Herzlich willkommen alle mitsammen,

I offer the welcome of some 900 Burgenland Bunch members. Unfortunately they reside all over the United States and elsewhere and it is impossible for more than a small number to attend this dinner. As founder and co-ordinator of the group, I speak for them all. Each visit from and to the Burgenland is another strand of the ethnic cords that continue to bind us to the Heimat. These visits remain in our memories forever. I know I will always treasure the memory of our last visit to Burgenland and the warm welcome we received.

We are especially honored to be visited by Burgenland head of state Landeshauptmann Hans Niessl and Landeshauptmann-Stellvertreter Franz Steindl as well as other officials. It is most gratifying to know that we, Burgenland immigrants and descendants of Burgenland immigrants, are not forgotten by those who are directing the destiny of the Heimat. I am overjoyed to meet you again. It is also a distinct pleasure to again greet Dr. Dujmovits and representatives of the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft. We may be two separate organizations but we share a common purpose. We are partners and many of us, myself included, are members of both organizations. I wish to thank Robert Strauch and the local Gemeinschaft members for including us in their plans for this dinner. 

We have printed a special edition of the 106th Burgenland Bunch Newsletter, dated April 30. We wish to present copies to our visitors as a remembrance of their visit. We hope it portrays how we continue to strengthen our ethnic ties. The newsletter has never before been printed. It is normally distributed to our members only as email. It is also available from our internet website. I might mention that four of our editors, Dr. Albert Schuch, Klaus Gerger, Charles Wardell and Mag. Hannes Graf have Burgenland ties and live in Austria, so it is a joint Austrian/US effort. They also join me in wishing our guests a pleasant journey. Some extra copies of the newsletter will be available after the dinner for those who may wish to have one.

Those of us here in the United States are of course Americans, but I believe everyone would agree that we are also Burgenländers, and can claim the words of your Landeshymne for us, too: 
„Mein Heimatvolk, mein Heimatland, mit Österreich verbunden.“

Landeshauptmann Niessl und Delegation, danke für Ihren Besuch und kommen Sie wieder gut heim!

G. J. Berghold, Burgenland Bunch <GBerghold@aol.com>