Copyright (2015) Maria Hill

Maria was invited to give a talk in Canberra on 29 April 2015, at the opening for the art exhibition called "Lemnos - the Greek dimension in the Anzac Centenary."

Maria made historical reference to Lemnos and its contribution to the Allied War effort during World War I.

The 'Lemnos' presentation was organised as part of the events for the Centenary of the Australian and New Zealand Expeditionary Corps, in the presence of diplomatic corps representatives, local media, Australian Foreign Ministry officials and Greek Diaspora members.

The exhibition, curated by Eva Dafaranos, included the works of 14 artists from various Australian states, such as New South Wales, Victoria, Perth and the Australian Capital Territory. “The ANZAC Centenary is a historic milestone for two countries that I hold dear, Australia and New Zealand, so there is no doubt that I felt the need to commemorate in an artistic way the Greek connection to this landmark anniversary,” said the curator.

The Greek Australian artists participating in the exhibition were: Karen Barbouttis, Nick Bonovas, Stephen Caldis, Olga Cironis, George Comino, Alexandra Danalis, Eva T. Dafaranos, Stella Karydiotou, Dean Manning, Peter Michalandos, George Raftopoulos, Ros Psakis, George Zindilis and Athena Xenakis.

The exhibition was presented at the Greek Embassy in Canberra (115 Empire Circuit, Yarralumla) and it remained open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3 from 11 am to 4 pm. Admission was free.

At the event the Ambassador presented Maria Hill - a military historian - with an award for her outstanding contribution to Hellenism.