Croatia Deakin Soccer Club hosted celebrations for Victory Day and Homeland Thanksgiving Day as well as the 26th anniversary of Operation Storm on Thursday, 5 August.
Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Mr Mladen Leko, briefly welcomed all of the guests on behalf of the Board of Directors of Croatia Deakin Soccer Club, before acknowledging Homeland War Veterans present, as well as Fra Anto Šimunović and the entire diplomatic contingent from the Croatian Embassy.
The formal program commenced with Canberra-based five-piece band ‘Ekipa’ playing the Australian and Croatian national anthems, before observing a minutes silence for all of the brave men and women who had put their lives on the line over the centuries to establish a free and independent Croatian state.
Next up community elder, Mirko Škrnjug, addressed those present briefly recounting the events from the referendum in 1990, the declaration of independence in 1991 and the Serbian war of aggression against Croatia aided by the so-called Yugoslav National Army and the traitorous domicile ethnic Serb minority.
Despite their numerical and military superiority, it was all for nought said Mr. Škrnjug as „President Tuđman gave the order to commence Operation Storm at 5am on Thursday, 4 August 1995 on a 600km long battlefront, with 200,000 Croatian soldiers and police surprising enemy forces and entering the the regal town of Knin the very next day, raising the Croatian flag on the fortress above the town, where still proudly flutters to this day.”
First Secretary of the Croatian Embassy, Mrs. Sandra Tvrtković spoke on behalf of Ambassador Betty Pavelich, who is currently holidaying in Croatia, firstly thanking Mr Škrnjug for providing the historical context, before elaborating on the broader significance of the brilliant military victory in Operation Storm which „meant the end of the war of aggression and occupation, enabled Croatian soldiers to stand on it’s internationally recognised borders and paved the way for peaceful re-integration of Slavonia, but also led to the peace accord in neighbouring Bosnia and Hercegovina, which is also the homeland of the Croatian people.“
Having once again congratulated everybody on Victory Day, Mrs. Tvrtković concluded her address with the words „Long live an eternal, free and prosperous Croatia!”.
With the the formal program out of the way, MC Leko invited everybody present to enjoy the sounds of ‘Ekipa’ as they played a wide range of patriotic standards fitting for Victory Day celebrations. The advent of globalisation and assimilation provides us with new challenges in preserving our Croatian culture, heritage, language and identity, however, it is reassuring to know that Operation Storm will be a source of pride and inspiration for all future generations of Croatians who will commemorate Victory Day and Homeland Thanksgiving Day on the 5th of August each and every year.
