Stefan Romaniw posthumously awarded ‘Knight of the Big Heart’ honor

On Australia Day, Jan. 26, the late Stefan Romaniw — a prominent leader of the global Ukrainian community and the first Vice President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) — was posthumously awarded the “Knight of the Noble Heart” honor.

The award was presented at Ukraine’s Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) during a commemorative event that was held in Romaniw’s honor.

Participants included UWC Vice President Nataliya Poshyvaylo-Towler (online), Chair of the Union of Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) Kateryna Argyrou (online), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Olexandr Mischenko, Australian Ambassador to Ukraine Paul Lehmann, Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko (online), the leadership of the Diplomatic Academy led by Ihor Ostash, UWC representatives in Ukraine, as well as colleagues, friends, and fellow supporters of Stefan Romaniw.

The event was initiated by Halyna Symkha, the founder of the International platform of “Thank You From the Heart,” chair of the supervisory board of the Ukrainian Family International Charitable Foundation, and founder of the Ukrainian-Australian House, with organizational support from the Hennadiy Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of the MFA of Ukraine. The award will be passed on to Romaniw’s family in Australia.

“Stefan Romaniw inspired people by his own example and knew how to bring them together for a common cause. His key strength was his ability to unite,” Argyrou told the UWC. “He brought together the Ukrainian community across all Australian states, as well as Ukrainians in other countries through his work with the UWC.”

UWC’s vice president always said that there was enough work for everyone, and that each person could find their place, never dividing people into “us” and “them.”

“For him, language, views, or beliefs did not matter — what counted was the shared commitment to act in one direction to support Ukraine. That is why he was a true patriot of Ukraine,” Argyrou said.

Event participants also highlighted the importance of the Youth Leadership Foundation in memory of Stefan Romaniw

Romaniw was a man of action. His legacy lives on in the hearts of UWC leaders and members, in the daily work of our organizations, through the Youth Leadership Foundation bearing his name, and in the generations of Ukrainians he inspired to take responsibility and serve Ukraine globally.

We remember. We continue.