As we approach the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor – the genocidal, Soviet forced famine which starved to death millions of Ukrainians in 1932-33 – we mourn the passing away of Sydney-based community member Pani Domna Daciw, a Holodomor survivor.
As a seven year old in Svatove, Luhansk oblast, Pani Domna saw and experienced the Holodomor – with clarity she spoke about the barbaric atrocities and callousness of the Soviet officers and thugs who beat her and her siblings as they scavenged for food in forests, fields and meadows. The famine brought immeasurable sorrow to her family – the loss of two beloved sisters – and to her homelands.
As a young woman in 1941, the Nazi’s transported Pani Domna and many of her contemporaries to Germany to labour as ‘Oestarbaiten’ workers (forced labourers). After the war, Pani Domna emigrated as a Displaced Person to Australia, with her husband Ivan Daciw and young daughter, Maria.
Pani Domna was active in every facet of the Ukrainian community in Sydney – as a member of the Ukrainian Women’s Association, Suspilna Opika (Social Welfare) and many choirs. She was a donor to numerous buildings, causes and humanitarian campaigns.
The National Council of Women NSW awarded her the Jean Arnot Recognition Award for her lifetime community com
Pani Domna’s memories about the Holodomor and the atrocities she witnessed in Luhansk were never forgotten. She remained at the forefront of every demonstration, commemoration, faith service and vigil about the famine, and attended the planting of the Holodomor Tree in Centennial Parklands Sydney.
She was an inspiration to us all. Her resilience, activism and love for her faith and Ukrainian identity showed us how to live an honourable life.
Eternal Memory Vichnaya Pamyat
To read more about Pani Domna’s life, click here
