A Flesherton pair are the recipients of a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee coin for their efforts to bring Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion of their country to Canada.
Dr. Susanne von Toerne and Heiner Philipp of Flesherton have brought dozens Ukrainian people to the area since February.
They are among 70 people who are receiving the coins this summer from Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Conservative MP Alex Ruff in recognition of Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee and in recognition of their service to the community.
Nearly 40 coins were presented at Ruff’s constituency barbecue last weekend, where high school aged Ukrainian newcomer Daniel Serenko said a few words, and read out the names of some of those who have recently arrived in Canada.
He has two sisters who have come with him from Bucha, a city whose civilians suffered a level of violence at the hands of Russian forces in April, that had not been widely seen up to that point in the invasion, and where Ukraine has asked the International Criminal Court for an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Serenko has been here for about a month and says his parents have stayed in Ukraine, but notes they’re doing okay and he speaks with them on the phone.
“Maybe in a few years I will go back to visit them, but I think I will make here, a life,” says Serenko.
Heiner Philipp, an engineer who owns a local internet provider service called Rural Net, says he got involved in helping Ukrainians because one of his employees visited Ukraine a couple of years ago and was building a church there. Philipp says when the invasion began, he called that employee, saying “If you have any contacts in Ukraine of people who need to come to Canada to flee war, let them know that we’ll fund that and we’ll pay for their tickets and whatever they need to come and resettle to Canada,” says Philipp.
Philipp notes, “I think we all remember videos of Bucha with bodies lying in the streets. That is the town they are from. It was very important that they did leave and flee the war or they wouldn’t likely be alive today.”
Dr. Susanne Von Toerne says she obtained the contact for the Serenko family from Philipp’s employee Rick.
Von Toerne flew to Germany where she has a friend who could host them for a couple of weeks. She drove to Poland in a minibus where she got a text from Daniel’s sister.
Von Toerne says, “She was driving from Bucha with her husband and two siblings and two little girls, so we met somewhere in the dark in Poland and I picked them up in my minibus and put them with my friends in Germany until the visas were done. It took more than three months… and now they live in Owen Sound,” says von Toerne
Von Toerne and Philipp say they are personally supporting 35 Ukrainians, including renting or buying houses for them to stay in. Of the 35 people, von Toerne says 14 are already here. Two are in Collingwood, six are in Owen Sound, six are in Beaver Valley and they have another family coming, with two adults and six children who are bound for Owen Sound. They include a one-year-old at the youngest and a 14 year old as the oldest child.
Most men and boys aged 16 to 65 are not allowed to leave Ukraine.
Von Toerne says they have a student who is helping them settle Ukrainians fleeing the invasion, and she notes the community has been very helpful.
She says in one case, she put the word out that one of the houses need to be stocked with food, and members of the Rock Mills Fellowship Baptist Church showed up and filled the kitchen, “With food, groceries for a whole month,” says von Toerne, adding, “They just filled the kitchen,” despite her never encountering them.
Philipp says local Rotary, Lynn Silverton and Grey County Cares have been very helpful to them as well and have helped to raise funds.
Meanwhile, Daniel Serenko shared his thoughts about being in Canada, saying, “It’s very good. Very good people, and in Ukraine there is more warm winter but I think here I will have more fun in wintertime.”
He says he has already picked out his classes for school in the fall and is looking forward to it.
“Thank you so much everybody who wants to support me,” says Serenko.
MP Alex Ruff & Daniel Serenko July 24th. Photo by Claire McCormack