Dragan Zaklan was a shepherd boy who arrived in Vancouver in the
year 1911. He was born in Lika, Korenica, (Military Region) in 1893. At
that time Lika was within the territory of Croatia, a region under the
jurisdiction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, whose Habsburg dy-
nasty emanated from Vienna and Budapest.
Most of the South Slavs were orthodox Serbs (orthodox Christians).
Tragically, the South Slavs became a splintered society. The Austrian
dynasty pursued a standard imperial policy of encouraging dissension
within their conquered lands. They coerced (rewarded or punished)
orthodox Serbs to force a change of their faith. Their newly catholi-
cized adherents (Ustasha) were nurtured to become intolerant and
often vicious attacking those who chose to continue their orthodox
faith. The Ustasha organization was universally regarded as brutal.
By way of background, the people of Military Region (Vojna Kra-
jina) were given special designation by the Habsburg emperor Leo-
pold. They were invited, en mass, to settle this military frontier in
order to defend the region from Ottoman Moslem banditry and in-
cursions. As reward, they were granted special status by the emperor.
Their language, laws, religion were thus guaranteed. Their added role
was to provide the Empire with professional soldiers. These soldiers
were more less trained ’shock’ troops. When the battle reached critical
stage, these troops were expected to turn defeat into victory. They had
a well-deserved reputation. They had achieved a military legacy. In-
terestingly, many of my American relatives had made the military life
their profession.
Both quality of life and security under the Habsburgs, were de-
manding and affected stability. They were also referred to as ‘granicars’
(monitors of the frontier).
Although Dad’s village was located close to the birthplace of Nikola
Tesla (One of the most significant intellects of the modern world), yet
Dad, as so many of his villagers, was deliberately denied the benefits of
educational enlightenment. Regardless, this region produced a pleth-
ora high profile alumni. In addition to Tesla, there was the famous
Field Marshal Borojevic (Top strategist of WW1, General Bogdanovic
(Napoleon’s opponent), Many generals (some with the Zaklan name –
the list also included doctors, statesmen and educators.
As an illiterate shepherd boy, dad found passage to New York and
the entrained to Chicago to join his brothers Tode and Mican, both of
whom had found work building new railway lines. Theirs was a typical
story working as navies in building the new nation’s transportation,
all the while sending remittances to their homeland families. They did
not forget their roots
By the 1913. Dad’s two brothers, Tode and Mican, returned to
Serbia, where they were immediately involved in the Balkan Wars.
Both sustained serious injuries. Like so many of their countrymen,
they had become part of a huge migration to the newly industrializing,
America. New York, Chicago, Cleveland was a typical destination on
their itinerary.
Many returned to their home in Military Region, relating their
new experiences. With their ‘windfall’ monies, they made impressive
purchases, thus triggering significant excitement amongst the more
adventurous villagers.
It was not long before dad joined this exodus. Later, via New York
and Chicago, (a major Yugoslav destination, he came to Vancouver in
1913. A year later, the First War began.
Dad had enlisted in the Canadian Army but was subsequently re-
jected because he was classified as an “alien” since he was still an Aus-
trian by citizenship. He was accepted into the Vancouver Department
but again he was suspended because he was categorized an “alien”. He
then found work at the huge sugar refinery in Vancouver. He enjoyed
his Vancouver bachelor life.
In l929, Mom arrived in Vancouver. Mom was from Zumberak,
a widow and she joined her married older sister, Tonika, who had a
boarding house and Mom came to help. There she met Dad, an eligible
bachelor. There was a chemistry and they decided to marry.

Life on the farm in Surrey
Purely, by chance, Dad had acquired, sight unseen, some Surrey prop-
erty. At that time, Surrey’s population was sparse. Roads were few,
trails were common. There was one local rail line connecting Van-
couver to Chilliwack and it passed through Surrey. When transpor-
tation is weak, distance is indeed greater. No one could have guessed
the forthcoming developmental changes. Upon first seeing this remote
and empty property, Mom immediately began to persuade Dad to
build and move. She wanted to raise her children on a farm. That was
important to her. Dad was reluctant, Mom was determined and the
rest ‘was history’. Dad was a Licanien, as such preferred social inter-
action, fine clothes, a little whiskey, some gambling and urban condi-
tions. His interest in gardening, milking cows, fencing, hay meadows,
tending chickens did not fit in with his ‘hero-conceptual’ background.
But Mom made certain that he had ample opportunity to visit his Van-
couver friends, to dress well and to frequent good restaurants. It was a
workable arrangement.
So our family went on to enjoy continual residence on this farm
property for a century. We were amongst the first to arrive and to look
as if we would be the last to depart. We were witness to extraordinary
sociological changes – in every field. Surrey was transformed from a
primitive, isolated subsistence farming, and a sprinkling of Aborig-
ines, to the current modern urbanization. Our property value went
from the initial ten dollars and acre to the current three million. (Some
change can be attributed to inflation- but mostly the rule of supply/
demand prevailed.
Our road, (132 St.), initially called Roebuck, had had a huge number
of Jugoslavs. They were compatible, worked well together, socialized
and helped each other when larger project required many hands.
Yugoslavs had been subordinated residents within the Austro-
Hungarian Empires. Imperial policy did not encourage subservients
to receive education or be decision makers or to be enlightened. (For
special reasons, Nikola Tesla was a unique exception). Dad’s villagers
clearly demonstrated inherent ability, yet rarely had access to schools.
As an example, Dad never attended any school of any kind. Mom had
four years and attended only during the warmer seasons. Yet they
seem to have possessed enough ‘village smarts’ to survive quite well.
Interestingly, my continual educational involvement never seemed to
interfere with my relationship with them. They seemed to adjust read-
ily to my academic/social changes.
Most domestic social conversations tended to deal with family,
friends, farming, community, childhood memories, and ‘old country’
reminiscences. Since the skill level of the immigrant was marginal as
was their academic, they often were the last to be hired, the first to lose
their jobs while receiving a modest pay. But because they were perse-
vering and diligent workers, they usually remained on job.
Mostly, this social group shared subordinated social roles -serving
foreign empires – so they tended to be somewhat paranoid toward au-
thority. Some of our Surrey neighbours were English. (This country
had been conquered by them and their people tended to receive better
jobs, have finer homes and enjoyed a superior life style). They were
Surrey’s gauleiters. Consequently, many had an ambivalent attitude
toward them. On one hand, there was a measure of subservience. On
the other, suspicion. The English were referred to a ‘chuvars’ (someone
who invigilates and informs. But it was in school, that the immigrant
began to establish a stronger role. They tended to have few problems
with competing. Our genetics were qualitative; we learned to be suc-
cessfully competitive. Some of Surrey’s finest students were of Balkan
stock. Of course, their strong work ethic helped.
Surrey was an empty frontier. The roads were dirt and gravel, open
ditches. The neighbours were distant. Electricity, tap water, furnaces,
indoor plumbing were just beginning to appear. Schools were distant.
Teachers were marginal, a paucity of libraries, and three small high
schools that served the needs of the entire municipality. Social con-
ditions were such that little education beyond elementary school was
considered meaningful. One needed neither Shakespeare nor algebra
to split wood, milk cows or to hoe the garden.
Dad’s (Dan Zaklan’s) family was amongst the first of our com-
munity’s Yugoslav settlers. Some thirty families settled, largely along