Lögberg-Heimskringla - 04.03.1994, Blaðsíða 3

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 4. mars 1994 • 3

by Kornelíus Sigmundsson
Consul General of lceland
New York
As we are all aware, 1994 is and
anniversary year in lceland.
Icelanders near and far will
join together for celebrations to mark
the fiftieth anniversary of the estab-
lishment of the Republic of Iceland in
1994.
On the seventeenth of June, 1944, a
large part of the population of Iceland
was assembled at Thingveillir when
the Republic was established. There
was an extraordinary session of
Parliament held in open air; represen-
tatives of foreign governments con-
veyed greetings and good wishes from
their respective countries; and the
people of Iceland proudly assumed
full control of their affairs. This was
indeed a joyous occasion for one and
all, despite the rather inclement
weather at Thingveillir on that day.
On the seventeenth day of June,
1994, it is expected that sixty thou-
sand people will be at Thingvellir for
the fiftieth anniversary celebrations.
People will come from all over the
country and several groups of
Icelanders and people of Icelandic
descent from abroad have announced
plans to attend. Invitations have gone
out to representatives of foreign gov-
emments which maintain diplomatic
relations with Iceland, as well as to
foreign heads of state. It is expected
that the Queen of Denmark, the Kings
and Queens of Norway and Sweden,
and the newly elected President of
Finland will be present.
The tentative program of events for
the seventeenth of June at Thingveillir
is as follows:
9:00-9;30 Church bells will sound
all over Iceland and flags will be hoist-
Winnipeg that John started to achieve
real celebrity, first on radio station
CJOB and then as co-host of the con-
troversial CBC television news show
24 Hours, where his hard-nosed,
aggressive style of interviewing made
him a household name. This was fol-
lowed by a less successful stint on
national late night television which
didn’t last long and soon led to
Vancouver. From there he eventually
retumed to CBC in Winnipeg, where
he demonstrated a gentler, more
thoughtful style of interviewing but
one that still insisted that the ques-
tions that were asked were the ones
that were answered, an interviewing
style that many politicians dislike
intensely.
It is interesting, then, that he is
now a politician himself, winning the
Liberal party nomination in a seat in
Parliament in 1988 and being re-elect-
ed last year. As a committee chair-
man, he is a busy man, but he returns
to Winnipeg each weekend to keep in
touch with his constituents and listen
to their concerns.
It has been an interesting life for
ed.
9:30-10:00 Religious services at
Thingvellir and churches in Iceland,
10:15-10:50 Heritage Program.
11:00-12:00 Open-air meeting of
Althingi.
13:50-15:30 Official activities and
ceremonies.
15-30-17:00 Entertainment pro-
gram
On the 18th and 19th of June, cele-
brations will continue with special
programs in many parts of the coun-
try, the largest of which will be in
Reykjavik.
In addition, a wide range of activi-
ties are planned in many parts of
Iceland throughout the summer, with
exhibitions and shows, sports events,
concerts and other cultural activities
to mark the anniversary.
Many of you may not be aware
that we have had two other important
events to celebrate in the recent past.
The first of December, 1993, marked
75 years since Iceland became a sov-
ereign state and acquired its indepen-
dence from Denmark. Through the
Act of Crown Union with Denmark,
Iceland assumed full control of most
of its internal affairs in a common-
wealth with Denmark, with the
Danish ldng as head of state.
The first of February, 1994,
marked 90 years since the establish-
ment ofhome rule in Iceland. The first
Icelandic government minister was
appointed and certain affairs came
under Icelandic control. Iceland had
then been under the Danish Crown
for over 500 years, but at that time
acquired a parliamentary government.
All these anniversaries no doubt
make us reflect on our past and on
the future. We are all proud to be
Icelanders, proud of our history and
an Icelandic boy from Glenboro. He
calls himself a Canadian first and
foremost and proudly so, but when he
reflects on his life he can see how his
Icelandic heritage has affected his
outlook on life. He has been to
Iceland and has taken his children
there. Roots run deep, even when we
are not completely conscious that
they are there. We will have more on
John Harvard, his roots, his views of
Canada and multiculturalism in next
week’s L-H.
(Continued in next week’s issue)
Oopsl Correction re:
Edmonton’s Viking Night
In the story “Viking Night a
great success!”, L-H Dec. 3, we
incorrectly stated that it was
written by Joanne Olafson of the
Edmonton INL and submitted by
Judith Jonsson. It was in fact writ-
ten by Judith Jonsson. We apolo-
gize for the mix-up.
heritage. We know the beauty of our
country and the rich cultural heritage.
We know also that it has put before us
the most demanding challenges of sur-
vival through the centuries. Icelanders
have tested their character and used
their creativity to survive in a country
considered by many to be on the edge
of the habitable world.
Iceland is currently experiencing
certain difficulties. The fishing effort
by Robert Asgeirsson
Vancouver
Naomi Dyer, a tireless worker
on the board of the ICC of
BC found out about an offer
that seemed almost too good to be
true. While pricing modest photo-
copiers for the club’s new Sólskin
Icelandic Heritage Library, she
learned about a $200,000 office-
equipment give-away program called
“Giving More in ‘94. ” The offer came
from Benndorf-Verster Ltd. as part of
their effort to help local charities and
community organizations.
Dyer was told by staff at
Benndorf-Verster that all she had to
do was line up for a free photo copier
on the morning of February 23rd.
The first 31 organizations would get
their choice of photocopiers on dis-
play and late comers would get 13 fax
machines or free photo copy deals.
She was also told that there seemed
to be a lot of interest in this give-
away by the various community orga-
nizations around Vancouver. This
later remark made Mrs. Dyer wonder
about line ups.
Wisdom prevailed and starting at
noon on the day before the give-
away, Dyer checked the line up situa-
tion every three hours. “When I saw
someone standing in line at 3:00
p.m.” Dyer said, I jumped out of the
and catches have had to be reduced in
order to avoid depletion of the fish-
eries, national income, as a conse-
quence, is down.
During this anniversary year, we
should face the difficulties at hand
and redouble our efforts to bring our
country and its people into the future
with optimism and belief in the
resources we have been given as
Icelanders.
car and grabbed a spot. And guess
what, we were #2.”
In a series of phone calls to the
club executive, the vigil began. Club
members took 2 hour shifts ‘round
the clock for the next 18 hours. “One
poor fella from some organzation
showed up in a wheel chair and was
shivering,” said Dyer, “and when
Irene (Finnson) reported for duty she
got concerned about him and went
back home to get him a blanket and a
heater. There was a kind of ‘nice’
feeling in the group that was wait-
ing.”
“Fred and I were back at 6:00 a.m.
the next morning and waited ‘till the
doors opened at 9:00,” said Dyer,
“and when the first 5 of us were
allowed in, I went immediately over
to the “book” copier and put my
hands on it.”
Sales staff were touched by the
fact that Naomi’s face was all flushed
and that she was in tears. They could
hardly believe that so many people
would line up so early. The line final-
ly consisted of about 250 people.
And so, with a little luck in finding
out about the give-away and a lot of
determination, the ICC of BC is now
the proud owner of a Canon office
‘book copier worth $6,000. The free-
standing machine will be installed
free-of-charge by its generous donor,
Benndorf-Verster Ltd.
ICELAND
PRESENTED BY:
^Iédersen /Nordic Charters
Winnipeg, Calgary & Vancouver To Keflavik
RETURN JUNE 23 RETURN JULY 21
Depart Cal. & Van., June 8 Cdn $1199. Cdn. $1199.
Depart Cal. & Van., July 6 Cdn. $1199.
Depart Wpg. June 8 Cdn $1099. Cdn. $1099.
Depart Wpg. July 6 Cdn. $1099.
The above fares can also be combined with our weekly Copenhagen flights.
Canadian & Icelandic Taxes $65.00. Flights are Via Toronto on CANADA 3000
FOR INFORMATION CALL
CANADA 1 -800-661 -1236 U.S.A. 1 -800-263-3274
FOR RESERVATIONS CALL YOUR TRAVEL AGENT
The Boy from Glenboro, comdf,omP. i
Luck & Pluck Pays Off!
ICC of BC members brave wind, rain and hail
for a free $6,000 office photo copier