The Eighth Tribe, 1981 (8. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1981-02-01 / 2. szám
February, 1981 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 7 To be sure, we have had our share of the doubters and those suddenly weak-in-the-knees who had professed that such an enormous sum simply could not be rounded up. They said that the plan was doomed to failure. The evidence of the intervening times however had proved the doubters completely wrong. The many volunteering hands and the sum totals of small and large contributions as well as the dedication of so many organizations in the end have worked miracles. Augmented with the receipts from the sale of the old building plus the contributions of the Alberta Government, the purchase price in full was handed over to the former owners of Rocky View Park, last January. But we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to all those who have made this transaction possible. We would like to thank especially our low income supporters, including pensioners who have given generously beyond their means. May the God of all Hungarians repay them, one day. Despite the noble achievements, we may not stand still at the half way mark. While the new premises have plenty of room, the state of repair of the facilities is far from satisfactory. We have to re-build the place in order to raise a fitting and lasting stage for our cultural and social events. There will be a continuing need for additional donations, manual and other work to accomplish our final objectives. I, personally, call upon and await every well meaning Hungarian to shoulder a little more of our collective burdens because by working together indeed we could hope for wonderful results. Given our goodwill, our financial capacity, skills and time, we have virtually everything within our reach. Right now we still have to sow the seeds of a future harvest. Remember though that a bountiful harvest would reward us all most generously along with our children and grand-children yet to come. If the Hungarian-Canadian Cultural Centre were to choose a motto best suited to describe the tribulations of the past including the swift fund-raising drive, surely it would have to be: “Where there is a will, there is a way.” John (Martin) Zöld, chairman of the Centre’s board of directors, said: “We can not over-emphasize the importance of the commitment,” to the cause of creating a local cultural haven. “Despite the presence of a few doubters in our ranks, we have been able to achieve remarkable progress,” in this respect. Mr. Zöld holds the opinion that the “most formidable hurdles,” on the way to securing the new premises and by making the Centre work, by now have been overcome. He warns however that “this is not an excuse for complacency.” Although the renovations, expansion and landscaping chores are still in progress and some other jobs are yet to be done in the latter part of the year, Rockyview Park is already serving as a recreational facility for the city’s Hungarian community as well as the public at large. But as Mr. Zöld puts it, “this is merely the beginning.” The fact is that within a period of 22 months from February 1978, when the building committee came into being, to date a bunch of volunteers had performed a series of feats bordering on miracles. The 9 acres or to use the metric vernacular of the day about 4 hectares of precious real estate on the western boundary of Calgary on December 31 had been paid in full. The purchase price was a staggering $700,000. Rockyview Park on that day had become the communal property of Calgary’s Hungarian community. As Mr. Zöld explains, this unique facility with the Rocky Mountains in the distance is already worth almost double the price paid less than a year ago. But from the point of view of the Hungarian community and the original purpose intended for the Centre, “its value is simply beyond measure.” Using an analogy, Mr. Zöld says that in effect the Hungarian-Canadian Cultural Centre has become the spiritual home after more than two decades of struggle here to establish a presence and an identity of Calgary’s Hungarians. Mr. Zöld is the first to admit that both the city
