Kolekcionar vatrogasnog znakovlja

U vrijeme osnivanja DVD-a Kutjevo, te daleke 1893. godine, Kutjevo je bilo općinsko mjesto i tada je glavna gospodarska preokupacija njegovog stanovništva bila poljoprivreda uz koju je bilo razvijeno obrtništvo i trgovina. Živjelo se za ono vrijeme skromno, ljudi su vjerojatno bili zadovoljniji, ali je životni tempo sigurno bio sporiji. Pojedinac je pred vatrom bio slab i nemoćan. Uvidjevši da bi organiziranom i osmišljenom akcijom suprostavljanje požaru bilo kud i kamo efikasnije i učinkovitije nego pojedinačna i stihijska borba pojedinaca, grupa građana Kutjeva pokrenula je inicijativu za osnivanje dobrovoljne vatrogasne organizacije. Pokrenuli su je ugledni ljudi Kutjeva, tadašnji načelnik općine ANTUN GANOCI, učitelj GABRO VOJVODIĆ te napredni ljudi iz reda obrtnika i ratara ANTUN MAJER, IVAN DEHER, MATO LUKAČEVIĆ, JAKOB CAMPARI, MATO PLIVARIĆ, VJENCESLAV KRČELIĆ, MATO VOLAREVIĆ i drugi. Sazivaju, i 4. svibnja 1893. godine, održavaju osnivačku Skupštinu na kojoj donose odluku o početku rada Dobrovoljnog vatrogasnog društva Kutjevo. Izabran je prvi Upravni odbor u koji ulaze Gabro Vojvodić, mjesni učitelj kao predsjednik, Antun Ganoci i tadašnji predsjednik općine kao zapovjednik. Da bi se obavljao posao zbog kojeg je društvo osnovano trebalo je nabaviti potrebnu opremu, za tu opremu osigurati prostor u kojem će se čuvati te druge potrebštine bez kojih je teško biti operativan. Prikupljena su financijska sredstva i 1894. godine nabavljena je prva vatrogasna štrcaljka Smekal. Ona je i danas u njihovom vlasništvu i velik je spomenik kutjevačkom vatrogastvu.

At the time of the founding of the Kutjevo Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1893, Kutjevo was a municipal center, and the main economic activity of its inhabitants was agriculture, alongside which crafts and trade were also developed. Life at that time was modest; people were probably more content, but the pace of life was certainly slower. An individual was weak and powerless in the face of fire. Realizing that an organized and well-planned response to fire would be far more effective than the scattered and uncoordinated efforts of individuals, a group of Kutjevo citizens initiated the establishment of a voluntary fire brigade. This initiative was led by prominent townspeople: the then municipal head ANTUN GANOCI, the teacher GABRO VOJVODIĆ, as well as progressive craftsmen and farmers—ANTUN MAJER, IVAN DEHER, MATO LUKAČEVIĆ, JAKOB CAMPARI, MATO PLIVARIĆ, VJENCESLAV KRČELIĆ, MATO VOLAREVIĆ, and others. They convened and, on May 4, 1893, held the founding assembly at which the decision was made to begin the work of the Kutjevo Volunteer Fire Brigade. The first Executive Committee was elected, consisting of Gabro Vojvodić, the local teacher, as president, and Antun Ganoci, then head of the municipality, as commander. In order to carry out the duties for which the society had been established, it was necessary to acquire the required equipment, secure a space for its storage, and obtain other essentials without which effective operation would have been difficult. Financial resources were collected, and in 1894 the first fire engine—a Smekal hand pump—was purchased. It remains in their possession to this day and stands as an important monument to the firefighting heritage of Kutjevo.