Sarkis and Alice Der Bedrossian

YEREVAN—Homenetmen’s Central Committee is pleased to announce that Yeghpayr Sarkis and Alice Der Bedrossian from Australia are the Honorary Presidents of the 10th Pan Homenetmen Games. The Der Bedrossians are well known within Homenetmen not only locally in Australia, but also within its world-wide organization. Their lifelong commitment to Homenetmen’s ideals continues with this honor.

Yeghpayr Sarkis Der Bedrossian was born in Alexandria, Egypt. At an early age, he joined the ranks of Gamk Armenian Sports and Explorers Association (now Homenetmen Gamk) first as a Cub Scout, then as a Boy Scout, climbing up the ranks eventually as its Scout Master.  At the same time, he participated in several sports.  In 1964, he moved to Australia and settled in Eastern Sydney. He became a member of the then newly formed Homenetmen chapter in Sydney, now called the Sydney Antranig Chapter. In 1968, he married his wife Alice Mirzayan. The couple has two children, Maggie and Avo, and three grandchildren.

From 1965 to 1981, Yeghpayr Sarkis Der Bedrossian was actively involved within Sydney’s Antranig Chapter. He held many positions of leadership.  In 1981, together with a group of Homenetmen members that had settled in Eastern Sydney, he founded Homenetmen’s Gamk Chapter and succeeded in acquiring a meeting area for chapter activities. For many years, Yeghpayr Sarkis Der Bedrossian helped the Gamk Chapter grow while chairing its Executive Committee. From 1995 to 1997, his leadership talents were then needed to chair Homenetmen Australia’s Regional Executive Committee.