The recent announcement by the Victorian National Anniversary Committee stating that this year’s national anniversary parade for the 25th of March will be held on Sunday 14 April at Lakeside Stadium (South Melbourne Hellas’ stadium) in Albert Park, caused much debate within the community.
The Committee justified the delayed calendar of the parade by pointing out that it was necessary to avoid dates that would coincide with other events such as the Labour Day holiday, the “Run for the kids marathon,” the Grand Prix, Catholic Easter and the April school holidays. It should be noted that this date was also chosen to avoid traffic congestion.
In the said announcement, we were also informed that for the first time that Greek football clubs will participate, while the directors of the Greek schools also gave their approval.
The announcement focuses, in great detail, on the reasons why the 25 March parade will take place in April, with the venue, namely the Hellas stadium, as a constant factor.
However, if one removes this part of the “equation” and instead of the Hellas stadium the possibility of holding the parade on a date closer to the national anniversary is explored, one wonders if there were alternative venues that were not covered by the same “veil of problems” related to the specific venue and the events that coincide with our national anniversary in the surroundings of the Hellas stadium.
Maybe the ideal outcome would be to secure a “fixed” date for the parade and then explore venue options that would satisfy this “requirement”.
It is one thing to adjust your schedule to meet the requirements of the administrators of the Shrine of Remembrance (a symbolic and “sacred” space) and quite another to insist on using a field. As you know, there are many stadiums, as well as there may be other venues ideal for such events.
Perhaps the Committee explored all these factors and venue options and came to the conclusion that delaying the date of the parade is necessary as the only suitable and available venue is the South Melbourne Hellas stadium. Unfortunately, its statement does not make this clear. Surely it would have been preferable if the dates of our national anniversary were the same as those of our parade. However, we hope and believe that the Hellenism of Melbourne will certainly honour with its presence this great celebration of the nation and will once again do our youth proud.
