Resident Historian Announced for Ukrainian Settlement Celebrations

Winnipeg, December 20, 2011 – The Ukrainian Canadian Congress has announced the appointment of Radomir Bilash as National Resident Historian. The Ukrainian community has been celebrating the 120th Anniversary of Settlement in Canada, and has begun preparations for a celebration much larger in scope - the 125th Anniversary in 2016.

“These milestone anniversaries are, in and of themselves, historically significant in the life of our community - just as much as the documented events and achievements that we celebrate define Ukrainian Canadians and our collective place in the national history of Canada,” says Roman Brytan, 120th Anniversary Commemorative Committee Chair. “As we celebrate together, it is vital that we also speak with one voice about the Groundbreakers, Nation-Builders and Trailblazers who contribute to the dynamic, vital role that our community plays in the ongoing growth of Canada as a nation.”

Radomir Bilash is Senior Historian for the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village (east of Edmonton), with which he has been associated in a variety of capacities since 1977. Insofar as this world-class historical museum focuses on the first decades of Ukrainian homestead settlement and East-Central Alberta town site development, “Radomir is uniquely equipped to provide an accurate, factual context to the region and settlers that started it all,” continues Brytan.

Mr. Bilash is Project Manager for the Alberta-Ukraine Genealogical Project, and President of the Canadian Association of Ukrainian Ethnology. He is the author of numerous articles on Ukrainian Canadian culture and history, and researcher/consultant for the Canadian Museum of Civilization. He also finds time to lecture at the University of Alberta on Early Ukrainian Canadian Culture, as Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies.

“In short,” says Brytan, “Radomir brings with him a well-rounded and well-founded understanding of our Ukrainian Canadian identity. This, when seasoned with an array of cultural involvement in the community and a track record in multicultural broadcasting, allows Radomir to readily interpret facts and references in a narrative and contextual manner that can easily be digested by the mildly curious and the intensely academic.”

Mr. Bilash’s first task will be to develop a webpage through the Commemorative Committee and Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which will provide a treasury of gems of factual information and worldwide historical references for anyone looking to find a quotation, an overview, a series of statistics, or a narrative study pertaining to Ukrainians in Canada. He will also be available on an ongoing basis to respond to direct requests for texts, scripts and other materials to be used in Anniversary event programmes, interpretive displays, even works of artistic inspiration.

“For now,” concludes Brytan, “we thank Radomir for taking on the role of National Resident Historian, and look forward to the many ways in which he will enable the Ukrainian Canadian Congress to reach out to members and connect with the general community, for a better collective understanding of the past that defines us, and a greater collective appreciation for the future that beckons to us.”