HARD WORK LED TO A DECENT LIFE

HARD WORK LED TO A DECENT LIFE

It would be of interest to point out that, during those years, the newspaper “Voice of the Aegeans” published a report outlining how the people lived and what they did in Gakovo, Voivodina. Among other things, this is what the report said:

“On October 13, at 4 o’clock we, together with a group from our cultural and artistic association, arrived in Gakovo. Tushi Kordaloz, the union official in the village, was informed of our arrival and greeted us at the station. We were placed in various houses designated for travelers.

The sun had just risen when I went out to explore the village. It was not exactly a village; it looked more like a modern town. Two streets ran north to south and four streets east to west, cutting Gakovo in half. Both sides of the streets were lined with properly spaced

houses. Both sides of the streets were decorated with trees. All the houses were one-storey tall with a modern bedroom and a dining room, kitchen, lounge and cellar, in which were stored wine, pickled vegetables, etc. The wide courtyards were paved and lined with barns and stalls for horses and cows, chicken coops, swine stalls and other compartments. Most of the house walls were built with stone about half way up. Most of the yards were also laid with stone and so were some sidewalks. The houses tell a story of their former wealthy Austrian colonists who lived in Voivodina during the Austro-Hungarian occupation.

Among other things, the following was also recorded in the report about the living conditions of the Macedonians in Gakovo:

“Around 8,000 refugees from Aegean (Greek occupied) Macedonia were settled here in 1948. The first year was difficult for them, getting used to the climate, organizing schools, opening bakeries, shops, etc. But in 1949 they received help from the agricultural labour union in Gakovo, one of the first in Bachka, whose cooperative administration helped them open a kindergarten. This kindergarten is operating to this day. The manager in charge is Penta Tanuroza. Penta comes from the Tanurovtsi revolutionary family from the village Baovo.

There is also a nursing home still operating here. Most of the elders living here had participated in the Ilinden Uprising. Here I met old Todor Nastev from the village Neokazi, Lerin Region who was very proud of what he did. He said he fought in the Ilinden Uprising alongside Leko Zorle. He told me about the great battle in Ekshitsa, in Kaimakchalan. They fought bravely and managed to slay 40 Turks but lost 20 rebels from his cheta (squad). I also shook the hand of Ilia Bozhinov from the village Armensko. He is 73 years old but says he refuses to give up. As a rebel he fought along side Giorgi Hristov from Bitola Region. Ilia also told me a story about his participation in the Ilinden Uprising.

‘In Psoderi,’ he said, ‘our rebel band fought against 2,000 Turks, a battle that lasted all day long. By the end of the day about 100 Turks and 6 of our rebels were killed. The battle took place at Lizargiorgova glava in Bigla. Mitre Vlaot, a fearsome voivoda

(rebel leader), was wounded during this battle. In 1911-1912, after he returned from America, Vlaot and Krsto Liondov formed a small guerrilla band in Lerin Region and fought against the Turks.’ Here I also met a sympathetic old man named Petar Stoikov from the village Pozharsko, Meglen Region.

Here they also formed a production company called ‘Krste Misirkov’ which was joined by teachers, workers and employees. The company first appeared before an audience with the play ‘Terror in Aegean Macedonia’. The play was performed in Gakovo, Krushevlie and in the villages Rizhitsa, Stapishniki and Rastiva. The company also created and performed plays like ‘Last Night’ and others, but its greatest success was achieved with the drama ‘Migrant Workers’. The ‘Misirkov’ drama company competed in various regional and district competitions and folk ensembles in the Autonomous Province Voivodina.

After that each family was assigned a plot of land where vegetables and other crops could be planted. There are families in Gakovo today who produce about 1000-1500 kg of corn in their plots. In the summer the administration also gave each family a number of pigs and an appropriate amount of corn with which to feed them. Each house was also given 20-50 chickens, ducks, and geese. They received wood on a regular basis.