Ukrainian refugees living in the Hunter say they miss home and feel deep sadness about the war, as the first anniversary falls of Vladimir Putin and Russia invading their country.
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Natalia Slavinska, 37, and her 10-year-old daughter Maria are staying with friends at Redhead. They have been here almost a year.
When the war first started, Ms Slavinska said she "woke up to explosions".
"It was so scary," she said.
"My daughter woke up, 'Mama, Mama what is that?'."
Ms Slavinska, a civil engineer, said her mother, father and brother are still in Ukraine.
Her brother, a 39-year-old construction worker, is fighting in the war. She speaks every day to her parents. They still live with rockets being fired in their area.
Ms Slavinska spoke to her brother about a week ago.
"He's not scared, but he lives in a crazy situation. A lot of his friends have died."
She said he was in a unit of 80 people and only three remain alive.
She comes from Odesa on the Black Sea, where the ocean is flat. Australian beaches are a bit rough and rugged for her, but her daughter "loves bodyboard and surfboard".
Tetiana Sadovska, 64, is living with family friends in Garden Suburb.
She came to Australia with her daughter and granddaughter last April. Her son-in-law remains in Kyiv.
"In our heads, the war will be a terrible event always. We cannot forget any moment about this. I like Australia very much. But I want only home. Home is home."
Ms Sadovska said she was "really grateful for Australia to accept Ukrainians and help in these hard times".
She asked Australians not to forget about what's happening in Ukraine and the conflict with Russia.
"We hope they continue supporting Ukrainians as much as they can."
Vadym Sukhanovskyi and Alla Sukhanovska, who come from Kharkiv in Ukraine, have been staying with their daughter Daria Trainor in Thornton since last June.
Mr Sukhanovskyi said they feel safe in Australia, but can't feel happy because of what is happening at home.
"We're still with the Ukrainians who are living in Ukraine," he said.
When the war started, they stayed in an underground station. It was a scary situation.
They crossed the border to Poland, amid chaos and freezing weather. They had help to get to the Netherlands, before making their way to Australia. They feel sorry for friends in Ukraine who must stay to help elderly parents.
Ms Trainor said it wasn't easy trying to contact and help her parents when the war started. She helped them leave Ukraine and get to Australia.
"My sister is in the Netherlands. It was a collaborative effort between us, friends and strangers to get them out. When they got here, they had good support from the Australian government."
About 25 Ukrainian refugees are living in the Hunter. Some are learning English at Max Solutions in Mayfield.
Iryna Marshall, who came to Australia 15 years ago, helped bring her mum, twin brother and his wife and two kids to Australia from Ukraine. "When the bombing started, I had to get my family out. My dad, grandma and relatives are still in Ukraine, which makes it hard. My dad doesn't want to leave."
Ms Marshall works for Settlement Services International, which helps refugees from across the world settle in Australia. She works as a housing officer.
She feels the emotions of war in her homeland.
"It's been an incredibly hard year. I feel really teary. I feel guilty being safe," she said.
Nevertheless, she felt grateful and lucky to "support my Ukrainian people, interpreting language and helping them".
Michael Bazaley, who lives in Newcastle and has Ukrainian heritage, had two cousins killed in the war.
"It's been a year since Putin tried to invade and change the government in three days. A year later he has cost over 30,000 civilian lives," he said, adding that the Ukrainian military casualties had hit six figures.
"I was there about four years ago and the young people were so positive, all looking towards Europe.
"To be attacked and have that ripped away from them and be told by a foreign power that you're not allowed to join Europe is so disheartening. That's why they're fighting so hard. Putin didn't expect that."
The Ukrainian Catholic Church will hold a service to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion at 6pm on Friday.
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