A delegation of Evzones of the Greek Presidential Guard was welcomed on Holy Friday morning at the Archdiocese of Australia – Melbourne District, by Archbishop Makarios of Australia, surrounded by Metropolitan Ezekiel of Dervi and the Bishops Kyriakos of Sozopol and Evmenios of Kerasounta.
The leader of the delegation, Captain Stavros Kouloumpas, expressed the joy and honor of the members of the Presidential Guard for the visit, while he conveyed the greetings and wishes of the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, as well as of the Major General, Vasileios Sakellaropoulos, who due to indisposition remained at the hotel.
Archbishop Makarios, after welcoming the Evzones to Melbourne, wished them a pleasant stay and then referred to the historic nature of their visit to Australia during the Holy Week and the Greek Orthodox Easter, and during the ANZAC’s Day celebrations. He also offered them collectible coins issued on the occasion of Australia’s celebrations of the 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution, as well as stamps from the Anniversary Series issued by the Australian Post Office, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Australia.
Kouloumpas, together with the Cretan Evzon, Michael Koukiadakis, handed the Archbishop an actual “tsarouchi”, in memory of the visit.