The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) was saddened to learn that Mrs. Sevli Krikorian, a survivor of The Armenian Genocide passed away in Sydney on April 25 this year, aged 95.
Sevli Krikorian was 4 years old when the genocidal deportations started. Overcome by chicken pox and unable to walk, her mother placed Sevli in the care of a friendly Turkish woman. Unwelcome by the lady’s family, she was taken back to the caravan of Armenian deportees, finally arriving in Aleppo, Syria. Separated from her family, like many other displaced children, Sevli Krikorian, ended up at an Armenian orphanage. One day at the orphanage she recognised her mother in a photo held by another young girl. That young girl holding the photo was Sevli Krikorian’s sister and so she was reunited with her family.
Throughout her life’s journey, Sevli Krikorian was an active supporter of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnakstutiun) and its sister organisations. She was a cherished member of the Armenian Relief Society (Hom) and the sports and scouts group (Homenetmen). Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are active members of the Armenian Community in Australia and the U.S.A.
Krikorian was a dear friend of ANC Australia and honoured guest at the Armenian Genocide Commemorations held in Sydney. Mr. Vicken Kalloghlian of the ANC Australia, in addressing Sevli Krikorian’s family, relatives and many friends at her funeral, noted “Her death brought an end to our annual tradition. Sevli would insist that I drive her to the April 24 commemoration every year however this year she was unable to attend due to the pneumonia that would eventually take her lifeâ€.
The ANC Australia was privileged to have Mrs Krikorian present and to place a wreath at the New South Wales Parliament’s Armenian Genocide Memorial each year since the Memorial was erected. Mrs Krikorian was determined to be present, and watched from the public gallery of the New South Wales Parliament with tears of joy, when the historic Armenian Genocide Commemorative Motion was unanimously passed by the Parliament. Speakers addressing the Armenian Genocide Motion noted her presence in the gallery.
Her passing was solemnly marked at this year’s Memorial Ceremony at the New South Wales Parliament and, in her absence this year, her great-granddaughter Alisha Nercessian, who continues the tradition of being a member of Homenetmen, placed the wreath at the Memorial with Genocide Survivor Mr Arshag Badelian.
Thankfully, Sevli Krikorian’s testimony of her experience of the Armenian Genocide is preserved for future generations as a result of video documentation undertaken by ANC Australia in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The ANC Australia mourns the loss of Sevli Krikorian and wishes to express its sincere condolences to her family members and loved ones both in Australia and around the world. In her memory the ANC Australia reaffirms its struggle for the universal condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and its denial, as well as the final and just resolution of this crime against humanity.
