Merits and Honour

Long before the start of the rally of front-rank workers of the national economy, employees of the joint-stock company "Lepel MCC" visited the district House of Culture. Road workers and builders appeared after them... Later, villagers arrived – it was a long way. Cars were left with cheerful hubbub and jokes. An uplifted mood was felt.
-- The camera won't have enough memory to photograph all of us, -- joked Alexander Leyko, a machine operator of the agricultural branch "Zaazerye".

Some stayed outside to take photos, others hurried to the cloakroom to undress or to the buffet to buy city delicacies.

The rally began unconventionally. The audience was offered a lyrical musical story "Once More About Love". The nostalgic plot, accompanied by thematic songs and dances, captivated the viewers so much that the hall fell silent, holding its breath, afraid to disturb the action taking place on stage. And the plot was as follows. A talented cultural worker, the head of the club of the collective farm "Svetly Shlyakh" with its center in the village of Yundzilauka, gathered talented rural youth for a district amateur art competition. The action took place against the backdrop of collective farm life in the 1960s-1970s. Mischievous village girls, a bird-like singer, a strict farm chairman, a local speculator, a tricky saleswoman, a stern manager of the rural consumer cooperative, the chairman's sweetheart – the collective farm cashier, a young conscript, a car-less senior driver-stableman, a sailor on leave... Each new character appeared on stage from the hall and performed a corresponding song: the driver – a driver's song, young villagers met the sailor with the song "A Young Sailor is Going on Leave". In short, the nostalgic hits of youth stirred the hearts of most viewers and lifted their spirits. I looked at my watch, fearing that relentless time would finally lead to the end of the musical love story. But I wanted to watch it endlessly.

If I had asked anyone present to evaluate the production, I would have heard a positive response. But perhaps it wouldn't have been sincere. Therefore, I allowed myself to secretly eavesdrop on a comment not intended for the press. After the show, Grigory Stosh said to his neighbors:
-- I listened to all the old songs with pleasure!

This is the best assessment of the creativity of director Alena Dabridneva and the district artists.

* * *
The Chairman of the District Executive Committee, Pyotr Shykshnian, congratulated the attendees on their work achievements and briefly characterised the socio-economic development of the district. The annual industrial output amounted to 132 percent of the previous year, with 121 percent of consumer goods produced. Goods worth 213 billion rubles were sold to the population. 17,972 square meters of housing were commissioned. 117,038 million rubles of investment were directed towards the development of the economy and social sphere, which is 103 percent of the previous year. Among the industrial enterprises and organisations, the "Lepel" branch of the closed joint-stock company "Vitebskagropromproduct" achieved the best results, increasing its production volumes by 2.8 times compared to 2009. The collectives of "Lepel PMS" and the district consumer society also achieved good results. Vladimir Aksyonovich, Director of the communal unitary production enterprise "Borovka", was recognised as the best manager.

The gross agricultural output amounted to 110 percent of the previous year. The open joint-stock company "Chareyshchina" and the "Drazhna" branch of the closed joint-stock company "Vitebskagropromproduct" achieved the greatest growth. The "Zaazerye" branch was recognised as the winner in the cultivation and sale of grain to the state, OJSC "Chareyshchina" for potatoes, SVP "Prazhektor" for fodder procurement, OJSC "Ladna" for milk yield and sale, and the "Drazhna" branch for meat cultivation and sale. The "Staroe Ladna" MFT was recognised as the best farm.

The heads of the winning enterprises and the best workers were called onto the stage one after another. Pyotr Shykshnian presented them with Certificates of Honour and cash prizes, wishing them further work success. Nina Vysokikh, a dough maker at the bread factory, Georgy Malchevsky, a driver at DBU No. 34, Yuri Tukhta, a fitter at PMS, Alexander Buinitsky, a tractor driver at SVF "Zaazerye", Nina Taran, a calf tender at OJSC "Ladna", Galina Remonenko, a pig breeder at the "Drazhna" branch, and others, smiled sincerely...

The sponsors were also not overlooked. OJSC "Lepel Flax Mill" received a Certificate of Honour and a prize of 10 base units, while Denis Borovik, a student of the agricultural technical college, and Alexey Lyashuk, a student of the vocational lyceum, received five base units each.

After the event, the director of the "Lepel" branch, Igor Taran, was asked how the enterprise managed to increase production over the year.m of feed by 2.8 times.
-- Last year, we modernized the production processes, -- the head briefly replied. -- The new mechanisms did their job.

Vladimir SHUSHKevich
Photo by the author