Alister Henskens portrait
Alister Henskens portrait

Oleg Sutulov

Alister Henskens SC MP with Oleg Sutulov at restaurant

Mr ALISTER HENSKENS (Wahroonga) (15:49): Like Ukraine recently, my father's homeland of the Netherlands was also invaded—when he was just 15 years of age. The conflict in Ukraine has spawned Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. Over the past year, Australia has accepted 5,000 of these refugees, with some calling Wahroonga home. Nestled in Waitara, Mavka is the first Ukrainian restaurant in the country and serves Ukrainian and Eastern European food to the community, attracting people from across the State. Late last year, owner Oleg Sutulov created Mavka to bring Eastern European cuisine to our area and employ Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict in their home country. Oleg himself left Ukraine in the early 2000s. I popped in for lunch in January to meet Oleg and the team and to try their delicious traditional cuisine for the first time. The restaurant serves as a little taste of life back home for the staff and many customers. I commend Oleg's industrious and community-oriented spirit. I look forward to seeing Mavka flourish. The people of Wahroonga stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.