A charity evening was held in Perth to support Ukrainian defenders
September 27, 2024
On Friday, 20 September, the Parish of St John the Baptist in Perth, together with Fr. Ihor Holovko, Parish Administrator, organised a charity Ukrainian evening to raise funds for prosthetic limbs for Ukrainian soldiers.
The event was held at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Hall and brought together representatives of all generations of the Ukrainian community in Perth. “We sought to unite our efforts and organisations to work together for the victory and good of our people, as well as to support our defenders,” said Father Ihor. All those present consciously contributed to this noble goal, and the programme participants not only performed but also donated money.
The event was hosted by Serhii Pohrebnyak and Yulia Ivanova. The guests included both children and the elderly. Thanks to the support of the community and the active work of the organisers, they managed to raise more than $5,000. The organisers handed over all the funds raised to Fr. Makariy Dutka, a hieromonk of the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra of the UGCC, a well-known volunteer who has already raised more than UAH 14 million for the needs of the Armed Forces.
In his video message, Fr. Makariy Dutka expressed his sincere gratitude to Fr. Ihor Holovko and all the donors from Perth for their help and sacrifice. He also said that the funds raised would be used to pay for prosthetics for Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier Oleksandr Moldakhovsky. “Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Ukraine! Dear Ukrainians gathered in Perth, Western Australia. With God and together with you to victory!” Fr. Makariy added.
The charity event in Perth was a real manifestation of unity and cooperation, demonstrating that even far from their native land, Ukrainians unite for a common victory. ‘At the end of the event, many people came up and thanked us, saying that there hadn’t been an event like ours in Perth for a long time. We are grateful to God for the opportunity to unite the Ukrainian community to help our defenders,’ concluded Fr. Ihor Holovko.