Vlasta Vasková

* 1954

  • "You say Partisan Assault Rifle. It was a kind of tourist-military race. As such, it was not bad, rather the contrary. We held district rounds in Hrádek, with 90 children taking part, even more. It is about the content. Always it was advertised in a way and you chose something out of it.“

  • "During the Soviet invasion we were at a summer camp quite far away from home. We learned from our group leaders – it was a camp organised by Trade Unions – that something was happening at home. We saw the cooks weep, the leaders wept as well. They tried to explain to us that something was happening but they did not want to be specific. I and one other girl left, as our parents sent a car for us, the father of the girl took us home. Just near the camp we saw a Red Army soldie on guard, then we encountered the tanks. They were in Rokycany too. It put me in great stress. I could not believe they could be bad people when they are from the Soviet Union

  • "We were banned. It was good that we, the leaders, were friends. It was explained to everybody that we could not continue under the Scout banner and that we had two options. Either to dissolve the organization with everybody doing what they wanted on their own, or to transfer under the Pioneer banner and continue working in groups as pioneers. Our leaders opted for the second option. Our activities in Hrádek were fine and gradually we got even more children. We worked continuously throughout the year, we organized excellent camps. I realize I was younger then and one tends to see things differently, but I really think we started doing a good job and it was appreciated. There was a meeting with parents and we discussed the options. We met the municipal representatives, who voiced their interest not to dissolve our group but to continue working with children."

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    Praha, 04.02.2017

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Scouts or pioneers, what mattered was working with children

Vlasta Vasková, 2016
Vlasta Vasková, 2016

Vlasta Vasková, née Kebrlová, was born on December 6, 1954, in Rokycany. She lived with her parents in Hrádek u Rokycan. Her mother was a clerk, her father a labourer. Both of her parents worked with other people, they were members of the Boy Scout organisation in their youth. In 1961, she became a member of the Pioneer movement. She was at the summer camp when the Soviet army invaded Czechoslovakia in August 1968. Her father left the Communist Party in a protest gesture, her mother was not a member. In spring 1969 children in Hrádek were approached by a group of adults whom Vlasta Vasková knew well to establish a Boy Scout organisation. Vlasta became a member but the organisation lasted only shortly, as it was banned in 1970. They had to choose whether to disband completely or to merge with the Pioneer organisation. The leaders, driven by their desire to work with children, opted for continuing existence under the Pioneer banner. In 1974, Vlasta completed her secondary education and then was employed as Pioneer leader. She tried to avoid ideological pressure. After the political change in 1989 her position was no longer a paid one, so she transferred to the position of the school cafeteria manager. The Pioneer organisation still exists even today, in the 1990s it existed alongside a Boy Scout organisation. Vlasta’s husband is engaged in the local Pioneer organisation, as are their two daughters and their husbands. In 2017, Vlasta Vasková still lived in Hrádek u Rokycan.