A HUMANITARIAN who aided members of the Pontian Greek community during troubles in the north-east region of Anatolia will be recognised with a new statue in Sturt Street.<\/p>\n
The lasting tribute to George Devine Treloar will be located on the west-side of the intersection with Errard Street and is being funded by the Central Pontian Association, the Merimna of Pontian Ladies of Oceania and the City of Ballarat.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe [Mr Treloar] gave a significant layer of support to women and certainly children, with a focus on refugee children,\u201d City of Ballarat mayor Cr Samantha McIntosh said.<\/p>\n
Mr Treloar, who was the son of the first pharmacy owners in Ballarat and he went on to do significant work within the Pontian Greek community where he helped refugees find lasting safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for him, I may not be here talking to you today,\u201d said Central Pontian Association spokesperson Litsa Anthanasiadis.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe assisted over 108,000 refugees from Asia Minor resettle back in Greece. That\u2019s where the humanitarian Treloar comes into play, that\u2019s where he assisted them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statue will be made from bronze by artist Lis Johnson, who\u2019s created works for places like the MCG and Melbourne Park.<\/p>\n
Johnson\u2019s sculpture will be the first time a woman has created a statue for the Sturt Street Gardens.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a thrill and an honour and a little bit scary,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy to be including a sculpture of a little girl as part of my composition. What I read was most of the refugees he rescued were women and children. She\u2019s not a famous little girl, she stands for the whole community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The George Devine Treloar statue will mark the first time nearly 20 years that a monument has been erected in the Sturt Street Gardens.<\/p>\n
Ms McIntosh encouraged other groups to make submissions to council regarding future inclusions in the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would love to see many more individuals recognised in Ballarat. Those significant stories and messages of history being collated and being presented here for everyone to celebrate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A HUMANITARIAN who aided members of the Pontian Greek community during troubles in the north-east region of Anatolia will be recognised with a new statue in Sturt Street. The lasting tribute to George Devine Treloar will be located on the west-side of the intersection with Errard Street and is being funded by the Central Pontian […]<\/p>\n