Lögberg-Heimskringla


Lögberg-Heimskringla - 02.09.1994, Qupperneq 6

Lögberg-Heimskringla - 02.09.1994, Qupperneq 6
6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 2. september 1994 George Johnson to receive Order of Canada Gimli, Man. — The most honored man in Manitoba was strolling down the Lake Winnipeg dock here Sunday night. A car carrying three rough- looking men suddenly stop- ped and a quite tipsy fisher- man leaped out. “Hey, George!” he yelled. “You brought me into this world.” Dr. George Johnson73, brought 1,219 babies into the world during the eight years he was a family doctor in the district. A Iady here the other day said she was fed up with all the incomprehensible tragedies, from Rwanda to Quebec to O.J. Simpson, and was going to start a “Goodnews” scrapbook. Only stories that fell into the good news category would make George Johnson squeak in. He’s the kind they don’t make any more, whose entire life has been devoted to others. Of good Icelandic stock, he was in his final university class in May 1941, when the professor, a stem Englishman, said “ how can you sit here when Britain is under fire?” Twelve of the class marched down to the Winnipeg recmit- ing centre. Young Johnson had been reading First World War history decided he didn’t want to die of tetanus in some trench in France but would rather drown instead. He joined the navy. The recruit- ing ofGcer, fed up with young men detailing their knowl- edge of daddy’s yacht, asked him what he knew about ships. Nothing, replied Johnson. You’re in was the quick response. He was shipped to Royal Roads College in Victoria, where Mr. Kidder, father of Margot, hid his liquor supply in the fountain in the chapel, the chaplain unknowingly bless- ing it at each service. He spent the war as an officer on corvettes in the cold North Atlantic, chasing submarines. He didn’t drown. After school, he delivered up to 165 babies a year around Gimli, the Icelandic capital of Canada 90 minutes north of Winnipeg. In 40 below winter weather, he drove the gravel roads to remote farms, and charged $1 a housecall. When they built a new school in Gimli, somenone had the bright idea of letting the children name it. So it became the George Johnson Elementary School — some- what natural since he deliv- ered almost all of them. Premier Duff Roblin induced the progressive doc- tor into his Conservative gov- ernment in 1958. He served 12 years in the cabinet, as Health minister introducing medicare to Manitoba, and as education minister. He went back for further medical studies at McMaster University. He returned to Sterling Lyon’s Tory govern- ment as deputy minister of health in the late 1970’s. He served as the prov- ince’s Lieutenant-Governor from 1986 to 1992. His wife of 50 years, Doris, three decades ago was named one of the youngest Fjalkona- Maid of the Mountain-at Gimli’s annual Icelandic festi- val, a heraldic honor given to distinguished women in the community. She was 40. Between them, they have produced six heirs, all over- achievers. One son runs the largest Canadian-owned gov- emment cosulting firm in the country. Another son is founder and director of Manitoba’s Special Olympics. One daughter is a leading obstetrician and gynecologist at Toronto General Hospital. One daugher has a master degree in educational psy- chology. One daughter writes and illustrates children’s books. One daughter is a member of the Senate. Johnson has received most every honor one can imagine along with his war medals. He’s an honorary admiral of the Canadian navy. He’s in the Citizens’ Hall of Fame in Winnipeg. Iceland has awarded him its highest honor, the Order of the Falcon. On October 19 in Ottawa he will be made an officer of the Order of Canada, by a dif- ferent party from the one that made him Iieutenant-gover- nor. We at L-H join everyone in congratulating George John- son — an old-fashioned breed of man! byAllan Fotheríngham, Ottawa Submitted by DN i TO A FRIEND Over mountains And snowclad peaks By Bragl 10-10-93 Streams and golden meadows On across the sea Let us drink to starlit nights WFipn snncK; arp <;pt tn hpllnw Embrace her for me Sunny days and worthy fíghts With your songs And kiss her On the cheek This true and tried good fellow TOJENNA LIBERTY By Bragl 10-10-93 By Bragl 10-10-93 I ask you song-birds While men live in servitude On wings so swift But neither you or me Catch the gentle breezes It does not seem credible And huny to my love That we be truly free. EINAR’S ANECDOTES lcelanders and marríage Drifting through Olafur Thorgeirson’s Almanac and other publications reaching back to the era of emigration from Iceland to this country, it becomes quite apparent that the underlying forces placed pressure on young women to enter into holy matrimo- ny only if the spouse was of Icelandic origin. This created emo- tional tensions. We octogenarians can recall in our own mind these tensions, for we lived in part during the years when immigrants were middle age and their offspring reaching maturity. Our people were essentially farm or fisher folks or both, and the women basic rural persons experi- enced in domestic farm home living. The home setting had been self suffi- cient in regards to habitations including food and clothing. Farm husbandry was an important skill for survival. This was especially true in North American rural communities where the virgin land, wild game and lakes with fish were to be had for the asking under the Homestead Act. Give an Icelander land, hay and fish with wooded areas for log habita- tions and fuel, he could exist in the remotest of areas, such as the original hinterland in the Interlake Districts. The young Icelandic women were the wage eamers whether it be as domestics, sales clerks or dressmakers. In many instances this was the source of much needed cash in the rural Icelandic penny poor homes. This took girls out of their homes into direct contact with young men of other nationalities particularly of British background. The young men assisted with the rural home chores. If they did go out, they found employment in the building trades, construction, or on grain farms in the southem parts of Manitoba. The non Icelandic, Anglo-Saxons tended to segregate these husky fair haired fellows, originating from an island Arctic Country somewhere North of the British Isles. What did our boys have to offer, mainly life on an isolated farm which involved domestic drudgery and milking cows. What did the non Icelandic city slickers have to offer, a spin around town in a brand new Model T Ford, or a movie when it was too cold to drive in a car, with a canvas top and flopping side curtains. This was tough competition for our boys at the time which only tme love could overcome. In spite of these obstacles, our people did very well and soon acquired the ubiquitous Model T Fords and even ventured as far as Winnipeg in them to visit with rela- tives and friends. Now this has all changed and the question is not if the spouse is Icelandic and owns a car but whether he or she is Canadian. Give me land fish and hay, A log shaclc not too far away And I will show them who I am An Icelander from a distant land. The question has often arisen as to why Icelanders had a penchant for settling on second rate land. What they looked for was, what they had grown up with in Iceland. There they were accustomed to hay land areas, pasture lands for grazing and the ocean waters which provid- ed fish. When they came here, they were attracted to areas with similar resources they had known and grown up with in their native Iceland. They did not know how to grow grain and originally missed out on grain farming. When you read through the historical articles you will find that an area with hay and pasture land made them feel at home. A lake with fish in it was an added bonus. It is the first genera- tion born here who were really suc- cessful in grain farming for they had acquired these skills through work- ing for grain growing farmers of other than Icelandic origin. One of the amazing achievements of Icelanders is their academic skills of learning and achievement to become world famous such as Vilhjálmur Stefansson and our Baldur Stefanson with his Canola discoveries that have revolutionized crop production, not only in Western Canada but much further afield. Both these men of world fame come from frugal beginnings in the Interlake Area. We can hold our heads high to be of the same people as these two world figures as well as the academ- ic success of our people as a whole. Invariably their beginnings were fru- gal but their achievements outstand- ing. Pat yourself on the shoulder, perhaps we should be doing more in reviewing the success of our peo- ple.

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