Zdeněk Rafaj

* 1960

  • “One wanted to be useful, helpful, so you were for example walking down the street and someone was there and told you: ‘They have some leaflets over there, go there and take them!‘ And there were also centres at universities, it was rushing there, one could readily get there materials that they had at the moment and take them home and let people know what was going on. Because, what should I say, awareness in the first days was as it was, it means none or misinformation. People were afraid, did not want to cause themselves troubles, so for example in Humpolec, I think that it did not start until the 22th of November which was Wednesday. Sixty people met in “Tyršák” and Mr. Vošiský gave a speech. Until then it had been very careful. We finally got the materials on that Wednesday. We founded Civic Forum at Secondary School of Agriculture very soon and we gave a statement on Thursday, but I do not remember the content, however, I know that it is somehow recorded and deposited. So, the beginning was slower in small towns.”

  • “Since the unit was in the East circuit I went home just once on holiday, not more. We spent a lot of time on exercises. Those were exercises “Štít” (Shield) or “Družba” (Companionship). We were always outside, there were long transports and it was quite dangerous. My three schoolmates or colleagues-graduates died in that unit during the year that I spent there. What were the circumstances? One died during a car accident; the car pressed him. One did it voluntarily, he could not take it, or he had troubles at home, I don´t know - he hanged himself. And one during night shooting in the Šumava mountains. There were two taxiways and an armoured personnel carrier was going on each one, red targets were in the front and people were shooting at them, shooting during short breaks. There it happened that one carrier got ahead of the other and the shooter in the back one mistook the rear taillight of carrier with the target and it went through the armour. My schoolmate from České Budějovice died there, he was married and had two children.”

  • “I was not a pioneer at that time, but I think that they persuaded me to join them when I was in the seventh grade because the leader was a scout - there was no other group that you could join at that time. The Scout Association was cancelled but he with his temperament and way of life was a scout and he founded a patrol Stopaři (Trackers) that was a scout one. It was necessary to have an official connection to something, but they convinced me to join them since, as I said, I inclined to nature. We enjoyed freedom as we wished, and we were not controlled by any management. Of course, once a year there was a meeting when we had to put on our shirts and scarves and go there but then we took them off happily and we went back to a forest.”

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    Praha, 19.06.2019

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The world where I want to and can´t go lies two kilometres away

Zdeněk Rafaj
Zdeněk Rafaj
zdroj: Archiv pamětníka

Zdeněk Rafaj was born on the 10th of June 1960 in Pelhřimov. He studied a zootechnical field at University College of Agriculture in Prague in the faculty in České Budějovice. He always inclined towards nature, scout way of life and tourism and he developed these interests also as an instructor of tourism and stays in nature. He walked in the Šumava mountains with his friends, he organized folk festivals and cultural-tourist events. He organized a Hussite-styled cycling weekend in Kozí hrádek that ended with a confrontation with Public Security. After a one-year military service, he worked for a regional breeding enterprise in Pelhřimov and from 1987 he taught at Secondary School of Agriculture in Humpolec. He took part in demonstrations and delivered materials and information from Prague to Humpolec during November 1989. He co-founded local Civic Forum at Secondary School of Agriculture in Humpolec. He was a successful entrepreneur after the change of regime. He entered local politics in the Autumn of 2018 and became mayor in Lipnice nad Sázavou.