SYDNEY: The Hon. Rob Stokes MP denounced the Genocide of the Armenians while paying tribute to the Armenian-Australian community in his electorate of Pittwater during a recent statement he delivered in the Legislative Assembly of the NSW Parliament.
Stokes whose family connection with Armenians stretches back three generations when Australia was at war with the Ottoman Empire, discussed the legacy of the Armenian Genocide, explaining that many Armenians had eventually made their way to Australia after the forced deportations of 1915.
“The outrage of the Armenian genocide, in which 1.5 million innocent men, women and children were murdered by the Ottoman Turkish authorities under cover of the First World War, resulted in a forced migration that led many Armenian families to settle in Australia. And our society has been enriched by the contribution of a people who remain the trustees of an ancient culture and who retain such a deep love of family, history and identity,†he said.
Stokes continued: “The horrors experienced by the Armenian people could be visited on any culture or community. That is why their experience of genocide must be acknowledged by the descendants of its perpetrators and why all of us must reflect on how precious are our communities, our families and our lives.â€
The Member for Pittwater then spoke of his own connection with Armenians, describing how his own grandfather had been befriended by an Armenian while serving in Gallipoli during World War One.
Stokes stated: “My own grandfather served as a stretcher bearer at Gallipoli following his enlistment at Manly Beach in 1915. He was befriended by a wonderful Armenian man called George Hampursian, with whom he had several adventures in Europe in the period immediately following World War I. Later, following my grandfather's untimely death after World War II, George continued to look after my father's family at a very bleak time, and his name will always be remembered by us with affection and gratitude.â€
Stokes whose Northern Beaches electorate is home to many Armenian-Australians and Armenian community organisations, also paid tribute to the contribution of Armenians to the local business life and community atmosphere. He acknowledged the good work of the Hamazkaine Galstaun College and the AGBU Alexander Primary School in educating young Armenian-Australians about their culture and teaching the unique Armenian language.
ANC Australia Executive Director Varant Meguerditchian praised Stokes for publicly speaking of the importance of Armenian Genocide recognition while paying tribute to the Armenian community’s contribution to Australian life.
“Mr Stokes who recently joined the NSW Armenia-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group has always provided sound advice to our community and we thank him for publicly declaring his support for our community,†he said.
The full text of the speech delivered by Rob Stokes can be found below:
ADJOURNMENT SPEECH: PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDS OF ARMENIA
Mr Rob Stokes 6:37pm Thursday 25th August 2011: I advise the House about the contribution of the Armenian community within the Pittwater area. Members are aware that this week saw the creation of the Parliamentary Friends of Armenia, chaired by my colleague, neighbour and friend the member for Davidson. Members may be aware also that next month the Armenian community will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia from the Soviet Union. However, members may not know of the enormous contribution that members of Australia's Armenian community make within the Pittwater electorate. While Pittwater is not an area of New South Wales known for its cultural diversity, it is blessed to have not one, but two Armenian schools, and many residents who proudly enjoy Armenian heritage.
For 21 years this month the Alexander Primary School at Duffy's Forest has served as a bilingual Armenian Christian school since its establishment by the Armenian General Benevolent Union. The Alexander Primary School is a beautiful little school in a beautiful corner of Pittwater, and I offer principal Manoug Demirjian, the school board, and the school community all the best for the future. Also in Pittwater is Galstaun College, also known as Hamazkaine Arshak and Sophie Galstaun College, which operates as the only K-12 school designed specifically to serve the Armenian community in New South Wales. Galstaun College is located at the iconic Smoky Dawson's ranch in Ingleside, which was donated by the college's major benefactor, Mr Arshak Galstaun, who was a friend of Smoky and Dot Dawson.
Smoky and Dot loved children but had none of their own, so a special arrangement was made whereby Smoky's ranch was purchased to be used as a school for children of Armenian heritage. Today, the school is very proud of its location, and its association with this great Australian. I have been very fortunate to attend this great school on several occasions and have been unfailingly impressed by its teachers and students, who have developed a wonderful community of learning under the direction of a professional board and great leadership. In particular, I acknowledge the long and distinguished service of former principal Kaylar Michaelian, who has been awarded the Republic of Armenia medallion for his services to education in the Diaspora. Kaylar took every opportunity to involve me in the activities of the school, and is a warm, intelligent and much-respected educator. The college is currently led by Carolyn Blanden, an experienced and talented school leader who is a worthy successor to Kaylar.
Elsewhere in Pittwater Australians of Armenian heritage are making a real contribution to the development and leadership of our community. Mac Vahanian and John Nazarian are both successful business people who have been long-time members of the Pittwater Liberals, while my good friend Hagop Kiyork has served as President of the Medical Staff Council at Mona Vale Hospital and is one of the area's leading orthopaedic surgeons. In fact, when I reflect on these men I am reminded of Congressman Adam Schiff's assertion that "the legacy of the Armenian Genocide is woven into the fabric of America". The same observation could be made in relation to Pittwater and Australia more generally.
The outrage of the Armenian genocide, in which 1.5 million innocent men, women and children were murdered by the Ottoman Turkish authorities under cover of the First World War, resulted in a forced migration that led many Armenian families to settle in Australia. And our society has been enriched by the contribution of a people who remain the trustees of an ancient culture and who retain such a deep love of family, history and identity. An Armenian friend is a true friend, and a friend for life. My own family has benefited from this reality. My own grandfather served as a stretcher bearer at Gallipoli following his enlistment at Manly Beach in 1915. He was befriended by a wonderful Armenian man called George Hampursian, with whom he had several adventures in Europe in the period immediately following World War I. Later, following my grandfather's untimely death after World War II, George continued to look after my father's family at a very bleak time, and his name will always be remembered by us with affection and gratitude.
The horrors of the genocide have left an indelible mark on every Armenian. No family escaped unscathed. The Armenians are a people who have been subjected to untold horrors, which seem to me to have left them with a real consciousness of life, love and loss. The experience of loss means that the Armenians I know and those in Pittwater hold their families close and value their community and friends. Life is savoured and valued in a way that is quite different from the looser arrangements that have been traditional in Pittwater. Yet the horrors experienced by the Armenian people could be visited on any culture or community. That is why their experience of genocide must be acknowledged by the descendants of its perpetrators and why all of us must reflect on how precious are our communities, our families and our lives.Â
