The extraordinary humanitarian legacy of George Devine Treloar — an Australian soldier turned saviour — was commemorated on Monday, July 21, with the launch of Genocide to Regeneration: The Photographs of George Devine Treloar, published by Unity in Philia Press. Treloar’s genocide refugee photographs finally revealed.
This important new book sheds light on Treloar’s pivotal role in responding to one of the darkest chapters in modern Hellenic history: the genocide of the Christian populations of the Ottoman Empire — Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians — during and after World War I.
As the Ottoman Empire collapsed and the Turkish nationalist movement rose in its place, over one million Greeks from Asia Minor were systematically uprooted, massacred, or sent on deadly death marches. The Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922 marked the climax of this genocidal campaign, triggering a mass refugee crisis that overwhelmed the Greek state.
Amid this turmoil, the League of Nations appointed George Devine Treloar as its Commissioner for Refugees in northern Greece. A veteran of Gallipoli and the Western Front, Treloar brought military discipline, compassion and strategic clarity to a seemingly impossible task: the resettlement of more than 100,000 destitute and traumatised survivors of genocide.
Over four years (1922–1926), Treloar worked tirelessly to secure housing, food, medical care and long-term support for the displaced — not as a diplomat or bureaucrat, but as a humanitarian of action. His deep respect for Hellenic culture and his belief in human dignity are evident in the photographs he took, now published for the first time in this book.
Keynote speaker George Vardas, a lawyer and long-standing advocate for recognition of the Greek Genocide, emphasised that Genocide to Regeneration is not simply a photographic album. “It is a visual archive of survival — a rare and powerful record of a people rising from the ashes of genocide with the help of an Australian who refused to look away,” he said.
Dr Vasilis Adrahtas, founder of Unity in Philia Press, described Treloar as “a humanist in uniform” and expressed pride in publishing this as the press’s first major release. “Treloar’s story is a vital but largely forgotten chapter of both Australian and Hellenic history. His work shows that international solidarity is not a modern invention — it has roots in actions like his,” he said.
The book’s co-authors, Professor David Treloar (George’s son) and genocide scholar Dr Panayiotis Diamadis, presented a powerful account of how the photographs were preserved and contextualised after nearly a century. Dr Diamadis detailed the historical, political and emotional challenges of writing a book that spans continents and generations.
“A key focus throughout was to honour the dignity of the people in these photographs — survivors of genocide, not just victims,” Dr Diamadis noted. “Working with the Treloar family to tell this story has been one of the greatest honours of my life.”
From genocide to regeneration — George Devine Treloar helped transform despair into hope. In preserving his photographs and telling his story, this book ensures that the memory of the Asia Minor Genocide, and the humanity shown in its aftermath, will not be forgotten.
Interested in Genocide to Regeneration? Reach out to Unity in Philia at info@unityinphilia.gr for more details.
