Description
Diplomatic relations between Serbia and Canada were formally established only in 1941, but today a large and influential Serbian community has been present in this North American country since the end of the 19th century.
One of the most prominent residents of Canada of Serbian origin, Milomir Glavčić, a native of the village of Pope near Jošanička Banja, the Canadian with the longest residential address in Niagara Falls, is celebrating his hundredth birthday this year.
Born on 6 December, 1924, he spent his childhood and youth in pre-war Yugoslavia in misery and poverty. After the end of the Second World War, he settled in Canada, where, through hard and thoughtful work, he managed to acquire wealth for himself and others.
Milomir Glavčić is a true member of the world of humanity and philanthropy. He helped people regardless of religion and nation. In Canada, he invested considerable funds for the construction of a church and a hospital in Niagara Falls, and in his native Serbia, he helped build a bridge over the Ibar in Kraljevo, which not only connected the banks of this river, but also two countries – Canada and Serbia, and today the cities of friends – Kraljevo and Niagara Falls, as evidenced by the markings on this building.
He also financed the construction of churches, kindergartens, centres of culture, library buildings, asphalting of roads, and renovation of elementary schools. He donated medical devices and ambulances to hospitals in Kraljevo and Raška. He helped, and continues to help, both close and distant relatives, but also hundreds of unknown families. In Serbia, his charity is kept from being forgotten. Streets, a boulevard, a kindergarten, and a cultural centre are named after him in the area of the Raški district. He is the winner of numerous awards, as well as the highest state and church awards. In Canada, as a sign of respect, on his 99th birthday, Niagara Falls were painted with the colours of the Serbian flag.
Thanks to Milomir Glavčić, in 2015 the first Serbian–Canadian Friendship Charter in modern history was signed, which is a significant step in the improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in terms of cultural exchange and economic cooperation and investments.
Artistic realization of the issue: Boban Savić MA, academic painter
