Hellenic Presidential Guard

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:33): As many of my colleagues in this chamber will attest, a trip to Athens in Greece is simply not complete without a visit to Syntagma, or Constitution Square, home to Greece's Parliament House, the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is guarded by Evzones, or the Presidential Guard. It is the highest honour for a Greek guard to be selected as an Evzone. I, too, have very fond memories of my visits there, both as a child and as an adult. Every hour on the hour the Presidential Guard performs the mesmerising changing of the guard ceremony in a stunning display of synchronicity and choreography.

Last month, 12 elite soldiers belonging to Greece's Hellenic Presidential Guard, accompanied by Mr Grigorios Prezerakos, their Lieutenant General, and Head of the Military Office of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, visited South Australia at the invitation of the Foundation for Hellenic Studies. The visit was funded purely out of the tireless fundraising efforts of the local Greek community.

Of course, this was not their first visit—it is, in fact, their third—but it was the first time South Australia was able to have them here as part of our ANZAC Day commemorations in recognition not only of the proud history Australia and Greece shared, and continue to share, as allies in World War I and World War II, but also in recognition of the role of the soldiers in the Battle of Crete, an historic event that will forever bind our two great countries.

As with every year, a growing number of Australians rose to honour war veterans at hundreds of dawn services across Australia. For Adelaide's Greek community the event was even more moving with the presence of the Evzones, who marched proudly alongside their Australian friends commemorating the shared values of freedom, independence and friendship. It was an extremely moving, momentous and memorable occasion.

Much to the delight of the Greek-Australian community, the Presidential Guard also participated in this year's Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations at churches around Adelaide. This included St George church in Thebarton, the Nativity of Christ at Port Adelaide, and of course Prophet Elias in Norwood, where I joined in Easter celebrations into the wee hours of Sunday morning. It was 3.30am before I left the midnight feast, and I know the Premier himself outlasted even me.

I am also grateful to the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Peter Malinauskas, and the member for West Torrens, Mr Tom Koutsantonis, in another place for hosting a public reception at Thebarton Theatre where the Evzones were a star attraction. It provided a rare opportunity for South Australians to bear witness to this prestigious and time-honoured event in our own backyard, and watching these young men practise such discipline in standing absolutely motionless for hours on end is truly mesmerising.

Such is their global appeal and reputation that many Australians who travel to Greece for holidays make a special point of visiting Syntagma, or Constitution Square, just to see the Presidential Guards in action. Conversely, thousands of Greek Australians who immigrated to Australia over the decades are unable to return to their homeland for a whole host of different reasons. As such, many have not seen their world-renowned Presidential Guards perform for many years, and it was an absolute delight to see many of those very same people rejoice at the opportunity to see the Evzones perform right here in their new homeland in Adelaide.

National pride is not unique to Greece or Australia. Indeed, it is a trait that many multicultural groups have clung to since immigrating to their new homeland in the diaspora. There is a sense of connectedness to their birthplace and their familial roots. In the case of Greeks who immigrated abroad, I daresay nothing represents that more than the Evzones and the Presidential Guard.

On behalf of SA-Best I too would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Prokopis Pavlopoulos, for allowing Greek Australians to experience a bit of Greek national tradition right here in South Australia and, of course, for sharing those traditions with the broader South Australian community.