Displaced Ukrainians and the local Ukrainian-Australian community featured in Australia Day events around Australia on 26 January 2023.
In Sydney, 300 displaced Ukrainians and Australian-Ukrainian community members were special guests on the Catherine Hamlin ferry, which participated in the famous Australia Day Ferrython.
Facilitated by the Ukrainian Council of NSW (UCNSW), following an invitation from the NSW Government, the Catherine Hamlin was running on Ukrainian blue and yellow energy as she streaked across the line to claim the 2023 Ferrython Crown. For the Ukrainians on the ferry, it lifted the spirits and gave a moment of hope that victory would be won in other ways in 2023.
In Adelaide, members of the Ukrainian community including the Volya dancers and Lemko musicians, led the ‘Respecting Country’ Parade – a great honour. The Association of Ukrainians in South Australia (AUSA) featured prominently in the official ceremony, with Bernadette Belej reminding the VIPs and the 29,000 strong crowd about Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian-Australian community acknowledges that in Australia, we live, work and have resettled on Aboriginal land. The community recognises and respects the strength, resilience and capacity of First Nations Australians; acknowledges all of the traditional owners of the land; and pays respect to First Nation Elders past, present and future.
