Ukrainian Festival Brisbane 2025 – Opening Ceremony Speech
– Peter Bongiorni, President, Ukrainian Community of Queensland Inc.
Привіт всім! Welcome everyone!
Distinguished guests, friends of Ukraine, and members of our Ukrainian and multicultural community here in Queensland, Вітаємо! It is my great honour to welcome you to the Ukrainian Festival Brisbane 2025.
I am Peter Bongiorni, and I have the great privilege of serving as the President of the Ukrainian Community of Queensland Inc.
Before we begin, I want to acknowledge the Yaggera and Turrbal peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather today. I pay my deepest respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples joining us.
Just as Indigenous Australians have fought to preserve their culture, language and connection to country, Ukrainians too fight to preserve our identity, sovereignty and freedom. Today, those struggles stand side by side in mutual respect.
This festival marks Ukrainian Independence Day, which we officially commemorate tomorrow, the 24th of August. It is a date etched into our hearts as the day Ukraine re-emerged as a sovereign state after centuries of domination.
For Ukrainians, independence is not a gift from history. It is something fought for, protected, and renewed every single day. In cities all across Ukraine, our brothers and sisters live under daily attack. The aggressor State continues its assault on Ukrainian land, on Ukrainian civilians, and on the very idea of a free and democratic Ukraine.
Yet Ukraine stands. Unbroken. Unyielding. Unconquered.
And President Zelenskyy has made it clear. Ukraine’s independence is not up for negotiation. It is not a bargaining chip. It belongs only to Ukrainians.
What inspires us most is not the weapons on the battlefield but the courage of ordinary Ukrainians, families, children, teachers, defenders, who live each day determined to be free. Their unity is Ukraine’s greatest weapon, and it is something no aggressor can ever destroy.
Around the world, elections come and go, debates rise and fall, but one truth endures. Supporting Ukraine is not charity, it is defending the principles of freedom, dignity and sovereignty. And the cost of standing with Ukraine will always be far less than the cost of abandoning it.
Here in Brisbane, this festival is not just food and music, it is an act of defiance, an act of cultural resistance.
Every varenyk we share, every hopak danced, every note of song is not only a celebration, it is a declaration: Ukraine lives. Ukraine thrives. Ukraine will never be erased.
For 76 years, the Ukrainian Community of Queensland has carried this torch, through times when Ukraine was denied its freedom, when language, faith and culture were under attack. Today, as Ukraine once again faces an attempt to wipe away its identity, this festival is our answer.
We will not be silenced. We will not be erased. We are Ukrainian, we are proud, and we are stronger than ever.
So today, I invite you, stand with us, celebrate with us, and carry this spirit with you. Let the colours, the music, the flavours, and the energy of Ukraine remind the world that our culture is alive, unbreakable, and unstoppable.
And that spirit does not live only on days like today. It lives in the work we do every day as a community. The story of this festival is also the story of the Ukrainian Community of Queensland, who we are, what we stand for, and the role we play here in Australia.
The Ukrainian Community of Queensland is more than a cultural organisation. We are a lifeline, an advocate, and a home away from home.
For 76 years, UCQ has been the beating heart of Ukrainian life in this state. Long before the recent arrivals, our community was built by post-war migrants who laid the foundations of cultural, spiritual and social life for generations of Australian-Ukrainians. We have kept alive our language, our traditions, our faith and our identity. We have celebrated births, weddings, and milestones, and mourned losses together as one family. UCQ has always been a place to belong, a place where being Ukrainian is not just remembered, but cherished and renewed.
Since the full-scale invasion in 2022, this mission has taken on a new urgency.
- We represent, advocate for and have helped over a thousand displaced Ukrainians in Queensland begin new lives here, assisting families as they find housing, helping children enrol in schools, supporting people into jobs, and connecting them with healthcare and vital services.
- We have advocated for fairer visa pathways and settlement support, so that displaced Ukrainians are treated with dignity and can rebuild their lives with security.
- We have worked alongside government agencies, schools, healthcare providers, and partner organisations to ensure that Ukrainian families are not only supported, but welcomed with open arms.
- And we have continued to raise awareness and funds, not only for humanitarian assistance here in Queensland, but also for urgent aid and rebuilding efforts in Ukraine itself.
But none of this happens by chance. It happens because of days like today.
This festival is our largest fundraiser of the year. It is more than a cultural celebration. It is how we sustain our work. Every dollar raised helps us continue to serve our community, stand with Ukraine, and keep Ukrainian culture alive here in Australia.
So when you enjoy a plate of holubtsi, when you sip a cold beer, when you immerse yourself in the colours and sounds of this festival, you are doing something powerful. You are helping families build new lives, you are sustaining a community that refuses to be broken, and you are showing Ukraine that even here, on the other side of the world, they are not forgotten.
Later, at the end of the opening ceremony, I will be back to talk about the practical ways you can donate and directly support this work.
That is the purpose of this festival. Yes, it is a celebration, but it is also an act of solidarity, of service, and of hope.
This day is only possible because of the generosity of our partners. I extend our deepest gratitude to:
- The Australian Department of Home Affairs
- The Queensland Government
- The Lord Mayor’s Community Fund
- And our long-standing supporters at VA Meats
Your belief in our community allows us to make this celebration possible.
I also want to acknowledge the many people who make this festival a reality.
To our volunteers, who have worked tirelessly, cooking, setting up, coordinating, and serving with such generosity: thank you. You are the backbone of this event.
To our staff and committee members, who have spent countless hours planning and preparing: thank you. Your dedication ensures the success of this day.
To our performers and entertainers, who bring our culture to life with music, dance, and artistry: thank you. You are the heart of our celebration.
And to you, our guests and community members, thank you for being here, for celebrating with us, and for standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. With you, this festival becomes more than an event. With you, it becomes a powerful statement of resilience, pride, and unity.
We are deeply honoured to have with us today a remarkable group of leaders who represent the strength of Australia’s democracy and its commitment to multiculturalism.
- Representing the Australian Government, Renee Coffey MP, Federal Member for Griffith
- The Hon Fiona Simpson MP, Minister for Women and Women’s Economic Security, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Minister for Multiculturalism, and Member for Maroochydore, representing the Premier of Queensland, the Hon David Crisafulli MP
- Cr Krista Adams, our local Councillor for Holland Park Ward, representing the Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner
- Senator Paul Scarr, Senator for Queensland, Shadow Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
- Senator Larissa Waters, Senator for Queensland, Leader of the Greens
- Julie-Ann Campbell MP, Federal Member for Moreton
- Charis Mullen MP, Shadow Minister for Public Works and Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, representing the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Steven Miles MP
- Joe Kelly MP, State Member for Greenslopes
- Mark Bailey MP, State Member for Miller
- Representatives from the Australian Department of Home Affairs and Multicultural Affairs Queensland
- Our valued partners from Multicultural Australia, QPASTT, SSI, and Mater Refugee Health Services
- Leaders from our multicultural communities across Queensland, Polish, German, African, Baltic, Taiwanese, Middle Eastern and more. Your solidarity strengthens us.
- And most importantly, the members of the Ukrainian Community of Queensland
Thank you all for standing with Ukraine.
Before we continue, I ask you to join me in a minute of silence.
Let us honour the victims of this war, the brave defenders who have laid down their lives, and the millions displaced and suffering.
… (pause for silence) …
May their memory be eternal. Вічная Пам’ять.
And now, to lift our spirits and bind us together, please stand for the national anthems of Ukraine and Australia, performed by Yuliya Rai, Iryna Pyrog, and Ruslan Bykov.
… (National Anthems Sung) …
Friends, today we celebrate freedom, culture and unity. Even as Ukraine fights for survival, here in Brisbane we proclaim: Ukraine lives. Ukraine endures. Ukraine will prevail.
So now, let us celebrate boldly. Let us fill this space with colour, with music, with food, with dance, and let this festival shine as a beacon of resilience, pride, and hope.
Слава Україні! Героям Слава! (x3)