Participants from Greece and Mediterranean Travel Centre’s Light Horse Commemorative Tour have returned to Australia giving rave reviews of their 18 day tour which took them to major Australian Light Horse sites in Turkey, Israel, and Jordan with stopovers in Dubai.
Douglas and Janice Pearson who booked their tour with Donna Barlow Travel told group leader Colonel Chris Donovan that this tour was the best they have ever experienced in 40 years of travel.
[The group is pictured right]
Tour leader Chris Donovan said that almost every day was a highlight. The ANZAC dawn service at Gallipoli was inspirational but the high point of the tour was the unveiling of the Light Horse rider [pictured below] in Beersheba Israel on April 28, by Australian Governor General Major General Sir Michael Jeffrey and Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Over 1,000 people attended the unveiling ceremony with the Australian and Israeli governments hosting a lavishly catered reception to which the group members mingled with the two heads of state and Australian, Israeli, New Zealand, British, German and Turkish dignitaries.
The group visited ANZAC battle sites throughout Israel, and from Israel’s frontier with Syria where they overlooked the Light Horse route to Damascus. They followed the panned ANZAC trail which covers half the length of Israel.
Group members praised the knowledge of their guides in Turkey, Israel and Jordan.
Many Australian are unaware that the ANZACs fought in many major victorious campaigns in and near Israel in both world wars and that over 750 Australian servicemen are buried in military cemeteries throughout Israel.
As General Digger James, former President of the RSL stated during the 28 April unveiling ceremony in Beersheba, Israel is the site of some of the most glorious chapters of Australia’s military history. Its time for Aussies to treat them with the same respect they do Gallipoli.
The final leg of the tour took the group to Jordan included Petra, Mt Nebo and the Jordanian capital Amman which was also captured from the Turks by Australian Light Horsemen in 1918.
For bookings and details phone 1300 661 666 or visit www.greecemedtravel.com.
by The Mole
