Guest speakers from the Australian Indigenous, Jewish, Hellenic, Assyrian and Armenian Communities will gather to share experiences of trauma, upheaval, tragedy and Genocide during the 20th century.

The Endurance of Children

Victims, survivors, Guardians of hope....

Saturday, 13 June 2009

The third annual RETURN TO ANATOLIA Conference began on Friday, 12 June 2009 at the Jika International Hotel in Fairfield, Melbourne.

The function took place in the presence of politicians, academics, sponsors and members of the Hellenic, Assyrian and Armenian communities. 

This year's conference was dedicated to The Endurance of Children: Victims, survivors, Guardians of hope....
It was held at the Jika International Hotel in Fairfield, Melbourne on Saturday 13th June 2009. The duties of Master of Ceremonies were fulfilled by Mrs Desi Poursanidis

Mr Reg Blow, Aboriginal Elder, acknowledged the Traditional Country and launched the conference with traditional Aboriginal music.

Speakers were

Mr Henri Korn.
He is the President of the Melbourne Child Survivors of the Holocaust. And he is also a Child survivor of the Holocaust at the age of 15 years old - so he was young enough to be classed as a child survivor and old enough to remember the events.

Melissa Brickell
A descendant of the Yorta Yorta and Wiradjeri peoples. Melissa has a high profile involvement in the Stolen Generations movement in Victoria and nationally, She is part of the Sorry Day events, and advocates for the implementation of the Bringing them home.

Dr Panayiotis Diamadis
Bachelor of Arts, Diploma in Secondary Education, Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy Senior history teacher at St Andrew's Cathedral School in Sydney, Lecturer in Genocide Studies.

Nicholas Al-Jeloo
An Australian scholar of Assyrian heritage, and is currently a PhD candidate in Syriac Studies at the University of Sydney. He is a co-author of the Modern Aramaic (Assyrian/Syriac) Phrasebook and Dictionary (2007), and has conducted numerous fieldwork expeditions amongst Assyrian communities in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan since.

Cultural presentations dedicated to the Children of Anatolia were made by Anthea Sideropoulos,  Samir & S  .....  Al-Mardini and Labros Kappas all of whom deeply moved those in attendance with their songs in English, Assyrian and Greek.

 Amongst those in attendance were the Hon. Jenny Mikakos MP, as well as Councillors Lambros Tapinos (Mayor of Moreland) and Kris Pavlidis (Whittlesea)

Official sponsors of the second annualReturn to Anatolia Conference include

Victorian Multicultural commission,
Melissa cakes,
Jenny Mikakos MP,
Fiona Richardson MP &
Peter Batchelor MP.
Scent of a Flower