From Ukraine with love:

From Ukraine with love: How Tanya constructed a new life for her family

When Tanya Nuduzha fled the besieged Ukrainian capital of Kiev with her family of five and parents in tow to board a flight to Australia in late 2022, they had little idea what type of life they would find.

As the city came under constant bombardment, the family initially fled their apartment to the western part of Ukraine and took up communal residence in a school gym. But difficult living conditions combined with daily anxiety took a toll, especially on Tanya’s children.

“I didn’t want them to grow up like this. My son is dreaming about bombs falling on our house. I want to give my kids a quiet life,” she says.

Tanya’s sister had emigrated to Australia and settled in Jan Juc, and the promise of a safer, quieter life made it a simple decision to pack some suitcases and leave – even to a country that could not be much more different than their homeland.

Arriving in Australia, the family began a challenging transition. Tanya and her husband could speak only “low level” English; “It was difficult for them both but they were okay, they were just going to do their best,” she says.

They rented a house opposite Tanya’s sister in Jan Juc, and the children – aged 6, 15 and 17 – enrolled in local schools. Tanya found work as a housekeeper at the nearby RACV Resort in Torquay.

The prospect of resuming the professional careers they both held in the construction industry in Kiev seemed remote. Tanya was grateful for the housekeeping work, but the experienced engineer and estimator pined for something more. “I needed food for my brain,” she explains.

Via employment agency GForce, Tanya was introduced to Rendine Constructions and invited to submit her CV. She spoke with Rendine estimator Mick O’Hagan, and was interviewed by Mick and Michael Thornton.

“Tanya brings a great sense of purpose and passion to everything she does,” says Michael Thornton. “She’s shown a great interest in learning about construction in Australia and worked diligently to not only improve her language skills but also to pick up our construction lingo.

“She’s a bit of an unstoppable force, and it was clear from the first time we spoke with her that despite her challenge with language, she was well worth backing.”

Tanya was offered a job with the Rendine estimating team alongside Mick, Hasith and Andrew.

“Here we have a Ukrainian estimator, a Sri Lankan estimator and an Irish estimator. It’s just like a mini example of Australian society,” Tanya laughs.

That was around 2 years ago and her initially broken English has come on in leaps and bounds, even if “Aussie English” can still throw the odd curveball.

There was another learning curve to overcome. In Kiev, Tanya worked as an estimator on mostly high-rise apartment and office construction projects with “a lot more concrete” than the school, commercial and municipal projects that are Rendine’s bread-and-butter alongside its innovative modular construction business.

In Kiev, she would produce and revise estimates for the project over the entire construction period. “It’s different here, I need to account for everything (at the start), put it together, you have drawings, you are monitoring costs, and don’t forget anything!” she says. “But I like it. Actually, I love it.”

Tanya’s husband has not been as lucky due to his language barrier. He has been working as a carpenter, but still hopes to return to a job as a construction project manager.

The family has been embraced by Geelong’s fiercely loyal Ukrainian community where they now have many good friends, and Tanya’s children have attended camps with other Ukrainian children from across Geelong and Melbourne to help them establish social bonds here in Australia.

Tanya has felt warmly welcomed by Rendine Constructions, with everyone from Managing Director Greg Mills down going out of their way to help her to learn her new role and the specifics of the Australian construction industry.

She has also made great contributions to office culture, proudly sharing details of her pre-war life and culture in Ukraine with fellow workers, and organising a number of morning teas to share the delights of Ukrainian cuisine.

“I want to say thanks for these people, it’s like a family here. Very, very helpful,” she says. “All people were very friendly when I started, and the first couple of months was very difficult because of language. People have patience for me.

“Thanks for help, for support, for patience, for attitude. For everything.”