| Some persons have suggested that
another reunion might be a good idea in two or three years.
If you have thoughts with respect to this, and/or what
improvements should be made to the program etc we would
be pleased to hear them. |
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As was mentioned in the invitation/program,
over the past several years Hazel Zahradnik has spent
countless hours gathering and compiling an invaluable
set of documents which include genealogical data, historical
documents and hundreds of family photographs. This mountain
of information fills seven large binders and is meticulously
organized and described. Hazel displayed a small sampling
of this information in the hall at the reunion. The
photographs of the family groups that were taken at
the reunion will be added to this collection. Hazel
continues to be interested in additional photographs
and other family related documents. Please contact her
if you have some that you think might be of interest.
She can be contacted by email:
These binders represented the only
copy of this archive and some of us who viewed them
were concerned that it would be a tragedy should they
be lost or damaged. It also seemed that all of this
should be available to other family members who might
be interested.
Fortunately we have a family member
here in Winnipeg who is not only technically competent,
but was also happy to provide a solution. Hartley Pokrant
took it upon himself to scan all of Hazel's treasures
and to organize them digitally. After much more time
than anticipated glued to the computer, Hartley has
produced a digital copy of Hazel's work. This digital
archive has been stored on CD which will be updated
with all of the new information gathered as a result
of the reunion and copies will be available in the New
Year at a very reasonable price.
We are grateful to Hazel for having
amassed this family history and for allowing Hartley
to copy it so that many other family members will be
able to enjoy the fruits of her efforts.
If you want a copy of this CD please
contact Hartley Pokrant by email:
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The reunion
information is archived here.
The "Early Bird" get-together
at Mark and Ingrid Pokrant's home on Friday, July 11, attracted
approximately 50 Pokrant descendants and their families on
a beautiful Manitoba summer evening. Many thanks to Ingrid
and Mark for their hospitality!
We all enjoyed renewing acquaintances,
meeting new family members, reminiscing, hugging, story telling
and learning more about family relationships. Walks through
Ingrid's candle lit garden, a few drinks and some hotdogs
roasted over an open fire added to the enjoyment. The evening
passed all too quickly!
The next day, Saturday, began at 1:00
pm with devotions and prayers in St John's Lutheran Church
in Rosenfeld. The service was ably and appropriately led by
Pastors Garfield Remus and Lyle McKenzie (both are family
members). Pastor Remus was the first of many to mention the
pronunciation of the name Pokrant - is it poke-rant or pock-rant?
The small church was filled to near capacity (200+ attended).
It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces in those familiar
surroundings. A sizable donation was made to the church through
a free will offering. We are grateful to Pastor Gary Russell
and the members of the congregation for allowing us to use
the church for this occasion.
After the service many people chose to
participate in a conducted viewing of the Rosenfeld cemetery.
As many of our ancestors and family members are buried there,
this occasion was cause for more reminiscing and discussion
of family relationships.
Some people also chose to visit the Albert
Pokrant farmyard. While only the house and a few granaries
remain, it is notable that Ferdinand Pokrant originally constructed
all the buildings in the early 1900's. He was one of the four
siblings who immigrated to Canada from Russia at the turn
of the century. In the past the farmyard also included a large
"hiproofed" barn, a machine shed, and many other
buildings necessary to run a successful mixed farm.
Festivities continued later that afternoon
and into the evening at the Altona Pioneer Center with food,
dancing, door prizes and above all much "sputzeering".
(For the uninitiated, "Sputzeering" is the art of
animated discussion with family and good friends. While the
subject matter may be wide ranging, it usually begins with
a detailed update regarding the fortunes of the individuals
and their families since the last meeting.)
Hartley Pokrant and Jerry Zahradnik photographed
family groups during the course of the evening.
Hartley entertained us with some of his
recollections of growing up in Rosenfeld. It was good to travel
down "memory lane" with him. Most of us were able
to relate to his anecdotes. He included some admissions of
rather ribald activity by him and other family members and
friends.
 Luther
Pokrant designed a label for the table wine (to the right), which
recognized that the Pokrant family in Canada had its origins in and
around Rosenfeld, Manitoba (a "rosenfeld" in the German language is a
field of roses). Luther donated the framed large size original of the
label and a draw was held for it. Carol and Jack Toews were the lucky
winners.
Five special persons were recognized;
Rheinhold (Roy) Pokrant - a son of Henry Pokrant - because
he is the only direct surviving descendant of his generation,
and Pearl who is the widow of Roy's brother Albert. Pearl
was not able to attend because of ill health. Also recognized
were Emma, Elsie and Bertha (Bella) Pokrant (all nee Dreger
and sisters) who are widows of Albert, Carl and Louis respectively.
Albert, Carl and Louis were sons of Ferdinand and were of
Roy's generation. Unfortunately Bertha was not able to attend
due to accident just days prior to the event - she is recovering
nicely.
The organizing committee wishes to thank
everyone who attended this reunion, especially those who traveled
from faraway places outside of Manitoba. We hope that you
enjoyed the activities as much as we enjoyed arranging the
event! The organizing committee was as follows:
Valery Czarnecki, Edwin Pokrant, Hartley
Pokrant, Hazel Pokrant, Lawrence Pokrant, Leonard Pokrant,
Mark Pokrant, John Sommer
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