16.06.2015
Ceremony in honour of Djordje Vajfert
In honour of Djordje Vajfert, great name of our history, the ceremony was held in the Central Military Club on the occasion of 165 years since his birth, with a promotion of a monograph and revealing of his memorial plaque.The ceremony was attended by Minister of Defence Bratislav Gasic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Zoran Djordjevic, members of Djordje Vajfert Fund and numerous citizens.
The bronze relief of one of the greatest beneficiaries in this territory was unveiled by Director of Odbrana Media Center Colonel Stevica S Karapandzin and Miljan Scekic, President of the Board of Djordje Vajfert Fund.
On that occasion, Colonel Karapandzin stressed that, in April, a bronze relief of Nadezda Petrovic, painter, war nurse and heroine of the Great War had been unveiled at the Central Military Club, and that the Hall of this institution would now also have the relief of Djordje Vajfert.
- It is my great honour and pleasure that this institution now has the bronze relief of Djordje Vajfert, Serbian volunteer, industrialist and benefactor – Colonel Karapandzin said, reminding that during the liberation wars at the end of 19th and beginning of 20th century, the Serbian artillery had particularly stood out, not only because of the skills of the Serbian soldiers, but also because the latest models of cannons and howitzers, which Vajfert had also helped acquire.
He stressed that a relief of Jovan Dragasevic, honourary General and founder of the first military magazine “Warrior”, whose tradition is continued by Odbrana Magazine and magazines Military Act, Military Technical Courier and the New Courier, would be placed this year.
- Bronze reliefs of deacon Avakum and abbot Pajsije will also be placed, in the course of marking 200 years since the beginning of the Second Serbian Uprising, of Stanislav Binicki on marking of the centenary of his death, and of Koca Popovic, military leader, philosopher, poet and painter on marking of 70 years since the end of WWII – Director of Odbrana Media Centre said, stressing that the project marked three important Serbian anniversaries – 100 years since the Great War, 200 years since WWII, and 70 years since the victory over fascism.
One of the authors of the monograph and the director of the film about the founder of modern Serbian industry, Svetlislav Bata Prelic said that our people, unfortunately, had the habit of forgetting the people that had marked its history. He stressed that it was the same with Vajfert, who is remembered today only as a rich industrial, but not as a great benefactor.
Djordje Vajfert Fund presented letters of thanks to the institutions and individuals that had greatly contributed to the realization of this project, including the Ministry of Defence, on whose behalf Minister Gasic received the letter of thanks. Sponsor of the event is Djordje Vajfert Fund, which wanted to introduce the broader public with the life and work of one of our greatest benefactors.
A year before the Serbian-Ottoman war, Djordje Vajfert gifted money from the fund for the purchase of cannons for the Serbian Army, and he volunteered as a member of the cavalry. He received the Medal for Courage for his heroism. In 1893, he founded the fund King Stefan Decanski, a charity organization that took care of deaf-mute children and provided education and conditions for normal life. During the First Balkan War, in 1912, Vajfert paid for 60,000 loafs of bread for the poorest families in Belgrade, and during the Great War, he sent help to Serbia from the south of France where he lived, and then returned after the war and helped rebuild the devastated capital. In 1929, together with the Edinburgh Board of Scottish Women and the London Board of Scottish Women, he founded the Woman’s and Child’s Hospital in Belgrade, and gifted land for the construction of the Belgrade Female Society club. Moreover, he donated significant means for the construction of the building of the Serbian Academy of Science and arts, and gave his rich collection to the Belgrade University.
This year, Odbrana Media Center has begun the project of symbolic marking of significant jubilees from the Serbian history with the unveiling of memorial plaques in the Hall of the Central Military Club. As of tonight, with the relief “Hawk eye on the bastion of defence of the state” and “Nadezda Petrovic – War nurse”, there will also be the face of Djordje Vajfert, who gave the land in 1887 for the bicycle track where the Veterans House has been located since 1931, i.e. the Central Military Club of Serbia.
