Chris Minns
Premier of New South Wales
David Harris
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty
Minister for Gaming and Racing
Minister for Veterans
Minister for Medical Research
Minister for the Central Coast
Eighteen NSW students to travel to Greece on immersive military history tour for Premier’s Scholarship
Monday, 6 July 2025
NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Veterans David Harris today announced the 18 NSW students awarded a NSW Government scholarship to travel to Greece on an immersive military history tour.
The Premier’s Anzac Memorial Scholarship (PAMS) students come from all points of the state, from Wagga to Wahroonga, Parramatta to Port Macquarie, Newtown to Newcastle, to tour sites of deep significance to Australia’s war history.
Students will deepen their understanding of Australia’s role in the Second World War on the 85th anniversary of the Greek and Crete campaigns of 1941.
More than 58,000 Allied troops, including significant numbers of Australians from the 6th Division, were deployed to Greece in 1941 to support Greek forces against the Axis invasion.
Following the withdrawal from mainland Greece, more than 26,000 Allied troops evacuated to Crete, including thousands of Australians who would take part in the island’s defence.
The campaign came at a heavy cost, with 274 Australians killed, 507 wounded and more than 3,000 taken prisoner during the fighting.
The Battle of Crete and the wider Greek campaign remain defining chapters in Australia’s wartime history, marked by courage in the face of overwhelming odds and the enduring bond between Australian and Greek communities.
The PAMS tour 85 years on preserves these stories of service, resistance and sacrifice for future generations.
The scholarship recipients will travel during the term 3 school holidays from 26 September to 8 October.
The tour will include participation in commemorations, visits to museums, war memorials and significant historical and cultural sites.
These include the battlefields at the gorges of Tempe and Pinios, the Commonwealth War Graves at Suda Bay and the 6th Australian Division Memorial in Stavromenos.
There they will deepen their understanding of the values of courage, resilience and mateship demonstrated by Australians during the war.
Minister Harris formally welcomed the students at the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park this morning alongside Mr Georgios Skemperis, the Consul-General of Greece in Sydney.
The students also received their research tasks, met with the tour historian and accompanying teachers and attended a commemorative service in the Hall of Memory.
More than 200 students from 148 government and non-government secondary schools from across NSW applied for PAMS this year.
The scholars selected demonstrated academic strength, a passion for history, and a commitment to community engagement.
More information about the 2026 Scholarship is available here: https://www.veterans.nsw.gov.au/education/premiers-anzac-memorial-scholarship/
NSW Premier Chris Minns said:
“A massive congratulations to the 2026 scholarship recipients.
“This is such a unique opportunity for the recipients to deepen their understanding of Australians at war on a tour through these significant historical sites.
“The legacy of those who served in the Greek and Crete campaigns will be remembered in a special way by these 18 students for years to come.”
Minister for Veterans David Harris said:
“This tour will be a deeply meaningful experience, offering powerful insight into the bravery and sacrifice of Australians in the Second World War.
“By visiting important sites in Greece and Crete, these students will help ensure the stories of those who served far from home are preserved with respect.
“As a former school principal, I am proud to see our government supporting young people to learn about Australia’s military history and provide a reminder that the freedoms we have today are a result of the service and sacrifice of our defence personnel.”
2026 PAMS Accompanying Teacher, Alexander Collins, Port Hacking High School said:
“Greece and Crete are some of Australia’s most overlooked wartime stories, yet they unfolded just a few hundred kilometres from the shores of Gallipoli.
“There is no better education than standing where history happened. It is an honour to travel there, pay respect to those who served, and carry that understanding home so their courage and sacrifice is never forgotten.”
2026 PAMS scholar and Burwood Girls High School Mabel Turner said:
“To be given the opportunity to go on this tour is an honour.
“I look forward to enriching my modern history studies, but more importantly, I look forward to the chance to commemorate the sacrifice of soldiers and others who served in the Second World War and beyond. I am deeply privileged to be able to represent Burwood Girls High School and the state of NSW on this tour.”
2026 PAMS scholar and Scone Grammar School student Lachlan Cameron said:
“This amazing opportunity means the world to me!
“I am really looking forward to travelling to Greece to see firsthand Australian Second World War battlefields, learn more and give me a deeper appreciation about our rich military history. It is a great honour for me, my family, my school and local community.”
MEDIA:
Matt Porter | Minister Harris | 0407 239 578
List of the 2026 Premier’s Anzac Memorial Scholars
| Student name | School name | School Electorate |
| Harshpreet Sidhu | St Patrick’s College for Girls, Campbelltown | Campbelltown |
| Christopher Marshall | Baulkham Hills High School | Castle Hill |
| Becky Manning | Asquith High School | Hornsby |
| Zachary Chai | Ryde Secondary College | Lane Cove |
| Charlie Martin | NBSC Manly Selective Campus | Manly |
| Logan Doig | Leeton High School | Murray |
| Blake Bridges | Merewether High School | Newcastle |
| Rory Byrne | Newtown High School of the Performing Arts | Newtown |
| Amariah Tamaro | Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta | Parramatta |
| Stella White | St Patrick’s Marist College Dundas | Parramatta |
| Timothy Gittins | Heritage Christian School | Port Macquarie |
| Matilda Ross | Wyndham College | Riverstone |
| Elizabeth Allen | Meriden School | Strathfield |
| Mabel Turner | Burwood Girls High School | Strathfield |
| Ella Gottke | Calrossy Anglican College | Tamworth |
| Lachlan Cameron | Scone Grammar School | Upper Hunter |
| Xara Umer | Kooringal High School | Wagga Wagga |
| Sarah Seo | Barker College | Wahroonga |
