Autumn is harvesting its fruits, so in a few lines we offer you a retrospective of the events in the life of PETRO AQUA Association.
As in every spring, in keeping with tradition, before the Catholic Easter, Bolii Cave hosts the Way of the Cross.
The architect of this significant moment preceding the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is Csaba Boyte, a Franciscan monk, writer and social activist, founder and director of the Deva-based St. Francis Foundation. The monk is known as the savior of Transylvanian children, more than 2300 in care and protection in more than 65 localities in Transylvania. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
The procession, which I mentioned earlier, depicts the Way of Sorrows, traveled by the Savior to Golgotha, staged with the help of children from the Foundation.
Moreover, at the Cave of the Sickness, the members of the Association opened their doors and hearts to the socially disadvantaged children, offering them small joys: sweets, cups of flavored tea, interwoven with interesting stories, legends of the place and viewing photos from the Association’s gallery.
In the same context of good collaboration, between the Association and the Foundation of the distinguished friend Boyte Csaba, a soul action followed.
Knowing our concerns and the Association’s mission related to the revival of an old basic craft in the riverside areas of the Mureș and other rivers, the rafter, Mr. Boyte expressed his desire to launch, for children from family settlements, in difficulty, a camp, on the Mureș river, including a rafting down the river, so that the mayor of Alba Iulia Gabriel Pleșa, a man with a big heart, spiritually and materially supported the organization of the camp, but also the rafting of logs, reproduced exactly according to the model of 2000 for years, from the Bulci area to the Inn with Storks. A successful recipe, to the delight of the children, delighted by the prepared surprise.
Next to the mayor of the municipality was Mr. Nicolae Oancea, the manager of the Stork Inn, who meanwhile became a member of the Association, for the support and dedication given over time, in different stages of the projects that the Association has carried out and has in plan.
The photos belong to the colleague Şerb Ionel present at the scene of the “deed”.
In the summer of 2024, more precisely from July 29 to August 4, the first international floating camp for youth was launched in the city of Magdeburg-Germany.
Organizers of internationalrafterscamp2024: Petro Aqua, Mariborski Flosarji Gauja River Rafters, Fameja dei Zatèr e Menadàs de la Piave, Nabateros del Sobrarbe Raiers, Pobla Raier Nargo, Elbe Rafters
The camp benefited from financial support through the Erasmus program.
International rafting camp and raft trip on the Elbe organized by Dr. Frank Thiel, President of the International Rafting Association and Elbe Rafting People Magdeburg. They host the International Rafting Camp 2024 in Magdeburg. In addition to the hosts Germany, participants from Slovenia, Romania, Spain, Latvia and Italy built a stable raft. The patron of the rafting camp is Minister of State Sven Schulze.
The raft trip took place on the Elbe from the south of Magdeburg, past the cathedral and Petriförder to the harbor. A great experience that attracted many spectators. The length of the route covered was 16 km.
Mr. Frank Thiel’s Farewell Speech
The international rafting camp in Magdeburg has ended.
It was one of the best weeks of my life!
Living our passion, rafting, together with experienced young people from Romania, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Latvia and Germany was and remains something very special.
Our project partner, PetroAqua, was fully committed, and board member Dorin Iancu was able to see for himself how the project is being implemented. IATR Vice President Jaroslav Camplík and IATR Honorary Member Josef Bilek from Vltavan Davle as well as German Rafting Association President Martin Spreng also visited the camp.
In any case, I look forward to our next meeting with everyone involved!
Thanks to everyone who supported and took care of the camp: Elbeflößer, the water sports club Buckau Fermersleben e. V. in FSV e. V. Magdeburg, especially Holger Beierke and harbor master Harry Lattey, Sabrina and her team from ” Bootshaus am Yachthafen, Klötze forestry department, Elbe waterway transport office, public order office and lower nature conservation authority of the state capital Magdeburg, Öhmi -Service, Magdeburger Hafen GmbH, timber carrier Hoffmann, local history association Beyendorf-Sohlen, Tourist Information Magdeburg, Schrader Agrardienste, “Mückenwirt”, sailing club Sturmvogel, Biber-Touristik, MrJack Design, construction company Jörg Paetz, EKM for evangelical youth and of course our patron, Minister of Economy Sven Schulze and MWU Saxony-Anhalt. And none of this would have been possible without work and life in Saxony-Anhalt!
A great team around Benjamin Gehne and project manager Tilo Garlipp – “always happy” as they say.
A special thanks for the public relations work goes to MDR Sachsen-Anhalt, MDF.1, Offener Kanal Magdeburg, radio SAW, Volksstimme.de, DPA, amateur film makers from the Cultural and Local History Association Magdeburg.
Without financial support through the ERASMUS program, such a project would be unthinkable, thank YOU!
An important point in the Association’s activity and for the definition of the ways to be followed in order to enroll Romanian woodworking in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was the trip to Ciocănești – a representative area for Romanian woodworking. A delegation of the Petro Aqua Association from Petroșani and Alba Iulia traveled to beautiful Bucovina.
Invited to this event was the representative of Romania at UNESCO, Prof. Dr. Ioana Otilia Baskerville, principal scientific researcher, gr. II at the Romanian Academy, Iași branch, with experience in making files for the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.Together with the mayor of the commune, Mr. Ciocan, as well as the former mayor, Tomoiagă, the steps to be taken to achieve this goal were set.
Similar measures will follow on the Olt, Someș, Crișuri rivers, where there were floating villages.
By virtue of some concerns for the history of the places, the Association is working intensively on the creation of a museum, in a location that is undergoing renovation – the CFR Canton – in the area of the Bolii Cave.