Brisbane’s Ukrainian Festival offers celebration and support to displaced citizens living in Queensland
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Amid the horror of Ukraine’s invasion and the displacement of its citizens, Brisbane’s Ukrainian community will come together in support and celebration at the Ukrainian Festival on Saturday 15 October.
People of all backgrounds are invited to celebrate Ukrainian culture and stand in solidarity with more than 700 men, women and children who arrived in Queensland under the Federal Government Humanitarian Program since the escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine commenced in February 2022.
The Festival will showcase Ukraine’s vibrant culture through costumes, dance, music and song at the Ukrainian Community Centre at Holland Park West on Brisbane’s southside.
Traditional dishes including pyrizhky (savoury doughnuts with spiced meat and onion), potato and cheese varenyky (dumplings), holubtsi (cabbage rolls stuffed with meat) and borsch (beetroot soup) will tempt tastebuds.
The Ukraine Community of Queensland Inc (UCQ) President Peter Bongiorni said the Festival date honoured the Ukraine Defenders Day national holiday.
Mr Bongiorni said he hoped the Festival would raise $25,000 to help support the UCQ and their ongoing work with newly arrived Ukrainians and their resettlement journey in Queensland.
“The transition to a new country after the atrocities they’ve been through is phenomenal,” he said.
“Many displaced Ukrainians arrived here with a few possessions they had quickly thrown into a bag.“
Queenslanders have been watching the atrocities in Ukraine unfold on their TV screens and reading about Russia’s war in Ukraine in newspapers and wondering what they can do to help.
“Coming along to our Ukrainian Festival will be a tremendous support. It will not only help raise money, but it will also help lift the spirits of our community who have endured the unimaginable and are now trying to pick up the pieces of their life and find somewhere to live and somewhere to work.”
Mr Bongiorni said Queenslanders had already demonstrated tremendous generosity to displaced Ukrainians, with donations of clothes and supermarket gift vouchers.
Many Ukrainian cities are seeing numbers of displaced people equal to the combined populations of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
“We have volunteers working 40-hour weeks, we have homeowners who have offered rooms and dozens of Queenslanders have offered their entire house to families who have lost everything.”
“This is an incredibly important day for our community.”