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Ostrava Czech Republic In March 2007 I had the pleasure of making my first trip to the Czech Republic to Fortunately the Czech Republic seems a little better prepared for such weather than the UK, and with minor rearrangements to the conference schedule, it continued largely unaffected. I was the only native English speaker at the conference and was ably supported by Miluse Stefanova who provided simultaneous translation. In the presentation I spoke of the need to embrace uncertainty as the means to survive and prosper in a world of rapid change. The presentation was very well received and I was delighted to be invited to speak again at the Changes of Europe 2008 Conference to be held in Prague in April 2008. Ostrava is no stranger to change, having seen a dramatic fall in the prosperity of its traditional industries of steel making and coal mining. I was particularly pleased therefore to be invited to visit the Mining Museum to get a glimpse of what had been a major employer in the area until quite recently. In many ways this mirrored the area of England where I was born and grew up. Until the 1970/80’s Nottinghamshire had been an important mining region and I well remember many of my friends lived in families which had for generations worked ‘down the pit’.
In the evening we had an excellent buffet meal with musical accompaniment provided by a four piece Jazz Group. If you want to see musicians immersed in their art, then this is seldom better demonstrated. In particular the saxophone player didn’t simply play his instrument, but lived with it. His whole body contributed to his playing and as I watched, it was impossible to know whether he was playing the instrument, or the instrument was playing him, We seem to take it for granted that this is the way to play music, to become so engaged with the process that you merge with the instrument. It’s sad that we equally take for granted that this sort of thing, doesn’t happen at work. I began to imagine what I might achieve if I could be equally immersed and connected to my work, and decided to redouble my efforts. The trip was concluded with a trip to the famous Stodolni Street which is a delightful area of the city boasting over 50 bars, clubs and pubs. On a summer week-end the area is throbbing to the footsteps of thousands of visitors. On a snowy evening in March there were’nt quite so many, but it was a pleasure to explore this characterful part of the city, and have a little time to get to know my hosts a little better. As you can see, we found a little bit of Ireland tucked away in the back streets. Many thanks to Milan Hutyra, who I first met in Tehran, for the invitation to speak at the conference, and to Miroslav Sedáček who was my host for the evening. I hope to return to the Czech Republic soon and perhaps see it without a coating of snow. Steve Unwin
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speak at the Jakost 2007 Quality conference. This 16th annual event was held in the city of Ostrava close to the Slovak and Polish borders. To my surprise, and that of my hosts, the conference was held under a blanket of snow. Like much of Europe, the winter had been unusually mild with temperatures as high as 15˚C the previous week, and so the cold snap came as something of a surprise.
The mining museum includes a trip underground which although without the noise, dust and cramped conditions of a working mine, was sufficient to give a flavour of what working conditions would have been. It was particularly poignant to visit the memorial to mine rescue workers who have lost their lives whilst trying to save their colleagues. Over 100 names were listed on a memorial to lives lost in the region, and there was an impressive array of rescue equipment, each part designed to provide protection from different underground threats of gas, fire, water and fallen rock. Looking at the equipment, much of it resembling that for exploration of space, or the deep sea, I couldn’t help but feel how fragile life is, and how even minor changes to the environment place life at risk.
