MGSAANZ Biennial Conference 2010
Abstracts
61. Ξύπνα Αυστραλία: How do we make the campaigns in Greece and Crete relevant to Australia?
Category: History
Details:
While the battle that raged in 1941 against the Germans on mainland Greece and later on Crete still resonates with the children of the veterans, it struggles to gain recognition in mainstream Australia. Seen as an 'ethnic' conflict, it has been marginalised by the Australian media whose focus has been on Gallipoli and Kokoda. How to bring this part of Greece’s history into the public arena becomes a very challenging task in a global world that has tended to ignore Modern Greek history, dividing it from its ancient past. The Australian secondary school curriculum, at least in NSW makes little mention of the Australian Campaigns in Greece and Crete and the new senior national curriculum concentrates nearly exclusively on Asia. Having the Greek voice heard in Australia becomes an increasingly difficult proposition, yet the need to do so remains pressing as the veterans and their Greek helpers age. How do we make the commemoration of these campaigns relevant to Australians, as their 70th anniversary approaches in 2011, when nothing is being done by the Australian institutions that house the public memory of the nation, to recognise their importance?
Primary Author: Dr Maria Hill
Contact Details: maria@mariahill.com.au
Bio:
Dr Maria Hill is a military historian and an expert on the Greek and Crete campaigns. She has an Honours, Masters and PhD in History from the University of New South Wales. Her PhD study was undertaken at the Australian Defence Force Academy @ UNSW in Canberra. Maria is the first Australian historian of Greek descent to write about these campaigns, which has ensured that a Greek perspective has been included in a narrative that often ignores Australia’s Greek allies. Her book Diggers and Greeks was shortlisted for 2010 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards.
For more information visit Maria's websites: http://www.mariahill.com.au; http://www.diggersandgreeks.com.au; UNSW TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbDl7Nw9nbA; Interview: ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler - available online: www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/04/23/2881279.htm
Exercitationem
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