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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

A century as the Voice of Ukrainian life

100 years for ethnic paper

By: Melissa Martin

Posted: 03/12/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies) | Last Modified: 03/23/2010 6:58 AM | Updates

One hundred years have passed since the first issue of the Ukrainian Voice rolled off the presses in a little building on Selkirk.

Times have changed since then. People have changed. The Ukrainian-Canadian community has changed, and its newspaper -- one of the oldest ethnic papers in Canada -- has changed, too.

At its peak in the 1960s, the Voice printed 30,000 weekly copies and held influence sometimes out of proportion to its circulation: Ottawa politicians scoured the Voice's English-language editorials, which were written with them in mind.

Today, the Voice prints 1,500 copies every few weeks. But the passion of its creators hasn't waned. "The role of the Voice hasn't changed. And it's not likely to change as long as there is a Ukrainian-Canadian community in Canada," said board member Wolodomyr Senchuk. "If we want to maintain our community and heritage, we have to have organs of communication."

Against difficult odds, this organ has survived. To secure the paper's future, organizers are throwing a public fundraising banquet on Sunday, almost exactly 100 years since the first issue was printed. To celebrate the Voice's past, publishers released a bilingual booklet about its history.

But the Voice's legend may best be etched in the memories of its supporters. "I walked five miles into town, across farmers' fields, because my dad had to have the paper every Wednesday," recalled Voice board member Fred Russin of his childhood near Melnice, Man.

Winnipeg's Roman Yereniuk was 12 years old in 1958, when he published his first piece in the Ukrainian Voice: a biography of "Ukrainian Shakespeare" Taras Shevchenko. Now, Yereniuk is a columnist for the paper where he got his start.

Beyond memory, though, the Voice's contributions can be seen today, in Manitoba's Ukrainian-Canadian community and beyond. The paper proudly popularized the term "Ukrainian" for a then-stateless people. It struck a stubborn middle ground in the tug of war between Old World and New, calling on readers to integrate into Canadian society while guarding Ukrainian linguistic and cultural traditions.

A century later, Winnipeg's Rusalka dancers, perogy joints, stunning Ukrainian churches and occasionally daunting White Pages listings suggest this mission was a success. "I think we went above and beyond," grinned board president Sonja Bejzyk. "I don't think (the founders) had any idea the paper would stay for 100 years."

A fundraising banquet in honour of the Ukrainian Voice's 100th anniversary will be held on Sunday, March 14 at the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral auditorium, 1175 Main St. at 1 p.m. Tickets are $15 each, available by phoning 253-0013 or 589-5871.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 12, 2010 A8

History

Updated on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 6:58 AM CDT:
Fred Russin's home town is Melnice, Man. A story on the 100th anniversary of the Ukrainian Voice newspaper on March 13 contained incorrect information.

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