• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• According to communist propaganda, only rich people could attend university in the West. They told us many lies, trying to convince us that Socialism was superior to Capitalism. Constant propaganda brainwashed citizens in believing that the West was an evil imperialist empire. History has told a different story. Either way, the borders were essentially closed to the public, except for a select few who were allowed to travel and see the real picture with their own eyes. This included politicians and top athletes. Communist leaders told us that they were protecting our borders from the evil capitalists. But the ongoing joke was asking why border guns were facing their own citizens, and not the enemy.
• The younger generation believed much of what was told to them. When you grow up seeing, hearing, and reading propaganda, you believe it. Especially when you don’t know any different. Most citizens didn’t have any idea what the West was like. When we finally immigrated to Canada in 1969, our stories filtered back to family and friends in Czechoslovakia. The Canadian government offered us English language courses for free, and financial help get us on our own feet. We bought a cheap camera and took pictures among the fruit stands of a grocery store, to show our parents we weren’t starving. In those days our friends and family had to line up for toilet paper, potatoes, bread and other daily necessities. Store shelves in Eastern Europe were practically empty. Once in Canada, our eyes finally opened to the success of democracy and freedom. It was hard for the Communists to keep that a secret.
• Dusil
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• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• I loved animals from the moment I was born. At least that’s what my mother told everyone. Anything on four legs fascinated me. When the circus arrived to my town of Košice, Slovakia, I was the first to run to the park. I watched with longing as the circus performers did their chores, wanting to be part of their daily routine. Other children rushed to see as the circus unfolded. My little heart trembled in the hopes that someone would call out, “Hey, you… Yes you… Come over here and help us!”
• The big moment arrived when they opened to the public and I could finally see the animals. I never had money to buy a ticket, but somehow I always managed to sneak in without being noticed. This was the place of my dreams. It was where I belonged. I loved the smell of horses, monkeys, and the wild cats. The smell of hay was the sweetest smell and remains so till this day. In the morning they would feed the lions and tigers and clean the beautiful Lipizzaner horses. The monkeys screeched as I walked by their cages. There was excitement in the air. I was in heaven.
• Finally the day arrived when my mother took me to the circus. It was a moment of great anticipation. With the little money we had I didn’t experience many circus performances, but this one was magnificent. Since I was a lively child it was difficult to keep me seated for long. I was ready to disappear into the stables at any moment. Nobody could stop me from going to see the horses. All I wanted was to caress and talk to them. I had no fear. I would hug them, blow gently on their nose, touch them as far as I could reach and watch those beautiful dark eyes as they followed me. I was one with them and never wanted to leave.
• Mamička
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• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• When I was accepted at the University of Guelph to attend the Ontario Veterinary College, my mother had settled down with the assurance that I would finally finish my studies. It was my promise to her before we left Košice. Within a relatively short time I made friends in the dormitory. I was surprised how dedicated my classmates were to their studies. It was in stark contrast to the college in my home town, where few students would attend lectures. The atmosphere in Guelph was very collaborative, and everyone was ambitious. Students took their studies seriously. They knew that studying hard was for a better future. I realized how lucky I was that I was accepted into the program. My colleagues explained to me that the University of Guelph was one of the most sought after schools, and one of the hardest to get in.
• At the time, there were only two other universities offering veterinary degrees: Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and the Université de Montréal, Quebec. Candidates were admitted to the program based on their scholastic achievements – not based on knowing the right person in high ranking positions, as was the practice in Czechoslovakia. Competition into the college was fierce. Moreover, in those days less than 10% of the students were girls. Once I graduated I felt that a new phase in my life had begun. I was in a new country, speaking a new language, and part of a new economic and political ideology. I would finally become what I dreamed of since I was a child – to cure animals.
• Dusil
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• Throughout the 1960’s, both the men’s and women’s judo teams in Košice were far more cohesive than the opposition. During competition they routed for each teammate with far more enthusiasm and passion. It was partially due to their deep routed friendships. Perhaps it was also due to the financial and physical hardships they shared. The team members spent a lot of time on trains – Košice is situated at the extreme East of Slovakia (Czechoslovakia at the time). So traveling from Košice to any tournament was lengthy and taxing. A trip to Prague was over 700 km and took over 11 hours. They would typically travel on overnight trains, and compete the day they arrived. A sleeping car was out of the question, because it was too expensive. An overnight train meant sitting on benches in a cabin that would hold up to eight people. The judoka learned to sleep on overhead luggage racks, or in creative places where there was a chance to stretch out. Friendships survived decades, including post-emigration, and continue to be strong today. Members often participated in many extra-curricular activities, such as hikes, camping, or going to the movies. Many teammates were best friends – Karol Dusil, Pepo Vosecky, and Igor Fridrich were closest to my dad.
• Lokomotíva Košice was the rail company’s sport club. In the communist system, state factories sponsored various sporting sectors. So Lokomotíva had a sports organization spanning over 20 “oddiels” (translated as “sections” or “divisions”) – these oddiels were in judo, wrestling, boxing, European football, handball, basketball, etc. One perk for the judoka was relatively cheap travel costs. For instance, an express train ticket from Košice to Prague in the 1960’s would cost only 20 Czechoslovakian Koruna (around $1 American dollar in today’s exchange rate). That same retail ticket today costs €54 ($76 US$).
• Košice Judo
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• My dad tried his hand at boxing before seriously taking up judo. When I was a kid I remember watching Mohammad Ali on television, with my dad growing up. I also had the privilege to accompany my dad to the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Ontario, Canada. We attending judo and boxing events. I later learned that Larry Holmes had fought in one of them.
• 4 minutes 46 seconds
60 – Košice · Igor Fridrich, Miro Brozek, Juraj Mazanek, Berco Allman, Vaclav Dusil, Adolf Kostrian, Jozef Lemak, Šterc, Jozef Arvay, Csaba Kende, Pepo Vosecky
Article – Judisti Lokomotívy Košice nepostúpili
• 4 minutes 13 seconds
62 – Košice · Juraj Bialko, Edo Novak, Csaba Kende, Igor Fridrich, Joe Nalevanko, Vaclav Dusil
• This is the men’s Lokomotiva Košice team. In one tournament, Edo Novak scored a spectacular Ippon against the Czechoslovakian Champion Norbert Pomp using a Ura Nage judo throw.
• 5 minutes 50 seconds
63 – Košice · Honorary Trophy by the City of Košice
• Standing (left to right) – Karol Dusil, Edo Novak, Csaba Kende, Mr. Gonda (secretary of the Lokomotiva Košice Sport Club), Ing. Robert Binder, Pavel Petrivalsky, Juraj Bialko, Dusan Halasz • Lower row (left to right) – Robert Dusil, Vaclav Dusil, & Joe Nalevanko
• Robert Binder was the founder of Slovak Judo in Bratislava in 1954. According to my uncle, he was a fantastic person and a great help to Lokomotiva Košice, and in the development of Košice judo. He “belted” my uncle from yellow to brown. Joe Nalevanko coached Slavia Košice, the second Košice Judo team, consisting of mainly engineering students, but Lokomotiva Košice also retained him.
• In 1965 my dad, Pepo Vosecky, Igor Fridrich, Vlado Makovsky and Stefan Bartus went to Split, Croatia (Yugoslavia at the time). They attended a judo tournament, competing in both individual matches, and five-member team competitions. In the spring of 1967 Lokomotíva Košice men’s team went to Leipzig, East Germany for another judo tournament and a reciprocal tournament was held later that year in Košice.
• Documents & Articles
Article – Šikovní chlapiArticle – Noví majstri v judoArticle – Najlepší oddiel Lokomotívy Košice Judo
• Tags
Adolf Kostrian, Andrej Collak, Anna Collakova, Berco Allman, Csaba Kende, Czechoslovakia, Darina Poprenakova, Digital Restoration, Dusan Halasz, dusil.com, Edo Novak, Gabriel Dusil, Hluchan, Igor Fridrich, Ivan Spisak, Janosik Bastam, Joe Nalevanko, Jozef Arvay, Jozef Grusecky, Jozko Lemak, Julia Tothova, Juraj Bialko, Juraj Mazanek, Karol Dusil, Košice, Ladislav Kende, Lokomotiva Košice, Maria Collakova-Korytkova, Michal Korytko, Miro Brozek, Nyarjas, Orendas, Pavel Petrivalsky, Pepo Vosecky, Pista Oravec, Pozemné Stavby, Robert Binder, Robert Dusil, Sano Drabcak, Slavia Košice, Slavia Žilina, Slavo Sykorsky, Slezan Opava, Slovak Judo, Stefan Bartus, Ura Nage, Vaclav Dusil, Vašek Dusil, Vinohrady Bratislava, Vlado Babilonsky, Vojtech Agyagos
• After graduating from university I treated myself by visited my friend Robert Fridrich in Prague. He had arrived two years earlier to teach English. By the time I visited in June of 1991 he was starting Mac Source, an Apple reseller business with two partners, Tony Hasek and Glen Emery. I witnessed how the market was developing and the opportunities to make a fresh start. My challenge as a fresh graduate was entering the workforce in the middle of a North American recession. After struggling for over a year to get my career off the ground, I gave up on Canada decided to move to Europe. I arrived in Prague on the 21st of September 1993. Although I was grateful for my Canadian education, I ran out of patience and became apprehensive of the fact that my brain capacity was in perpetual state of decay. Besides, I saw the move as an opportunity to reconnect with my cultural roots. At twenty five I was ready for a tangential change to my life.
• Success is often defined by “time and place”. In 1993 I felt I had arrived late to the Czech Republic. In hindsight it was perfect timing. I was confident, ambitious, and brash, but had little experience in corporate business. I remember what Rob asked me, driving home after picking me up from the airport, “So what do you think you’re going to do here?” Clenching my teeth I said , “I’ll get a job.”
Chapters
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• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 October
• Our family struggled financially throughout my youth. My father was paid very poorly as an appraiser of antique books – somewhere around 800 Czechoslovakian korunas per month (equivalent to 33 US$ at today’s exchange rate). My mother earned around 1200 korunas (49 US$) per month as a clerk. As a child I didn’t feel our financial struggle. I even managed to have a happy childhood. Looking back, even though the entire country was poor (in Western terms), I think we were poorer than the average. We lived from salary to salary and frequently my parents fell behind. I remember one day my mother didn’t receive her salary on time and we had nothing to eat. She scraped together some old leftover cottage cheese and mixed it with flour to make dumplings. It was very good.
• Growing up, my parents were very strict. My mom kept an eye on me and punished me if I didn’t do well in school. She consulted with the teachers when I misbehaved, and that kept me in line. I was repeatedly told that I would do better if I applied myself. Throughout high school I was an average student. I really came to my senses once I decided to attend university, and study veterinary medicine. Finally I was studying what I enjoyed. In my first year I met Vašek Dusil, who was in his fifth year of veterinary studies at the time. When we started dating he insisted that I regularly go to lectures, even though they weren’t compulsory. Out of 120 students in the class, less than 10% attended lectures. I came to realize it was good to be seen by the professors who later tested us, since all the exams were verbal. I was among the first in my class to complete and pass my exams. I finished four years of university in Košice before we emigrated to Canada. Once there I completed my veterinary studies at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph.
• Dusil
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69.Apr – Košice · Gabriel Dusil (sleeping)69.Oct – Paris · Gabriel Dusil (on the ground)69.Oct – Paris · Gabriel Dusil (park bench & toy)69.Sep – Košice · Gabriel Dusil (my 1st birthday cake)69.Sep – Košice · Gabriel Dusil (touching 1st birthday cake)70 – Toronto · Gabriel Dusil (Leslie St., bowling)70.Sep.18 – Toronto · Gabriel Dusil (birthday cake)70.Sep.18 – Toronto · Gabriel Dusil (glass grapes)71 – Brampton · Gabriel Dusil (Jack & Jill Nursery)71 – Montreal · Gabriel Dusil (Slavo’s flat, statue)
• All three Dusil brothers were active in Košice judo until they emigrated in 1968 and 1969. Two years after our arrival my uncle and his family moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and began training at the Kawasaki’s Rendokan Judo Academy. We moved to Burlington in 1973 and my father joined him, to train under Sensei Kawasaki. Mitchell Kawasaki was a elite athlete, representing Canada in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in Greco-Roman wrestling. I also trained at the Rendokan Academy with my cousin Roman, but we mainly fooled around at the back of the dojo for most of the session.
• When I turned fifteen I decided to take up martial arts again. My attraction was to the striking disciplines rather than grappling, so I decided to try Karate. It just so happened that my mother’s painting instructor’s husband, Ray Davis, was a Shotokan Karate (松濤館) Sensei. He held a fifth dan black belt at the time. On my first day Sensei Davis gave me a personal lesson. That was uncommon, since normally a blue or brown belt would teach a beginner on their first day. I was hooked from the start. After four years I graded for my black belt in my final year of high school. My training continued throughout university.
• In my final year of university studies I met Jim Flood, a world champion martial artist, also with a background in Karate. He had recently opened his own club. For the next two years I trained at Floods Positive Impact Martial Arts in Hamilton. I taught children and adult classes as well. It was the best training facility in the region. Tuesday were memorable because Jim would invite black belts from any school, to come and spar for free. In the early 90’s before Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) began, it was a unique chance for us to learn from different styles. It was a positive and motivational atmosphere. Jim had us check our egos at the door.
• Judo
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• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• I began my university studies in Košice, Slovakia in September of 1965. There were three other girls in the program. None of them finished. In fact of the 120 students that started only 40 became veterinarians. Those that dropped out either couldn’t handle the curriculum or realized they enrolled in the wrong profession. From 8:00 in the morning until 17:00 I was busy attending lectures and labs.
• When I continued my studies in Canada, I realized the contrast in the educational practices between the East and West. I came from a teaching system of intimidation. I initially believed that I was accepted into the Canadian education system so they could show how little an “Easterner” knew – after being humiliated they would kick me out of the program. In time I realized that wasn’t the case. The objective in Guelph was to teach the students – surprise surprise – and help them become great veterinarians. I soon became a proud student and felt that I was a member of an important establishment. The teaching staff were colleagues as well as friends. They didn’t posture as senior educators, acting pompous or patronizing to the students. That regime was now behind me. In Guelph the lectures were comprehensive and geared toward teaching techniques that were relevant in real practice. I realized that as a student of higher education I could be a progressive force in society, and a positive instigator of change. I graduated two years later. During my time at Guelph I made many friends with the students and teaching staff. I found them to be decent, hardworking, and ambitious. I learned what it meant to be Canadian.
• I lived in residence during the week and came home most weekends. Trips to Brampton on Friday afternoons were filled with anticipation, to see my son, Gabriel. He attended Jack and Jill nursery school until 17:00. Then he had a babysitter until 20:00 when Vašek came home from work. These were difficult times for all of us.
• Mamička
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73.Jun – Guelph · Eva Dusil (University of Guelph, graduation photo)
73.Jun – Guelph · Eva Dusil (University of Guelph, graduation alternate photo)
73.Jun – Guelph · Eva Dusil (University of Guelph, graduation, class photo)73.Jan – Guelph · Eva Dusil (College of Veterinary Medicine, graduation class)73.Jun – Guelph · Eva Dusil (College of Veterinary Medicine, graduation, convocation program)
73.Jun – Guelph · Eva Dusil (College of Veterinary Medicine, graduation, lawn)73.Jun – Guelph · Eva Dusil (College of Veterinary Medicine, graduation, waiting)73.Jun – Guelph · Eva Dusil (College of Veterinary Medicine, graduation, certificate)73.Jun – Guelph · Eva Dusil (College of Veterinary Medicine, graduation, Dr. Hans Selye)73.Jun – Guelph · Eva Dusil (College of Veterinary Medicine, graduation, Dr. Hans Selye w. Vaclav & Gabriel)
• Postscript by Eva Dusil • 2014 November • This is an important photo with Dr. Hans Selye, the author of Stress without Distress. I heard of him when I was a young girl from my father. He is a graduate of Charles University in Prague. Dr. Selye spoke several languages including Hungarian. In 1968 he was honored with the Companion of the Order of Canada – the highest decoration award, in Canada. I am very proud of this photo with him.
• As huge as he was, Cezar was a gentle giant. He never bit any of us. Cezar even made futile attempts to play with our cats but was abundantly clear that – when push came to shove – he was terrified of claws. I loved our first cat Puci, but I was a bad guardian. As a toddler I wasn’t versed in the etiquette of looking after animals. To keep my toddler brain amused I tortured him endlessly. In one horrifying incident, I piled every single pillow I could find in the house, on top of him. When I eventually removed them one by one and couldn’t find him. Suddenly my mischief changed to terror, regretting that something had happened to my cat. It was one of those moments when the consequences of my actions slapped me in the face. As I scrambled to find Puci I saw him licking his wounds in the hallway. To my relief somehow he slipped out without me noticing.
• My most regretful moment was when a friend came to visit and I had this brilliant idea to impress him by dropping Puci off our first floor landing to the ground floor! “Cat’s can survive when they fall from a high distance” I said with conviction. Certainly not a proud moment. Thankfully he survived and wasn’t seriously injured. When Puci didn’t come home one day, I blamed myself. I felt that he no longer wanted to endure any more of my abuse. That realization had a lasting effect on my behavior towards our future pets.
• I cleaned up my act when we got Nuri, our second cat. He was named after the Soviet-born ballet dancer, Rudolf Nureyev. I vowed to be good to Nuri and never hurt him. He was a strong cat. Definitely an alpha male, and Cezar didn’t mess with him. In fact Cezar didn’t mess with any creature as small as a tenth his stature.
• Dusil
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Gabriel Dusil • Time Is Relentless 