Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.07.1994, Blaðsíða 5

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 15. júlí 1994 • 5
From Boat
to Bar
Guðjón Þór Pétursson used to
be a fisherman, up until a few
years ago. He would work for
four to six months a year and earn
enough money on the boats to take
the rest of the year off, live well and
travel. It was a hard and dangerous
life, but a good one. “That was when
there were fish,” he said in an inter-
view.
Today, he and his wife Olly Anna
Jónsdóttir work 12 hours a day, six
days a week, almost all year long in
the Bíó Barinn, a bar they own in
Reykjavík. They still make a living,
life is reasonably good, and it doesn’t
get much more dangerous than
Pétursson having to eject the occa-
sional drunk. They are not poor, but
Guðjón misses the fishing and the
family works harder for less: “For
most Icelanders it will be like that
until the fish come back,” Guðjón.
comments sadly.
But their experience, like that of
most Icelanders, is an indication of
how important fishing is to the
Icelandic economy and of how the
prosperity of most Icelanders rises
and falls with it.
“There are not enough físh now to
make a living,” says Pétursson,
although he has no explanation of
what may have happened to the cod,
which formed the bulk of the
Icelandic catch for export and have
almost vanished from Icelandic terri-
torial waters as they have from the
Grand Banks off the Atlantic Coast
of Canada.
Cod quotas have been even more
drastically cut in Iceland than in
Canada and hardship is being felt
throughout the country. Icelanders
recall how, when the herring disap-
peared in the 1950’s, the standard of
living dropped drastically in their
country.
The disappearance of the herring
prompted several cod wars with
Great Britain as Iceland unilaterally
extended its territorial limits—it was
the first nation to declare a two hun-
dred mile limit; the dwindling cod
stocks today threaten new cod wars
elsewhere, both for Canada, which is
now attempting to exert its authority
in waters beyond its 200 mile limit,
and for Iceland, whose fishing fleets
are venturing further and further
afield in search of the fish stocks.
Today, the country is involved in a
cod war with Norway over fishing
rights around Svalbard in the Barents
Sea where Iceland disputes Norway’s
claims to jurisdiction over the fishing
ground and the Norwegians have,
ironically, adopted the Icelandic cus-
tom of cutting the trawl nets of boats
they feel have no business being
there.
The experience of Guðjón and
Olly is by no means unique in
Iceland, where many people routine-
ly work two or three jobs to make
ends meet in an extremely expensive
society. “We were lucky, however,”
says Olly, “that Guðjón bought the
bar when he did.”
“I bought it as a hobby” says
Guðjón, “something to do when I
was not at sea.” Serendipity played a
part as well, when the seats from an
old movie theatre, found in the base-
ment, provided a theme for the bar —
bíó is Icelandic for movie theatre —
and today it is quite successful with
its attractive decor of old film memo-
rabilia and sandblasted glasswork
done by Olly, herself an artist whose
work contributes to the family
income.
So Guðjón and Olly like most of
the people in Iceland, cope and hope
that the fish will retum. Until the fish
do retum, they know that life will get
harder. Even so, they are expecting a
child in December and have decided
to name it Birta, if it is a girl, Bjartur
if it is a boy. Both names mean ray of
sunshine, and exemplify, as Olly
points out, the determination of
Iceland to fight back in the face of
adversity and the pride and stubbom-
ness that have enabled it to do that
for more than 1,000 years. — r.o.
;y
■ ■ :
Obituary:
Rosebjörg Olof Josephson
On June 24, 1994 at
the age of 72,
Rosebjörg Ólof
Josephson, beloved wife of
Oli P. Josephson passed
away peacefully at St.
Boniface Hospital.
Besides her husband of
48 years, she leaves to
moum her father J. B.
Thordarson; her daughter
Jonena, son-in-law Frank
Bell and grandson Adam;
son Peter, daughter-in-law
Wendy and grandsons,
Johann, Alexander and Jon;
son Rick, daughter-in-law
Caroline, grandson Kristjan
and grand-daughters,
Elizabeth and Katherine;
sister Loa and brother-in-
law Eyolfur Eyolfson;
brother Brodie and sister-
in-law Joyce; sister-in-law
Mona and husband Paul
Chopek; brother-in-law
Walter and wife Margret
Josephson. Rosebjörg was
predeceased by her mother
Nina Thordarson in June
1970.
Bom in Geysir Man. on
December 5, 1921, where
she attended school and
high school in Riverton,
Man. Following her mar-
riage to Oli on December 5,
1945 she moved to Gimli
where the family resided
until 1967. In Gimli,
Rosebjörg was an active
member of the community,
serving through the Kanettes
and the Lutheran Ladies
Aid. In 1967 the family
moved to Winnipeg where
she resided until her death
The love and caring pro-
vided by Rosebjörg to her
husband, sons, daughter,
grandchildren and friends
leave memories that will be
cherished forever.
The family offers its sin-
cerest gratitude to the staff
of the St. Boniface Dialysis
Unit. Special appreciation is
extended for the care, kind-
ness and compassion pro-
vided by Dr. Fines, Dr.
Flemming and Patti Olson
over the past four years.
In keeping with her
wishes cremation has taken
place and a Memorial
Service took place on
Tuesday, June 28, 2:00 p.m.
at the Gimli Lutheran
Church, Gimli, Man. with
Pastor George Johnson offi-
ciating.
Flowers are gratefully
declined. Donations in
Rosebjörg’s memory may be
made to the Kidney
Foundation of Canada,
200-55 Donald Street,
Winnipeg, R3C 1L0.
Minnist
BETEL
í ERFÐASKRÁM YÐAR
Lco Hjalmarsson, Arden, MB.........$10.10
Audrey Fridfinnson, Winnipeg, MB.....$25.
Dr. & Mrs. T.K. Thorlakson,
Winnipeg, MB......................$100.
Bob & Runa Wheelans,
Brampton, ON........................$5.
Tom & Sophie Wallace, Seattle, WA......$10.
V.
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