![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2022\/06\/Pool-in-article-2022-06-23T164122.140.png\")
\u201cMum came to Australia with one suitcase, now she doesn\u2019t have anything left; it\u2019s devastating.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother was building a new business there, Dad was working, Mum had recently retired.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother and dad are still in Ukraine, but escaped to the west around March 15.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was difficult to get out, they\u2019d been sitting in bomb shelters for weeks until they finally found enough gas to leave the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her 37-year-old brother has since found out he has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy treatment \u2013 not easy in a country under constant attack, coupled with the loss of almost all his assets and income.<\/p>\n
Viktoriya and her mother find themselves juggling the dichotomy of feeling blessed to be in Australia where they\u2019re leading relatively calm lives, with food and no bombs falling, while watching their homeland be blown apart.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of our friends have died.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe (Mum) cannot be there with them, it\u2019s not the same talking remotely, it\u2019s very challenging.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving to juggle these two worlds on a daily basis is extremely exhausting, it\u2019s draining. You think how can you be so happy when people are dying in their hundreds?<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is getting war fatigue, refugee fatigue, but if you go back to where these people are coming from, these people were happy, had good lives, now they have nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cThose people who are observing cannot afford to be fatigued, that\u2019s a tough one for all of us who are dealing with this.\u201d<\/p>\n There is comfort for the pair, the Geelong community that already boasts thousands of Ukrainian emigres who previously fled Europe after World War II are stepping up.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been beyond supportive, they\u2019ve found a place for mum to live, she\u2019d been staying with us.<\/p>\n \u201cThe amount of garage sales, dinners, people helping each other, it\u2019s great.<\/p>\n \u201cAs you can imagine, if you\u2019re trying to rent a house in a tough market, particularly as a refugee with limited funds, it\u2019s tough. But someone is doing that for her\u2026 it\u2019s a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Other communities are also helping \u2013 an coming ticketed \u201cStand By Ukraine\u201d five-course dinner has been organised by Geelong\u2019s Polish Community Association and its president Henry Szkuta at Breakwater\u2019s White Eagle House.<\/p>\n The Polish-Ukrainian Community Fundraising Committee event on July 30 will contribute funds to those affected by the war.<\/p>\n Tickets can be purchased by searching for \u201cStand by Ukraine Fundraising Dinner\u201d at trybooking.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BEFORE February, Geelong\u2019s Viktoriya Skoryk hadn\u2019t seen her mother Mila in more than two years, mostly because she lived in Ukraine and was prevented from coming to Australia due to the closed borders. Welcoming her mother for a long overdue holiday at the start of that month, neither believed the visit would turn into a […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2022\/06\/Pool-in-article-2022-06-23T163710.270.png\")