Elly Symons-What We Choose to Preserve

Elly Symons is an Australian archaeologist, Hellenic cultural advocate and Vice-President of the Australian Parthenon Committee, whose life has become deeply connected to one of the world’s longest-running cultural heritage disputes: the campaign to reunite the Parthenon Sculptures in Athens.

Born and raised in Melbourne to a Greek and Cypriot family, Elly first visited the Parthenon as a child.

Even then, she noticed what was missing.

That experience stayed with her for decades and ultimately became a calling.

After studying archaeology, Elly became increasingly involved in the campaign for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures from the British Museum, eventually becoming Vice-President of the Australian Parthenon Committee and co-founding the Acropolis Research Group.

Her advocacy is not simply about ancient marble.

For Elly, the Parthenon represents identity, history, cultural memory and the question of whether something removed from its original context can ever truly tell its complete story.

Her own life has also been shaped by profound personal loss.

Her eldest son Samuel lived with cancer for much of his life before passing away at just 27. Samuel became an advocate for other young cancer patients, and his courage and commitment to helping others left a lasting mark on his family.

Elly has spoken about turning the grief of losing him into constructive action, continuing to pursue causes she believes matter and using her voice rather than remaining silent.

In The 8th Voice, Elly explores heritage, identity, justice, grief and purpose, and why some things are worth fighting for even when the outcome may take generations.

It is a conversation about much more than where ancient sculptures belong.

It is about what we inherit, what we lose, what we choose to preserve, and what we leave behind.