PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA

Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: armenian@idx.com.au

24 July 2006

SAFE ARRIVAL HOME FOR SYDNEY-BASED DANCE GROUP

Sydney, Australia – The last of the 80 plus group of the Hamazkaine Sevan
Dance Group caught up in the bombings in Lebanon touched down in Sydney on
Saturday evening after a harrowing ordeal.

The 45 person dance troupe, mostly made up of teenage youth, with their
minders had been on a concert tour of Armenia, Syria and Lebanon and were
due to fly out of Beirut the same day the airport was first bombed. The
group was part of the first convoy organised by the Australian Government to
evacuate from Beirut, enduring a 17-hour road trip which saw them enter
Syria through a northern border and onto Amman, Jordan. The evacuation
operation, considered high risk, was kept secret for security reasons until
word was received that the group had arrived safely in Damascus, Syria.
Thereon in, evacuees and their loved ones back home took some comfort as the
group spent anxious but safer days in Amman awaiting a flight back to
Sydney. The group finally made its safe passage in three waves with the
first arrivals on Thursday evening.

His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, Primate of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand joined contingents of family,
friends and concerned community members to welcome the evacuees each day.
As they made their way into the arrivals hall of Sydney International
Airport there was much cheering and overwhelming emotions among the
commotion of ‘welcome home’ banners, balloons, well-wishers and media
frenzy.

As the members of the group arrived, reunited families gathered in the
arrival area altogether to receive the blessing of Archbishop Baliozian,
offering prayers of thanksgiving to the Almighty for guiding the children of
our community back to the safety of their loved ones and homes.

Over the past two weeks, prayer services resonated at the Armenian Apostolic
Church of Holy Resurrection, initially requesting of our Heavenly Father His
guidance in delivering our faithful safely out of the dangers of the
conflict region. On Sunday, prayers of thanksgiving were offered for His
careful delivery of the troupe to Australia as well as prayers for peace to
reign and protection of the thousands of people affected in the region.

In appreciation of the Australian Government’s efforts and vigilant care of
the Armenian dance group in securing their safe passage home, the Primate
sent letters of gratitude to both the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs
Minister of Australia.