Dmitri and Anastasia Tarasuk Family

DIMITRI AND ANASTASIA TARASUK FAMILY:

VOYAGE TO CANADA

Dimitri (35) and Anastasia (33) and their five children, Mary (9), Valentina (7), Michael (5), Jeanne (3) and Walter (2) emigrated to Horodische in the Ukraine to Canada in 1930, aboard the ship Koscuiszko.

Political unrest and fear for their lives motivated them to start a new life in Canada. Life in the Western Ukraine occupied by Poland was dangerous. The Russian Bolsheviks were on the march.

Dimitri, respected farmer, war hero (St. George Cross for Bravery) and village spokesman had questioned some of the Communist views. He feared for his life. By good fortune, Canada was welcoming Ukrainian farmers. Anastasia had a brother, Nikander Owcharuk, already settled in St. Walburg, Saskatchewan. Under threat for their safety, Dimitri and his family wasted no time preparing to leave. They quickly sold most of their possessions along with a farm acreage and donated a small parcel of land to the group of Christians they had been worshiping with to build a church. The church was built after their departure and still stands today in Horodische, Ukraine.

The journey to Canada took them to Warsaw and on to the port of Gdansk in Poland for their departure.

Dimitri remembered the importance of his calloused hands. He was judged to be suitable for farming in Canada! The family set sail on July 22, 1930 on the ship Koscuiszko. The voyage was difficult for all. They were hungry, thirsty, seasick and Anastasia was six months pregnant. We are sure they were glad to see the Port of Halifax on August 2, 1930. However, when they boarded the train to travel to St. Walburg, Saskatchewan, looking out the window at the rocky Nova Scotia, Anastasia cried and said "How can we ever farm in Canada?".

Early days in Saskatchewan are for another chapter. However, the family were successful farmers and four more children were in Canada: Peter, Laura, John and Arthur.