The Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Borek Lizec, attended a friendly gathering in Gerald on Sunday, May 1st.
Borek was also in Esterhazy the same weekend visiting the Esterhazy Community Museum, the cemetery, Kolin cemetery, and then Gerald – the Church of St. Wenceslaus where he met with a small Czech community.
The ambassador opened the gathering by sharing a piece of Czech history and how many came to North America to settle in earlier generations. He continued to highlight the current Czech population and the connection to the historical connection to Canada and the area.
“Our first President Thomas Garrigue Masaryk, a professor of a university in Prague went into exile after the First World War broke out. He was a mere professor who had the idea he would like to recreate Czech state-hood after 300 years. It was quite difficult for him. He went abroad and was sentenced to death for being a traitor of the emperor and didn’t have many people to turn to. Luckily, he taught in 1902 and 1907 in Chicago at the university and travelled the midwest. He saw the Czech communities and realized how big the Czech-American community was, around half a million people at the time. He sent some representatives to them and asked for help. He asked for finances for his campaign for the creation of Czechoslovakia. He asked for young men to join the Czechoslovak army. Altogether, more than 30,000 Czech’s from North America fought in the First World War on the Western front. Then, he succeeded in fulfilling the dream he had. In 20 years, Czechoslovakia was crushed by the Nazi Germany and we again turned to colleagues and friends.”
Borek explained that many at this time came to areas such as Gerald. During the Second World War, the brother of the Czechoslovakia President visited Gerald to lecture. Vojta Beneš, brother of the second Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš lectured. Both Benes brothers helped President Masaryk to create Czechoslovakia during WWI.
Borek and his wife Kateřina Lizcová Kulhánková spent time looking over historical documents of Czech settlers to the area. He spent time talking to the attendees and getting copies of historical records, as well as sharing highlights of his trip to other municipalities around the province.
Historical records from the Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan, University of Regina Research Center 2005, state that “Czech and Slovak settlement in Saskatchewan began in 1884, when four Czech families Pangrac, June’s, Dolezal, and Skokan) from Bohemia settled in the Kolin district near Esterhazy. Count Paul Esterhazy brought Slovaks to his primarily Hungarian colony of Huns’ Valley, west of Minnesota, Manitoba in 1885, then to the new Esterhazy colony in Saskatchewan the next year.
Bohemian Czechs from the Volhynia region in Ukraine settled around Gerald.”
While documents of Czech settlement in the area can be difficult to find, those who attended brought many pieces of oral and written evidence to share.
A document from Adeline Hanis of the Esterhazy Czech Club mentioned that, “The first pioneers of Czechoslovakian descent settled in the Kolin area in 1886. During the next 25 to 30 years, many more followed, until there was a very thriving Czechoslovakian settlement in and around Esterhazy…To preserve these traditions, the Czech Alliance was formed in 1912. Dances, concerts, plays and picnics were held. Funds were raised to help out the families back in the homeland, and to assist community projects around Esterhazy.”
The Esterhazy Czech Club in 1992 had the following members:
Eugene Stauch, Bert Jesky, Adeline Hanis, Jim Zich, Frances Sobotka, Elsie Weiss, Stanley Pangracs, Florence Yecny, Stanley Antosh, Adeline Fowler, Elsie Kulovany, Ann Pangracs, Blanche Babyak, John Jurick, Laddie Zak, Evelyn Zich, Julie Sparks, Mildred Piercy, Adolph Sobotka, Otto Weiss, Bill Yechny, Martha Donda, Louis Donda, Wesley Pangracs, Carl Kulovany, Ed Bily, Jean Antosh and Lydia Jurick.
The Czech Ambassador mentioned how thankful he is for the current connections between the two nations. “I’m thankful you see yourself as Czech-Canadians and appreciate that you found the time to visit. On behalf of the Czech Republic, I would like to thank your families for what you did for us. I am thrilled to be here. I am very impressed with what I’ve seen in this area.”