Alois Reimer

"We also used to go to Ivančena. It was after 1968 when things began to change. And in 1986 or 1987, we brought a memorial plaque behind Holešov, crafted by my father. It included a carved-up lily and the town of Holešov. It was a barrow which included a yard and an aisle. We brought the plaque up there on our backs and placed it in there."

“Our entire inventory, which was stored in the club rooms, was handed over to the Pioneer (communist youth organization – transl.’s note). Our total property amounted to 86 000 Czech Crowns, and all this was officially surrendered. The property included tents, tent bases, and mattresses. We divided the equipment of the club rooms among ourselves; the members took home whatever they had brought in before. A house was later built in front of our club building, and the tenants, who later moved there, used the stuff for construction of their own garages.”

"They then moved to Přílety. There was a cattle enclosure, a pond, a dam. It was in that area. 400 metres far was our cottage. There, we had an old stove, which got lost once. I then found it in one of the bunkers they had dug out. At least they then got rid of it and we hadn't had to do it ourselves. I spoke to a number of the soldiers. One was from Baku, another one from eslewehere. They were curious: 'Where is that counter-revolution? What is going on here?' Nothing was going on anywhere. And so the soldiers were indoctrinated as well. The first ones were then ordered to another place and the second wave had arrived."

“In a way, we concluded our activities at the beginning of September when we had an all-group meeting at the Křídlo castle. We lit a final fire and then, at night, all the members, especially the kids from the troops, went back home and the day after, which was a week day, they went to school as usual.”

"In 1987, we haven't made a camp but went to Slovakia instead, below the castle of Korlátko where the hiking clubs had a gathering. There were more than five thousand people there. We met various people there and the message went across that 'daddy' Plajner had passed away. Unfortunately, the news hadn't reached all the chiefs. For instance those who came from more secluded villages where the Club of Czech Tourists functioned only as a place to put aside their children. So they then made it public. An official death notice does exist, though. But the funeral was not allowed by the authorities. People from our clubs gathered there and I know that the police guarded it in high numbers. They only allowed a family ceremony, allowing in a couple friends."

“When an official from the regional council of the Communist Party in Brno came there and saw us there, he realized what it was. I had a belt in my trousers, which I wore all the time, and on the belt buckle there was the inscription ´Junák.´ It was obvious to him. They stopped filming, the shot was never shown on TV, and the existence of the youth hiking club became jeopardized.”

“Brother leader arrived there after dusk. They brought him to the place and introduced him. Everything had been organized beforehand. There was a ceremonial roll call, and then the individual candidates approached him and, by shaking hands, they confirmed their oaths to brother leader.”