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Blue and Yellow Hearts Charity Drive for Ukrainian displaced people arriving in Australia was established in early March, 2022. It began with an idea of trying to fill 5 plastic tubs with donations and in less than two weeks an entire church hall was filled with donations. On the 22nd of March our Church hall doors at Intercession of the Holy Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 108 Arthur Street and corner of Mitchell Rd, Strathfield West opened for distribution to the displaced people.
We have been able to assist numerous displaced families financially and with essential items because of the very generous support of so many beautiful people.
“We are all together!”
My name is Natalka Oleksyn. I am an Australian of Ukrainian descent.
My parents were born in Ukraine and emigrated to Australia as refugees as young children after World War II. They arrived with nothing. They had no help. They started from scratch. My parents met through the Ukrainian community in Sydney, married and raised two daughters in a true Ukrainian spirit. My sister and I went to Ukrainian school on Saturdays and to our Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Sundays. We were (and I still am) active members of Plast (Ukrainian Scout Organization), we danced in the Ukrainian dance ensemble “Veselka” for over 15 years, (and even performed in Ukraine with a 6 concert tour in July 1990, when Ukraine proclaimed its sovereignty) and have since raised our own families in a similar vein.
My husband and I have been to Ukraine twice, once in 1990 on the concert tour, and again in 2010 with our two children, Tayissa and Semonn. To now see some of the places we have visited being bombed and destroyed is absolutely devastating. We still have family all over Ukraine. Some remained in place, some temporarily moved to safer areas, and others moved to neighbouring countries. I mourn for all the people of Ukraine, whose lives have been turned upside down in a matter of days, whose plans for the future have been destroyed, whose families have been torn apart. I pray that Blue and Yellow Hearts will be able to continue to make a small difference to some of these people’s lives and I am ready to continue working for them.
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