Greece's Evzones marched at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on Wednesday, 28 October, marking OXI Day in what wa...

Greece's Evzones marched at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on Wednesday, 28 October, marking OXI Day in what was their first official visit to the Australian capital. The day began with Divine Liturgy at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Kingston, followed by a reception at Parliament House hosted by Speaker of the House Milton Dick. At 1:45 p.m., the Presidential Guard laid a wreath at the War Memorial, honoring the shared military history of Greece and Australia. The evening brought the Evzones from Matilda Street into the Hellenic Club of Canberra, where they formed a Guard of Honour at the club entrance before an OXI Day dinner. Canberra landmarks were illuminated in blue that night. The visit carries particular weight this year. It is the 86th anniversary of OXI Day, the moment Greece's Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas refused Mussolini's ultimatum on 28 October 1940, and Greece chose resistance over occupation. It also falls on the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Crete, where roughly 34,000 Australian and New Zealand troops fought shoulder-to-shoulder with Greek forces. Just a day before the Canberra program, six Evzones visited the Greek Embassy in Canberra, the first time the Guard had set foot in the embassy in its 80-year history. The unit had visited Sydney on prior occasions but had never before come to the nation's capital in an official capacity. The Evzones normally stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens. Their presence at Australia's own memorial to its fallen was a rare convergence of two nations' military traditions on a day that both have reason to remember. #OXIDay #EvzonesAustralia #GreekAustralian