Geraldton Anglican Church to pray for Ukraine at its Anzac memorial service

Blue and yellow flags have been created to encourage people attending the Anzac memorial service at the Geraldton Anglican Cathedral on Sunday to also pray for Ukraine.

The service will intertwine remembering soldiers who have fought for Australia’s freedom with prayers for the protection of Ukrainians who are suffering from Russia’s invasion.

Assistant minister Mike Welham said he was pleased to invite the Geraldton community, which he said had been mortified by the ongoing war in Ukraine, to stand together and pray during this difficult time.

“We will be praying for an end to war, for protection of the population, for enemy troops to lose the will to fight and for peace to break out,” he said.

“It’s also a privilege to honour Australian soldiers who have served in the military and made great sacrifices to protect our nation and way of life.”

Mid-West resident Judy Critch has been making Ukrainian flags in honour of the country’s struggle and was looking forward to displaying them at the service.

Ms Critch, who has travelled to Ukraine in the past, said she was motivated to create the flags and hang them outside her home and family farm at Wyalong, near Mullewa, due to Ukraine’s outstanding agricultural industry.

“We were so impressed by the volume and quality of Ukraine’s grain production and export, and found that their agricultural industry was a powerhouse in that region,” she said.

“We’d spent a little bit of time in Ukraine; we really felt for the people as they were lovely people.

“They were anxious about Russia then and that was in 2008.”

So far six flags have been created and three of them will be displayed at the Anzac memorial service, which is scheduled to begin at 10am on Sunday.