Ukraine goes wild for Burns and a' that

Stuart entertains the crowd at the 15th annual Burns Supper in Ukraine

A FORMER Helensburgh man is helping to keep the Burns tradition alive and kicking in his adopted home country of Ukraine.

Stuart McKenzie chaired the Robert Burns memorial dinner in Kyiv, Ukraine, for the 15th year in a row.

The dinner was no quiet evening for expatriate Scots - in fact it was an elaborate event complete with live performances by The Red Hot Chili Pipers, The Clann, Roddy Deans and a Beatles tribute band, as well as a number of popular Ukrainian performers.

Over the years, the event has also hosted well-known Scottish performers, including Jimmy Logan, Johnny Beattie, Karen Hunter, Annie Ross and others.

The popular event - which has become a significant charity fundraising event for the Kyiv Lions Club - attracted 650 guests who dined on haggis from Peckham's of Glasgow, drank Johnnie Walker whisky and raised more than £40,000 for charity.

Stuart, who lives in Ukraine with his wife Elena and their children Victoria (8), Robert (2) and Stuart Jnr (three months), believes it is the largest Burns celebration outside Scotland.

He said: "The community here - both expatriates and Ukrainians alike - have really taken to it.

"It's a great party, a social highlight of the year, a major source of support for the Lions Club's charitable work, and a great way to share a bit of Scottish culture."

Stuart, a founding member and past president of the Lions Club, served as master of ceremonies, as he has done for many years and his company, Pulse, Ltd, provides much of the organizational work for the event each year.

Born in Edinburgh, Stuart moved to Helensburgh in 1980 and resided there until moving to Kyiv in 1994.

He is the son of Bruce McKenzie and Angela Logan, and brother to Shirley, Pamela, David, Bruce and Robert McKenzie, most of who still reside in the Helensburgh area.

Photo courtousy of Pulse Ltd.