In 2023, after many years of being sung all across Australia’s east, the Plast anthem has at last reached the sunny shores of the Indian Ocean!
On 14 May, a group of Plastuny based in Perth, led by pl. sen. Taras Gorodetsky LCh and Lesya Yezhor, held a Mother’s Day concert, titled “We bow to you, beloved mother!” This show marked the beginning of the group’s activities and was the first Plast event to be held in Perth in many years.
The concert took place after Mass in the parish hall of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of St John the Baptist in Maylands. Thirteen children, ten of whom make up the youth membership of the new Perth Plast community, performed to a full house. The concert, whose theme was “Three mothers: the Virgin Mary, or homeland Ukraine, and our own mum,” featured poetry recitals, dance, and choral and instrumental numbers. This impressive feat of performance and organisation received rave reviews from the audience, who were delighted to see Ukrainian culture brought to life to vividly.
The large audience included local community leaders such as the pastors of the Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox parishes of Perth, and the president of CYM Western Australia, as well as the deputy chair of the Plast National Executive, who proudly welcomed all guests in the name of Plast Australia.
The day ended with a traditional Plast closing ceremony, with the Ukrainian flag being lowered to the Ukrainian national anthem, followed by the Plast hymn “O Heavenly King.” The plastuny who organised the day led the singing, but the whole community, reading lyrics from prepared handouts, joined in the song and prayer to mark the beginning of Plast Australia’s new era on the west coast.
All Plast Australia is excited about the future of Plast in Perth, and we have no doubt that this new group will carry on the Plast spirit on their distant shores. Attendees of the concert are encouraged to save any memorabilia from this historic day for submission to the Plast museum in Adelaide in twenty years’ time!
st. pl. Damian Pavlyshyn LCh
