A valuable donation from Germany - Four boats for Rowers in Vukovar

VUKOVAR - Rowing has a long tradition in Vukovar. The Croatian Rowing Club "Vukovar" celebrates next year 90 years of existence. Because of the war, the activities of the Club in Vukovar did not continue, but the Club have been functioning in exile in Zagreb.

Around forty rowers of the Vukovar Club were overwhelmed when they received a valuable donation - 4 boats and 40 sculls - that arrived yesterday from the German City of Ulm, from the Rowing Club "Ulmer Ruderclub Donau". They got one eight, one double four and two skiffs.

"We were very much assisted by the Head of OSCE FO in Vukovar, who is a rower himself and who is from Ulm. He asked his friends from Ulm to do something for us," - said Kreso Slafhauser, the President of the Croatian Rowing Club "Vukovar". Damir Barisic, a fellowman from Vukovar who lives in exile in Kastela (near Split) and coaches the local rowing team there organized the transport from Germany, since we needed a special vehicle for that. "This donation means a lot to us, because with these boats we will be able to start the club's activities in Vukovar afresh. The value of the eight is around 15.000 DM and the value of the remainder is in total around 23.000 DM."

The building of the Vukovar rowing club within the "winter harbor" was completely damaged during the war and has not been reconstructed, yet, even though INA-Company promised to take over the costs of the reconstruction. However, it seems that they have forgotten about it.