WINNIPEG, Manitoba. – Members of the Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization’s senior sorority of Pereletni Ptytsi celebrated the 70th anniversary of their founding with a gathering of members in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the founding of Plast Winnipeg in 1948.
Current and former members arrived from Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Minneapolis, Chicago and Kelowna in British Columbia, to celebrate this event.
Plast Sorority Pereletni Ptytsi was organized by a group of young adult Plast scouts who had arrived from the displaced persons camps of Western Europe. The name was originally chosen because it was believed that the members would some day return home to Ukraine, but as time passed the name remained relevant with the arrival of more members from overseas.
The main purpose of Pereletni at the time of their founding was to instruct and educate young Plast scouts. Their main focus was to facilitate the acquisition of skills, values, beliefs and knowledge. They formed the heart of developing young Plast members in Winnipeg, with 70 years of important leadership at all levels in Plast. In addition, members have held the highest positions in many Ukrainian organizations and institutions in Winnipeg.
At the meeting on September 21, the members welcomed their newest member, Lisa Zajac from Chicago, who is the daughter-in-law of one of the founding members of the sorority, Halyna Harasowska Zajac.
During the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Plast Winnipeg, Pereletni organized a fund-raiser and presented a cheque for the renovation and rebuilding of the original cabin at Ukrainian Park in Gimli, Manitoba – a cabin in which many of them had spent their early Plast days.
Also, during these celebrations, one of the members of Pereletni was acknowledged. Oksana Hrychenko Rozumna was the first Ms. Ukraine Canada chosen in 1955. A portrait painted by her son, Roman Rozumnyj, showing her both as a young woman in 1955 and today, was presented to her at a celebratory wine and cheese attended by over 200 current and former Plast members.
The elected officers for Pereletni are Marika Halkewycz ( president), Marta Korbu-tiak (vice-president, eastern region), Marta Skrypnyk (secretary), Orysia Parka-sewich (treasurer) and Halyna Kowal (archivist).
During the meeting, the work of Pereletni Ptytsi in 2018 was reviewed. This included the presentation of the Canadian premiere of a film “Second Chance” by renowned filmmaker Adrianna Luhovy about a camp for orphans in the Carpathian mountains organized by Canadians, many of whom are Plast members. The funds collected at this event were dedicated to assisting the filmmaker in the development of future documentaries.