Key Points
- The Volodins were the first Ukrainian family welcomed by their local community in regional NSW.
- Now, Molong and Orange are home to 10 more families who fled the war.
- Philippa Waters helped Anna Kovalenko, from Kyiv, to find a home and jobs.
Oleksandr Volodin and his wife Victoria moved to Australia from the Ukrainian city of Dnipro with their two sons, Denis and Dmitriy, soon after Russia commenced its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
They were granted safe haven as part of the federal government’s humanitarian initiative to resettle Ukrainians .
So far, around 3,790 have arrived as part of the resettlement offer, while over 11,500 Australian visas have been granted to Ukrainians since the war commenced.
Unlike others who settled in Australia’s major cities, the Volodins started their new lives in regional New South Wales, first in Orange, then nearby Molong.
They were the first Ukrainian family welcomed by communities in both towns, and the number has since grown to 10 families across both locales.
They were provided lodgings in the Old Molong Convent – which has been converted into a dormitory – with the blessing of the local Catholic parish.
“All we have here was gifted by locals. First, we lived in Sydney, then my husband got a job in Orange where we were given free accommodation,” Victoria said.
“After that, people in Molong decided to help us and other Ukrainians who arrived here.”
The Volodins are living in the Old Molong Convent.
Philippa Waters, a music teacher at MacKillop College in Bathurst, has led local efforts to assist the cohort of Ukrainians to secure homes, jobs and essential items such as furniture, crockery, cutlery and even cars.
“[Oleksandr] rang me one night and said ‘Pip, can you help me?’ I said ‘of course’,” Waters recalled.
Despite the distance of more than 250km, Waters and her husband travelled to Sydney to pick the family up.
“We walked into their Sydney unit, Vika and Oleksandr were sitting on a couch with their two small children,” she said.
“We all just cried. We took them. They trusted us, we trusted them.”
Philippa Waters has helped Ukrainian families settle in the region.
Why the move to regional NSW?
Oleksandr is a trained engineer who ran a car repair workshop in Ukraine and currently works for a company repairing mining equipment.
Securing stable employment was his motivation for moving to regional NSW.
“When we arrived in Sydney, I tried to find a job there, but it was very difficult,” he said.
“It took me two hours [to get to the office] and two hours to get back. Then I found out there was a program in regional Australia, and we agreed without hesitation.”
Oleksandr said he was “grateful” to the community for giving his family a fresh start.
“Our car was gifted to us by kind people, the Orange community,” he said.
“They knew it is impossible to live in rural Australia without a car, especially given that we live in Molong and I work in Orange.”
Molong locals also donated sewing equipment to Victoria who has opened a small business as a seamstress, while completing a cookery course through TAFE.
Denis Volodin attends school and takes additional English classes thanks to a local volunteer.
Anna Kovalenko is a music teacher from Kyiv who now lives in Orange with her husband, son, mother, sister and niece.
Like the Volodins, she relocated to the town from Sydney where she struggled to secure stable employment.
“With Waters’ assistance, I found a job at local schools, a musical instruments shop, a conservatory and a university. My sister who already lived in Australia and I also work as waiters,” she said.
Anna Kovalenko has landed jobs in Orange. Credit: SBS Russian
Kovalenko said she felt very comfortable in Orange where she had already made friends.
“We have jobs, we have a house, my son goes to school, many Australians help us with learning English,” she said.
“Our car was gifted to us by volunteers. And we also try to help people as much as we can.”
While feeling the warmth of the people of Australia towards those who fled the conflict, Oleksandr said many felt “nervous” as the would expire in 2025.
Many fear that they will not be able to stay in Australia, and are calling for the federal government to provide more information on a pathway to permanent residency.
“Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine is going on. There is huge destruction, huge difficulties with education, with opportunities for children. And here my son did not lose his childhood,” Oleksandr said.
“And we ask for a chance to continue staying here in any status and [to raise] our children in a safe environment.
“We will always be grateful for what was made for us here.”
‘Examine other visa options’
A Home Affairs spokesperson told SBS Russian that the department is progressing visa applications from Ukrainian nationals as a priority, particularly for those with a strong, personal connection to Australia.
“Australia does not return individuals to situations where they face persecution or a real risk of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, arbitrary deprivation of life or the application of the death penalty,” the spokesperson said.
“The Australian government remains committed to supporting Ukrainians and their family members who are temporarily in Australia as a result of the war, and we continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine closely in considering future arrangements for Temporary Humanitarian Stay (subclass 786) visa holders whose visas are due to cease from 2025 onwards.”
As for now, the spokesperson said the department encouraged Ukrainians to “examine other visa options” available for them in Australia, including the skilled, family, student and visitor visa programs.
For those who can’t access these options and can’t return to Ukraine, applying for a Bridging E (subclass 050) visa (BVE) or a Protection (subclass 866) visa may be options, the spokesperson affirmed.
The spokesperson added that if a ‘no further stay’ condition (8503, 8534, 8535 or 8540) applies to a Ukrainian’s current visa, they can apply to have that condition waived.
