Australian Dictionary of Biography

Yevhen Yulii Pelensky (1908-1956), literary critic, bibliographer and teacher, was born on 3 January 1908 at Stryi, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (Ukraine), son of Yosyp Pelensky, a justice official, and his wife Albina, née Hummer. An active member (from 1918) of Plast, the Ukrainian scouting association, Yevhen worked on various publications to promote its cause. He studied Slavic philology at the University of Lvov (M.A., 1930; Ph.D., 1933), and taught (1929-39) commerce in secondary schools at Lvov and Cracow, Poland. About 1935 at Stryi he married Iryna Vynnytska, a writer. Pelensky became a fellow of the philological section of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in 1937 and of the Historical-Philological Society in Prague in 1941.

From 1928 Pelensky had published literary criticism, bibliographical and biographical works, anthologies and text books, written mostly in Ukrainian. In the 1930s he edited the literary journals, Dosvitni vohni, Dazhboh and Ukraïnska knyha, and worked (1923-42) on the quarterly, Bohoslovia. While at Cracow he was co-founder and director of Ukrainske vydavnytstvo which published books and the newspaper, Krakivs'ki visti (Cracow News). Soon he established his own publishing company, Bystrytsia; after World War II he set it up in Germany. He was a docent at the Ukrainian Free University in Prague (1943-45) and at Munich, Germany (1946-49).

In 1949 Pelensky emigrated to Australia and settled with his family in Sydney. After establishing another printing business, he published (1952-53) the Ukrainian language journal, Slovo (Word). Eugene and Iryna became intellectual leaders of the Ukrainian community. As co-founder and first chairman of the Association of Ukrainians in New South Wales, he organized the purchase of a community hall. He was founding president (1950-56) of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Australia. Active in the formation of Ukrainian Saturday schools, he headed their education advisory committee and wrote the first textbook for Ukrainian schools in the State. He helped to establish a Ukrainian credit union in Sydney and led the Plast Youth Association in Australia.

Pelensky was a man of energy, enthusiasm and administrative ability. An individualist, and a polite but stubborn optimist, he was continually planning for the future. A colleague, Professor J. B. Rudnytsky, noted his 'psychological disposition for systematisation and organisation of collective spiritual acquisitions'. Pelensky died of a cerebral haemorrhage on 29 September 1956 in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and was buried with Catholic rites in Botany cemetery; his wife and daughter survived him.

Iryna Pelenska (1906-1990) was foundation president (1949-56, 1959-62) of the Ukrainian Women's Association in Australia and an executive-member (1951-62) of the Federation of Ukrainian Organizations in Australia. She inherited and ran (1956-62) her husband's printing business, contributed to Australian-Ukrainian periodicals and was vice-president (1956-62) of the Australian chapter of the Shevchenko Scientific Society. In 1962 she moved with her daughter to Detroit, United States of America. She was secretary of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America, an executive-member of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations and editor of its journal Ukraïnka v Sviti, and head (from 1970) of the pre-school council of the World Congress of Free Ukrainians.