Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.11.2012, Síða 8

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8 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • November 15 2012
Thanksgiving for Canadians is about giving thanks for a
bountiful harvest season and
the blessings in one’s life.
On October 6, the Icelandic
Canadian Club of Toronto
celebrated this occasion by
inviting the public to join
the Ambassador of Iceland
in Canada, Mr. Þórður Ægir
Óskarsson and his wife
Sigurbörg Oddsdóttir, the
Honourary Consul of Iceland
in Toronto, Gail Einarson-
McCleery, author Donald
E. Gislason, and sculptor
Guðrún Girgis at Kinmount
for an ICCT donation to the
Kinmount community.
This donation covered the
cost of a large window installed
in the restored Austin Sawmill
at the Kinmount Heritage Park,
where stands the first official
Icelandic-Canadian memorial
in Ontario, In the Presence of
a Soul.
The funds were raised
from Icelandic tourists visiting
the site and from sales of
Donald E. Gislason’s booklet,
The Icelanders of Kinmount.
The ICCT donation towards
the fundraising initiative, A
Window to Your Past, is a
symbol of gratitude towards
the people of Kinmount
for welcoming us into their
community, for embracing the
history of the early Icelandic
immigrants, and for the on-
going care of the site.
Also present were Laurie
Scott, MPP Haliburton
Kawartha Lakes-Brock,
Councillor David Hodgson
representing the Mayor,
Diane Austin, Chairperson
for Kinmount Committee
for Planning and Economic
Development, author, Guy
Scott who wrote The History
of Kinmount – Community
on the Fringe, Fran Moscall,
ICCT and Councillor Clayton
Cameron.
“For me as the new
Ambassador of Iceland to
Canada and my wife, it is
truly an honour to be with you
on this occasion,” said Þórður
Ægir Óskarsson, Ambassador
of Iceland to Canada. “The
difficulties and the sorrow
that the 352 Icelanders
settling in this community
endured is hard to imagine.
However, Don Gislason’s
moving account of the first
steps of the first large group to
move from Iceland to Canada
admirably manages to bring
us closer to this harrowing
experience. The short period
that they actually spent here
was only around 12 months,
from October 1874 to fall
1875. Still it must never be
forgotten. The unveiling of
the statue, In the Presence
of a Soul, created by Guðrún
Girgis and dedicated to this
brave group on July 31, 2000
was an important step in that
direction.
“The dedication of a
window here today is a
further manifestation of this
determined effort to keep the
Icelandic settlers’ story in
this community alive. This
and Guðrún’s sculpture along
with Gislason’s account of this
important period are critical to
give this particular part of the
Icelandic settlement history its
deserved status.
“For this the artist and the
writers, including Guy Scott’s
account of the Icelanders in his
book The History of Kinmount,
deserve our gratitude, and so
do the descendants of these
courageous people who have
put so much work in facilitating
these memorials, in particular
the Icelandic Canadian Club
of Toronto.
“The true fighting spirit
that characterized the Icelandic
settlers here in Kinmount,
moulded by the harsh living
A window to your pAst
iCCt Kinmount thanksgiving event
Guðrún Girgis, Chair, Kinmount Memorial Project
Shanty Bay, ON
The memorial plaque surrounded by Ambassador Óskarsson, Donald Gislason, Diane Austin, Guðrún Girgis,
Gail Einarson-McCleery, Guy Scott, Laurie Scott
AnnuAl ChristmAs mArket & CAfe
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Scandinavian Centre
764 Erin Street, Winnipeg
Phone 204-774-8047
11 AM to 3 PM
No admission fee
Featuring imported foods, candy, crafts & home baking
and a cafe serving Scandinavian delicacies
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Cocktails: 6:00 p.m. (cash bar)
Dinner and Program: 7 p.m.
The Fort Garry Hotel | 222 Broadway
The Grand Ballroom | Fort Garry Place | Winnipeg, MB
Price: $85
or $150 (includes donation and $65 tax receipt)
Business Attire and Decorations
For room bookings
sales@fortgarryhotel.com or 1-800-665-8088
Group code: 1010LZ
Rate: $139.00 single/double
For tickets
Contact Lögberg-Heimskringla
204-927-5645 or lh@lh-inc.ca or
Purchase online at www.lh-inc.ca
evening of lights
Tribute Dinner Þrúður Helgadóttir
Atli Ásmundsson