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Ottawa Branch of Plast
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On Saturday September 29, 2001 the Ottawa Branch of the Ukrainian Youth Association "Plast" celebrated 50 years of Ukrainian scouting in the nation's Capital with a gala banquet at the Ottawa Congress Centre. This is a remarkable achievement because it represents half a century of steadfast commitment to Ukrainian-Canadian youth, fostering good citizenship, strength of character and leadership, as well as nurturing Ukrainian identity. About 270 persons from all parts of Canada attended the event - some from as far away as Edmonton. Special guests included Volodymyr Luciw, the Head of the Plast National Executive, representatives from other Canadian Plast Branches, Halyna and Andriy Mostyskyi, Counsellor Political- Affairs, Embassy of Ukraine, Chantal and Denis Cadieux from Scouts Canada, Fr. Cyril Mykytiuk - Pastor of the St. John the Baptist Ukrainain Catholic Shrine, Fr. Andrij Chirovsky - Rector of the Sheptytsky Institute, and Fr. Ihor Kutash - Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Montreal. Written greetings were received from other Plast Branches and other Ukrainian organizations. This was not an event just for adults. All three generations of Ottawa Plast members were reunited in one room for this memorable occasion - from some of the original founders all the way to those who joined Plast just a few weeks ago. The atmosphere was more like a homecoming than a formal banquet. |
 | Roman Waschuk chaired and ably managed the nine person organizational committee that worked very hard together for several months planning the myriad of details. Volodymyr Katrushenko's refined artistic talents were visible everywhere -- invitations, posters, tickets, banquet program, and even in some of the decorations for the banquet hall. The girls of the 101-st Volodymyr Ivasiuk Troop did a wonderfully innovative job of decorating the banquet tables, dance floor and reception area. |
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 | Nadijka Mykytczuk and Andrey Jakubow were the joint MC's of the evening. They pleasantly surprised everyone with their warm, easy-going and professional manner. Under their able leadership the program of the evening ran smoothly without ever missing a beat! |
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 | The theme of the 50th anniversary celebration was "Memories of Sunny Days" (Spohady Soniashnykh Dniv) alluding to Ottawa Plast's many significant achievements during its history. The theme came from an original song composed for the occasion, and sung by an ad hoc choir called "The Singing Seniors" (Spivuchy Seniory). It was very well received by the audience, and helped to set the tone for the evening. |
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 | The members of the 101st Troop put on a great skit about Dr. Oleksander Tysovsky (Drot) the founder of Plast being reincarnated in the present and being shocked by how much Plast youth had changed. Also the Novaky and Novachky charmed everyone with two beautiful songs, which they learned at camp last summer. |
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| The highlight of the evening was a multimedia slide show written by Roman Waschuk and produced with technical help from Alexander Reshitnyk. Nadijka Mykytczuk, Andrey Jakubow, Andry Monczak and Mykola Bilaniuk participated in the performance. The images were obtained from many sources -- too numerous to name here. However they brought back to life memories of old friends, important events, and wonderful adventures from the past. Many thanks to all those who contributed! |
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The live orchestra "Verkhovyna" from Toronto under the direction of Roman Jasinsky provided the music for dancing. With a good mix of traditional Ukrainian, popular and modern pieces, a good time was had by all until the wee hours. This banquet belongs among the most classy social events of the Capital's Ukrainian community. It was indeed a fitting way to rememeber the road traveled to-date and to instill a sense of great optimism about the future of Plast in Ottawa. |