Lögberg-Heimskringla - 21.11.1980, Síða 5

WINNIPEG, FÖSTUDAGUR 21, NÓVEMBER 1980 5
A remarkable success story
A few notes on the life and work of
Gudmundur F. Jónasson (1895-1977)
Manitoba Pioneer
Gudmundur F. Jónasson, who died
in Winnipeg on July 14, 1977, was a
pioneer in the province who not only
helped build one of its industries but
played an important role in strengthen-
ing trade relations between Canada
and the United States. At the same
time he opened up new markets for his
province and country in Europe.
Mr. Jónasson was also very active in
the Manitoba Icelandic community
and devoted much time and support to
the Icelandic Lutheran congregation in
Winnipeg, the Icelandic weekly news-
papers, the Icelandic Festival Commit-
tee, and last, but by no means least, to
the preparation and eventual publica-
tion of the History of the North Ameri-
can Icelanders. He therefore secured a
firm niche for himself in the history of
his community, province and country.
Fish products from Manitoba
Lakes
Having served with the Canadian
Reserve Overseas Battalion in the
World War of 1914-1917, Mr. Jónasson
returned to Winnipegosis, where he
became the first manager of Manitoba
Co-operative Fisheries. In a highly in-
formative article on Mr. Jónasson,
published in the journal Western
Business and Industry (April 1966), he
reminisced about these early exper-
iences with the lake fishing industry in
Manitoba as follows: "What really
started me was the experience of being
stuck with 30 carloads of fish and
no one to buy them. So I packed my bag
and went down to the United States.”
Mr. Jónasson went to the States and
immediately sold his 30 carloads.
Thus, he was successful in his first at-
tempt to find foreign markets for Man-
itoba lake fish.
Keystone Fisheries in Winnipeg
and other related institutes
In 1929, Gudmundur Jónasson mov-
ed to Winnipeg and established Key-
stone Fisheries Ltd., a firm which was
to attract attention throughout Canada
and abroad. In addition to his office as
president of a rapidly growing 'firm,
Mr. Jónasson assumed a number of

Mr. G.F. Jónasson receives Export Achievement Award from the Hon.
Gurney Evans March 11, 1965.
positions in the field of both the
provincial and the national fish in-
dustries. He was made president of the
Prairie Provinces Fish Federation of
Manitoba Wholesalers Fish Distri-
butors and a voting director of the
Fisheries Council of Canada. He also
served as president of Restoration of
Water Levels Association of Manitoba.
The January issue 1946 of thejournal
Canadian Firsherman has this to say
about Mr. Jónasson: "He is recognized
throughout Western Canada as a lead-
ing figure in the fishing industry
there. He was the moving force in the
founding of and was honoured with
the presidency of the Prairie Provinces
Fish Federation." The same source
also points out that four years after the
founding of Keystone Fisheries Ltd.
in Winnipeg, Mr. Jónasson "establish-
ed the Perfection Net & Twine Co.
which has become an important factor
in that industry in Western Canada."
Beyond North American Horizons
As was mentioned above, one of
Jónasson's major achievements as ex-
porter of fresh-water fish from Mani-
toba was the opening up of extensive
markets in Europe. On March 5, 1966
one of the leading articles in The
Financial Post gave appropriate re-
cögnition to this aspect of Mr. Jóhas-
sons enterprises in the following man-

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ner: "A high spot in Manitoba export-
ing the last two or three years has been
overseas markets for fresh-water fish.
Sales already made — 2-1/2 million lb.
up to December 31 — and the pros-
pects that they may increase are prov-
ing an important boost in the
province's industry.
The 1966 export movement got
under way June 24 with loading of two
carloads in Winnipeg by Keystone
Fisheries Ltd. to fill an 80,000 lb. order
for Holland. Three other cars await
loading as soon as shipping space is av-
ailable to fill a 109,000 Ib order for the
Scandinavian countries . . . Manitoba's
fishing industry had always been large-
ly dependent on U.S. markets. But for
years Jónasson nursed the idea there
were potential markets in Europe, al-
though his associates thought it a
dream . . . First breakthrough came in
January, 1962. A firm on France's
Mediterranean coast asked the Cana-
dian Embassy in Paris for names of
Manitoba fishing firms. The embassy
recommended Keystone.
The inquiry was relayed to Winnipeg
and Jónasson answered with a 2,000 lb
sample shipment. It proved satis-
factory. Before the end of the year
came two orders for 29,000 lb in Oc-
tober, and for 26,000 lb in December.
Mr. Jónasson then made a hurried
trip to Europe and found out that there
was a possible steady market at least in
France. And this could be extended to
other countries."
The Post goes on to describe Mr.
Jóhasson's market explorations in
Scandinavia, which, in 1963, led to an
initial shipment to Denmark of 97,000
lb. This order was soon to be followed
by one of 206,000 lb. The article con-
cludes by pointing out "that Jónasson
has pioneered markets for Manitoba
fish in France, the Netherlands, Ger-
many and the Scandinavian countries''
and that he has begun exploring
market possibilities in East Europe and
Australia. Any further market develop-
ments and business was abruptly
halted in 1969 when’the Manitoba
Fishing Industry was taken over by the
government.
A Manitoba Icelander
Gudmundur F. Jónasson was born at
Siglunes on Lake Manitoba on October
19, 1895. His parents were Jónas K.
and Gudrún Jónasson. Jónas was from
Skagafjörður in north Iceland and
Gudrún from Skriðdalur in east Ice-
land. The Jónasson family, i.e. the des-
cendants of Gudmundur's grand-
father, Jónas Jónsson, is a big one. One
may just mention here that in August,
1980 the Jónassons had a family re-
union in Iceland, undoubtedly the big-
gest one ever held in that country.
Shortly before the celebration. Lög-
berg-Heimskringla published an article
on the North American branch of the
Jónasson family, i.e. the descendants
of Jónas K. and Gudrún Jónasson.
Gudmundur F. Jónasson, as was
noted above, took part in and gave
generous support to virtually all our
Icelandic cultural organizations. His
continued on page 8
President of the Icelandic
Festival of Manitoba, 1945.
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