better and we will be able to officially honour those who fought for our freedom.”
In addition, the Archbishop focused on the heroic “NO” shouted by our ancestors 81 years ago and stressed that this word should censure the consciences of modern Greeks, so that they oppose any action that challenges our ideals, values and beliefs. “Not to react, for the sake of reacting”, he clarified, “but with this ‘no’ to preserve what we received from our ancestors.”
