‘The world is rallying around Ukraine’: Dauphin community comes together

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This article was published 02/03/2022 (1482 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DAUPHIN — More than a hundred people congregated in front of Dauphin City Hall Wednesday carrying signs that called for an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Dauphin Mayor Christian Laughland broke down in tears while speaking to the crowd, calling on the community to stand united with the country under attack during the Stand with Ukraine rally.

“Everyone wants to come together,” Laughland said. “We can’t really do much from a stopping-it perspective, but we can at least give support and show them that we are on their side and we want it all to stop.”

The rally in support of Ukraine featured speakers including Laughland, Rural Municipality of Dauphin Reeve Stuart Geekie, Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Dan Mazier and other leaders in the community.

The feeling of despair in the community has been surging, Laughland said, as people watch the dangers of the conflict grow with each passing day. Ukrainian culture is part of Dauphin and as the war persists, community members have experienced shock, heartbreak and unity.

“The world is rallying around Ukraine. No one wants to see this, this is unacceptable and we all want it to end, and we don’t want it to escalate any further,” Laughland said.

The goal of the rally was to give an outlet to the public to express support for Ukrainians, said co-organizers Jann Sirski and Stephen Jaddock.

Sirski described the “atrocious attack by Russia” as placing the country under siege. She said the rally came together quickly, as the horrors of the war have rippled through the Dauphin community.

“We all have Ukrainian heritage, and even if not, we know people [who do],” Sirski said. “Ukraine has become such a victim of this aggression and so we just got together and said we had to do something.”

There has been a feeling of disbelief and shock watching Russian troops advance in Ukraine.

“If you’ve got ties to Ukraine or your family came from there or you have friends and family there right now, you feel it in your bones, you feel it in your body, and it’s a terrible feeling about what’s happening over there,” Jaddock said.

Canadian National Riding and Dancing Cossacks and Company president Bryan Yakimishen and treasurer John Orisko said the community has been consumed by a feeling of worry and darkness since the conflict began.

It has been upsetting to witness Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on the country because for many in the community, their grandparents faced a similar situation of oppression which they fled to come to Canada.

“In this day and age, it shouldn’t happen,” Orisko said. “My children are just devastated. My daughter lived in Ukraine for a year. She’s got friends who are in very, very, very tough shape right now. It’s just too close.”

Orisko has been to Ukraine and described it as “walking around Dauphin.”

Ukraine is a country of strength, Yakimishen said. The Dauphin-based Cossack group started almost 50 years ago to represent the Ukrainian Cossacks and keep the history and heritage of the freedom fighters alive.

“There is a saying in the Ukraine: ‘Cossack blood will raise the nation,’” Orisko said.

These beliefs have been ingrained in people and it remains a Cossack nation, Yakimishen said.

They both worry for the future of the world because the conflict does not only affect Ukraine.

After all, many community members still have family in Ukraine, said rally co-organizer Alyson Sometz.

“Dauphin has a strong Ukrainian presence, a strong Ukrainian culture that’s resonated with all of us,” Sometz said. “We’re known for Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival, we’ve got the riding and dancing Cossacks, we’ve got a Ukrainian bilingual school. We’ve got a lot of things that are embedded in Ukrainian culture, and I think it’s important for those people who have that as their heritage [to] continue that on and maintain that sense of belonging.”

While there has been a feeling of helplessness in the community, she hopes Wednesday’s rally in front of city hall reminds people they are not alone during this difficult time.

They hope the war ends swiftly but until then, Ukrainians will continue to fight for their culture and beliefs, Yakimishen said.

“Ukraine is a nation that just wants to exist,” he said.

“They just want to live their lives free and happy and raise their children in peace, and throughout history, that’s all they’ve been challenged for.”

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