CSCS 50th Anniversary

September 29 & 30, 2001

The weekend of September 29 and 30, 2001 will be remembered for a long time by the Slovenian community in Winnipeg. During that weekend, Slovenians gathered to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the first formal meeting in 1951. It was truly a magical weekend!

The lead up to this weekend included lots of preparation by various people. We took it upon ourselves to relive our first 50 years, with a walk down ‘Memory Lane’. This involved gathering many pictures from a multitude of people in our community that showcased our initial 50 years. We had pictures of some members leaving Austria, arriving in Canada and continuing with all our activities over the years. Liz Blazanovic, John Casar and Vladka Pikel did a tremendous amount of work on this project. During the celebratory weekend, Memory Lane had a huge success, as many people gathered and crowded around the pictures to look back at our history! How different we looked over the years, but our love for this community has never wavered.

Photo (from left): Founding members - Gospod Emil Mohorič, Gospod Matej Iskra and Gospod Slavko Slejko.

Saturday came, and we began to gather at the Winnipeg Convention Centre for our formal dinner and dance. You could feel the electricity in the air, as we waited for the doors to open at 4:30. Finally the doors opened, the band began playing at the door, and people flooded in. The evening and weekend events were beginning!

The program began with Master of Ceremonies, Steve Casar, welcoming everyone, and calling upon Father Paul Hancko to lead us in grace. Upon conclusion of grace, dinner was served.

We were very fortunate to have many VIP’s join us for this celebration. Dr. Božo Cerar, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia was amongst these guests, and our community was honored to have the Ambassador with us on his last official day in Canada. He was departing for Slovenia the next day, but he made time for our community. During the evening, Dr. Cerar presented the Past President of the Canadian Slovenian Cultural Society a certificate of congratulations from the Government of Slovenia. It will be hanging proudly in our hall for all to see.

Photo (from left): CSCS Albert Casar, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia Dr. Božo Cerar and CSCS Past President Stan Majowski.

From the Province of Manitoba, we had Mr. Gerald Clement, Deputy Minister of Citizenship & Multiculturalism. Mr. Clement brought the greetings from the Premier and Minister responsible for Multiculturalism to us, and remarked how communities such as ours make Manitoba a better place to live.

From the City of Winnipeg, Deputy Mayor, Mrs. Lillian Thomas, joined us. Mrs. Thomas greeted us on behalf of the Mayor and all Councilors. She praised our community and much like Mr. Clement remarked how we add to Winnipeg’s unique ethnic flavor.

Other invited guests included, Father Ivan Plazar CM, priest at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, 1976-1981, Father Paul Hancko, current priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Mr. Stan Vršnik, representing the Canadian Slovenian Congress, and representatives of Cropo Funeral Chapel, who have been long time supporters of our community.

The Past President of the CSCS, Stan Majowski, in his address, remarked how our community has spanned the generations, and that it is now the younger generation’s challenge to include their children in our community. Further, in a tribute to our ‘Founding Fathers’, he introduced a desire, pending membership approval, of instituting of a Scholarship program within our community, for our children.

To conclude the speeches, Mr. Bryen Lebar gave a very heart warming speech about the first 50 years of our community. He mentioned our highlights, our major achievements, and drew upon stories that caused many people to smile. Upon the conclusion of Bryen’s speech, he received a rousing ovation. It was truly a momentous speech!

Immediately after the speeches, our band Planinski Kvintet, from Toronto, Canada, took to the stage, and did a fabulous job of entertaining us. Dressed in traditional Gorenjska costumes, they played numerous traditional Slovenian polkas and waltzes that many people immediately recognized. They truly looked like they were enjoying themselves.

Photo (from left): Members of Planinski Kvintet - Danny Gregorič, Bill Kocjančič, Max Petrovič, Milan Vincec, Eric Marinko and Mike Gregorič .

They kibitzed with the audience and amongst themselves, and added a musical enjoyment to our evening that was second to none. The dance floor has not been that full for many years at our functions, and it was most likely a combination of Planinski Kvintet and our people, both enjoying this magical night.

Unfortunately, the evening did have to end at 1:00, but we all looked forward to our Sunday events.

Click here to continue to Sunday’s events...

Errors or Comments Please E-mail: webmaster@canadianslovenian.mb.ca