How Australian businessman Anthony Trevisan became Ukrainian volunteer
In a peaceful life, this meeting might not have happened; moreover, Putin’s invasion in February changed Anthony Trevizan’s views and his personal attitude to Ukraine’s problems. An unbridled desire to help emerged.
And when 82-year-old Trevisan decided to help children who lost their fathers at the front of the Russian-Ukrainian war, he turned to Soborna , a foundation that supports the families of fallen defenders. Thus, the foundation found a new reliable partner, an Australian well-known in business circles.
The cooperation proved to be not only effective, but also prompt, and in September this year, 14 children of fallen soldiers, aged 12 to 15, came to Malta, Trevisan's historical homeland, for education and rehabilitation.
These two weeks will be remembered for a long time. One of the best language schools in Malta - International house Malta - provided the organisation of training and recreation. They prepared the program specifically for the Ukrainian group, so they made every effort to ensure that the children had plenty of time to swim on the various beaches of Malta and the neighboring islands of Gozo and Comino. The children visited the modern capital of Malta, Valletta, the incredibly beautiful Mdina, the modern Esplora center; went kayaking and sub-boarding; had fun in the water park and Popay's village.
The children stayed at the 4-star Paradise Bay Resort Malta | Hotel & Resort Malta, where they also took part in training.
The Maltese were surprisingly hospitable - the children were invited to meet the First Lady of Malta and even to a tour of a modern local beverage factory.
Anthony Trevisan was also happy with the children. A few weeks later, he arrived in Ukraine to explore opportunities for further charitable projects. On this occasion, the Australian spoke to a Censor.NET correspondent.
- A question any Ukrainian reader would ask you - no doubt with warmth and respect, but still: you are an Australian-born businessman with a glorious portfolio of successes over the years. You could be enjoying life in a peaceful place (or many places) with no signs of war, bombing, human suffering or air raid alerts. However , you are now in Ukraine, one of the most dangerous places on Earth. This begs the logical question: why, Tony? What is your motivation?
- That's a very good question. When it comes to issues of principle, I am very easily moved, and Ukraine is a classic example of this. For many years I was interested in politics, I studied political science at university. And I saw no reason why Ukraine, a sovereign state, should be invaded solely on a whim. The bloody slaughter that has been started in Ukraine is something I find unacceptable. I can't do anything about it, I can't fight at the front. So I decided to help in a different way. You know, Churchill said that the first casualty of war is the truth. I would add that the most vulnerable categories of society are next, and children are among the first on this list, especially children who have lost their parents and other dear family members. I know this because I saw the consequences of war during my 12 years of service in the British army.
And since children are the next generation in Ukraine, I decided to focus on children. And when I got in touch with the Soborna Ukraina Foundation, and they told me what was going on, and how these war-traumatised children were suffering from the stresses of being in a war zone. They gave me a picture of what is happening to some of the children now. The children have lost their fathers and mothers and have experienced the horrors of war...
And I decided to do something about it. And I hope that this small project that we implemented in Malta with Soborna will grow into a regular project and start to "chip away" at the numbers behind the lists (of the dead). To give them a break from everything that is happening in Ukraine.
- 24 February 2022, the day the full-scale war began, was a turning point in the lives of many Ukrainians. What were your first thoughts when you heard the news? Did you really expect Putin to attack Ukraine?
- As you remember better than I do, a number of red flags were raised: The US said one thing, Putin said another, his foreign ministry said another. But it was obvious that the accumulation of hundreds of thousands of troops on Ukraine's border had to end in something sinister. And as a former military man, I knew that something had to happen one way or another - and unfortunately, it did. And no one knows how it will end - both sides have their own views on what to do next. What can we do? - Take care of the children!
- What did you do as a military man?
- I was a pilot in the Air Force.
- So, when you read about the bombing of Ukrainian towns and villages on 24 February 2022, were you able to understand what they were feeling at that moment?
- Yes, of course. I took part in the evacuation of the wounded and dead and witnessed the grief of loved ones upon arrival at our base. There are no winners in war. There are only losers.
War is a terrible experience, especially for children. They do not understand what is happening - all they hear are explosions, news of missing loved ones, fathers and mothers, and pure fear of war.
- And in the midst of the war, you decided to help Ukraine at its most vulnerable point - to help children.
- Yes. I'm not at the age to go to the front and do something there. But I would love to stay in Ukraine and teach children or teach people what I do. I would be very happy to do that - to raise money if I can and see what we can do with it.
- But you could help from a safe place, staying at a distance. Why did you decide to come here physically?
- Oh, if you want to do something right, you have to do it personally. And this is where my front line is, not on the border with Russia. I have to be here to see the situation and act accordingly.
- Yes, and as a businessman, you know very well that big deals are made not via zoom or Skype, but face to face, with handshakes and physical presence.
- Absolutely. Shake hands, look into their eyes to understand what they are saying.
- What other options have you considered to help Ukraine?
- My first thought was completely impractical - to take the children to Australia, let them spend some time there, and then maybe find foster parents for those children who had lost both parents. But it turned out to be too complicated, and in the short term, we decided to take the easy way out - to take the children to Malta for 2-3 weeks. And this became our number one experiment. And the kids were great! These children were the best ambassadors of Ukraine. They behaved very well, presented themselves very well and told their stories. In many cases, to journalists. Very clearly and very understandably. They are very good children. And children - they tell their stories from the heart. There is no lie there. Everything is as it is. And they performed extremely well. I adore them.
- Tell us more about the camp in Malta. I have heard a lot about it, but most of our readers have not.
- I found an international language school called International House https://www.ihmalta.com/en/ and agreed with its director. We paid a certain amount per student and put the children in a hotel on the beach. So they spent their time visiting historical sites, swimming and playing in the sand on the beach, and spending a few hours studying - English and so on.
- Do I understand correctly that the main idea of this camp was not to give children time to think about their losses and difficulties, but to fill this time with the sea, lessons and interesting places?
- Absolutely. We did everything we could to relieve the stress of sirens and meeting people who are suffering just like them. And they did very well! They are amazing kids. Yes, there were one or two situations when there were tears - but very, very few. Everyone in Malta loved them. Everyone loved them.
- Apart from you as the mastermind behind the project, who else was involved in it?
- An international school that worked with these children. Anyway, it was a business we did together. Initially, I planned to put the children in a five-star hotel. But it turned out that there were Russian tourists there.
- This is a typical situation today. And to prevent the children from being traumatised by possible clashes, did you change the plan?
- Yes, we placed them in a different place. And they loved it! It was a private beach and they spent time playing in the sun. One or two of them got a little sunburned - that's how much they enjoyed it.
- I'm going to forget for a moment that I'm a journalist... On behalf of Ukrainians and myself, thank you very much for your concern for these children, Tony... And now let's get back to our conversation. You have been in Ukraine for three days now. What are you going to talk about here?
- The main goal is to discuss the process of selecting the next group of children. And also to discuss funding from Australia and the UK. This is a process, and we are just getting started.
- And the first visit is a good opportunity to see a list of problems that can be solved, isn't it?
- Yes, that's right.
- As far as I know, you have been to Lviv and Kyiv.
- Yes, and both cities are beautiful.
- Have you seen the small exhibition of burnt Russian military equipment that was placed near your hotel in Kyiv?
- Yes, I saw it.
Near the wall of memory of Ukrainians killed in the war. Among the photos are portraits of the parents of children who visited the camp in Malta
I also met a few people on crutches and talked to some of them.
You know, there was another result of our project for children in Malta. We covered the situation in Ukraine at war. And this led to even more support for Ukraine in this country. I would like to think that we will be able to do something similar in Australia, where we can show it on television. You know, Australia has provided some military equipment to Ukraine. But over time, people lose interest.
- Yes, and it's probably inevitable that the Western world - no matter how much it feels and acts in solidarity with Ukraine - is getting tired of this war and the need to help Ukraine. Have you also noticed this trend, Tony?
- Well, the population of Australia is made up of many nationalities. There are many Russians and many Ukrainians. And as far as the Russian part of society is concerned, they try to cover their version of events in newspapers, on LinkedIn and similar sites. They even hacked my LinkedIn account because of my pro-Ukrainian stance. But something needs to be done to present a picture of a free Ukrainian people fighting for freedom so that help continues to flow. Even from Australia. And there are no better ambassadors than children.
- You know, this is exactly what Putin is counting on - that society in Western countries will get tired of supporting Ukraine in this war, and the initiative will slowly shift to his side.
- Yes, and he is not wrong. You see what is happening in America now. If Trump is elected in 2024, we will face a problem, Ukraine will face a problem.
- So what is the best way to combat the fact that the world is getting tired of the war in Ukraine?
- As I said, it's about showing the picture to the public. And children are the best way to do this.
- Because people everywhere take children's misfortune to heart?
- Yes.
- Anthony, why do you think the numerous sanctions against Russia imposed by the majority of the civilised world are not effective? We all see that many powerful corporations continue to operate in Russia. But why do we still find Western-made components in Russian missiles and drones that kill our people? I ask you this because you are well acquainted with Western business, its roadmaps and, let's say, its psychology. And you have also done some business with Russians at some point in your life. In the oil industry, if I remember correctly.
- Yes, it was in Komi, a hundred miles south of the Barents Sea. This is typical Russia. We went to spend millions of dollars - and when we started producing, they imposed a tax on the product we were producing! And not only did they tax it, they started mixing our oil with their low-grade oil!
- In fact, this is typical of them. So why aren't Western sanctions working as effectively as we had hoped at the beginning of the Russian invasion? Why do flows of Western goods and arms components still find their way to Russia despite these sanctions?
- People are most motivated by money and profit. And as long as there is a profit motive, people will find ways to make money and get around these restrictions that we have imposed on the Russian economy. I can't explain why people do this, but money is a big driver. And even in the US, Bill Clinton, when asked how various aspects of the election were going, said: "It's all about the economy, stupid." Famous words! Every election in Western countries is about the economy. The same can be said about what is happening now. Of course, there is North Korea, there is China. But I don't understand why India, which is considered to be pro-Western, is helping the Russians to a large extent!
- This is a very philosophical question. Tony, we live in the 21st century, among the wonders of science and technology. It would seem that the soft power of business should be the main, if not the only, instrument of foreign policy. So why do we still have large bloody wars like the one Russia has unleashed against Ukraine? Why?
- The short answer: "I don't know". I'm trying to be unphilosophical so as not to sound too boring, but... material wealth has a way of corrupting people. You look at your neighbour: he has a better car than you, so you want to have a better car than him. And that's just the micro side of it. The macro side is that nations do the same thing. I mean, look at China, which is always trying to expand its borders: maybe a war with the Philippines, maybe a war with the US for Taiwan. It's just a process that never satisfies human nature. And we have people like Putin, who wants to restore the USSR, a new Russian empire. And to do that, you need to imprison people who are proud to be free and want to be their own masters. And he is doing exactly that!
- In this interview, you mentioned that one of the ways to slow down the process of Australians cooling off to this war or Russian propaganda presenting its own version of events is to make the war more widely known. Perhaps we should think about inviting famous people from Australia to Ukraine to make their voices against the war heard in your country? Let's take music, for example. AC/DC and Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave and other Australian stars who support the Ukrainian resistance could make a big difference. What do you think about this possibility?
- I hadn't thought about it - which is a good idea. I can't think of a single world-famous singer in Australia today. I mean, the most famous singer in Australia is John Farnham - and he's not doing very well at the moment. But I know a world-famous Maltese tenor. I don't know how much he costs, but...
- And what about Australian topographers like Russell Crowe?
- Yes, but he is a film director. He doesn't make speeches like that. By the way, he is currently in Malta, shooting a film there.
- Okay, this is a worthy topic for our future interviews. And finally, Tony, could you say a few words to our readers?
- Okay, I'll say a few words: Glory to Ukraine!
Yevhen Kuzmenko, Censor.NET
Photo: Andriy Zhylin, Soborna archive
The editors would like to thank Arza Khayredinova for translating the interview
