Earlier in the term, on Monday 4 December, we were delighted to welcome Mr Mick Polleck from the Reading Ukrainian Community Centre to the College for a Scholars’ Masterclass.
In what was a moving talk, Mr Polleck spoke about Ukraine which, as we approach the third-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the country, is still an important topic.
Mr Polleck began his talk by speaking of his upbringing and his parents’ history, who settled in the UK following persecution during the Second World War. But as well as talking about his own personal history, Mr Polleck shared with our pupils the history of the Soviet Union and of Ukraine. He went into detail the timeline of Russian and Ukraine’s political relationship, as well as the timeline of Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. This included the various agreements and Ukraine's 1991 Independance Day.
Mr Polleck did not just speak of Ukraine as it was. The events that have unfolded in the region since February 2022 - and even before then with the Annexation of Crimea in 2014 - have been widely reported on and documented. Speaking emotionally, he provided an update on the situation in Ukraine and the struggles that Ukrainians are facing not only in the homeland, but also here in the UK where families have been separated. Children and women have been evacuated from Ukraine with many suffering from PTSD at what they have experienced in Ukraine.
Mr Polleck also spoke about the work that the Reading Ukrainian Community Centre does in supporting these families. Since the invasion in 2022, they have been tirelessly collecting aid and fundraising to support those affected by this devastating conflict. Many trucks and vehicles have made the perilous journey to the region with some being referred to as ‘lucky vehicles’ due to them being right-hand-drive, thus protecting drivers from being targeted in the left-hand-drive position. A dummy is often used to draw the fire as even aid and humanitarian vehicles are not safe from Russian attacks.
At the end of his Masterclass, Mr Polleck took many questions from our pupils. Some asked about the implications of a then-potential Donald Trump victory in the recent US Presidential Election while others asked about what is needed to end this war. Throughout his talk, our pupils were very visibly engaged, and we are sure that this Masterclass will go down as one that has resonated and touched our pupils. Thank you, Mr Polleck, for sharing with us your story.