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THE HISTORY OF ROTARY IN SERBIA
A Part of Our History of
Rotary in Europe
It is inescapable that the history of Rotary in Serbia is linked directly to the history of Yugoslavia.
The beginnings of Rotary in Yugoslavia is bound to 1927, the year and activities of Dr. Vojislav Kujundžića, the Belgrade doctor,
who had good business and friendly ties with Rotary in Czechoslavakia.
In late August 1927, M. Svoboda, a member of R. C. Plzen, visited Belgrade and spoke to an audience about the Rotary movement.
A little later in September 1928, the district governor Jozef Schultz, visited Belgrade to attend a meeting of an
Organising
Committee and discussed the future of the Rotary Club of Belgrade.
The meeting was held in the hotel Srpski King on 13 September 1928.
The next important date in the history of the Club was 14 October 1928, when the regular meeting of all members made their
decision to proceed with establishment and 4 March 1929, the year when the club submitted an application for membership
to Rotary International.
The list of members of the Rotary Club of Belgrade showed 25 people; and members of the Steering Committee of the Club were:-
Dr. Ferdinand Granberg - President,
Dr. Vojislav Kujundzic - Vice-president,
Jozef Hrnčir - Secretary,
Gojko Đermanović - Treasurer,
Stevan Koen - Sergeant at Arms,
Adolf Minh and Dr. Janko Suman.
Charter celebrations for the Rotary Club Belgrade, joined also by the Rotary Club of Zagreb, was held on Vidovdan on 28 June
1929 at the Plitvice Lakes.
The Charter President was Ferdinandu Granbergu and Jozu Mikuličiću,
officiated by Governor Schulz, and with this
celebration, the Rotary Clubs of Belgrade and Zagreb were both officially admitted into the organization of Rotary
International.
The world of Rotary spread rapidly and the following clubs were quickly added.
This shows the Club, it's formation date and the place and date of their Charter celebrations:-
Rotary Club of Osijeku - 12 October 1929, Ljubljana, 14 March 1931;
Rotary Club of Novom Sadu - 16 November 1929, Sarajevo, 20 March 1931;
Rotary Club of Subotici - 24 May 1930, Split, 14 May 1931;
Rotary Club of Sušaku - 7 September 1930, Pancevo, 5 June 1931;
Rotary Club of Zatim - 16 November 1930, Skopje, 30 May 1931;
The Rotary Club of Novom Sadu was visited by RI Special Representative,
Willem
De Cock Buning and was involved in its formation.
The Rotary International decision of 9 November 1931 gave rise to 13 clubs in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia being included
in District 77,
The first district governor was Edo Markovic, from R. C. Zagreb.
In the later period, by the end of 1940. The Rotary movement in Yugoslavia had stable development, and statistics show
that in the year 1939/40, District 77 had 34 clubs with 856 members.
Around the Rotary ideas gathered a large number of important personalities from all regions of the political, economic,
cultural, scientific and religious life of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
Some important members of Rotary clubs included:-
Milan Stojadinović, longtime minister to the prime minister; Francis Bajloni, owner of the famous pivare,
Ferdinand Granberg, owner of SARTIDA and co-owner of the Bor mine; Ivo Andric, writer; Ljuba Stanojević, actor;
Mihajlo Petrovic, mathematician in the Government; industrialist Branislav Vojinović, head of the National Postal Service
Dragutin Prica, Admiral and Commander of Navy; Milan Radosavljević, the governor of the People's Bank;
Dobrivoje Stošević, Education Minister; Viktor Ruzic, Justice Minister; and many, many others.
As the waves of World War II drew near, Rotarians were experiencing difficult circumstances.
In the years immediately before the war, with the spread of fascism in some parts of Europe especially Germany, Austria and
Italy, Rotary life became impossible.
In such conditions, Rotary centres in Yugoslavia saw the beginnings of world conflict in 1939.
Powerlessness to change anything or to stop the war, which spread rapidly, Rotary clubs started to stagnate and slowly cease
operating.
In early March 1941, in the year before the war came to Yugoslavia, all official activities of Rotary clubs were completely closed.
After World War II, in the countries where socialism remained, Yugoslavian clubs were not renewed.
It was not until nearly half a century later, in late 1989, that activities began to revive the Rotary movement.
A three-year effort and the perseverance of several Belgrade enthusiasts, and primarily by Dragan Brajera and Dr. Peter Rakina,
ended in the R.I. Board decision of 8 May 1992, to re-establish the Rotary Club of Belgrade, which had 29 charter members.
Some of them, Jovan Zdravković, Dr. Nicholas Tasić, Dr. Dejan Čikara, Dragomir Acović, Dusko Milović,
Ljubomir Anđelković and Ljubomir Hadzi Djordjevic remain active to this day.
Because of United Nations sanctions enacted against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which took effect on 30 May 1992,
the establishment of new clubs had to wait several years.
Only on 24 February 1995, Rotary International received the R. C. Zemun Belgrade and R.C. Novom Sadu, and in the first half of 1996,
the R. C. Nis and R. C. Belgrade-Singidunum.
Thereafter they established clubs in Valjevu, Leskovac, Kragujevac, Subotica, Kikindi and other cities, and today in Serbia
Rotary has 36 Clubs as well as several clubs in the process of establishment.
Therefore it is now certain that the Rotary movement in Serbia has a future and that the fate of these clubs will be
assured than the pioneers that came before them.
local spelling of names is retained where possible. |
