In 2012, during the 100 years celebration of Plast and UMPZ in Ukraine, many plastuny visited the Dzherelo Centre. Dzherelo is a rehabilitation centre for children in Lviv.

In particular, two Chervoni Maky: Olga Dudinski and Maria Kwas plus Michael Kwas from Karpatski Orly were so moved with what they saw they vowed to help in any way they could.

As a result, Chervoni Maky held fundraising events of fashion parades as well as providing lunch at the Katedra until enough money was raised. Karpatski Orly have also made a considerable cash donation.

Dzherelo expressed a need for an 'Easy Stand Bantam' which is a standing device which allows children with various disabilities to be helped to sit and stand.

In July 2014 we were able to purchase this for them and transferred the full amount of AUD $4,060 to Dzherelo.

Diana Baranowski
Kurinna Chervoni Maky

At the end of May, kurin Chervoni Maky decided to head out of Melbourne and Geelong to spend a long weekend away.

Ten members attended this Mala Rada. Apart from Plast business and planning the year, we were able to take in the sights around this lovely area of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs.

We experienced an auction at Musk Farm. This is a vast property with an historic school converted into a country cottage with 2.5 acres of botanic gardens and a series of garden rooms.

Of course, shopping and the great plast pastime of walking , noting the native flora and the undulating country were on the agenda. Before the drive home, lunch at The Lavender Farm was not to be missed, before the property closes down for the winter period.

Diana Baranowski
Kurinna Chervoni Maky

Sydney unak Semonn Oleksyn recently returned from a World Challenge Expedition trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. He shares his experiences below:

On the 27th of December, 2013, I, along with 6 other students and two adults, embarked on a 4 week World Challenge expedition to Costa Rica and Nicaragua, my first overseas journey without my parents! We explored jungles of Costa Rica, scaled peaks of Nicaraguan volcanoes and met a lot of friendly locals. The idea of this trip was to be challenged in a foreign environment, to be pushed beyond our comfort zone, to allow us to develop independence and leadership and at the same time to somehow make a difference to the lives of the locals.

We were given a rough itinerary but hardly anything was booked for us beforehand. It was up to us (the students) to plan, organise and book our accommodation, transport and activities each day while we were there, a real back-packers trip – the two adults were only there to make sure we were safe. Starting in Costa Rica, it took the group a while to grow accustomed to the unique culture in Central America, making it all the more difficult in not understanding the local language of Spanish. We observed wildlife along our jungle walks, enjoyed the local hot springs and adventurously experienced white water rafting and the longest zip-line in Latin America, over 1.5km.

After a rather tense border crossing into Nicaragua, we began our Community Project stage of the trip, a week long stay in a one room school in a local village, centred around a 'highway' or rather a single lane dirt road. For this week, we slept in the classroom (yes, singular) and renovated and fixed as much as we could with the limited budget that we had raised via charity drives leading up to our trip. While there, we met a lot of local children and teenagers who taught us some Spanish and who we played sport with, where the language barrier really wasn't a problem with hand gestures and a certain amount of laughter doing the trick. Most importantly however, we did our best in making a difference in the lives of the children attending the school and their families who welcomed us into their homes and served us a meal every night.

By the time we had left, we had replaced the severely damaged roof over the classroom, painted a significant amount of the school, installed running water, renovated the existing playground and donated a number of school supplies which back at home we simply take for granted. We really enjoyed our time in the village but looked forward to the next stage of the trip, the hike.

This 5-day trek would take us up a different volcano each day, some of the tallest volcanoes in Nicaragua, many of which are still active. The climbs were very steep and tough with the descents made difficult by the dusty terrain formed by the volcanic ash soil. Perhaps the most difficult part was the early morning climb in order to reach the peak of our final volcano before sunrise, guided solely by moonlight. Many scrapes and bumps and bruises were picked up along the way however it was also perhaps the most rewarding experience of the hike, getting to watch the sun emerge above the water. It was a tough trek where a number of us struggled, but we got through it together, as a team.

Looking back on the entire trip, I am able to recall a lot of fond memories, ones that will never leave me. I made a lot of new friends, gained a lot of new experiences and developed a newfound confidence and sense of responsibility. I know that the skills I learnt through many hikes and camps over the years with PLAST helped me get through many of the challenges I faced during my trip, but I also hope that the new skills I learnt from this adventure I can bring to my PLAST life back here in Australia. I look forward to the next big adventure to come my way but for now….I focus on my studies.

Canberra starshyj plastun Adrian Liszczynsky was recently selected to compete in the Australian dragon boating team at the 11th Asian Dragon Boat Championships. Earlier this year he was also awarded "Young Athlete of the Year" by the ACT Dragon Boat Association. He tells us about this experience below.

Name: st.pl.Adrian Liszczynsky

Event: 11th Asian Dragon Boat Championships held in Macau, China 30th May - 2 June 2014.

Who was competing? Competing were national teams from Australia, China, Japan, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Macau(China), Hong Kong (China), Phillipines, Indonesia, Singapore, India, and Malaysia.

How did you go? Racing at the championships included 200 m, 500 m and 2 km races. After the Macau championships we also took part in the Hong Kong Regatta between 6 - 7 June 2014. This was an invitational regatta and there were representatives from USA, Canada, as well as the countries listed above (some were the national teams, some were state level representatives, some were at a club level).

At the Hong Kong Reggata there were only 500 m races, where I was successful in acheiving a gold medal in the mixed 10's boat 500m race plus a bronze medal in the men's 20's 500m race. The Australian Dragonboating President Kel Watt was successful in securing the next Asian Championship for Australia. It will be held in Adelaide in 2016.

What made you start in the sport? Dragon boating is the world's fastest growing water sport. I started in Year 11 in my school's team ("Saints") and was selected to represent the ACT in the Australian championships. Last year I decided to try out for the Australian national team - the Auroras.

What was the selection process? The selection process consisted of exhaustive benchmarking for an elite fitness level and single craft video sessions to assess my technique over several months. I was then invited to attend a three day camp in Sydney for observation of my technique by Serge Kuksa the Auroras coach. I found out on Christmas Day that I'd been selected in the Australian team and from then on my training and preparation ramped up even more until we left Australia for Hong Kong on 24th May. My next goal is to be selected in the Australian team to compete at the 12th World Nations Dragon Boat Championships in Welland, Canada in 2015. Wish me luck!

Domivka News!!

Sydney Stanycia has a new 2 storey domivka in a warehouse complex in Lidcombe. It's close to the Ukrainian hub and walking distance to Olympic Park.

On Saturday 27th June a handful of hardworking yunaky, starshi plastuny, seniory and parents answered the call to come to the domivka. Earlier in the week the stanycia had taken possession of the keys and our new adventure had begun. Druh Lenny Lulka had already started the massive cleanup and knew a trailer would be necessary to dispose of the rubbish left behind by the tenants, of which there was lots. The upstairs rubbish was thrown enthusiastically through an inside window down to the ground floor, collected then sorted into piles. The trailer was quickly filled and hands were definitely dirtied. There was lots of excitement and discussion about things found….materials, coathangers, mannequins, belts and more coathangers. Once it started to get dark, pizzas were ordered and everyone was ready to eat. Much progress was made, but there's still a lot to do….so if you weren't there, don't think you've missed out. Sydney stanycia thanks all those who were there for our first working bee, working hard as a team in the plastovyj spirit.

Sydney Stanycia is very excited and will be very busy making the warehouse into our new domivka, a place that all plastuny will be proud to visit and call our new home.

What's happening next?

All plastuny and their families are invited to our new plastova domivka on Saturday 26th July at 2.30pm. There will be the opportunity to inspect the premises and discuss ideas and plans for the future.

Address:- Unit 2/1-3 Nicholas St, Lidcombe
Street parking on Nicholas and Gallipoli Sts.
Bring a chair to sit on.

Reminder - Novatstvo and yunatstvo will be having their meetings at 2.30 on 26th July at the domivka.

SKOB
Pl. sen Myrosia Iwasyk

Hyrtok Kvasni Hadyku hike in the Wolgan Valley

Hyrtok Kvasni Hadyku headed out for a winter hike in the Wolgan Valley, Blue Mountains on Saturday 12th to Sunday 13th July. Everyones' packs were full to the brim with lots of winter woolly clothing to keep warm. The plan was to take the historic track that follows the route of the old pipeline, which was built from Newnes to Glen Davis after the oil shale works at Newnes closed down in 1938. On arrival in Newnes, we were disappointed to find the track had recently been closed due to issues with the land owners of the last 700m of the track. We were lucky to be able to find another walk in the area at short notice – The Glow Worm Tunnel Track (photo attached of the start of the tunnel). It was spectacular to see at such close quarters the glow worms, which are lavae of the fungus gnat and glow to lure their prey, such as mosquitoes, closer to them.

After that we drove the long road round to Glen Davis where we had organised a small shack for the night. A well-supplied open fireplace kept everyone warm all night. In the morning, we drove to Wentworth Falls where we challenged ourselves on the National Pass. The photo attached is from the track below Wentworth Falls.

В неділю, 28-ого червня 2014 члени Пластової Станиці Канберра взяли участь в місцевому відзначенні Свята Героїв, яке відбулося в Українському Народньому Домі в Квінбіяні.

Ведучим свята був пл.сен.Вячеслав Спесивий. Пл.сен.Галя Ліщинська та новак Михайло Ліщинський склали вінок на могилу героїв від імені нашої Станиці. Ст.пл. Софійка Ліщинська тримала станичний прапор підчас панахиди. На жаль цього року було ще більше українських героїв споминати в наших молитвах – герої Небесної Сотні, яких портрети були вивішені на стінах домівки. Вічна Їм Память!

В програмі свята пл.сен.Галя Ліщинська прочитала двох віршів – перший про Січових Стрільців, та другий про жахливе розстрілення українського літака АН-26 біля міста Луганська російськими терористами.

Слава Україні – Героям Слава!

Tabir

2014/15 Табір will be held at Sokil. Exact dates still to be confirmed. An invitation is extended to ALL Станиці to participate and attend Табір. Any expressions of interest can be addressed to: Victoria@plast.org.au

Victoria Станиця plans to have a program with costs in place by end of October 2014.

Watch this space!

Sokil Chapel

The first works have begun on the Sokil Chapel renovation project. It is estimated that the entire project will cost $15,500 to cover the cost of materials and equipment hire.

Plast Victoria is currently the only станиця in Australia with a Chapel in existence, and therefore appeals to all пластуни around Australia to contribute to the renovation costs.

Donations can be made to the following account:

Станична старшина sincerely thanks all those that have made donations to the appeal:

Expenses incurred to date include hire of cherry picker to clear surrounding trees and growth, and purchase of sample shingles for roof restoration. A further $11,500 is required to be fundraised however, to ensure a complete restoration that will enable the enjoyment of the chapel for years to come.

Thanking you in anticipation for your donations!

Зелені свята

Українська громада в Мельборні разом з пластунами, вшанували пам'ять українських героїв на відзначення Зелених Свят, 8/6/2014.

Thanks to Dnister Ukrainian Credit Co-operative Ltd for your continued support of Plast activities in Australia.