SIXTY-YEAR-OLD MAN - ONE OF THE YOUNGEST SERBIAN RETURNEES

LIVNO, OCTOBER 29 /SRNA/ - Sixty-year-old Živko Vukovljak, one of the youngest returnees to the Serbian village of Gubin near Livno, says that the people of Gubin who spend the winter here below Mountain Dinara can be counted on the fingers of one hand, adding that he has no salary, no pension, no help from the local and federal authorities, but that thanks to his good health, he can provide the basics of life through work.

Vukovljak, who returned to his native Gubin twenty years ago, says that there is no waterworks in the village, no mobile phone network in some parts, no public transportation, no outpatient clinic, and no store. "In the summer, our village comes to life. Everyone comes to the land of their ancestors, where they restore their ancestral properties and spend annual vacations," says Vukovljak, who lives alone at the end of the village. He says that a parish home is being built in the yard of the Church of Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God, exclusively with the contributions of good people. "The parish home will be a gathering place, not only for us from Gubin but also from the surrounding villages. Our parishioners will be able to spend the night there and visit the graves of their ancestors, and the destroyed homes. Simply, 'Laza Konak' is more than just a residential building. It is being built out of great love," Vukovljak pointed out. According to him, the last child was born in the village three decades ago, and today only old people live in Gubin. In the villages below Mountain Dinara, Vukovljak is affectionately called Žiža and he is well known for his cheerful spirit and love for his native land.