Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.06.2012, Blaðsíða 1

Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca
LÖGBERG
HEIMSKRINGLA
The Icelandic Community Newspaper • 1 June 2012 • Number 11 / Númer 11 • 1. júní 2012
Publication Mail Agreement No. 40012014
INSIDE
August 3, 2012
Links on the Lake Golf Course
Gimli, MB
Register online at
www.lh-inc.ca
or by phone 1-866-564-2374In Support of Lögberg-Heimskringla
Photo: Michael G. Stewart
Winnipeg June
17 program
planned
Women’s choir and jazz
guitarist featured / page 2
Photo: Ferne GudMundSon
Convention
overview
It was, indeed, quite a party /
page 15
Photo: leiF norMan
Making
connections
Two-page INL of NA
convention photo spread /
pages 8 and 9
The Icelandic Canadian Frón of Winnipeg nominated Gunnthora Gisladóttir for the Laurence S.G.
Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award,
which she was awarded at the INL
Convention in Brandon on May 5, 2012.
The mission of the Icelandic Canadian
Frón is to promote and preserve a healthy,
vibrant Icelandic culture and heritage within
Canadian society. The organization thrives
on the contributions of many dedicated
volunteers. When the members think of
those who volunteer their time and energy
to the Frón and other Icelandic Canadian
organizations, one of the first names that
comes to mind is Gunnthora Gisladóttir. At
89 years old, she has barely slowed down.
Gunnthora came to Canada from
Papey in East Iceland via England, where
she trained and worked as an orthopedic
nurse. After spending a year in Toronto,
she arrived in Winnipeg in 1967. In
Winnipeg, Gunnthora worked as a nurse
for many years at the Winnipeg General
Hospital, now the Health Sciences Centre,
retiring at age 65.
Besides taking up a nursing job,
she joined the Icelandic Canadian Club
shortly after arriving in Winnipeg, where
she began her extensive volunteer work.
In 1975, she was one of the first
members of the newly formed Icelandic
Canadian Frón, for which she served in the
1990s as Treasurer. She has maintained her
relationship with the Frón and continues
to be a member to this date.
Laurence’s daughters, Patsy, left and Kathie to the right making the presentation
after Gunnvör Danielsdóttir introduced Gunnthora Gisladóttir on behalf of the
Icelandic Canadian Frón
Presenting... the “Queen of Pönnukökur and Vínarterta”
Karen Botting
Winnipeg, MB
Photo: Kendra JónaSSSon
People of all ages gathered at Jónshús on April 19 for a dual occasion: to celebrate the beginning of summer
and the memory of Jón Sigurðsson. The
muggy day and the afternoon sun through
the windows of the gathering hall indicat-
ed that, at least in Copenhagen, summer
had arrived.
Among those present were the
former President of the Republic, Vigdís
Finnbogadóttir, the President of Parliament,
Ásta R. Jóhannesdóttir, Svavar Gestsson,
former Consul General in Winnipeg and
former Icelandic ambassador to Denmark
and Sweden.
Following a formal welcome by Karl
M. Kristjánsson, Chairman of the Board of
Jónshús, a celebratory speech was given by
Ásta R. Jóhannesdóttir. Her tone was light,
placing the spotlight on the exceptionally
Icelandic mood of celebrating the first
day of summer and the old superstition
surrounding the day; if winter and summer
freeze together the night before, summer
will be particularly good. After the formal
celebration, Jóhannesdóttir spoke of both
the importance of this very Icelandic holiday
and its more comical side, as she told me a
story of a tourist in Iceland who once asked
“How do Icelanders know that summer will
start on this particular day?” She also said
that it was so wonderful and important that
we have a gathering like this one “to remind
us of our history and independence.”
The other main speaker of the evening
was former ambassador Svavar Gestsson.
He gave a powerful speech with a tone
that touched on our history, our current
situation, which took a turn to the worse in
the autumn months of 2008, and Iceland’s
location “at the corner of the world.” The
political connection to North America was
one of the central points of the speech as
he spoke of Iceland’s situation during and
after WW2, as a nation occupied, and in
part brought to wealth, by the armies of
Britain and the US. It was his hypothesis
that Icelanders had for too long, in times
of hardship, been used to rescues from
abroad, and that it was time that sentiment
stopped. Although his speech was quite
gloomy at times, and touched on many of
the challenges that face Iceland, it ended
on a comforting tone of hope, which felt
especially at home on the day that marks
the beginning of summer.
Celebrating summer and Sigurðsson
Elías Þórsson
Copenhagen, Denmark
Karl M. Kristjánsson, Chairman of the
board of Jónshús
Photo: hJalti heidar JónSSon
Continued on page 7
Continued on page 6