Ana proved that the world can be changed!
Source: Vjesnik, March 30, 2009 – Jadranka Klisović
On Saturday, the day when Ana would have celebrated her 32nd birthday, the new Ana Rukavina Park was ceremonially opened in Šibenik.
The park on the north side of the medieval St. Mihovil (St. Michael) fortress was ceremoniously opened by Neda Klarić, the Mayoress of Šibenik and the president of the county chapter of the HDZ Women’s Association “Katarina Zrinski”, in the presence of Ana’s mother Marija, sister Gordana and husband Igor. At the community’s initiative, a neglected city park was revived and named after Vjesnik’s late journalist whose premature death touched the hearts of the nation. The ceremony was also attended by Ms. Bianca Matković, the national president of the HDZ Women’s Association “Katarina Zrinski” and the state secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integrations.
“If anybody says that a young person cannot change the world, that such a young person cannot convey the message of their warmth and love; if anybody says that a single young person cannot sensitize the general public, move boundaries and wake up a society, they should be given just one name – Ana Rukavina. With her life and conduct, Ana proved that the world can be changed,” said Bianca Matković. She also reminded the audience of the words and wishes Ana had expressed in her letter, the words which may be summed up in three simple words: “I want life”. “These words were the ones that woke up all of Croatia. Ana deserves to have a park named after her because she made us start thinking about life,” added Bianca Matković.
Mayoress Klarić handed the park over to the youngest citizens of Šibenik promising that the work on extending and maintaining the park would continue.