Windsor’s Serbian Centre looking to future
Hundreds attend dinner to mark 50 years of service
A sold-out dinner crowd celebrated the 50th anniversary of Windsor’s Serbian Centre Saturday night.
Petar Chuk, vice-president of the centre and one of the event’s organizers, said the half-century mark sneaked up on members a few months ago.
As plans were underway for an annual banquet that would mark the 30th anniversary of the community centre’s expansion in 1987, Chuk and others realized the entire club was actually turning 50.
“It kind of grew from there,” Chuk said. “It’s been a tremendous effort by our volunteers over the last two and a half months.”
Almost 400 people were expected for the festivities entitled “Honouring our past, grateful for our present, building for our future.”
The Serbian Centre’s roots on Tecumseh Road East began with a land donation in 1963. Nikola Budimir purchased the land and together with Stevan Budimir and Milan Dobrich, they presented the deed to George Vuicic, the congregation president of Gracanica Church.
Some of the first improvements made to the property involved transplanting 150 trees from personal farms, adding a fence and laying a foundation.
The original hall officially opened Jan. 22, 1967, and became a fixture for weddings, concerts, picnics and banquets.
One of the hall’s most memorable events was a visit by Crown Prince Alexander, a member of Serbia’s royal family.
As the local Serbian community continued to grow, the need to expand the centre became more pressing.
During the 1980s, a recreational area was added for children and, after a robust fundraising drive combined with a $650,000 grant from the Ontario government, ground was broken in 1986 on an expansion to the centre.
Then-premier David Peterson, along with Paul Martin Sr., attended the official opening. Part of the new facility became home to the Serbian Heritage Museum.
Moving forward, Chuk said the membership is looking to purchase land to the west of the centre for another expansion with an asyet undetermined function.
Chuk said it could become a soccer field, outdoor basketball courts or a retirement home.
“We owe it to the ones who started the community centre to continue what they started,” Chuk said.