Lögberg-Heimskringla - 13.02.2004, Blaðsíða 16

page 16 » Lögberg-Heimskringla »13 February 2004
Ferðalög • Travel
A Mad Dash of a Mission
Dilla Narfason
Gimli, MB
There was a mission to our
journey and that was to see
if we could find a headstone
for our cousin Sylvia’s great-
grandparents in the Grund
cemetery. My sisters Emma
and Olan and J set out in the
morning and arrived at Carman
about ten am. We had made
arrangements to join cousin
Wilma and her husband, Bill
for the day, not only because
headed west on Highway 245.
It was a pleasant and scenic
drive through rolling farm
country. Our first stop was at
the Brú cemetery. It was a
small, nicely kept cemetery
with Icelandic names on most
of the headstones. A caim
holds an old bell probably from
the old church that stood across
the road until 1997. Driving
south from here we saw an
Icelandic flag flying at the
entrance to the Oak Crest
Johnson farm. The farm had
The altar in the old Brú Church
they knew the area well but
also to make the Café Brú as
our stop for lunch.
With Bill as the driver we
been fírst settled in 1880. I
would have liked to stop a
while but time would not per-
mit because we were expected
for lunch at the Café Brú.
That was an experience in
itself, walking into the old 1910
Brú Church and seeing all the
beautiful stained glass win-
dows, the oak paneled walls
and the altar completely intact.
The church was purchased by
Albert and Annette Wytinck
ánd moved to their farm six
miles away from the original
site. Here they run a Bed and
Breakfast, as well as “meals for
all occasions - by appointment
only.” When the church was
moved it had to make a detour
due to hydro lines and traveled
thirteen miles to the new site. I
marveled that all thirteen
stained glass windows had
remained intact but Annette
pointed out that a network of
reinforcement had been done
for- each window many years
ago to given them extra sup-
port. Wilma told us that her
mother had been baptized in
this church so it was of special
interest for her and Bill to talk
to Albert and- Annette whom
they had known from before.
After lunch we set out to
find Grund. As navigator I told
Bill to turn right when we
should have turned left so we
had to back track a few miles.
The cemetery is just east of the
beautiful Grund Church. It is a
large cemetery with many
headstones both old and new.
Before long Wilma spotted the
names we were looking for, a
lovely old headstone with the
etched names still clearly visi-
ble. We took pictures and were
most. pleased that out mission
was accomplished.
However, it was not the
end of our day. We drove south
to Baldur and visited their
cemetery just south of town. It
also had many Icelandic names
on the headstones. Then, on
our way back to Carman, Bill
asked if we would like to see
an Aboriginal cemetery as we
drove through the Swan Lake
Reserve. • We did and this
proved to be a very different
cemetery, quite small and in a
natural setting. Each grave
was covered with a wooden
house-like structure with a
peaked roof and a shelf on the
front where small artifacts
were placed.
Back in Carman we said
good-byes to Wilma and Bill
and headed to Winnipeg and
then home to Gimli. We said it
is not often that one visits four
cemeteries in one day, three
were quite similar but unique,
and the fourth totally different
and definitely unique. What a
wealth of history at each site
and most of it never to be
known.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DILLA NARFASON
Gunnþóra Gísladóttir áttræð
Gunnþóra Gísladóttir Tums Eighty
Friends of Gunnþóra
Gísladóttir threw a sur-
prise eightieth birthday party
for her on the 25th of January
at the Nordic House on Erin
Avenue in Winnipeg. The
birthday celebration was a
total surprise to Gunnþóra. “I
didn’t expect anything at all,”
she said “I was safely awáy at
Lorna’s in Gimli on my birth-
day and didn’t dream of any-
thing like this happening.”
Between sixty and seven-
ty people gathered at the
Nordic House to surprise
Gunnþóra. The women had
baked and decked the table
with goodies, complete with a
great big birthday cake. Neil
Bardal brought the birthday
gal a couple of dozen roses
and gave a humorous speech
complementing Gunnþóra on
her many good services to the
Icelandic community in
Winnipeg and wished her
many more good years, as
indeed all who were present
echoed.
Gunnþóra is famous for
her delicious vínarterla, pön-
nukökur, cooking, baking,
knitting and spinning skills.
She has always been ready
and willing to help in the
many organizations she
belongs to. She is loved and
respected by all that know her
and we wish her many more
birthdays and good health in
future years.
Árný Hjaltadóttir
PHOTO COURTESY OF ÁRNÝ HJALTADÓTTIR
Gunnþóra cutting her birthday cake
<m Mm riii* mv wwt m m .nhy'iwm & nm ^ nn whfcinuh