18/06/2026
This week is Refugee Week. To celebrate this year's theme, "A Million Stories," we will be sharing a story each day from a refugee connected to HMC.
Pryvit my name is Anna Adnum (née Nedelko) I am 84 years of age and was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, on 17 November 1941.
In 1943, my family was taken from our home during World War II. My father was forced into the German Army, and my grandmother was not allowed to come with us. Tragically, we never saw either of them again.
My mother, who was pregnant with my youngest brother at the time, travelled from Ukraine to Germany with her three young children. We spent the next seven years living in various displaced persons camps throughout Germany. My mother often spoke about how difficult those years were, especially for her. Food was scarce, and many times we survived on little more than black bread and coffee. I still remember running to bunkers for safety whenever the air-raid sirens sounded and hearing bombs falling around us.
On 24 May 1950, my mother, my three siblings and I arrived in Australia aboard the SS Castelbianco, landing at Newcastle before being transported to Greta Migrant Camp. We were overwhelmed, exhausted and frightened, unsure of what our new life would bring. I vividly remember travelling from Newcastle Harbour to Greta Migrant Camp by double-decker bus. It was a long, slow, and rough journey, and I cried for most of the trip.
Despite our fears, Greta became a place of safety and hope. My mother worked in the camp kitchen, and I helped care for my younger brother. We lived there for three years before moving to Newcastle. Life was very different from what we had known, but we adapted well and embraced the opportunities Australia offered us.
In 1962, I became an Australian citizen at a Naturalisation ceremony conducted by Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Alderman Purdue, at Newcastle City Hall. I was honoured to be the first woman given the privilege of addressing such a ceremony in Newcastle.
In 1964, I married my husband, Brian Adnum, and together we raised two sons. Sadly, my husband passed away in 1998, and one of my sons passed away in 2005. Despite these losses, I feel truly blessed to have a wonderful son who lives nearby and is always there to support and care for me.
Throughout my life I have been actively involved in community and charitable activities. Today, I am a member of the Newcastle Art Society, Probus, and Hunter Multicultural Communities, and I remain deeply involved with the Ukrainian Church in Adamstown and the wider Ukrainian community.
Australia has given me and my family a life filled with opportunity, friendship, and belonging. I am proud of my Ukrainian heritage, grateful for the journey that brought me here, and thankful for the community that has supported me throughout my life.
Dyakuyu
