Lögberg-Heimskringla - 27.05.1994, Blaðsíða 5

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 27. maí 1994 • 5
executive secretary.
In 1987, invitations were offered for
chapters to bid for the conventions in
their provinces and cities. It has
worked beautifully, and we have had
much enjoyment from exchanging loca-
tions. It has given the chapters the
opportunity to “feel the efforts” of
putting a conve'ntion together, albeit
still with much help and support from
the INL. I have to admire the chapters
that have made their bids and truly
believe that it has made a great differ-
ence. All the while funding was offered
from the federal govemment multicul-
turalism department and we continued
to apply.
I recall at one or more meetings
when I visited different chapters during
my presidency, the question was raised:
“why do we need federal grant monies.
We have always been able to function
without it. Why are we grovelling for
their assistance”. My reply was simple -
the Federal Government set aside fund-
ing for multiculturalism and offered
assistance to any national groups who
wished to take advantage of the oppor-
tunity. I could only think to say “we are
a very proud people, but we are not stu-
pid”. If the dollars are there, why
wouldn’t we be amongst those who
would apply.
Without this funding, we would not
have realized many of the opportunities
of assisting chapters with travel, accom-
modation, professional workshop lead-
ers, projects such as the resource book-
let, funding to assist with some of our
youth projects and so on. It has helped
us to feature conventions like we have
never had before.
Then in 1988 came the convention
in Alberta. The three Alberta chapters
shared the responsibility of organizing
the event, and the location was at the
Innisfail Lodge not far from
Markerville. It was wonderful to see
them pull up in the bus to the lodge. I
had informed them that all the rooms
were designated, and they just had to
go to the desk to get their keys. That’s
when I first met Bob Ásgeirsson!!! He
did not like the rooms I had chosen for
some of the people, as there were no
elevators, and some of the people were
elderly. And so, we started to change
things around. I remained calm. I had
visions of people sharing rooms that
shouldn’t. It did happen though, really;
I had Sam Thorkelson from Edmonton
(president at that time of Nordurljós)
and Emil Bjamason in the same room.
That was fine with them, until I saw
Sam dancing with his wife at the ban-
quet. Where did she come from, and
where was she going to sleep? In the
meantime, Emil had gone to his room,
°nly to find a lady’s slip on his bed, and
he wondered what his buddy Sam had
been up to. I don’t recall who slept with
whom that night, but I remember decid-
ing that I would let them work it out.
This convention was also the one
where we were hit with an “Alberta
snowstorm” like you’ve never seen on
the Saturday night of the banquet. It
was horrendous. Most local people
who had come to the banquet got home
in time, but those of us in the hotel
were literally snowed in the next mom-
ing. Highways were closed. Delegates
who had been staying at nearby Red
Deer in hotels and motels never did
make it to the business meeting on
Sunday morning. We were informed
that there would be no travel out of
Innisfail, and we all would have to stay
one more night. The phone lines were
busy with delegates informing their fam-
ilies and businesses that they were
stranded in Innisfail and would not like-
ly get home until the next day when the
highways were cleared. That was also
the convention where we worked on the
constitution nearly all day Sunday, and
sometimes I think it was meant to be.
We lightened up the evening with the
piano and Hannes Tomasson teaching
some of us the seven step. We managed
to have sing-songs at all these conven-
tions too. Some were even held at 4
o’clock in the moming.
In 1989 it was on to Wynward. I
must say, with regret, this was the only
convention I missed, as our daughter
chose to marry the same weekend. From
all reports, it was a wonderful conven-
tion, and with organized persons like
Eric and Stella Stefansson, we had no
doubt that it would be a success.
he next convention, 1990, was
held in Winnipeg at the University
of Manitoba. We were moving
right along. Neil Bardal was the newly
elected president. We were still applying
for grant monies from the Federal
Government, and were successful. We
had Bill Holm as the banquet speaker
and entertainer that year, and he was
wonderful. We had a “panel öf person-
alities” that year, a representative from
all the different organizations that were
available, and it was very interesting to
hear their views on what the INL meant
to them, as well as what their organiza-
tions were all about. We began intro-
ducing display tables, people would
bring their works of art, literature and
information of their chapters. The con-
ventions were growing — becoming
more interesting — and one could feel
the sense of “wanting to belong”. We
were obviously on the right track.
The next year 1991, the convention
was in Vancouver. The late Gus
Trygvasson played an important part in
planning and helped with the invitation
of his brother Bjarni (the astronaut)
from Ottawa as the special guest for the
banquet speaker. The B.C. chapter
worked hard in setting up the events for
the weekend and it too was wonderful.
This was the introduction of their pride
and joy — Iceland House — to most of
us, and one they should be rightly proud
of. The Sólskin ladies entertained us at a
coffee party following the business
meeting at Iceland House giving us all a
tour of the building and of course we
MESSUBOÐ
Fyrsta Lúterska
Kirkja
Pastor Ingthor I. Isfeld
1030 a.m. The Service followed by
Sunday School & Coffee hour.
First Lutheran Church
580 Victor St., Winnipeg, MB
R3G 1R2 Ph. 772-7444
had to end off with a good old fash-
ioned sing song. It was a wonderful
convention — and the one where I was
elected president. We were already into
April 1991.
There were immediate problems fac-
ing our newly elected executive - in
that we had no secretary - and no
headquarters home. We moved into
699 Carter Avenue in July of 1991 and
attempted to get settled once again.
Elva Simundsson and I ran the office as
best we could without a secretary and
proceeded to hire a part-time secretary
just prior to the semi-annual meeting in
November. My husband informed me
that we would be going to the Bahamas
for six months — and I would be an
INL president living in another coun-
try. I made several trips back to
Winnipeg, but managed to keep up to
most of the meetings and responsibili-
ties related to my position. The conven-
tion was being planned for Hecla that
year - 1992. And it was a year that we
were awarded no grant monies, and
had to carefully budget our convention
in that respect. It was a successful con-
vention, in spite of the fact that we
were not able to help with travel or
accommodation expenses or support
the chapters involved.
From Hecla we moved on to Gimli.
The 1993 convention was held in cele-
bration of their 50th year as a chapter.
It was a very successful and productive
convention, well organized and
planned by capable people from the
Gimli chapter and the INL. Oli Narfa-
son, as president, sailed right through
the weekend events uncomplaining. At
the business meeting on Sunday, vice
president Helgi Austman was elected
president and Al Olson as vice presi-
dent. There were some changes to the
structure of the executive and new peo-
ple elected to the board. It has
appeared to be a very good effort.
994 - we are here celebrating the
75th convention in Selkirk and
next year, the Icelandic Canadian
Club of Toronto will be the hosts. We
look forward to that as well.
The hiring of Raelene Johnson in
October 1992 as the executive secretary
for the INL has certainly been one of
the INL’s good fortunes and best deci-
sions. She has been a great inspiration
to all the executive. She is keenly inter-
ested in the INL and her work has
been excellent. She is very uncomplain-
ing when overloaded with work and it
is always a pleasure to go into her
office. She has a way of “brightening up
your day”. She puts in many extra
hours around convention time and
works hand in hand with the commit-
tees in charge and with our convention
director. She is to be commended for
getting things together — with some-
times very limited time.
I know when many of us here leave
for Iceland at the end of June to attend
the 50th Anniversary of Iceland’s
Independence, in conjunction with the
Þjóðræknismál hosted by the Icelandic
National League of Reykjavík, we will
once again be like a “family” - and we
will once again continue to make an
awareness.
Each convention is like a family re-
union and I believe it will always be
that way. I hope that it will continue on
for another 25 years - which will be a
truly magnificent “centennial” of the
INL. _
Ég þakka ykkur kærlega
fyrir áheyrnina.
The Icelandic Festival of Manitoba
ÍSLENDINGADAGUmm
SCHOLARSHIP
The Wilhelm Kristjansson
Memorial Scholarship of $500
is offered by the Icelandic
Festival of Manitoba to a student
who has completed one or more years
of post-secondary studies (university or
college) and who will be continuing
his/her studies the following year.
The following criteria will be considered:
0 complete post high school academic results
0 qualities of leadership and community ser-
vice
Please send a letter of application and a copy
of your official transcript, which includes your
marks for the 1993/94 school year, along with
a letter of reference from a teacher or commu-
nity leader, to (on or before July 8):
Dennis N. Stefanson
609 - 600 Setter Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R2Y 2H7
The scholarship will he awarded at the Icelandic Festival of
Manitoba in Gimli, MB, on Monday, August 1, 1994.