HERMAN ŠARKAN

NSW – Slovenian Outstanding Senior Citizen of the Year 2009 - Slovenian Mission Merrylands

 

HERMAN ŠARKAN was born in the village Domojinci in the Slovenian province of Prekmurje as the youngest of five children. The village was almost completely destroyed during the war. After the war he found work in various places in Slovenia and in 1956 he crossed the border to Austria with a group of friends. After a short stay in the camp in Austria they came to Australia in  early 1957 where they were placed first in camp Greta and then in Villawood camp and later in another camp in Unanderra. Herman found work in Sydney and in 1961 married a girl from his home area by proxy. Gizela arrived in Australia in 1963 and they settled in Merrylands, and bought a house where Herman still lives with his son Peter, after Gisela died in 2007.

The whole Šarkan family are involved with the Slovenian community, first with the Slovenian Association Sydney and later with the Slovenian Mission in Merrylands. Herman helped with the building of the church and the church hall and for more than 30 years he has been an usher in the church, collecting the contributions every Sunday.  He has always helped with repairs, especially with metalwork as well as other maintenance around the place.  Herman was always available for any work, preparing the hall, serving in the bar, taking an active part in processions, with the preparations of the church's periodical Rafael and any other voluntary duty, wherever he was needed. Herman and his wife Gizela also provided food for official visitors to the church and for years they provided flowers from their garden for decorating the church, especially on  big occasions like weddings, christenings and funerals.  Herman also acted as a driver, using his own car and at his own expense, for the priests and visiting dignitaries. They also brought up their son Peter to be active in the Slovenian community, attending Slovenian school, acting as an altar server at church for many years, dancing in the Dancing group and acting in the Slovenian Drama Group. Herman still helps as much as he can at the Slovenian Mission Merrylands and has never refused to help anyone in need.

Družina Šarkan se je že od vsega začetka vključila v slovensko skupnost. Pomagali so pri Slovenskem Društvu Sydney, še bolj pa pri Verskem Središču Merrylands, kjer je Herman vedno prijel za vsako delo, ki je bilo potrebno, pa naj bo priprava dvorane, strežba v baru, sodelovanje v procesijah in drugih sprevodih, pri zlaganju in pripravi časopisa Rafael.

Od kar stoji cerkev pa je Herman pobiral denar pri sveti maši in sodeloval tudi pri drugih aktivnostih v cerkvi, kjer je bilo treba, pri procesijah in drugih svečanostih  in je vseskozi v veliko pomoč našim duhovnikom v Verskem Središču Merrylands .                                                                       

 

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