Amalia Samios and Kalie Zervos from the Kytherian Genealogy Project had the absolute honour of taking part in an Australian flag-raising ceremony at Constantine Aroney's restored grave site on April 19, 2024, as part of the ANZAC 2024 celebrations. The ceremony acknowledged his service to the king and country in both World Wars.
Constantine Aroney BEM
Constantine Aroney was born in Aroniadika Kythera to parents Panagioti Aronis and Stamatia Margeti in 1891. Sixteen-year-old Constantine arrived in Brisbane onboard Waipara on July 5, 1911. According to military records, he was a naturalised British subject in 1915. He was living in Melbourne at the time of his enlistment into the Australian Army on March 6, 1915. His army records show he was initially deployed as a private to the 24th Infantry Battalion “B” Company.
He was not at Gallipoli on the day of the fateful battle, as he left Australia on 8 May 1915 and arrived there on 30 August 1915. While in Gallipoli, he contracted conjunctivitis twice and was hospitalised for a short period. The records show he then went to Malta, Alexandria, in Egypt and was transferred to the 2nd Australian Division Salvage Unit on 24 January 1917, when he was deployed to France.
In April 1918, he was admitted to the hospital with a suspected hernia. He was transferred to Reading War Hospital in England, where he was operated on for a double hernia. He returned to Australia on 31st July 1918 and was discharged in Melbourne on 11th September 1918.
In October 1939, he enlisted in the Commonwealth Military Forces and seven months later transferred to the 2nd Australian Imperial Forces and the Headquarters of the 1st Australian Corps, serving in Palestine, North Africa, Greece, Crete and Syria.
Constantine’s background and ability to speak Greek proved extremely valuable when serving in Greece. When the allied forces were overrun by the German Army, Aroney managed to escape to Crete in an open boat, taking 23 soldiers with him, whom he cared for with the help of Cretan locals. This heroic feat earned him a British Empire Medal in the New Year’s honour list in 1944.
He passed away on the 8th of August, 1967, at the age of 73, in Heidelberg, Victoria. He was married in 1921 and later divorced in 1928. They had one son who died aged nine months and is sadly buried with Constantine.
Commemorating Constantine Aroney BEM
A representative of the Brighton Cemetorians contacted Amalia and Kalie a few months ago and invited them to raise a flag in honour of Constantine Aroney BEM, the only Kytherian dual ANZAC. The Cemetorians is a not-for-profit organisation that raises awareness of Brighton General Cemetery in Melbourne by doing tours, research, etc. Amalia and Kalie were advised about the amazing restoration projects undertaken to restore the grave sites of returned soldiers buried there, and surviving family members were invited to take part in celebrations.
Each year, 50 Australian ANZACS from Brighton General Cemetery are honoured in April and November, and this year, Constantine Aroney’s grave was restored, and he was one of the 50 to be honoured in 2024. As Constantine has no known surviving family, the Cemetorians invited the Kytherian Genealogy Project by Amalia and Kalie to raise the flag in his honour as they were the obvious choice, being the forerunners in Kytherian family history worldwide. They quickly agreed to step in to commemorate the sacrifice and courage of this man, who fought for the values of freedom and who, in WWII, bravely saved men in Greece.
The day started with a welcome from the President of the Cemetorians, who introduced a representative of the RSL of Victoria. He recited the Ode of Remembrance and then gave the history of one of the veterans and raised the first flag. Each flag was then handed to each family or representative. It was done alphabetically, so Amailia and Kalie had the honour of receiving the very first flag.
At Constantine's grave, the flag was raised. Both Amalia and Kalie found this very moving and inspirational. This man came from humble beginnings in Kythera and had the courage to fight for his adopted country, not once but twice. Now, he is immortalised where he is buried and remembered every ANZAC and Remembrance Day when the Cemertorians raise a flag in his honour.
It is in moments like these where the research done by Amaia and Kalie as part of their project helps preserve the history of Kytherian individuals. This is the exact reason they embarked on their project over 13 years ago.
Click here to read more about the Brighton Cemetorians' work or to donate to their wonderful cause.
To read more about Constantine Aroney, click here to read an article written earlier by Kalie.
Lest we forget.
By Amalia Samios and Kalie Zervos
