ANZAC Remembrance at Viewbank

Dear Parent community,

ANZAC day was commemorated on Friday 24 April via 2 Assemblies which included speeches, band performances and the laying of wreaths.

The day represents and stirs different emotions across the diversity of the Viewbank Community. I would like to share with Parents/Guardians the address I delivered to the student body.

Good morning students, staff, and distinguished guests.

As we gather here today to commemorate ANZAC Day, I find myself reflecting on this date not just through the lens of a school principal, but through the lens of my own history.

I am the son of Greek migrants. My parents came to this country with very little in their pockets, but they brought with them a deep, cultural understanding of what it means to fight for freedom. In Greece, we have ‘Oxi Day’—a day that celebrates saying "No" to tyranny. Growing up in a household where the stories of the Resistance and the hardships of war were told over dinner, the concept of the ANZACs always felt strangely familiar to me.

For a long time, as a young man, I wondered where I fit into the ANZAC legend. Was it only for those with surnames like Smith or Jones? But as I grew older and looked closer at the history, I realised that the bond between Australia and Greece is etched into the very soil of places like Lemnos and Crete.

In 1941, during the Battle of Crete, my ancestors saw young men from New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland—boys not much older than our Year 12s—fighting in the olive groves to defend a land that wasn't theirs. My grandparents told stories of Greek villagers risking their lives to hide ANZAC soldiers from the paratroopers, sharing their last loaf of bread with a hungry Digger.

To me, ANZAC Day is a bridge between my two identities.

It represents the Australian values I lead this school with: mateship, endurance, and the idea of a "fair go." But it also reflects the Greek value of Philotimo—a word that doesn't have a direct English translation, but roughly means "love of honour." It is the sense of doing something right, not because you have to, but because it is your duty to your fellow man.

When I stand at a Dawn Service, I don't just see the slouch hats. I see the shared sacrifice. I think of the young Australian men who are buried in Greek soil, and I think of the migrant families—like mine—who came here after the war to help build the peaceful, multicultural Australia we enjoy today.

To you, our students, ANZAC Day is a reminder that the peace you live in was paid for by people who valued the person standing next to them more than their own safety. Whether your family has been here for five generations or five months, this day belongs to you. It asks us: What are you willing to do for your mate? How will you show courage when things get hard?

As a son of migrants, ANZAC Day is my way of saying "thank you" to the country that welcomed my parents, and a way of honouring the incredible spirit of those who fought to keep it free.

Lest we forget.

Anesti Anestis Acting Principal Rachael Smith, Assistant Principal

Anna Crosswhite, Assistant Principal

Penelope Cleghorn, Assistant Principal

Lauren Jewell, Acting Assistant Principal

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