Katja Bieringer and Franz Kehrer were part of a team that delivered nine donated Red Cross vehicles to Ukraine. Five ambulances came from Upper Austria, one of them from the Rohrbach district. At the beginning of the three-day trip, Chancellor Karl Nehammer and WCC President Geraldario said goodbye to the Red Cross at Ballhausplatz in Vienna.
A travel weekend in the service of humanity: The ambulance 4.0967, according to the official identification, was part of the contingent of ambulances that were donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross. The two volunteers Katja Bieringer from the Ulrichsberg local office and Franz Kehrer from the Lembach local office volunteered for the transfer. “I was delighted when I was asked if I would like to take on this ‘long-haul flight’,” says Franz Kehrer, who is a trained pilot, looking back at the beginning of the journey.
“It was a nice experience, everything was excellently organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross.” The waiting time at the border between Hungary and Ukraine was calculated, but at six hours it was still very long. Katja Bieringer felt the same way, but otherwise there were only positive things to report.
Only woman in the team
The only woman in the team was assigned to be the driver of the Red Cross delegate. “It doesn’t matter where Red Cross workers get together – it works, whether in the district or internationally,” said the Ulrichsberg native, impressed to take part in an international project. Colleagues from Ukraine and Sweden were present at the shared meal with the Austrian Ambassador to Ukraine. Looking back, they both agree: “It’s great that we were allowed to be there. The team grew together quickly,” says Katja Bieringer with a little nostalgia, “the farewell hurt right away.”
Source: Nachrichten
