Kollar Confers J.M. Hurban Award on Feldek, Sabaka, Neuwirth, Hegerova

Bratislava, September 16 (TASR) – Parliamentary Chair Boris Kollar (We Are Family) has conferred on Thursday at Bratislava Castle the Jozef Miloslav Hurban State Award on writer Lubomir Feldek, doctor Peter Sabaka, doctor and politician Anton Neuwirth in memoriam, singer Hana Hegerova in memoriam and collectively on the White Legion representatives Anton Tunega, Albert Pucik and Eduard Tesar in memoriam, TASR learnt on the same day.

In his speech, Kollar praised the lives of the laureates, describing Tunega, Pucik and Tesar as “fearless boys” who set out to fight for freedom, democracy and national freedom against the oncoming communism. The parliamentary chair further stated that Neuwirth was a doctor who never succumbed to fate and was a righteous man. He also praised Sabaka, a doctor in the front line of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. According to Kollar, the word of “Master Feldek” is smooth with the tenderness and the number of shades of meaning that it hides in it. Slovak chanson singer Hana Hegerova is the first woman to be granted the J.M. Hurban Award. “The laureates deserve our thanks and admiration for their determination and courage to fight injustice and fight for the people or for a better country,” said Kollar.

The collective award for Tunega, Pucik and Tesar was taken over by head of the Anton Tunega Foundation Jan Figel. MP Anna Zaborska (OLaNO) received the award on behalf of her father Anton Neuwirth, while the award for Hegerova was taken over by her grandson Marek Heger.

The J.M. Hurban has been bestowed since 2020.