Gallipoli Tour Offer for Refresher Conference Delegates

5 February 2012

Delegates at this year’s 2012 PSA Offshore Refresher Conference will have the opportunity to attend a post-conference tour to Gallipoli, one of the most significant historical sites for Australians.

In fact, no trip to Turkey is complete without paying homage to the Australian and New Zealand allied forces, as well as the Turkish troops, who lost their lives at Gallipoli in World War I.

The significance of Gallipoli was summed by the Governor-general-Quentin Bryce, on Anzac Day at Gallipoli in 2010 when she said there was no greater honour  than to speak,  “here at Gallipoli, the land in whose warm bosom our sons lie at peace.  This morning, we draw upon our humanity.  We stand for a moment in the boots of the men who fought and died — on this peninsula — 95 years ago.”

To fully appreciate the significance and history of this site, delegates on the post-conference tour will have the services of arguably Gallipoli ‘s most knowledge guide.

Kenan Çelik, who has been a guide to the battlefields of the Gallipoli Peninsula for more than 25 years.

In that time, Kenan has had the privilege of showing Gallipoli battlefields to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, President Ziya of Pakistan; Dame Silvia Cartwright, the New Zealand Governor General; William Dean, the former Australian Governor General and many other dignitaries as well as visitors from Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, India, Turkey, Ireland and Canada.

In 2000, Kenan was awarded the Order of Australia, in recognition of his services to Australian history, becoming the first Turkish citizen to receive this award.

Since retiring as a lecturer in English language and literature at the Onsekiz Mart University in Çanakkale, Kenan has concentrated on leading tours over the battlefields and writing accounts of various aspects of the campaign.

He has also appeared in a number of documentaries, including Disaster at Gallipoli and Canakkale Son Kale, detailing the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915.

With his recognised knowledge and his ability to present  visitors to the site with a perspective from both  sides of the conflict, having Kenan address delegates before their tour of the site will give those participating in the Refresher post-conference tour an unforgettable experience.

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Gallipoli Tour Offer for Refresher Conference Delegates