Lögberg-Heimskringla - 26.08.2005, Side 15

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 26. ágúst 2005 • 15

Steinþór Guðbjartsson at the recent annual parade during the Deuce of August Icelandic Celebration in Mountain, ND.
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
Managing Editor
Lögberg-Heimskringla
Some say that there is
nothing like a good roll-
ercoaster ride. To prove
the statement they point out
that people go on the ride again
and again. Or on a different
ride.
I’ve been on a rollercoast-
er ride for the last eighteen
months. And what a ride!
When I accepted the job of
Managing Editor of Lögberg-
Heimskringla in January 2004
I thought that I knew what I
was getting into. I had followed
the paper for years, criticized it
and pointed out what needed to
be done to make it successful. I
was not a stranger in town and
I knew a few people here and
there. I had a vision and was
ready for the mission.
Soon I found out that I was
wrong. Although I had visited
the paper’s office on St. James
Street in Winnipeg before I
came aboard, I did not realize
how small it was until I started
working there. Three people in
a room, hardly big enough for
one person, sharing one tele-
phone and a printer. The com-
puters so outdated that even
museums would not accept
them as a gift. Luckily, I had
brought my own laptop and
could work at home because
one could not think in that of-
fice. Not to mention two or
three at the same time.
In short, it was a miracle
that we managed to get every
issue out on time. In the begin-
ning I was just happy with that,
until I found out that there was
something really wrong with
the delivery of the paper. It
did not make any sense work-
ing your butt off to beat the
deadline just to leam that the
product was in many cases de-
livered way too late. That’s one
issue I still don’t understand,
but everybody I talk to about
the problem points at Canada
Post. However, in some cases,
lately there has been some
progress. Thanks to Canada
Post, I guess.
Since Heimskringla started
in 1886, and Lögberg two years
later, the publications have been
difficult. That’s the main reason
why the two papers amalgam-
ated into Lögberg-Heimskring-
la in 1959, although it did not
solve the problem. Quite often
the publishers worried about the
next issue — will we have mon-
ey enough to publish it? They
may not have had the money all
the time, but they had the will
and the determination to keep
it going. They understood the
importance of the publication
and instead of letting the pa-
per die they fought. That’s why
Lögberg-Heimskringla is still
published. People wanted a pa-
per like Lögberg-Heimskringla
to tell the story of the Icelandic
settlers and their descendants
and keep it for generations to
come.
It is hard to run a business
without cash, but when people
have been doing that for a long
time they don’t think about
money anymore. The board of
Lögberg-Heimskringla man-
aged, virtually without any
money, to publish the paper for
decades, and when I said to the
existing board that in order to
make the paper better known
I had to visit various Icelandic
communities in North Ameri-
ca, meet the people and write
about them, the response was:
“How on earth are you going to
do that? We have no money.”
Eighteen months ago the
paper could not afford to pay
for the airfare for me from
Winnipeg to Halifax, not to
mention accommodation. Then
board member Evelyn Thor-
valdson stepped in and said
to me: “I have a free ticket to
Halifax and it is the paper’s,
if you want to come with me.”
I had only met this woman at
one board meeting and here
she was opening the door to
the new world for the paper she
lived for and had worked so
hard for. Marshall Burgess in
Halifax, whom I had never met
before, took care of the rest,
got me around and introduced
me to people as needed.
The ball started to roll
and since the spring of 2004,
I have visited Iceland and Ice-
landic communities from coast
to coast in North America.
Thanks to individuals like Ev-
elyn Thorvaldson, Marshall
Burgess, Gail Einarson-Mc-
Cleary, Holly Garrett, Malcolm
Olafson, Guðmundur Eiríks-
son, Atli Asmundsson, Melanie
Specula, Carol Blythe, Margret
Geppert, Ron Godman, Gunnar
Thorvaldsson, Walter Sopher,
Gordon Reykdal, Óli Leifsson,
Eric Olafson, David Ashby,
Curtis Olafson and Eric Sigurd-
son. They, with various chap-
ters of the Icelandic National
League of North America and
companies, have sponsored the
trips, partly or in full, and thus
inade them possible.
I have been to, introduced
the paper at and interviewed
people in Reykjavík, Iceland;
Halifax, Markland, Lockeport,
Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa,
Kinmount, Winnipeg, Win-
nipeg Beach, Gimli, Hnausa,
Lundar, Arborg, Riverton,
Hecla, Wynýard, Calgary,
Markerville, Edmonton, Van-
couver, Pt. Roberts, Salt Lake
City, Provo, Orem, Spanish
Fork, Cavalier, Mountain, Ed-
inborg, Grafton, Chicago and
St. Louis. Furthermore, I’ve
been in touch with people in
many other areas and got to
know wonderful people in dif-
ferent places.
Why am I telling you this
story?
The reason is simple. You,
the readers, should know how
hard it is to publish a paper like
Lögberg-Heimskringla and
how, indeed, a few people have
kept it going for 119 years.
However, the paper has
never been in as a good a posi-
tion as it is now.
It has a secured office space
in downtown Winnipeg for five
years, thanks to Gordon Reyk-
dal in Edmonton, Iceland’s
Honorary Consul for Northem
Alberta and the Northwest Ter-
ritories.
The staff has been provid-
ed with new computers and as
a result the production goes as
smoothly as one wants. Thanks
to L-H's ongoing Future Fund
Capital Campaign chaired by
Dr. Ken Thorlakson.
The govemment of Iceland
has decided to digitize the pa-
per from the very beginning,
which means that it will be
available to all on the Intemet,
hopefully next year.
The revenue from ads
has never been higher and in
119 years the paper has never
had as many subscribers and
as much distribution as now.
Thanks to you, the subscribers,
the sincere supporters, the staff
and the volunteers who donate
their time to the paper.
Last but not least, I must
thank the people who had the
courage to get me aboard. Kris
Stefanson, Grant Stefanson,
Neil Bardal, David Gislason
and Tim Samson cleared the
way for the mission and they
made my ride possible.
As you get this issue of
Lögberg-Heimskringla, I have
left the rollercoaster. It has
been a wonderful ride and I
thank you all for taking part in
it with me, but it is time for me
to start a new chapter, get on a
new rollercoaster, this time in
Iceland.
Thanks for everything and
goodbye for now.
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
steg@mbl.is
Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca