Standing are Jordan, Olivia, Kasia, Alex and Jakub Smith. From the left are Danylo, Jana and baby Daryna, Lera, Vladik and Lila. On the right is Luda with daughter Alina and son Roma. Photo / Supplied
Standing are Jordan, Olivia, Kasia, Alex and Jakub Smith. From the left are Danylo, Jana and baby Daryna, Lera, Vladik and Lila. On the right is Luda with daughter Alina and son Roma. Photo / Supplied
A former Whanganui family now living in Poland are taking in Ukrainian refugees fleeing the fighting in their country.
Former Whanganui residents Kasia and Jordan Smith now live near Warsaw with their three children.
Their household became a little busier last week, with the arrival of three Ukrainian families fleeingacross the border from the escalating conflict.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says 1.2 million Ukrainians have now gone to Poland.
Nine of them, three women and six children, are under the Smiths' roof.
Kasia Smith said one family had been joined by the father, who was already in Poland for work.
"He came on Thursday, but shipped off back to Ukraine on Sunday to fight because he was a soldier in the army around 10 years ago.
"They have a three-year-old son and a four-month-old daughter. It's really sad, because he had never met his daughter until Thursday. Now he's gone again."
The stress that was placed on the family had been immense, Kasia said.
"He told us, in his soul, that he couldn't stand by and watch his friends and his brothers fight and not be a part of it.
"The shops here are pretty empty, but we managed to kit him out with a warm sleeping bag, some thermal underwear, gloves, and medical supplies."
Jordan Smith, who was born and raised in Whanganui, said the Polish community had responded to the crisis with open arms.
"I hear every day of friends or acquaintances taking people in, and if they don't have space, they are joining lists to prepare meals or they're driving to the border to pick people up.
"It's been uplifting. We are watching this horror, but we are close enough to make some kind of difference."
The family were concerned for their own wellbeing when the invasion first began, Jordan said.
A return to Whanganui, or a move to be with Kasia's family in Canada, were options discussed.
The Smith family with Jordan's brother Jake (far right) in New Zealand in January, 2020. Photo / Supplied
"We're still thinking about it, but now there will be an extra nine people with us.
"If we have to go then they are coming too."
He said he didn't think Russia had the military capability to "take on the whole of Europe", and if it did take over Ukraine, guerilla warfare would continue for the next few years.
Watching on TV, it didn't look like the Russians had any plan or proper equipment, he said.
"They are sending conscripts without telling them what's going on, it's a mess.
"I think it's more likely to turn into more of a Cold War-type thing, with a front between Russia and Europe."
The families have now been with the Smiths for six days, and the older children began school on Monday.
They came from western Ukraine and were part of the first wave of refugees fleeing the country, Kasia said.
"They haven't experienced bombing or had tanks rolling down their streets. They just up and left as soon as they could.
"All the kids are doing pretty well, but I'm sure they're missing their dads and uncles and granddads."
The Smiths' children are 14, 8 and 6.
Kasia is a medical student and Jordan is an IT consultant.
"Dad used to be a telecommunications consultant back in the day, and we went to Egypt, then Texas, then to Poland. That's where I met Kasia - at High School just down the road from where we live now," Jordan said.
They lived in Whanganui from 2015 to 2017, and were last in town at the start of 2020.
"Our daughter is the youngest, and was born in Whanganui. She likes to say 'I'm the Kiwi one'," Kasia said.
"She is at that age where she doesn't care. She speaks to the other kids in Polish and they speak to her in Ukrainian, and they just keep playing together. That's been really fun to watch."
Her own parents were political refugees when they left communist Poland, and were helped out by various people along the way, Kasia Smith said.
"They were given shelter and jobs, so this is a way of paying it forward."
Jordan said the couple were prepared to help the new arrivals set up a life in Poland if required.
"This is going to be months, if not years. Food and shelter is one thing, but if this goes on for a long time, we need to make sure they want for nothing."
He had a good job, savings, and in a position where they could help, he said.
"They are just so tough. I haven't seen anyone breaking down. We're amazed by all the Ukrainians, and their president is an amazing guy."
The couple's biggest fear was getting a phone call saying one of the husbands or fathers had been killed in action, Kasia said.
One of the men wants to join the fight, but he is a builder with no military training.
"His wife doesn't want him to do it and he says okay, then the next time they talk he says he has to do it. I get her, I wouldn't want Jordan to go and fight.
"Hopefully they all come back, or they can be reunited at home."
The Smiths have started a GoFundMe page to help support the families, and to help them set up a life in Poland if the conflict continues.
