Phone calls from Penguin, Tasmania may well have saved the lives of a Ukrainian couple who are now fleeing to Australia.
A few days after Alexander Djerourou and Anastasia Mikheda fled the southern port city of Kherson, their house — and their street — was destroyed by Russian bombs.
They had received an early warning to leave from Alexander's lifelong friend, Alex Solomon, who lives in Penguin. Critically, he had also sent the couple money.
Ms Mikheda's parents stayed and were taken into Russian detention after leaving their house to look for food. There is no news of their fate.
Ms Mikheda's siblings, nieces and nephews weren't able to escape the city of Mariupol in the east. With the Russian bombardment continuing, there is no water or electricity, so Ms Mikheda does not know what happened to them either.
"So, the first time when the war looked on, 10 days ago, he [Mr Djerourou] talked with me, and I warned him that it could be really bad," Mr Solomon said.
"The Russians were [talking about] being really tough on the Ukrainians.
"But the second day after I talk with them, the war started. So, thank God that I had sent him some money.
"All the banks just shut, and everyone was freaking out. Kherson was the second city to be taken."
Couple's tense run for the border
The couple grabbed as much as they could take on their person and scrapped for a spot on the train from the Kherson Metro station.
Pictures taken by Ms Mikheda show barely contained chaos on the platform. They managed to board the train, but somewhere on the way to the Polish border, near Riven, the train stopped and didn't start again.
Another of Ms Mikheda's images shows Mr Djerourou trying to sleep huddled in a tiny stowage area on a train carriage.
"It was like an action film. They set off walking for the borders but were lucky to find someone with a car who would drive them," Mr Solomon said.
"They were stuck on the [Polish] border for three days. a lot of people were stuck, especially men, because they were keeping men to fight in the war.
"Without his wife, he would probably have stayed there, and he'd probably be dead.
"I have another friend there who wasn't as lucky, and he died under the bombs."
The couple shared a room packed with fellow refugees for three days while daily reporting their situation to their friends in Penguin.
Food was scarce, and the prospect of staying in Europe was concerning, with no friends and the limitations of language.
Back in Penguin, phone runs hot
"She is an immigration agent but is overwhelmed with work herself, but she put them in touch with the right person, and the work was done very quickly," Mr Solomon said.
"Australian immigration have like an exemption for Ukrainians, and they have been great and quick. They are hopefully buying their ticket today and coming on a three-month tourist visa."
It's hoped the couple will make it to Tasmania via Sydney early next week. Mr Solomon has begun cleaning out a shed he hopes to make livable for them in time.
A call out to a Penguin community social media page very quickly produced an offer of cheap short-term accommodation on arrival.
Locals pitching in for Ukraine couple
Mr Solomon is also hoping the community can help find some used furniture, bedding, clothes and food.
"Anything that might help a couple who have lost everything they had in a matter of days," he said.
"He and his wife are both so full of life, and Anastasia is so creative. She likes to make clothes for herself."
Mr Solomon said he prayed every day for his friend, whom he met at school in Alegria, to start a new life in Tasmania.
"Tassie is beautiful and peaceful. And they are nice and have a good background. We hope that the government and immigration will help them stay here for longer.
"They can't go back there. It will be way too dangerous."
