Woody Udovenko to tell his life’s story at the July meeting of the Maitland & District Historical Society
Tuesday 4 July at the Society's Rooms at 3 Cathedral Street, commencing at 5.30pm.
The guest speaker at the Maitland & District Historical Society’s July meeting will be Wolodymyr (Woody) Udovenko of Vacy. His topic will be A Life’s Journey: from War-Torn Europe to the Valley of the Paterson River, with Many Adventures Along the Way
Woody’s life began in war-torn Europe in 1943, his parents forced to labour on behalf of the German war effort after being transported from their home in eastern Ukraine to Lubeck in northern Germany. After the war the thoroughly displaced family (mother, father and three boys) made their way to Naples and eventually boarded the Nelly 2 for the trip to Australia. The ship broke down in the Great Australian Bight and nearly had to be abandoned, but they eventually made it to Melbourne in September 1949. Woody’s father was immediately taken away to work, and the rest of the family was moved around to migrant camps in Greta and Cowra before being re-united with him and taking up permanent residence in Melbourne. Approaching adulthood, Woody developed an interest in photography, and he made it a career which he followed in Europe and the USA for some years before returning to Australia and getting involved in movie photography in Sydney. Late in the 1980s, the family purchased a farm property in Vacy where in something of a nod to Woody’s father (a Cossack) they developed a horse stud. Meanwhile Woody pursued an interest in the history of the local area.
Members of the public are most welcome to attend the talk. The Society asks for a gold-coin donation to cover the cost of light refreshments.
Contact details for the Maitland & District Historical Society are:
Mobile: 0438 623299
Email: maitlandhistorical@gmail.com
Email: maitlandhistorical@gmail.com
