We were inexperienced, so they found us right away
Download image
Dušan Mlýnek AKA Šaman (his Boy Scout nickname) was born in Místek on 24 December 1934 as the oldest of four siblings. His father was killed during the liberation of the town in May 1945. After February 1948, Dušan Mlýnek was involved in ‘anti-state activities’ and the State Court in Prague sent him to prison for two years for subversion and conspiracy against the republic in 1951. When released, he served in the army for two years with the Auxiliary Battalions in Karviná. Having left the military, he worked in mining and from 1962 he worked as a professional mining rescuer and took part in the recovery after many mining accidents and disasters. He has been a member of the Junák organisation since 1945; he holds a leader certificate and graduated from the Beskydy Forest School. In 1968 he participated in renewing scouting activities in Frýdek-Místek and led Místek’s 3rd Unit. In 1970 he did not transfer his unit to the Pionýr organisation; instead, he carried on under the TOM auspices until 1978 when he was banned from working with young people. He renewed the unit in November 1989 and formed the Petr Bezruč Centre in Místek in 1990. The first district assembly elected him the Chairman of the District Junák Council and he led both the centre and the 3rd Unit. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Nadace Památník Ivančena foundation and participated in the refurbishment of the Boy Scout mound as a manager. Led by him, both the boy and girl units won both the district and regional rounds of the Svojsík Race in 1991. The boy unit of Místek’s 3rd Unit won the central round of the race. Dušan Mlýnek organised summer camps and his unit canoed down rivers in Bohemia and Slovakia as well as well as camping in Beskydy, Šumava and Slovenský ráj. He currently works as the manager for the Petr Bezruč Centre in Frýdek-Místek. He has been married since 1956 and he and wife Marie have brought up three children. At present he travels on bicycle and has cycled through many areas of Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland and Slovakia.
