A State Funeral Service to honour the life of Stefan Romaniw OAM was held at 10 am on Friday, 12 July at Sts Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in North Melbourne.
Stefan was a fierce champion of multiculturalism and diversity in Victoria, and he firmly believed that our differences can only enrich us all for the better.
He was a tireless advocate who used the power of his revered voice to fight for others, a voice he often used to speak out against the war in Ukraine. He made it his life’s work to preserve Ukrainian culture and identity, both in Australia and abroad.
Stefan served our state as the Executive Director of Community Languages Australia and previously as the Chair of the Victorian Multicultural Commission and Multicultural Arts Victoria.
He also held a number of leadership roles within the broader Australian and Ukrainian communities, including the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, as 1st Vice President of the Ukrainian World Congress, and as a member of the Starlight Foundation Victorian Advisory Board, amongst others.
For his services to multiculturalism in Australia, Stefan was awarded a Medal of the Order of the Australia in 2001.
The State Funeral Service was an opportunity for Victorians to pay tribute to Stefan’s contribution to Victoria and his unwavering dedication to our multicultural communities.
Updated