Canadian Slovenian Historical Society ~ Vol. 11 ~ February 2021

Dear members and friends,
One year has passed since our last newsletter, Our Story, was issued. And even though so much time has
expired over these twelve months, in many ways time seems to have stood still and our carefully and thoughtfully
planned agenda for the year 2020 was forcibly put aside. Blame it on COVID-19!
Our biggest project that we were preparing and hosting for the spring of 2020 was a memorial for the
75th Anniversary of the exodus of Slovenians from their homes in May of 1945. We were hoping to honour in
special ways all those who had made the difficult and hazardous journey over or through the Alps to Austria. We
were ready to proceed as had been planned and most of the tickets for the event were sold out. Due to the
lockdown, the social distancing and isolating which were called for by our government for the safety of us all,
was unfortunately cancelled. Our hope at this time is to carry on with this event in the fall of this year, 2021.
God willing.
Povejte nam kaj, our live oral interviews continued at a much slower pace and most had to be completed
virtually or by telephone as personal contact was not permitted. Only a sprinkle of archival material was gathered
and catalogued as we were not able to enter our archive rooms at Dom Lipa due to pandemic restrictions.
Over the past years we have always participated at the many various cultural events at our Slovenian
parks, Slovenian halls and as well at several national events in Canada and Slovenia. Throughout the past year we
did not attend or participate at these regular events where we are often called upon to attend and display our
artifacts, photographs and other archival materials. Unfortunately, the pandemic cancelled all large and small
group gatherings.
On a sadder note, we lost two of our founding members early in 2020. Jerry Ponikvar and France Habjan
passed away from natural causes in the spring of last year. They were both pillars in the Slovenian community.
We, at CSHS, will miss their guidance and support, as will the greater Slovenian community.
However, all our activities were not put idly aside and we continued to meet regularly by Zoom not only
to check up on each others health or to cheer us on during this dreary time. We are continuing with our
preparations and research for the 75th Anniversary event which we hope will take place later during this year. We
also hope to add to our agenda following our General Annual Meeting this February.

This pandemic will eventually end and we will be able to return to our regular routines and work. We will
continue to build our archival materials and we will find a way to celebrate our Slovenian and Canadian heritage.
Stay safe, stay healthy!
Ostanite zdravi,
Miriam Čekuta

During this time when many of us ponder how to fill our daylight hours,
we invite you to put ‘pen to paper’ and e-mail us your family/personal
traditions, experiences, remembrances, and events that reflect our rich
Canadian/Slovenian culture. Your contributions may then be printed in
subsequent issues of Our Story. They can be written in either Slovenian or
English. We welcome contributions from all age groups.
Please forward your articles to: ourstorymcek@gmail.com

Sing, Even Under Difficulty
By: Helen Smolej-Schaeffer

Recently, I reread memoirs from my parents and other
witnesses describing their ordeal of May 1945. This year, 2020,
marks the 75th anniversary of the Slovenian Exodus. It was truly a
stressful and sad time for many Slovenians, as they fled for their
lives from their homeland. They survived, relying on prayer and
song which gave them a sense of comfort and solidarity during
this traumatic time.
While reading, a common theme kept resonating through
my mind, taking me back to my Girl Guide days: “A Girl Guide
smiles and sings even under difficulty”. We all do this. In stressful
situations, especially in recent days, we sing. Singing alleviates
stress, provides us with a sense of calm and helps us cope with
difficult situations. More importantly, it provides solidarity.
The Slovenian refugees prayed and sang songs to our
Blessed Mother Mary, not only while they were escaping into
Austria but continued at their first chance to stop and rest in the
fields of Vetrinj. During their short stay in Vetrinj, they camped
under open skies and, as it was the month of May, they prayed
special devotions to Mary, called Šmarnice, and sang the Litanies
and other Marian hymns. They sang in prayer to Blessed Mother
Mary for protection and to provide them with the strength to cope
with the harrowing circumstances over which they had no control.

In the camp, a choir was set up quickly. Singing was how
they coped throughout these difficult and trying times. Of course,
they did not have song sheets, but none were needed. They
already knew the songs and sang from their hearts.
The Slovene Home Guard soldiers, called Domobranci,
were also encamped there, their songs echoing throughout the
camp. When the last of the convoys of Domobranci left the camps
to be “repatriated”, how sad and quiet the camp must have been!
The remaining refugees, knowing that they might be next to be
transported, packed the church with tearful, prayerful songs to the
Blessed Mary to please deliver them. On May 31, 1945, their
prayers were answered. Canadian Major Paul Barre was
instrumental in stopping the remaining Slovenians from being
transported from Vetrinj back to Slovenia, and to their deaths. For
this he was named a Slovenian hero. I am sure that the choir sang
tearful songs to the Blessed Mother Mary to thank her for
protecting them!
On Sunday June 24, 1945, the refugee choir performed a
farewell concert of Slovenian songs before they were dispersed to
various Displaced Person camps in Austria and Italy. Although
they were still grieving for their lost sons, boyfriends, fiancés,
husbands, fathers and friends who had been sent back to die in
Slovenia, they continued to sing from their hearts. They sang with
love. They knew that during this traumatic time their songs,
devoted to the Blessed Mother Mary, provided them with comfort,
strength and solidarity. These Slovenians of the 1945 Exodus truly
exemplified the law of the Girl Guide:
“We sing, even under difficulty”.

The Slovenian choir at the Trofaiach refugee camp near Leoben,
Austria on the occasion of papal delegate Bishop Jagodic’s visit on
June 13, 1948.
First row, far right, is my uncle France Zupan, Choir Director
(Photo by Marjan Kocmur)

Spring Cleaning 2020 by Anne Urbančič
This is a strange year, with the threat of COVID-19 hanging over us
all, holding us in unprecedented anxiety. The world has changed all of a
sudden, and we are keeping far from each other. Our daily activities have
had to adapt to new routines and norms. However, the need for spring
cleaning is still the same, along with the urge to sweep out the winter and
welcome new pink, yellow and white blossoms, and bright green leaves,
excited songbirds and warm sunshine.
This spring, in my home the sense of cleaning out old
forgotten keepsakes takes on new dimensions: with my
children grown, I am now looking more closely at all the
things we’ve kept over the years and wondering what to
do with them.
One difficult example is my rock collection, a
homework assignment from 1966 when I was still in
elementary school and we studied the rocks and
minerals of Canada. For some reason the project really
excited me and by the time I was finished I had
collected almost ninety different samples. My
classmates glued their collections to corrugated cardboard, but I wanted
something different. My father, who I believed could do anything he set
his mind to, told me he would help me build a wooden keepsake box for
my collection, as long as I became assistant carpenter.
May had arrived in a burst of spring sunshine and longer warm
evenings. I still remember distinctly how my father and I spent hours
together after dinner in his makeshift basement workshop. We measured
some scrap wood. He taught me to saw, and to hammer nails, and to glue
so that there was no gummy residue left on the wood. He showed me types
of sandpaper and guided me as I smoothed the top, bottom and sides of the
box. He helped me find hinges which we affixed at the back so that the
top could open. He found a small brass lock that I could use to hold the
case closed when it was not on display. We worked over several evenings

filling our house with the smell of sawdust and glue and varnish. Finally,
it was done; the varnish was dry, and I could carefully glue all of my
display stones, one by one, to the bottom panel. I added a guide to
describe each item. How proudly I carried the collection to school.
My rock collection has moved with me from house to house. But this
spring as I looked at it, remembering my father and the patience, love
and goodwill with which he had worked with me to make it, I suddenly
knew it was time to let it go. Clearly this collection was not trash; the
case was still solid and the sample stones well glued;
on the other hand, it was not a valuable or unique
artefact that archives would want. My husband
suggested we offer it on The Freecycle Network, an
internet site with branches all across Canada where you
can give away items you no longer use or acquire items
that you need. No money is involved.
To my surprise a lady answered the ad almost
immediately. She was a grandmother looking for a way
to connect with her grandson who was always picking
up various stones and rocks. She thought my long-ago
project might help her spend more time with him doing
something he liked and that did not involve computer games. The rock
collection is now his.
It was hard to let the box go, especially because my father has passed
away. I took pictures of the wooden case before it changed hands. The
grandmother was thrilled with how beautifully it was made and the
interesting variety of stones in the collection.
Her grandson will never know my father, nor share in the grateful
memories I have of him. The boy won’t know the pride I felt at being
assistant carpenter, nor how well the lessons of measuring, sawing,
hammering, sanding and gluing have helped me in other projects as I
grew older. But he will certainly know the joy and love of having an
activity that only he and his grandmother share.