K-W Croatian Club came into existence in 1971 when a group of local Croatian immigrants decided to start an organization that would become a centre of social life for the local Canadian-Croatian community which was in its infancy at that time.
“The Club” was started with the following guiding principles in mind:
- To assist with the integration of newly arrived Croats into the Canadian way of life
- To foster friendships, good fellowship and mutual understanding among its members and the greater community in the Waterloo Region
- To promote a sporting way of life among its members, host friendly competitions and award prizes and awards for outstanding achievements in sport
The original Directors of the Club were: Steve Bozek, Adam Turos, Emil Čuturić, Ljubica Čuturić, Josip Čuturić, Edward Palasti, Carl Smidt, Mirko Karaturović, Anton Markovinović and Slavko Petračić. Mr. Petračić has been actively involved with the Club to this day and is currently still serving on the Board of Directors.
Not long after incorporating the Club, its members put together their sparse resources and purchased the current building located at 2006 Shantz Station Road in Breslau in order to serve as a central location for of the Club’s members.
In more recent history, a new Board of Directors was voted in by the members with a mandate to help to bring the old glory to the Croatian Club which was starting to look and feel a little bit tired. In 2017, under the leadership of the President, Frank Muretić, the Club was given a lifeline with new ideas, new mission, new energy and a whole new outlook for the future generations of Croats in our Region.
Results are most evident in two areas, firstly and most importantly the membership grew astronomically in just one year and have stayed at the highest level since the Club’s inception.
Secondly, we proudly show off our newly renovated building that provides a modern space for the members of the Club to spend time in, to mark some of the most important occasions in their lives which can now be hosted in two new halls; with the upper hall being equipped with a commercial kitchen. We are proud to now be able to offer our rental halls to the greater community in the Waterloo Region.
K-W Croatian Club is now one of the few ethnic club’s in the Region that is thriving and we will work hard to keep it that way for many more years.
Social Media
