‘We can make it work’: the NSW region opening doors and hearts to Ukrainians

Jenni Chapple has five new sets of girls' size-4 clothing, a child's dressing gown and puffer jacket hanging in her closet. These are not for her own granddaughter, but a three-year-old girl she has never met, who is arriving from Kharkiv in Ukraine.

Three-year-old Daneliia, along with her parents Vlodymyr and Julia, is the second Ukrainian refugee family Jenni and her husband, Mark Chapple, are helping settle in Quirindi on the north-west slopes of New South Wales.

They initially meet new arrivals online before they arrive in the country, ascertaining their needs - from what size clothing each person wears, to whether they take any medication.

But the Chapples are thinking about the big picture too.

They want to help Ukrainian refugees get work and make a life for themselves in northwestern NSW, where the cost of living is cheaper and workers are desperately needed across all industries.

Their aim is to see 40 to 60 Ukrainian refugees living independently around Quirindi, the Liverpool Plains, Tamworth and Gunnedah by the year's end, arriving via Newcastle and the Hunter regions.

The Chapples' proposal for a pathway to assist Ukrainians settle in regional NSW - the CH2 project - is named after the first couple the Chapples sponsored, who are working with them on the initiative.

Yuri and Inna Chuchenko say Mark and Jenni have done more than help them.

"They save us. They now like our mother and father," Yuri Chuchenko says.

The couple were working in Thailand and expecting their first baby when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Mark, who had worked in Ukraine in agricultural insurance, was sending offers of help to all his Ukrainian contacts, including friends of friends, like the Chuchenkos.

While former prime minister Scott Morrison said it would be wrong to assume Ukrainians would not want to return home after the war, Yuri Chuchenko says "in Ukraine, there is no way back."

Yuri, from the Donbas region occupied eight years ago, says, "I can say that I lost everything twice. The first time I lost my home town in 2014. And now [my country] in 2022."

Inna, whose family is from Nikolaev in the country's south, says her grandmother had to shelter for three weeks in her apartment's bathroom without water or electricity.

Yuri says, "we want to stay in this country. We want to become citizens of this country, because unfortunately we don't have a home any more."

The Australian government's temporary humanitarian visa is granted for a three-year period, during which the holder can work, study and access Medicare, and potentially participate in free English language tuition.

Since 23 February, the Department of Home Affairs has granted more than 7,800 - mostly temporary - visas to Ukrainians in Ukraine and hundreds more to Ukrainians elsewhere. More than 3,000 have since arrived in Australia.

About 40% have entered NSW, with just under 30% arriving in Victoria and 15% in Queensland.

A spokesperson for the department said it is, "progressing visa applications from Ukrainian nationals as a priority, particularly for those with a connection to Australia."

Mark says that while the majority of refugees are coming to the cities, the high cost of living in Sydney and Melbourne could make the experience stressful rather than successful, especially when government support ends.

"We know that the regional centres are crying out for workers. I've had three offers today," he says, referring to requests for Ukrainian workers.

According to Jenni, the inability to get the labour needed in regional areas means employers are happy to support the Ukrainian refugees with a job and accommodation.

A central part of the transition will be to connect refugees with host families until permanent accommodation is found.

Jenni says five families have already volunteered, with offers to support refugees with temporary accommodation for a couple of weeks as well as more long-term arrangements.

The interest from Ukrainian refugees has been strong. Since Mark posted about the project online at the beginning of May, the Chapples are receiving 12 inquiries a day.

Jenni says the Ukrainians who have contacted them offer a wide range of skills, including those areas where professionals are most desperately needed.

"We've got pharmacists that are looking for work. We've got doctors looking for work. Now how often do we hear of regional areas saying we need more doctors out here? So there's there's been some promising conversations around those specialty jobs as well," she says.

The project would also provide immediate support, including assistance with visa applications, clothing and health.

However, Mark says, "our basis for wanting to make this work is longevity."

In addition to helping the refugees find well-paid jobs that will allow them to become independent, the project aims to help them become part of regional communities and facilitate cultural exchange.

According to Mark, one of the reasons refugees have gathered in cities is because that is where they can keep in touch with fellow Ukrainian expatriates.

The Chapples want Ukrainians to be able to teach regional communities about their culture at the same time as the project helps Ukrainians understand Australian - especially Indigenous - culture.

The project aims to provide community hubs for training and immediate support services, as well as working closely with local education facilities, and community groups to integrate Ukrainian refugees.

Jenni says the Ukrainian people bring an incredible community-mindedness, strong work ethic as well as amazing food.

Yuri, a past contestant on Ukrainian MasterChef, has not only been cooking delicious meals for the Chapples but will also participate in a cultural cooking festival, the Newcastle Unity in Diversity festival, held at the end of June.

The Chapples have already contacted local governments for support and want to work with the state and federal governments.

They have held meetings with the Liverpool Plains and Gunnedah shire councils to gain support for the project and discuss the opportunities for Ukrainian refugees in the regions that may be of mutual benefit.

Councillor Donna Lawson at the Liverpool Plains Shire Council says, "for the Liverpool Plains, we can benefit from a population injection of people who offer a wide variety of skills, many of whom have run successful companies before the war".

"We offer a safe and friendly community that may also provide an easier and more relaxed transition to living in Australia than the city," she says.

Jenni says the ups and downs of families adjusting to their new life are evident.

"They're hearing the news daily. When Kharkiv and Kyiv were being hard hit, you could see their faces, from about lunchtime onwards, their moods would change, they would be getting information through from home, families having to relocate to a safe space, all of those things," she says.

Jenni stresses the project will support the mental health of refugees, to address any trauma arising from the war.

Having communication lines for all medical support, but especially mental health support, is a crucial part of the Chapples' project.

According to Mark, "regional towns are very well renowned for helping others. There's no doubt in my mind, we can make it work."

"It was said to Yurii on his first trip to Quirindi, 'why would you want to come and live in a town of 3,000 people?'."

"And he said, 'well, why wouldn't I want to come? This is a paradise'."

"And for their eyes it is paradise."