Pre-Christmas Gatherings

Advent with the Canadian Austrian Society

Advent is the perfect time to look for moments of reflection. That is what we were reminded of at the Austrian Society’s annual get-together. As always, it took place in the Delta Chelsea Inn, where the General Manager of the Delta Hotel Chain in Canada Joe Ebner was present. He was recently honoured by the Government of Steiermark with the “Goldene Ehrenzeichen” in the great hall of the old university of Graz by the head of the Steiermark, Landeshauptmann Mag. Franz Voves, for his never-ending efforts to promote the Steiermark in North-America.

After a warm welcome by Dr. Manfred Starka, Christine Meyer, President of the Society, did her best to welcome every one and point out the purpose of this event, namely taking time to reflect on our customs, on things that are good about our lives, especially in view of war and famine elsewhere in the world.

Ambassador Werner Brandstaetter could not be there this time but Vice Council Mag. Dietmar Habacher stood in.

The Edelweiss Choir and the Scola Cantorum under Manfred Petz
Willi Platzer plays the Hackbrett
The Edelweiss Choir
Scola Cantorum

Manfred Petz had built a nice program for the evening which alternated choir singing of our most beloved Christmas songs by the Edelweiss Choir and Scola Cantorum with Hackbrett performances by Willi Platzer and storytelling by Gunter Kunzelmann.

The audience

The ball room was festively decorated. Each table had plates of cookies and Stollen donated by Dimpfelmeier Bakery and Sweet Gallery as well as members of the society. Nuts and Mandarin oranges, whose fragrance permeated the air, made memories of childhood and past seasonal delights come alive. We were reminded of sitting with our family around the table in years gone by, cracking nuts, peeling mandarins and making the oil spray out of their skin, listening to poetry and stories…All before TV and other media carriers closed the door on many such activities.

One of the wonderful stories Gunter Kunzelmann told us was about an unlikely survival at the christening of a child named Gustav Adolf and his subsequent successful endeavors in life. At the very end we found out that it was the story of Mr. Kunzelmann’s own father. We were all very touched. Such a story, when we can relate it to someone we actually know, carries even more weight with our emotions then words about someone we have no relationship to, no matter how beautiful.

An evening like this would not be complete without the communal singing accompanied by Nelda Straka on the accordion. It feels so good to be able to outflow some of the pent up sentiments in song together.

This night there were only two small children who were given a gift by St. Nick, according to our customs, a little boy and a little girl, who loves teddy bears. She went home with two of my own collection, Hansel and Gretel, which I happened to have in my handbag.

Before the evening was out Joe Ebner’s famous Goulash soup and Salzstangerl transported the people into culinary heaven. Viennese coffee and hot chocolate were also available. There were nothing but smiling faces everywhere.

But here was yet one more tradition to dispense with. Every year the society makes a gift of money to SOS Kinderdorf Kanada. It is a charity founded in Austria to help displaced children and dear to Austrians everywhere.

This evening new memories were forged and old ones were recounted, putting us in the mood for more reflection of what is important in life.

Have a very merry Christmas one and all!

Sybille Forster-Rentmeister

Kinderbescherung at the Danube Swabian Club