Sit down with AFUO Chair Kateryna Argyrou for a progress update and an insider’s look at what the AFUO has been working on this month!
To all members of the Australian-Ukrainian community, dear supporters, allies and friends!
It has been exactly 2 weeks since the AFUO Triennial General Meeting (TGM) and I would like to share with you some of our progress:
The newly elected AFUO Board of Directors held its first meeting this week. We had a 3 page agenda and hit the ground running. The Board is full of energy and is ready to work together for the benefit of our community and Ukraine.
As a Board, we have embarked on a transition process – grateful to our IT Director Andrew Duma for seamlessly onboarding our new Directors, to our Secretary Peter Bongiorni for bringing us into the new digital age with new AI tools for our internal processes, and to Andrew Kohut & Jarema Polatajko for their work on the finance handover.
I met with Nazar “Kapa” to discuss his surgery recovery and further rehabilitation process. Grateful to the Ukrainian Studies Foundation for supporting Nazar pre-surgery and to Orysia Borec & Lou Slipetsky for their hospitality, generosity, and for supporting Nazar post-surgery.
The AFUO coordinated with our state hromady to help facilitate community meetings for Paul Grod, Ukrainian World Congress – Свiтовий Конґрес Українців President, in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane. Thank you to Ukrainian Council of NSW – ОУГ НПВ, Association of Ukrainians in Victoria, Association of Ukrainians in SA, and Ukrainian Community of Queensland Inc. for the support!
With AFUO Board members, advisers and NSW, SA and VIC State Hromada Presidents, we facilitated a series of meetings for Paul Grod with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong – Senator for SA, Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister David Coleman – Member for Banks, Premier of VIC Jacinta Allan, NSW Multicultural Affairs Minister Steve Kamper, SA Minister for Trade Joe Szakacs MP and state government parliamentarians.
Met with philanthropist John McMurtrie to discuss various Future Ukraine programs, including support for Superhumans Center in Lviv and I’Mariupol charity.
Held a number of planning sessions with our advisers, Defend Ukraine Appeal working group, and communications team. Grateful for the daily hard work!
With the Ukrainian Council of NSW President, held a meeting with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) community liaison team in Sydney to discuss how to protect our community from foreign interference and influence, espionage, and hate crimes.
Continued to provide critical military aid via the AFUO’s Defend Ukraine Appeal. This week, we delivered several reconnaissance drones, including a drone to the 39th Separate Rifle Battalion. Thank you to Association of Ukrainians in Tasmania for sponsoring that drone and to volunteers Ivan Rymovskyy, Vitaly & Yana Lozbin as well as Andrii Popyk for delivering it to our defenders.
Together with UCNSW, facilitated a community meeting with the Ambassador of Ukraine Vasyl Myroshnychenko on Saturday 29 March.
Finally, I would like to extend my best wishes to hromady celebrating the life and legacy of cultural icon Taras Shevchenko this weekend – and thank the hromady that have already held their events.
I am honoured to use my role as AFUO Chair to advocate for and take action toward the betterment of Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora in Australia. Together, let’s move forward with unity, resilience and purpose!
AFUO Chair, Kateryna Argyrou
#AFUO_in_action #UniteForUkraine #StandWithUkraine #AustraliaStandsWithUkraine
