In 2026, Plast Australia’s kurin “Брати Моуглі” (Braty Mowgli) marked 75 years since its beginnings, celebrating a legacy of friendship, service and commitment to Ukrainian scouting that has spanned three generations.
The story of the kurin began in 1950, when senior Plast members who had arrived in Australia from post-war Germany began reconnecting and laying the foundations for a Ukrainian scouting community. Among them was a group of senior Plast members who sought to establish their own scouting fraternity. Initially meeting as the гурток “Роз’єднаної Думки” (Roziednanoi Dumky, “Divided Thought”), they eventually settled on the name Брати Моуглі, inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.
On 12 August 1951, the group formally adopted its name, drawing inspiration from the natural world, the laws of the jungle and the bonds of brotherhood depicted in Kipling’s stories. Its emblem features Akela, the wolf leader, standing on a rock against the full moon — a symbol of leadership, loyalty and mutual respect.
The early members met at the YMCA on Pitt Street in Sydney, where the Ukrainian community was temporarily based, and at the home of fellow Plast member Yevheniia Kozolkovska, affectionately known as Ракша (Raksha), after the protective mother wolf in The Jungle Book. With the support of senior Plast members, the group held regular meetings, prepared for Plast examinations and helped organise community celebrations and scouting activities.
As members moved interstate, the kurin gradually expanded beyond Sydney, welcoming new members in Melbourne and Adelaide. In 1971, the Головна Пластова Булава (ГПБ) — the General Plast Leadership Board — officially recognised Брати Моуглі as a kurin, granting it the number 33.
Over the decades, Брати Моуглі has made a significant contribution to the development of Plast in Australia. Its members have served as national and local Plast leaders, camp organisers, and educators for both юнацтво (yunatstvo, youth members) and новацтво (novatstvo, younger scouts). They helped organise early summer camps, excursions, celebrations and gatherings, contributing to the foundations of Ukrainian scouting life in Australia.
Новий kurin has also fostered connections between generations of Plast members. In October 1986, the senior and younger Брати Моуглі groups held their first крайова зустріч (national gathering) at Гаї Великі (Hai Velyki), a pine forest near the Jenolan Caves in New South Wales. Bringing together 26 members, including participants from Adelaide and Melbourne, the two-day gathering provided an opportunity to strengthen friendships, welcome newer members and discuss the future of Plast and its relationship with the wider Ukrainian community.
Beyond scouting, members of Брати Моуглі have been active across Ukrainian community life, including religious, cultural, artistic, scientific and cooperative organisations. Their commitment to community service has extended well beyond their formal roles in Plast, helping sustain Ukrainian identity and community connections in Australia.
Perhaps the most enduring testament to the kurin’s legacy is its continued presence across generations. Many of its founding members established Ukrainian families, and their children followed in their footsteps, joining the kurin and contributing to Plast in their own right. In 2017, Брати Моуглі welcomed a member of its third generation: the grandson of one of its longest-serving members.
Today, Брати Моуглі continues to support Plast activities, camps and community events in New South Wales, maintaining the spirit of fellowship that brought its founders together more than seven decades ago.
Seventy-five years on, the story of Брати Моуглі is not simply one of longevity. It is a story of people who built lasting friendships in a new country, dedicated themselves to Ukrainian community life and passed their commitment to scouting on to the next generation. Through its ongoing service, the kurin continues to embody the values of братерство, провідництво і служба — brotherhood, leadership and service — and the enduring spirit of СКОБ!
Members of Брати Моуглі celebrated their 75th annaversary as a kurin at Водограй, Saint Georges basin, NSW.
