Lögberg-Heimskringla - 30.04.1999, Blaðsíða 4

4 » Lögberg-Heimskringla « Friday 30 April 1999
Identical twin sisters of Icelandic descent
the oldest living
Gunnur Isfeld
IF YOU HAVE EVER WONDERED what it
would be like to have a twin sister
who looks like your clone, the twin
sisters Inga Burgess and Runa Vopni
will tell you that it is wonderful. Those
of us who are casually acquainted with
them, know both of them as Inga-Runa
or Runa-Inga. When I visited them
recently they told me that even their
father had usually called each of them
Inga-Runa.
Born in November, 1913, the sisters
celebrated their eighty-fifth birthday
last year, and as far as they know they
are the oldest identical twins, even the
oldest twins, of Icelandic descent in
Canada and perhap in Iceland as well.
As so many of the Icelandic emigrants
to Canada, Inga and Runa’s family his-
tory is a story of immigration, settle-
ment, tragic deaths, and a courageous
battle for carving out a living for a large
family on the Manitoba Prairies. Their
mother, Ólöf Hallsson, was bom
between Iceland and England on board
the MS Tyra during the family’s move
to the New World. The crew, excited
about the new arrival, urged the parents
to have a christening on board ship and
name the baby Tyra; but holding firmly
to Icelandic traditions Ólöf’s parents
did not reveal the baby’s name until her
baptism which took place on July 21,
1889 at the First Lutheran Church, in
Winnipeg, soon after their arrival.
At age nineteen Ólöf married
Hallur Jónson Hallson, a widower who
had tragically lost his for-
mer wife and several chil-
dren from measles in early
1904. Ólöf and Hallur
farmed near Lundar and
they had eight children, four
girls and four boys. Tragedy
struck the family again
when Hallur died in 1927,
leaving Ólöf to bring up the
children. During their form-
ative years, Inga and Runa
got used to working. They
had to milk five cows before
walking the distance of a
mile and a half to school,
and more chores awaited
upon their return from
school.
Both sisters were young
when they moved to Winnipeg to find
work. Their early training at home of
sewing and pattemmaking now stood
them in good stead and they both found
work at Eaton’s of Canada. Runa later
left Eaton’s and set up her own dress-
making business at home. The sisters
have beautified many a wedding with
their bridal and bridesmaids’ dresses.
Both sisters married and had a fam-
ily. Runa has three daughters seven
grandchildren, and two great-grandchil-
dren. Inga has two sons and seven
grandchildren.
As we can see above, Inga and
Runa not only look alike, they also had
a similar career, and they told me that
the bond between them is so strong that
if something happens to one, the other
is often aware of it although she is far
away. As an example of this they told
me that at one time Runa was involved
in a car accident in Phoenix, Arizona.
At the same time Inga was sitting at a
kitchen table in Winnipeg when she was
inexplicably thrown underneath the
table. When asked what had happened
to her she answered that something
must have happened to Runa. On anoth-
er occasion they chose the same birth-
day card to send to their brother
although one was in Toronto and the
other in Winnipeg. The sisters credit
their mother and her upbringing for
their ability to get along. Their mother
impressedon them that fighting was not
worthwhile and stressed the importance
of getting along. She also taught them
prayers and demonstrated peaceful liv-
ing herself.
In 1974 Inga and Runa travelled to
Iceland and although they did not get to
Vopnafjörður, to where they trace their
roots, they had a very good time travel-
ling to Mývatn and Húsavík and around
the country. They marvel at Iceland’s
natural beauty and how different it is
from the place where they grew up.
Inga and Runa now live at
Betelstaður in Winnipeg, and they don’t
like to sit empty-handed. This can be
seen in their suites which have beauti-
fully sewn drapes, made by Inga, and
they also do a lot of knitting for recent
arrivals in the family and others.
Another hobby of Runa’s is ceramics
and painting.
Ron Eyolfson celebrates
ninetieth birthday
ON March 14,
H e r d i s
Maddin hosted a
reception at Bet-
elstaður, Win-
nipeg, in honor of
Ron Eyolfson’s
ninetieth birth-
day. Many people
paid Ron a visit
that day to con-
gratulate him at
this milestone in
his life and to
wish him well.
Ron is well
known in
Icelandic circles
in Winnipeg and
further afield,
having done a
great deal of voluntary work for Frón Professor Walz, the author of Cartoon
and the Lutheran Church. Among those Charlie. We congratulate Ron and wish
who came to greet Ron that day was him many more years of active living.
Minnist
BETEL
í ERFÐASKRÁM YÐAR
Classified Advertising
$15 minimum, $3 per line based
on five words per line. After three
inserts, your fourth is free. Call
(204) 254-5477, Sandra Duma.
Enjoy a favourably priced
Friday smorg,
either lunch or evening
at the Nordic House of Canada
— the cultural home of the
Winnipeg Frón
Membership in the club is not required.
764 Erin Street, Winnipeg
Telephone: (204) 774-8047
MORTHLAND CORPORATION
The Concentrated Hardwood Center
P.O. Box 265 • Highway 146 East • LaGrange, KY 40031, USA
(502)222-1441 • Fax (502) 222-1445 • 1-800-873-1441
NORTHLAND is an Icelandic owned and operated
hardwood lumber company. In addition to the LaGrange, KY
operations, we have locations in LaChute, Quebec —
Lexington, NC — Miami, FL — Boynton Beach, FL —
Louisville, KY — Monticello, AR — Oakland, CA
NORTHLAND serves hardwood lumber dealers and
manufacturers in Canada, the USA, Europe and the Far East.