In early July 1962 the platform of the Kyiv railway station was spilled by irrepressible student sea: with flags, flowers, white-toothed smiles and happy gleam in his eyes. They were really happy, those pioneers of 1200 eleven metropolitan universities - fighters of Kiev student building team, who went to work on virgin lands.
Can not forget the labor semesters
And starbursts of short nights,
And the student youth songs
Student teams of mine, student teams ...
Oleksandr Rybka, KPI, 1962
This was the first landing party of Kyiv youth to Kazakhstan. It should be noted that it consisted of more than 900 students of the KPI. Anatoly Voloschenko, the graduate student from KPI was the supervisor of Kyiv student building team. In 1963-1964 he headed Ukrainian virgin lands building team.
Years later, those young men and women matured, and then turned gray, but also young their eyes shine when they recall his victorious virgin lands semester. Because that years are the part of their biography, wonderful time of youth, in which they lived, worked, formed as a person. This can not be forgotten.
In the preface to the book "The victorious semesters of student building teams of Ukraine" Rector NTUU"KPI" M.Z. Zgurovsky said: "I have the honor to congratulate the large group of builders, creators and romantics who passed through the school of life in student construction brigades ... The youth of today are not quite understand, and sometimes does not know what inspired us to those glorious deeds. This phenomenon, and in particular its impact on the formation of the character of young people and their views on the development of social life still requires interpretation.
I am pleased that Kiev Polytechnic Institute was always in the forefront of student construction brigades of Ukraine - and by the number of participants and the results of the work done. Heritage of veterans of student construction brigades at the time of their youth will necessarily lead modern youth to an important question - how to achieve the success in learning, science, manufacturing, on construction sites or in the development of the universe, because everywhere character, will, perseverance are needed considering achieving a significant result of the collective ".
Anatoly Voloschenko, commander of the Kiev (1962) and Ukrainian (1963-64) student virgin lands construction teams, recalled: "When there was an order to gather for a long journey, we are in such a hurry that all documentation of staff first Kiev student construction team hastily wrapped in a big red tablecloth from my desk. We drove already formed as a unit with well-defined tasks in building - to build homes and kindergartens, schools and granaries.
There were so many wanting to go to the new lands, that as a result of long-term competition less than half of their total number were enrolled in the squad. And when on the way the list of fighters was checked, then together with the 1200 "regular" turned out to be 170 "hares". Well, and that they had to do? The girls called for help the hot tears, and the guys openly refused to return home to Kyiv. So our construction team was growing "unschedulaly". Training days on the road: work with commanders and commissars groups, the study by fighters of safety requirements, training programs amateur art activities - flashed pretty quickly. And now - a solemn meeting in Arkalyk. Gray-bearded old Kazakhs in disbelief looked closely at too young builders. Those, in turn, by surprised eyes studied (perhaps for the first time in my life seen) high Bactrian camels, which stood close by.
The men with emblems of Kiev student virgin unit on clothing were working in the seventeen state farms Amangeldinsky and October areas Kustanai region on the construction of 311 facilities. This emblem was a student trowel against the background of infinite space of virgin land. Student radio stations, brought from Kyiv, started to work, broadcasting the news about first labor victories, failures and plans.Students worked just fine. Production quotas for skilled construction werei constantly performed on 200-220%. Our motto was - work like Korchagin. Everywhere on the objects slogans were hung: "Give a virgin lands," "Peace is only a dream," and others. What was our day's schedule? 14-16 hours, the whole day, working on a construction site. And at night often had to load grain. How can you sleep when bad weather threatens crops. Students consciously refused to two weekends a month.
Our boys and girls have a luck to experience the memorable, exciting feeling for the first time. Imagine the endless steppe.We are laying the foundation next to round Kazakh yurts, then are building the house. And then happy workers are moving inside to live in this new house, built by their own hands.. I remember the last days of August. It was a busy time for the teams that completed the construction of schools. Happy children surrounded the area and excitedly asked, if the works will be finished before September 1. And the students did, it seemed impossible. As in a fairy tale, for a night all fell into place. And the miracle disclosed simple: the guys from the first group of the KPI, from other institutions were working all around the night that in the morning local children together with their peers from across the country could celebrate the beginning of the school year.
Perhaps many of us forever remember the day of hard work - September 1, 1962 Money earned during the day, it was decided to send Cuban friends on the formation of a tractor column. The work was in full swing in young hands. And in the evening by the light of headlamps included machines and combines cheerful songs in Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakh languages were sounded. A song was always next to us. There were many romantics on the Kazakh land, as well as the difficulties. The more pleasantly the virgin lands pioneers remember now their first victories. Over nature, over the weather conditions in the end over themselves.
September brought the night frost. The tents were little protection from the cold. But the achieved results warmed us. Transition flags we did not yet exist. I remember a girl all night embroidered Komsomol badge on the laundered red tablecloth. The one that we have taken at the last moment from Kyiv. This flag we were presented alternately victorious troops. As the years passed, we were given, handed, appropriated many different beautiful large flags. But it seems that the first red flag we will always be remembered as the most expensive relic.
On the vast territory, 17 state farms, 22 units Kiev students were located. Distance of up to 400 kilometers separated one from the other team. But in spite of all, we have lived a single team. Joys and difficulties shared equally by everyone. Nobody agreed to be limited to the construction business. The students repaired farm machinery, held cultural and educational work among the locals. Students participated in national teams, Komsomol posts on exporting virgin lands bread, worked as Pioneer leaders. 28 sports fields and 3 of the stadium were build by them.
In our report to the Motherland there were the following figures: built 106 houses, six schools, many kindergartens, hospitals, canteens, dormitories, 10 granaries, 9 studios, 70 other objects. Behind these figures - the hard days of selfless work. Before leaving, we all rejoiced at the thought that far from our native city there are homes with the inscription "Kyiv - virgin lands", and there are your own tracks on the ground that are dear to the people. For their hard work, 13 young people of Kyiv were awarded medals "For the development of virgin lands." Among them, members of the KPI - Michael Borodinkin, Anatoly Voloschenko, Oleksandr Rybka, Vladimir Filyanin. At the demonstration on November 7 Kiev virgin land construction team had a separate column by festive Khreshchatyk with streamers on the done work in Kazakhstan - extreme honor at the time.
Many things our group did for the virgin lands, but even more they did for us. The virgin lands taught us to work, make friends, to believe in themselves. "
Igor Malinkin, associate professor of NAU (in the 1962-63 Command line and in 1964-65 years. - district building teams in Kazakhstan): "We, then students left our autographs on the new buildings, returned to our towns, institutions and universities. Returned till the following summer work semesters, many 2-4 or even 5-10 times, even after graduation. Then again we went to build in the steppes, in the forest, in the north, permafrost - to build not only the necessary administrative objects but also themselves.
School virgin land has helped us to place in the profession and career. In NTUU "KPI" there are several "virgin landers" 60-70 years - Professors Mikhail Rodionov, Boris Tsiganok Valery Jabin, Boris Novikov, Eugene Machusky, associates Vasily Syrovatka and Vladimir Lazebny, senior lecturer Tamara Humen. Sergey Laptev - Rector of the University "CRIC" Mikola Myeleshko - NAU professor, Gennady Pal'shin - Director of the Center of Continuing Education Ukrtelecom, Vasily Makhno - Deputy Director of the Centre "Chornobilspetskombinat" Vitaly Gritsaev - head. Chair of the Kiev Institute of intersectoral training.
Over the years and decades we remember how we lived in those far and near lands, remember our tents and rooming house, mosquitoes and midges, remember our house built first in a life in which we are always waiting for then new friends, adults respected us for the selfless conscious work. As we have been awarded by all sorts of Komsomol and state awards, diplomas.
Kazakh virgin lands, Siberian taiga of Kamchatka, Chukotka and Altai - all this stay with us forever.