Return to the battle of Crete to fight cancer

In the footsteps of Australians and New Zealand soldiers who fought in the legendary Battle of Crete in May 1941, defending a foreign homeland, thousands of kilometers away from their homes, will walk, 84 years later, a group of Greek -Australians. Within five days they will travel 100 kilometers, starting from the village of Maleme with the final destination of Chora Sfakion in Chania, following the step by step the proceedings of the Anzac Expeditionary Corps from Crete.

This story causes emotional charge in Australia. Many Anzac soldiers failed to leave the island after being conquered by the Nazi forces and were hosted in Cretan houses, with their testimonies being recorded in collective memory, while others left their last breath in Greece and were covered forever. It is indicative that the battle of Crete was reflected a few years ago in the 50 cents coin released by Australia's reserve bank.

Nevertheless, the Greek -Australians preparing to move on to this unique venture, they do not only want to pay tribute to those men, but also to achieve a goal with a public purpose: they are members of the « Wish You Were here » group that engages in social actions to combat cancer. Through their emblematic mission to Crete, they intend to raise money that will be made to support research programs for early diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer through Pankind, the Australian Center against Pancreatic Cancer.

Members of the group, which belong to surviving patients with cancer or relatives lost by the disease, are organizing hiking in which they expose themselves to physical challenges that symbolize the pain and anxiety facing patients with pancreatic cancer.

Such a hiking had been carried out in 2017 in Papua New Guinea through which – in combination with a charity meal – more than $ 200,000 had raised.

« I am born in Greece with roots in Crete and I have a passion for Greek history and culture, » says Con Kanellis, a member of the Wish You Were here. « In Papua New Guinea we learned a lot about the military campaign that took place there between July and August 1942 by the Australians and the Japanese. Further research led me to an interesting discovery. I learned that the same troops, the Australian 6th Division that fought the Japanese in the Kokoda mountains and jungles, had previously fought in mainland Greece and then in the Battle of Crete in May 1941. them. What better way to do this than an epic hiking in Crete? So in May seven of us we will fly to Crete and walk about 100 kilometers from Maleme to Chora Sfakion following the horrific journey followed by the Australians and the New Zealanders to the war retreat after the German invasion. It is very difficult for us today to imagine how hard this escape journey was. The battle of Crete was wild in its conduct and had brutal consequences. In some respects it reflects the struggle that pancreatic patients must endure, except that their prospects for survival/escape are more limited than soldiers in 1941. « 

A separate match

It doesn't say it by chance. « The journey of » Wish You Were Here « began in 2013, when I was lying for about seven hours in a hospital bed and receiving chemotherapy for metastatic stadium 4. In my case, what I initially felt as a death penalty was made for my life. » « I felt very lucky to be able to fight cancer while my father, my uncles and other relatives had lost the battle. This feeling forced me to look for ways to give something back to the community. « 

So he started organizing charities. When his best friend Nick Stamatakis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the creation of the « Wish You Were here » team had now taken its way. « Our goal is to raise awareness of the issue of pancreatic cancer, which is diagnosed with delay and therefore has a low life expectancy. At the same time, we wish to highlight the strong ties between Australia and Greece that have been forged both in the Gallipoli campaign and in the battle of Crete, « says Con Kanellis. « We do not expect to raise money from Greece to offer it to Pankind, Australia. But we would be very interested in supporting any local charity against cancer that would like to work with us and use our initiative to raise money for Greek programs. We will also be very happy if Cretans or Greeks from other areas accompany us for one day or even the five days of our hiking. The idea of ​​walking hundreds of people together for this purpose would be something amazing that inspires … « .