Michael Andruff - The Russian Refugees: A Familys First Century in Canada

A Familys First Century in Canada

Michael Andruff

Copyright 2022 Michael Andruff

Foreword copyright 2022 Laurie Cooper

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, audio recording, or otherwisewithout the written permission of the publisher or a licence from Access Copyright, Toronto, Canada.

Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd.

heritagehouse.ca

Cataloguing information available from Library and Archives Canada

978-1-77203-419-6 (paperback)

978-1-77203-420-2 (e-book)

Edited by Karla Decker

Proofread by Lesley Cameron

Cover design by Setareh Ashrafologhalai

Interior design by Nayeli Jimenez

Cover photograph: The Andreeff family, circa 1931:

From left, Akim, Nikifor, Philip, Zinayeda, Valentina, Anesya (smallest),

Elena, and Constantine. ANDRUFF FAMILY ALBUM

Maps by Eric Leinberger

The interior of this book was produced on FSC-certified, acid-free paper, processed chlorine free, and printed with vegetable-based inks.

Heritage House gratefully acknowledges that the land on which we live and work is within the traditional territories of the Lkwungen (Esquimalt and Songhees), Malahat, Pacheedaht, Scianew, TSou-ke, and WSNE (Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum) Peoples.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

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Printed in Canada

To Claire, the love of my life, my inspiration

and

to the millions of refugees in the world,may you find your path to freedom

The journey taken by the Russian refugees, across the world from Russia to Canada.

The proximity of the Sidoroff homestead to the Andreeffs made it easier for Phillip Andreeff to set his son Mike up with his future wife, Natalie.

The original CPR colony of Homeglen. Eleven families of the Old Believers would eventually move north from here to Hines Creek in 1929.

The Russian refugees first settled in the community of Homeglen and later moved further north to Hines Creek.

Humans have always been on the movelooking for new resources, more territory, running away from warring neighboursso, in a sense, there have always been refugees. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees defines refugees as people who have fled war, violence, conflict, or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country.

There are currently more people who have been forcibly displaced than ever before in human history. As of June 2022, the UNHCR recognizes 89.3 million people as having to leave their homes to escape persecution, conflict, human rights violations, and events seriously disturbing public order. Over a third are children under the age of eighteen.

Many of these people have been displaced from their homes but stayed within their country; over 27 million have been officially recognized by UNHCR as refugees, having left their country of origin. Ninety per cent of these refugees have not only been forced to flee from conflict and violence but also come from countries on the front lines of the climate emergency. Environmental refugees are quickly becoming an urgent issue.

Canada is renowned for its record of welcoming refugees, and it is currently the only country in the world that has a private sponsorship program allowing individual citizens to come together in small groups to identify refugees they would like to assist and bring them to safety in Canada. As of 2016, the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative is developing similar programs in other countries, including Argentina, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany.

Canadas Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program officially began in 1978 after Canadian citizens lobbied the federal government to allow them to help refugees fleeing the Vietnam War. Between 1979 and 1980, more than 60,000 Vietnamese people found refuge in Canada and over half of those were supported by private sponsorship groups. Since 1979, a total of 327,000 refugees have been welcomed and supported by private sponsors.

My experience with private sponsorship began seven years ago. In the fall of 2015, I saw the photograph of the young Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi, who had died as his family tried to make their way to safety in Europe. Like millions of other people, my heart broke and I felt the need to do something. Within two months of seeing that photo, I found myself on the beaches of Lesbos, Greece, greeting families like Alans who had made the perilous crossing from Turkey to seek refuge in the European Union.

That first trip was followed by three more to work with refugees overseas. During those trips, I met people of all ages and backgrounds who had made the difficult decision to leave their country. The uncertainty and danger of their flight was less terrifying than living in the midst of cruel and devastating war. Most of the people were travelling in family groups, including the elderly, newborn babies, and people with disabilities. Their one desire was a safe place to live.

On returning to Canada after my second trip, I started to explore the possibility of undertaking private sponsorships. It seemed like an intimidating process at first and I have a strong aversion to paperwork and bureaucracy, but I worked my way through the many forms and, in 2018, the first of our sponsored refugees started to arrive.

Since 2016, I have personally been involved in the sponsorship of eighteen people, and I have supported the sponsorship of over 250 more individuals and families through a number of initiatives including a partnership with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and the creation of Operation #NotForgotten, a project to bring hundreds of refugees who had been detained for years by the Australian government.

I was fifty-five years old when I went to Greece the first time. I took a huge leap out of my comfort zone and it changed my life. It opened my eyes and allowed me to see the world completely differently. Instead of seeing the differences between people, I started to see the similarities. I recognized the love of family, the desire for peace, and the deep humanity in all the refugees I have had the privilege to work with and assist.