Flag raising a show of solidarity from City of Albany to residents of war-torn Ukraine

The Ukrainian flag will fly above Albany’s Anzac Peace Park on Sunday as a sign of solidarity between the City of Albany, its residents of Ukrainian descent and those impacted by ongoing conflict in the country.

The City has worked closely with the more than 60 residents of Ukrainian ancestry who live in Albany to plan a ceremony honouring the resilience and spirit shown by the nation since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

A commitment to hold the ceremony and fly the flag in the lead-up to Ukraine Independence Day on August 24 was made by the council at its April meeting after the idea was put forward by Cr Chris Thomson.

Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington said the council wanted to support sharing a message of peace and the Anzac Peace Park was a fitting place to hold the ceremony.

“We want to show our support for Ukraine and its people during this time and through this ceremony foster a sense of unity with the Ukrainian people, both locally and globally, because peace makes the world a better place,” he said.

“Our community has many residents with a strong connection to Ukraine and in times of need we need to rally together to support our community.

“This is one way that we can show the people of Ukraine that they have the support of their friends all the way over in Albany.”

The ceremony and flag raising will take place from 11am on Sunday with the City encouraging members of the community to attend as a further show of support.