Lögberg-Heimskringla - 13.05.1994, Page 2
2 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 13. maí 1994
Þorrablót in
Wynyard
by Joan Eyolfson Cadham
“Icelanders were the first group
other than the aboriginals and the
Scottish fur traders to reach the Elfros;
Wynyard, Foam Lake, Churchbridge
areas,” said Mayor Sharon Armstrong,
welcoming 250 revellers to the 13th
annual Vatnabyggð Club Þorrablót held
in Wynyard.
“Icelanders didn’t go just anywhere
— it had something to do with the
lakes. But they came, and they settled,
and they were a major factor in the
development of Saskatchewan,” she
said.
Mayor Armstrong cited the contribu-
tions of the Icelandic community, high-
lighting music, poetiy, literaiy achieve-
ment, farming, fishing, agriculture, cul-
tural excellence and a past president of
the University of Saskatchewan.
Mayor Aimstrong greeted the crowd
in Icelandic and English, and the bilin-
gual flavour was continued by Marj
Nainaar of Canwood who, as Past
President of the Multicultural Council
of Saskatchewan, presented a plaque of
appreciation to Eric Stefanson, past
Vice President of the Council.
The Vatnabyggð Icelandic Club
focuses on multiculturalism as one of its
aims and ideals. Representatives of the
Club represent the Icelandic community
Above:
Marj Nainaar with Eric Stefanson.
Left:
Vatnabyggö Þorrablót — on the floor.
Right:
Like mother, like daughter—
Cindy and Michelle Goodman.
at festivals across the province and
Stella Stefanson, club secretary and
. librarian in Elfros, presents multicultur-
al and citizenship displays under the
auspices of Vatnabyggð. Herman
Slotsve, President of the Multicultural
Council and Marj Nainaar both com-
mended the local Icelanders on
“respecting the Canadian flag while still
retaining your own culture.”
As in all parts of North America
where Icelanders gather, Þorrablót in
Wynyard was celebrated with an equal
mix of good food, a cultural compo-
nent, and countiy dancing.
Food included rúllupylsa, brown
bread, lifrarpylsa, cold meats, a cheese
platter, salads, mysuostur, skyr,
vínarterta, sweet soup, assorted squares,
and lashings of coffee.
The formal program was emceed for
the thirteenth time by Raymond
Stefanson of Saskatoon who is an
English professor in his spare time
when he is not corresponding with
Einar and Siggi. Stefanson shared
Einar’s most recent letter with the
Þórrablót crowd, a long dissertation on
Siggi’s ventures into the Lillehammar
Olympics.
Jón Jónsson, Consul of Iceland in
.Saskatchewan, gave Iceland’s history,
pointing out that this June 17, Iceland
will celebrate 50 years of independence
from Denmark. “From 1262 until 1382,
Iceland was ruled by Norway, and from
1382 to 1944 by Denmark,” he said. “In
their 1120 year histoiy, Icelanders have
experienced 682 years of foreign rule
and enjoyed 438 years of indepen-
dence.”
Iceland straddles the Arctic Circle at
the top of the North Atlantic, has a pop-
ulation one quarter the size of
Saskatchewan, and is half the physical
size of Saskatchewan with two per cent
arable land. he reminded the crowd.
Natural resources are limited to fish.
hydro-electric and thermal power.
However, Jónsson said, Iceland, with
a population of 260,000, has a standard
of living consistently among the top ten
countries, shares the highest life
expectancy with Japan, has the lowest
infant mortality rate, no armed forces
and 100 per cent literacy.
The first democratically elected
woman head of state came from Iceland
he said, and, amid cheers, he þointed
out that Iceland featured the first gener-
al strike by women to shut down a
countiy.
On a per capita basis, Iceland holds
the world record or ranks near the top
in books published, number of book
stores, cöffee drinking, phone conversa-
tions, running up of Visa chaiges, num-
ber of chess Grand Masters, and win-
ners of Miss World and Miss Universe
contests.
“It is the perseverance, hard work
and the ingenuity of its people in har-
nessing their resources that have made
Iceland a modem and progressive soci-
ety and a well-respected member of the
iqtemational commúnity.” Jónsson said
“It is also a community that is proud of
and determined to preserve its literary,
artistic and cultural heritage.”
Entertainment included the Ice-
landic choir in English and Icelandic,
the Cantabile Singers of Wynyard, many
of whom are also members of the
Icelandic choir, and the Vatnabyggð
Dancers.
In keeping with the multicultural
theme, the lead singer for the evening’s
band performed numbers in English,
French and Chinese.
Samgönguráðuneytið
sendir bestu kveðjur til
íslendinga, sem búsettir
eru í Vesturheimi og
afkomerida þeirra, með von um að
sem flestir þeirra sjái sér fært að heim-
sækja ísland á þessu afmælisári íslenska
lýðveldisins og treysta þannig gömul og
ný tengsl þessara landa.
Samgönguráðuneytið.
To Icelanders and their families residing
in Canada and the USA, the Ministry of
Communications sends its best wishes
and welcomes them to Iceland, on the
50th Anniversary of the Republic where
ðfamily ties can be strengthened
and established anew.
The Ministry of
Communications in Iceland.
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