Ivan Olekhnovich worked on the Baikal-Amur Mainline building for 8,5 years

For 10 years he worked on the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline Belarusian youth squad named after Nikolai Kedyshko. Behind the Komsomol members are Zolotinka and Chara stations (Yakutsk and Chita regions), two residential villages with the necessary industrial and household infrastructure, 120 km of railway tracks. Ivan Olekhnovich, a resident of Zelva, recalls the legendary construction.

The small homeland of Ivan Ivanovich is the village of Vetevichi, Slonim district. Here he was born in 1951. After graduating from the eight-year plan in Selyavichi, he entered a two-year vocational school in Slonim, at the age of 18 he joined the army. He served in the German city of Ordruf in tank forces. He was the commander of the department — a senior mechanic. Upon his return to Minsk, he got a job as a milling machine at a secret factory of the defense industry. «Rose» to the master. He worked here for a total of five years.

– It was 1975, I was already 25 years old. There was a Komsomol permit for the construction of BAM (I joined the Komsomol when I was still in school at the age of 14), the man recalls. — urgently decided to go! I then wanted to see the world … Gathered in a day. In addition to the elderly parents nothing held me. But I was sure that my brothers would take care of them.

To get into the squad was not so easy. Ivan Olekhnovich drove instead of a guy from Mogilyov, who was caught drunk, while a dry law was declared in the country. On March 27, 122 Komsomol members traveled from Minsk to Moscow, and from there to the BAM. A detachment named after Nikolai Kedyshko (named after the hero of the Soviet Union) landed in the south of Yakutia.

– We hit the village Zolotinka. Around — deaf forest. The local population met us … bath! — says Ivan Ivanovich. — Soon we were settled in the cabins. Not all of them were heated. The diesel substation was already standing, so there was electricity. You could turn on some heater. We arrived in early April, but the pillow was still frozen to the trailer. The temperature was kept at –30 ° C.

From the very first days of arrival, work buzzed. Here was the unloading of building materials. Residential buildings and infrastructure facilities were built. The Zolotinka station itself appeared, where a monument to Nikolai Kedyshko was erected.

– I met my wife in the same place. After all, our squadron was constantly replenished. She came from Gomel. Very serious girl. Quickly mastered. Six months after her arrival, the local newspaper wrote about her: “Is the deputy too young?”. At that time, Zina was already a deputy of the district council, ”recalls Ivan Olekhnovich. — We got married right on BAM. Parents, who for half a year did not know where I was, still made it known that I was getting married. Before the wedding, both of us went on a business trip to one of the stations of the Amur Region. I was in a brigade that installed poles for electric trains, but Zina worked as a plasterer. There and purchased all the necessary for the celebration. Although fashionable crimple suit I ordered in advance. Returned back to Yakutia. There were more than a hundred people at our wedding. We walked in the dining room. The fact that Komsomol members married each other was a frequent affair. But we were the first couple that Yakut painted (laughs) …

… At the wedding, we played an ensemble of Komsomol members. We had one guitar player — without two fingers, but such a virtuoso! He then went on all possible reviews. Musical equipment sent «Pesnyary.» By the way, we often visited famous artists. Composer Igor Luchenka, for example, was so pleased with us that he spent two weeks in Zolotinka.

Soon the couple had sons. The first is in Yakutia, the second is already in the Chita region.

In 1980, a brigade of 12 people headed by Ivan Olekhnovich was sent to the north of the Chita region through impassable taiga forests. Here was preparing a base for the main forces of the detachment:

– We went there more than 20 days. It was winter, so they made their way for a long time — they walked about 30 km a day. With us dimensional equipment — the Japanese «Caterpillators», our «Hurricane». They brought with them priority materials for housing. High hopes were pinned on the station “Chara”. Capital facilities were built here. A settlement with a population of 7 thousand people grew literally in three years!

– A year and a half headed the trade union organization SMP-578. The general contracting firm had 680 employees, says Ivan Ivanovich. — At that time I earned about 700 rubles — it was good money. My children didn’t need anything. Oranges, tangerines … Any products were in abundance. But my family and I were forced to leave — the younger climate did not fit the harsh climate.

Ivan Olekhnovich worked at BAM for eight and a half years, although initially he planned to stay for a standard period of the voucher —
3 years:

There were bronze and silver signs from the Komsomol Central Committee. Later — the medal «For the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline.» Not so long ago, in Minsk, a commemorative medal was awarded for the 40th anniversary of BAM.

Having been on the waiting list at the BAM, in Minsk Olekhnovich received his “Lada”. He returned to work in Slonim. Then he got to Zelva, where he got a job as a brigadier in a local construction organization. Today a man is on a well-deserved rest.

– In general, these were good times. It took a lot of effort to make the train horn sounded in the taiga. I want to believe that all this was not in vain, says Ivan Ivanovich.