Lögberg-Heimskringla - 05.12.2003, Page 1

riiE ICELANDÍC WEEKLY
Lögberg stofnad 14. janiar 1888
Heimskringla stofnad 9. september 1886
Sameinud 20. agust 1959
Friday, 5 December 2003 • Number 42 / Númer 42 • Föstudagur, 5 desember, 2003
PAP Registration no. 08000
Agreement no. 1402161
117th year /117. Árgangur ISSN 0047-4967
Canada Welcomes His Excellency Guðmundur
Eiríksson, Iceland’s New Ambassador to Canada
In This Issue
• A Philanthropist at
Heart, Don Johnson P. 4
0 Jól hjá Jóni og Ulú á
Islandi og í Kanada P. 7
• The White Strand P. 8
m Martha Brooks in
Iceland P. 10
Hurðaskellir
Þessi mynd lýsir heldur betur
vel honum Hurðaskelli.
Listamaðurinn er Henný
Hrund Jóhannsdóttir, tólf ára
frá Breiðabólstað, Ivirkjubæ-
jarklaustri, og hún lét vísuna
hans Jóhannesar úr Kötlum fyl-
gja með.
Sjöundi var Hurðaskellir,
sá var nokkuð klúr,
' ef fó/kið vildi í rökkrinu fá sér
vœnan dúr.
Hann var ekki sér/ega
hnugginnyfir því,
þó harkalega marraði
hjörunum í.
Door Slammer
This picture shows Door
Slammer rather well. The artist
is Henný Hrund Jóhannsdóttir,
twelve years old from
Breiðabólstaður, Kirkjubæ-
jarklaustur, and she sent the
verses by Jóhannes from
Kötlum along with it.
The seventh was Door Slammer,
be ivas rather crude,
he often tnade the doors creak
being very rude.
]Vhen in the twilight people mnted
to have a little sleep,
but he u>as not particularly
sad nor did he iveep.
Infomiation from Morgunblaðid, A. H.
Ik Davison
w Ottawa/
f^ li Pembroke,
k' -Ir
It was a pleasure and an hon-
our to be able to spend time
in conversation with Iceland’s
new Ambassador to Canada,
His Excellency Guðmundur
Eiríksson. Throughout the con-
versation, the role of
Intemational Law and Human
Rights rose to the surface.
Ambassador Eiríksson is a gen-
tleman at home in this world
and his passion for social and
intemational justice through his
work in Iceland and other world
nations shines. All Canadians
will benefít from his presence in
Canada and Icelandic-
Canadians can anticipate
expanded insight and growth as
he reaches out to our communi-
ties.
Childhood, Education, and
Professional History
In 1947, Guðmundur
Eiríksson’s father, the Reverend
Eiríkur Sverrir Brynjólfsson of
Útskálar, Iceland was
approached by the Reverend
Valdimar Eylands of the
Winnipeg Lutheran Church to
take part in an exchange
between the Icelandic and
Manitoba churches. The
Reverend, his wife Guðrún
Guðmundsdóttir of Gerði in
Garður, Iceland, son Erik, and
the Reverend’s sister Katrín,
travelled to Winnipeg for the
Reverend to fulfíll the pulpit
exchange. His first stay in
Canada was going to be brief:
Guðmundur Eiríksson was born
in Winnipeg on October 26,
1947 and retumed to Iceland
with his family in 1948.
Ambassador Eiríksson fondly
recalls a photo album presented
to his mother by the Winnipeg
Lutheran Church Women’s
Auxiliary marking the occasion
of his birth. Guðmundur’s Aunt,
Katrín Brynjólfs(dóttir), chose
to stay in Winnipeg while the
family departed for Iceland and
home.
In 1952 Guðmundur’s
father was again approached by
a Canadian Lutheran Church,
this time in Vancouver, asking if
he would consider retuming to
Canada to take over the pulpit.
Reverend Brynjólfsson of
Útskálar accepted the invitation
and moved his family to
Vancouver, BC to minister to
the congregation at the'
Vancouver Icelandic Lutheran
Church. Sadly for the family
and all who knew him,
Reverend Eiríkur Sverrir
Brynjólfsson of Útskálar died in
1962. The family again retumed
to Iceland. Young Guðmundur
Eiríksson had spent his forma-
tive kindergarten to grade ten
years studying in Vancouver.
Ambassador Eiríksson
earned his Degree of Civil
Engineering from Rutgers
College in the United States
(1970), his Law Degree from
King’s College, University of
London, England (1973), and
his Masters of Law from
Columbia University (1974).
The details of his career can be
found online at:
www.iceland.org/ca.
In 1977, after spending
three years with the United
Nations in New York working
in conjunction with the Law of
the Sea, he retumed to Iceland
to serve as Legal Advisor for
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For the next twenty years
Guðmundur served in this
Ministry while expanding his
,contributions globally as visit-
ing professor, scholar, and lec-
turer to a nurnber of intemation-
ally recognized institutions.
It was in 1996 that
Guðmundur and his wife and
partner Þórey Vigdís Ólafsdót-
tir, psychologist and social
worker, chose to move to Costa
Rica with their family. The
move, motivated by a number
of factors, saw the Eiríkssons
thrilled that their children
would have an opportunity to
grow within and experience a
culture beyond their usual
boundaries. Travelling from his
home in Costa Rica, from 1996
to 2002 Guðmundur sat as
Judge for the International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
in Hamburg, Germany. During
this time he also wrote a book
titled The International
Tríbunal for Law of the Sea,
Kluwer Academic Publishers,
2000.
Guðmundur’s passion for
the Law of the Sea is clearly
evident, but his contributions
and dedication toward the pur-
suits of Intemational Law and
Human Rights conducted at the
United Nations-affiliated
University for Peace, Costa
Rica (UPEACE) are a source of
inspiration. From 2001 to 2003
the Ambassador sat as Dean for
Cooperative Programs,
Secretary of the Council, and
Director of the Department of
Intemational Law and Human
Rights at UPEACE.
Ambassador Eiríksson
hurnbly, yet honestly explained
that Icelanders work long days
as they strive to help their
nation prosper. In order to sus-
tain the standards the nation has
set, individuals must assume
many social and community
responsibilities. When one con-
siders that Iceland fosters two
operas, three symphonies, and
four universities, it is easily rec-
ognized that a great deal is
accomplished by her conscien-
tiously ardent citizens. While in
Reykjavík, Guðmundur, in
addition to his Ministry respon-
sibilities, served as Chairman of
the Opera, performed in the
Opera Chorus, and sat on the
boards of a Sports Club and the
Tennis Federation.
The Eiríkssons have four
children: Guðrún Dögg
Guðmundsdóttir, Human Rights
Program Offícer, University for
Peace, Costa Rica; Ólafur Bjöm
Guðmundsson, university stu-
dent and restaurant manager in
Helsinki, Finland; Elín Vigdís
Please see Canada
Welcontes His Excellency
on Page3
Ambassador Guðmundur Eiríksson with her Excellency
Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada
Creating Community • Sköpum Samfélag