|
REMEMBER HUNGARY
1956
AND THOSE WHO DIED
FOR OUR FREEDOM.
They fought in the 1956 Hungarian
Revolution for the right of self determination and national independence.
Thousands of patriots died in the fight against dictatorship, but they
could not free their homeland. These martyrs could free only 200,000 of
their fellow countrymen who escaped to the west. This memorial was erected
in memory of the fallen heroes by the grateful survivors, who by now are
Canadian Citizens.
Canadian Hungarian Society
Southern Vancouver Island
1986 |
|
The 1956
Hungarian Memorial was erected by the Hungarians of Vancouver Island on
the 30th anniversary of the 1956 revolution.
Géza Benkő with other members of the Hungarian Society of Victoria (Emil
Izik - the Society's president of the time, and Joseph
Paunoch - the creator of the monument) were
instrumental in planning and erecting the memorial in 1986. Their original
plans were to have the memorial placed in Victoria, but the City Council
objected to the wording on the planned memorial. The Society refused to
change the wording and after the disagreement with the Victoria City
Council turned to the Saanich Council, who agreed to accept the memorial
in their municipality. On the 26th of October 1986 Saanich Mayor Mel
Couvelier and the 1956 Memorial Committee's chairman Géza Benkő unveiled
the Memorial.You can find the
Memorial, close to the Saanich Municipal Hall at 770 Vernon Street, on the
landscaped area, next to the Police and Fire Hall buildings.
|
