Stanislav Vincour

* 1932

  • “Ota Gavenda was a great model for us. He knew many Scout games. He knew everything about photography, and he was therefore called Foto – Gavenda – Otto. I always used to say that he was a model for me. He was good in working with the youth. He was a good organizer of everything. He was not so dexterous, though. He was not so good in building tent bases, but as for writing newspaper articles, photography, filming, playwriting, he could organize it all perfectly.”

  • “In 1946 we took part in the all-state finals of Svojsík Race in Prague in the Strahov stadium. The competition took two days. Altogether there were ten disciplines, half of which took place in the Strahov stadium. There were track and field events, knot-tying, cooking, signaling from towers, and so on. The race then continued the following day in Černošice, where we competed in first aid, in drawing a landscape panorama and things like that. Twenty-six teams competed that year, and our team from Těšín placed 13th.”

  • “When we were nine years old, three schoolmates and I formed a readers' club of the Mladý Hlasatel (Young Herald) magazine as described there by Jaroslav Foglar. The Rychlé šípy (Fast Arrows) club served as a model for us. As nine-year-olds, we chose our name ´Guards of the Brdy Forests,´ and Foglar changed it to ´Boys of the Brdy Forests,´ because we seemed too young to him. We received number 14922, and on February 19, 1941 we became registered as a club of the Mladý Hlasatel magazine. Since Junák was banned during the Protectorate, we functioned as Cubs during that time. After the war, right in May 1945, we joined the restored Junák in Hořovice.”

  • “It was when I worked in the power plant. There was a woman who was a personnel officer. She was a really stout woman. She asked me whether I was a member of any church. I answered: ´Yes, I was born a Catholic, and I will remain a Catholic.´ She kept urging me to leave the church, to which I replied: ´Why should I leave the church? I was born a Catholic and I will die as a Catholic.´ She wouldn’t budge. The following remark then appeared in my personal file: ´He is well aware of the current situation, with the exception of religious issues.´”

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    Český Těšín, 23.11.2011

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    duration: 02:06:05
    media recorded in project A Century of Boy Scouts
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I cannot imagine life without Scouting

Vincour_na_dobova.jpg (historic)
Stanislav Vincour
photo: Stanislav Vincour

Stanislav Vincour, aka Bublina by his Scout name, was born May 6, 1932 in Olomouc. Since his father was employed by the Army Forest Administration, the family had to move frequently. After the declaration of the fascist Slovak State in 1939 they had to escape from Malacky. During the war, on February 19, 1941, Stanislav and his friends formed a readers’ club of the Mladý Hlasatel magazine called Boys of the Brdy Forests in Hořovice, receiving the number 14922. He joined the Scout troop in Hořovice immediately in May 1945. In September 1945 his family moved to Český Těšín, where he joined the 1st troop of Ota Gavenda - Harry, in which he became a member of the patrol called Medvědi (Bears). He worked in the power-plant in Karviná for many years. In 1995 his dream came true when he joined an expedition which traveled to Jamboree in Dronten. In 1996 he wrote a book about his life titled Memories from Těšín. He served as the leader of a table-tennis club for over forty years. For many years he was also the secretary of the Scout group and ORJ Karviná. For his work in scouting he was awarded the Junák Medal of Gratitude on May 9, 1970 and in May of the same year he was decorated with the Bronze Syrinx. On May 8, 2001 he was decorated with the Memorial Cross of the Third Resistance, 3rd degree. From 1997 he has been a member of honorary Svojsík’s troop, and from 2001 a member of the Scout troop of Velen Fanderlik. His message to Scouts is that they ought to head outdoors again, and not just sit in front of the computer. He is now married and he has a daughter and a son.