Tuesday, 10 September 2019

 Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (13:38): I rise today to recognise the incredible humanitarian efforts of local Ballarat soldier and philanthropist George Devine Treloar. On Sunday I attended the unveiling of a spectacular statue in Sturt Street, where a large crowd paid tribute to this local Ballarat soldier, war hero and saviour of Pontus-region displaced refugees. George Treloar was a major in the British Coldstream Guards, serving in France during the First World War and later as a Tsarist army colonel fighting the communists in the Russian Civil War. Descendants of the hundreds of thousands of Greek refugees from Asia Minor resettled by George Treloar were present at the ceremony.

The sculpture, designed by artist Lis Johnson, depicts a life-size figure of George Treloar with a young girl, symbolising the countless refugees whom he supported. George Treloar’s son, David Treloar, whose likeness to his famous father is remarkable, spoke emotionally about how much the recognition of his philanthropic father meant to the Treloar family. Mayor Samantha McIntosh detailed the extraordinary fundraising and organisational efforts by Litsa, who brought the memorial to fruition. I congratulate all involved in this worthy commemoration of George Devine Treloar, a local and international hero, especially for those refugees.