Living only 50 kilometres from the Russian border, Aleks Prykhno made an early decision to flee Mariupol with his wife and mother when Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
It was the right decision. Hours after they left, the city was surrounded and residents could not easily get out.
Mr Prykhno chose to emigrate to Australia to be with his son who lives in Sydney.
Mr Prykhno played football for his country at the European Masters Games, a summer multi-sport tournament for people aged over 30. He played against an Australian team in 2015 and filled in as a goalkeeper at the 2019 event in Turin.
Keith Irving from Balmain and District Football Club said members of the team kept in touch with Mr Prykhno on social media. When they discovered he had escaped Ukraine and came to Australia, they offered him a place on their team.
"Everyone here welcomed me with open arms," Mr Prykhno said.
"The team has provided me with a uniform [and] helped me to settle down. The whole team was very supportive which helped me to assimilate into the team faster."
Mr Irving said the players were more than happy to get Mr Prykhno involved to boost their defence.
"In his second game, he saved a penalty which ended up winning us the match," Mr Irving said.
"Hopefully, it's been a way to give him a little bit of distraction from obviously the horrors of what's been going on back in the Ukraine."
Mr Prykhno's son Roman came to Sydney when the war broke out in 2014. He also plays sport, competing for a local ice-hockey team.
"It's hard for him [Aleks] because he's mentally still there in Ukraine but playing football helps him a lot," Roman Prykhno told James Valentine on ABC Radio Sydney Breakfast.
Support for new arrivals changes
The experience of moving from Ukraine to Australia was familiar for Olha Lyeskakova, who came over as a skilled migrant when the 2014 war broke out.
Ms Lyeskakova helps displaced Ukrainians find their feet and employment in Sydney.
She said her phone was ringing non-stop when people began arriving.
"We understood that these people who are displaced, they have no English, no understanding where they are and no plan for [the] future," Ms Lyeskakova said.
From loaning cars to donated goods such as stationery for kids, Ms Lyeskakova said the community had been very generous in their efforts to help Ukrainians.
However, she said changes to the government's humanitarian support program had created new challenges for community volunteers such as her.
Until July 31, Ukrainian nationals were able to access a visa that entitled them to support services. This included short-term accommodation, packages of basic household goods, English language courses and registrations for Medicare and income support.
Since August 1, new arrivals have been unable to access the humanitarian stay visa, leaving community volunteers to fill in the gap.
"We still have refugees, and someone has to care about them," Ms Lyeskakova said.
Refugee Council of Australia chief executive Paul Power said the organisation was concerned by the removal of the safety net.
"Newly arrived people from Ukraine, most of whom are women, children and elderly people, will inevitably require support beyond what voluntary community efforts can provide," Mr Power said.
Mr Power has called for new arrivals to be given access to services through the Status Resolution Support Service, which typically aids asylum seekers.
Advice from Home Affairs says Ukrainian nationals can apply for a protection visa or a bridging visa. Those looking to extend their stay can also apply for family, student and visitor visas.
A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said Ukrainian nationals could access free interpreting and translating services.
The government has also provided funding to the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations to assist their work supporting Ukrainian nationals.
'Generosity is not forever'
Ms Lyeskakova said the reduction of government support meant the community response would need to be bigger than ever before.
She said some Ukrainians were looking at resettling in the Orange region in New South Wales's Central West because Sydney rental prices were too expensive.
Orange City Council helped organise a bus tour for refugees to help orientate the new arrivals.
While she welcomed the generosity of the Australian community, Ms Lyeskakova said she was worried about how much longer ordinary people could keep being depended on
"Locals are very generous, but the generosity is not forever, volunteers are burned out."
