The first comrades had already arrived in Karlovac on Thursday, 24 August to get in the mood for the days ahead at a convivial dinner. It was particularly pleasing that some accompanying persons and even children took part in this first meeting.
After a visit to the Karlovac Brewery on Friday morning, the participants met for a get-together at the Korana Hotel, where the main meeting of the General Rapport was held in the conference room.
The district prefect Martina Furdek Hajdin and the mayor of Karlovac, Damir Mandić, were welcomed as guests of honour. After the solemn commemoration of the dead and the playing of the national anthem, the agenda of the meeting was worked through. An essential part was the presentation of the tradition workshop from June of this year. The most important results were presented, such as the establishment of a support fund, the redesign of the UEHMG folder and the production of new merchandising articles.
Innovations were also presented in terms of personnel. Captain iTR Christian Zehetmayer was elected Secretary General and the Austrian associations were divided between two liaison officers: Sergeant iTR Ralph Schweiger will be responsible for Austria North-East (incl. the Czech Republic and Hungary) and Warrent Officer II iTR Hans-Peter Haberditz for Austria South-West.
In the evening, a joint dinner was held, during which the President, Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, encouraged all the country representatives to sing a song typical of each country at the end of the day.
Saturday morning began with the parade in front of the Karlovac Theatre and a march to the memorial of deceased war veterans, where a wreath-laying ceremony and the lighting of numerous candles took place. The rest of the day was dedicated to the social programme, such as a shooting competition, a guided city tour, a visit to the Nikola Tesla Museum and the Aquarium.
The official part of the General Report 2023 ended with a convivial dinner on the outskirts of Karlovac, where the award ceremony for the shooting competition was also held.
Interested persons could voluntarily attend the mass in St Joseph’s Church on Sunday, where President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc also gave the reading.
The UEHMG would like to thank the Karlovac Guard for the great organisation. With great motivation we are looking forward to the continuation of the Tradition Workshop in November and the General Rapport 2024.
See here impressions of the General Rapport 2023:
