The Australian-Ukrainian community was joined today by members of the Australian and global Ukrainian community in Melbourne for a State Funeral Service to farewell Stefan Romaniw OAM, co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO).
Stefan unexpectedly passed away in Warsaw on 26 June 2024 on his way home from an anti-russian imperialism conference in Lithuania.
The State Funeral Service, held on Friday 12 July at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of Sts Peter & Paul, was a celebration of Stefan’s life, the enormous contribution he had made to the Australian-Ukrainian and global diaspora community, multiculturalism in Victoria, and to his beloved Ukraine. At its heart, the service honoured the love he had for his family, and they for him.
On the same day, to honour Stefan the Australian National Flag was flown at half-mast all day in the state of Victoria. In Kyiv, Ukraine, a memorial Divine Liturgy and service was held at St. Basil the Great Church, where Stefan would pray when in the capital.
Following the funeral, Stefan was buried at the Keilor Cemetery, in the same cemetery where his parents are laid. A wake was held in the Ukrainian Hall at Essendon.
Over 1,000 people attended the funeral, which was live streamed. Dignitaries included:
Colonel Mark Richards for the Governor General of Australia, Major General David McLachlan AO (Mil) (Ret’d) for the Victorian Governor, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme the Hon Bill Shorten MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs the Hon Andrew Giles MP, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs the Hon Tim Watts MP, Victorian Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott AC, former Victorian Premiers Ted Baillieu AO, Steve Bracks and Jeff Kennett, The Honourable Matthew Guy MP, Victorian Shadow Minister for Public Transport, Mr Lee Tarlamis MP, Victorian Government Whip in the Legislative Council, and many past ministers and current members of state and federal Parliament, and members of the multicultural community in Victoria. Retired Army Major General Mick Ryan AM also attended.
On this sad day, the AFUO was as proud of Stefan as we have ever been. His impact was profound on a personal, local, national and global scale. In Ukraine, his enormous contribution to Ukrainian independence and freedom was honoured by several state awards. We will honour his memory and seek to follow his example in our commitment and dedication to our community and Ukraine.
Rest in peace, our Stefan. Eternal memory 🕯️Вічна йому пам’ять!
To watch the video of the service click here
To read Alan Howe’s obituary about Stefan in The Australian “Stefan Romaniw: Enemy of Putin’s Russia, devoted friend to all others” go to the AFUO Newsroom
Received on the day of Stefan’s funeral – an honorary salute from the Ukrainian front line.
