Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria

Lecturer: Professor Peter Monteath
Entry: FREE

Synopsis

In the Second World War many thousands of Australians were sent to mainland Greece and then Crete in the hope of preventing German invasion and occupation – but to no avail. After the Battle of Crete hundreds of Australians were stranded on the island and spent weeks, months and even years trying to get off it.

This presentation looks at the experiences of those Australians who found themselves trapped, but who also discovered the extraordinary hospitality of Cretans, who offered the Australians shelter even when they themselves were enduring great hardship and danger.

Beyond that, the presentation looks at the collaborative efforts made to evacuate these ‘stragglers’ from the island, and how those efforts evolved into a series of ‘special operations’ to resist a brutal German regime of occupation. The person who occupies the centre of attention here is the Tasmanian Tom Dunbabin, an important and influential figure in the resistance in Crete through to the last weeks of the war.

Bio

Peter Monteath was born in Brisbane and educated in Queensland and in Germany. He has taught previously at The University of Queensland, Griffith University, Deakin University, The University of Western Australia and The University of Adelaide. He has also been Adjunct Professor at The University of St. Louis Missouri and the Technical University of Berlin, where he was an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow. At Flinders University he is Professor of Modern European history. His research interests span modern European and Australian history. His latest book, Escape Artist: The Incredible Second World War of Johnny Peck (NewSouth 2017), is about an Australian who spent time in Greece and Crete in World War II.

Sponsors

We'd like to thank the following donors: Battle of Crete and Greece Commemorative Council.

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