Two Local Men On A Mission In Europe To Transport Refugees And Deliver Supplies

For John Graham and Dave Black, from Campbellford and Springbrook, donating money to Ukrainian relief efforts was not enough. The two packed up their lives and are currently in Europe, transporting refugees farther west from the Polish/Ukraine border with a rented van, plenty of patience and over 10,000 km of European highways under their belt.

David Black and John Graham before leaving. Photo sourced from their Facebook page.

It started out as a conversation, says Graham.

The two friends were sitting at around a table in Campbellford feeling helpless watching the Russian invasion unfold in Ukraine.

“It was a spur of the moment decision,” said Graham. “I checked how my family would feel about me going and I got medium support.”

Black, who is ex-military and ex-police, says the two are at a point in their life that they have enough freedom to pack up and leave for a long period of time.

Graham arrived in Berlin, Germany on March 14, picked up a rental vehicle and took to Przemysl, Poland to begin the mission. Black met him on March 19.

Their goal is to not only transport refugees, but to pick up much needed medical supplies and bring them back to the Poland/Ukraine border.

“We’ve been staying true to our goal of bringing supplies back,” said Black. “There’s just too many people here and not enough supplies.”

As of Wednesday the two estimate they have driven over 10,000 km, and 27 refugees. They have driven through places like Berlin, Prague, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria.

On Monday the two transported a woman who had been struck by shrapnel in her leg to a nearby hospital.

Because of the influx of people in Przemysl their hospital is at capacity. Black and Graham brought the woman to a hospital in Dresden, Germany to seek treatment.

“I think most are still in a state of shock,” said Graham. “It’s bit of a relief to no longer be in the refugee centre, but I can’t speak for what’s going on in their mind when we’re driving them farther away from their home.”

The group of seven they are currently driving with - including three children - are going to Rotterdam, Prague and Berlin.

On Wednesday their passengers learned that the last bridge in their hometown had been struck, meaning anyone that was still there will have to stay.

“They know people that are still there,” said Graham. “It’s very upsetting.”

Because of the language barrier, the two say their passengers mostly talk amongst themselves and try to keep the children entertained.

“The language isn’t there but the time we get where we’re going these people are very important to me,” said Graham. “We’ve eaten together and slept next to each other for days at a time.”

The two note how much support is flooding into Poland to help.

“John and I noticed the other day about 25 fire trucks in a convoy going across the Polish border to presumably to fight the fires in combat zones,” said Black.

Black has been wearing a ball cap with a Canadian flag on it and says many people are pleasantly surprised to see Canadians helping.

At home, Tobey VanRoon and Bill Davenport have been helping Graham and Black’s mission.

VanRoon has organized a GoFundMe that is being used to purchase medical supplies and pay for gas. Any money remaining will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross's Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal.

Davenport has been compiling videos sent by Graham and posting updates to a Facebook group.

Before our conversation ended, Graham had a final, specific request.

“One of the big asks - they’re very short on tetanus and thrombosis medication.  They’re doing field amputations here because of shrapnel wounds,” said Graham. “There’s no medication to ensure they don’t get infected. If anyone has any access to that, if you can get it here I can get contacts to hospitals in Ukraine.”

The best way to contact both Graham and Black is through the Facebook group.

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