Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.05.2016, Qupperneq 6

6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • May 15 2016
VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.LH-INC.CA
Seven worthy individuals were given Honorary Lifetime Memberships
in the Icelandic National
League of North America
at the organization’s annual
convention in Vancouver,
British Columbia, on April
29, 2016. The recipients were
recognized at the opening night
award ceremony on the Friday
evening of the convention.
The ceremony opened with
the customary procession of
dignitaries. Bethany Butler-
Wong led participants in
singing the national anthems
of the United States, Iceland,
and Canada – but she sang the
anthems so beautifully that
many were content to hear her
sing them on their behalf before
bursting into applause at the
end. Sunna Furstenau and Brad
Hirst served as emcees for the
evening.
Following a short address
by Claire Eckley, the outgoing
President of the Icelandic
National League of North
America, Stefan Jonasson,
editor of Lögberg-Heimskringla,
was invited to offer a tribute
to Ambassador Hjálmar W.
Hannesson and Anna Birgis
Hannesson, who concluded
their service at the Consulate
General of Iceland in Winnipeg
during the convention.
Greetings were then received
from Halldór Árnason, President
of the Icelandic National
League of Iceland, Ambassador
Hjálmar W. Hannesson,
Consul General of Iceland in
Winnipeg, and Ambassador
Sturla Sigurjónssaon, Icelands
Ambassador to Canada.
The lifetime memberships
were then presented – Óðinn
Helgason presenting the
awards for Margaret Amirault,
Naomi Dyer, Irene Finnson
(posthumously), and Gerri
McDonald; Donna Nelson
presenting the awards for
Bernice and Fred Andersen; and
Christine Mueller presenting
the award for Lois Marilyn
Janusson-Yasinko. Following
the presentation of lifetime
memberships, Judy Bradley and
Dr. Lorelei Johnson presented
the Laurence S.G. Johnson
Lifetime Achievement Award to
Gary Oddleifson (see separate
story). The evening concluded
with a reception sponsored
by Donald K. Johnson with
Lögberg-Heimskringla.
Margaret Amirault
Icelandic Canadian Club of
British Columbia,Vancouver, BC
Margaret grew up in
Gimli, Manitoba. Her parents
were Harold Bjarnason and
Augustina (Finnson) Bjarnason.
Her grandparents were from
the Reykjavík/Akranes area
and Barðastrandasýsla and
Steingrímsfjörður in northwest
Iceland.
Margaret has been a member
of the Icelandic Canadian Club
of BC since 1979 and has been a
member of the board ever since.
In those 38 years, she has served
as secretary, social convenor
and Iceland House committee
member. She was very involved
with the purchase, renovation,
and running of Iceland House.
Each year, she applied for
provincial gaming funds on
behalf of the club. When the
club sold Iceland House and
moved to the Scandinavian
Centre, Margaret served on
the negotiating team. She was
active in the design and the
building of the Iceland Room.
She is held most dearly as our
Icelandic newsletter editor, a
position she has maintained for
many, many years.
She continues to work
tirelessly on club affairs, baking
vínartertas and running the
Hard Fish Café at the Christmas
Bake Sale with the help of her
grandchildren.
Fred and Bernice Andersen
Stephan G. Stephansson
lcelandic Society,Markerville, AB
Fred and Bernice are charter
members of the Stephan G.
Stephansson Icelandic Society,
which began 43 years ago
in Markerville, Alberta. The
Society, commonly referred to
as SGSIS, owns and operates
three provincially recognized
historic sites and a century-old
cemetery. Through the 43 years
since its beginning, Fred and
Bernice have been committed
leaders in numerous ways and
several times serving board
positions, Bernice as president
and secretary and Fred as
treasurer. Being dependable,
dedicated, and very generous
with their volunteer time, their
presence in committee work
is ongoing – for example, the
hamlet signage project and the
Historic Markerville Church
restoration, or milestone events
such as Markerville’s centennial
celebration and Tindastoll
Cemetery Remembrance Day.
They share their special
talents, Fred with his drama,
acting and emceeing in
fundraising events like Quilt
of Many Cultures Drama
Productions, Bernice with
her inspirational ideas and
organizational skills is known
as our SGSIS historian. Not
only has she taken hundreds of
photos and documentation over
the years, but she has travelled
to Iceland at least twice, and
then, in 2010, she went on the
Snorri Plus program. Fred and
Bernice share their passion
for heritage, collecting history
and preserving it for the
education and enjoyment of
future generations. No wonder
they are regularly seen helping
at our museum or Kaffistofa,
hosting or welcoming Icelandic
dignitaries, including Icelandic
presidents in 1989 and 1999.
They have kept up relationships
with our sister clubs in| Calgary
and Edmonton and have played
a significant role in our annual
Icelandic National Celebration
and Picnic. Bernice was crowned
its Fjallkona in 1982. Bernice
has represented our society and
our province’s three clubs at
several INL of NA conventions
and she and Fred remember well
the one they helped organize in
Innisfall in 1988, which ended
up with a winter blizzard, power
outages, and several unexpected
overnight guests.
Their volunteer service of
setting up, serving and cleaning
up at weddings, funerals, and
various events extends beyond
SGSIS to Dickson Store and
Danish National Museums,
Bethany Lutheran Church,
Raven-Markerville Carol
Singers, and, in 2014, they were
chosen by the local Lion’s Club
to be Citizens of the Year for
Spruce View and District. They
regularly assist with ushering
at Red Deer Memorial Centre
and help annually with serving
breakfast at Canmore Folk
Festival. Bernice is currently
organizing the 125th anniversary
of the Vonin Icelandic Ladies
Aid and we know that Fred will
be there setting up the sound
system, projector, screen, etc.
In our community they bring
encouragement and compassion
to folks suffering difficult times,
loneliness, loss, and they often
are the ones to host a dinner
party or a meeting, either to get
the ball rolling for some event,
or just to celebrate and give
thanks for what has already
taken place.
They are proud of their
home community and, whether
serving locally or in their travels,
they strive to make a positive
difference. We are blessed to
have them in our Icelandic
Society and broader community.
Naomi Dyer
Icelandic Canadian Club of
British Columbia,Vancouver, BC
Naomi Dyer was raised in
Winnipeg. Her parents were
Hannbjorg Aradóttir Fjeldsted
and Valtýr Ólafur Samson.
Naomi has been a very active
member of the Icelandic
community in Vancouver for
many decades. She was an
active member of Sólskin,
which was the ladies auxiliary
for The Icelandic Care Home
Höfn Society. Naomi served as
Sólskin president and worked
towards raising funds for the
first Icelandic Old Folks Home
in Vancouver. She worked
tirelessly organizing birthday
parties and activities for the
residents.
She has been a member of
the Icelandic Canadian Club
of BC board since 1990. She
retired from the Board in 2014.
She served as treasurer for
many years but also served as
membership chair, marketing
chair, and helped with the
production and mailing of the
newsletter. She was active with
the purchase, renovation, and
running of Iceland House. She
was always ready to lend a hand
whenever needed. She was very
involved with fundraising over
the years. She worked with
Margaret Amirault to apply
for government grants. The
Christmas Bake Sale was her
idea. Naomi and Irene ran the
sale for over 20 years. Naomi
also helped raise money for the
Children’s Christmas Party.
It is hard to put a price on
good help. So let’s just say
Naomi has been an invaluable,
tireless worker for the Icelandic
Community.
Irene Rebecca Finnson
Icelandic Canadian Club of
British Columbia,Vancouver, BC
Irene grew up on a farm in
Vidir, Manitoba. Her parents
were Brandur and Loa Finnson.
They were from Skagafjörður
and Mýrdalsýsla in Iceland.
Both parents were from large
families so Irene had many
relatives throughout the
Canadian Icelandic community.
Irene moved to Vancouver
in the 1980s with her daughter
Stefanie. Her son Daniel was
born in Vancouver. In 1986, she
joined the Icelandic Canadian
Club of BC and was always very
active. She served as president
twice. Irene spearheaded the
purchase of Iceland House. She
watched over its renovations
and its running as a bed and
breakfast. Along with Naomi,
she ran the Christmas Bake Sale
from its inception and baked
hundreds of vínartertas. Irene
was always front and centre
anytime anything needed doing,
whether it be running errands
or hosting receptions for tour
groups.
Irene always said that she
enjoyed working with the
Club because even though the
members came from all walks
of life they shared a common
heritage. It saddened us when
we lost Irene in 2012. Clearly
she is missed and it has been
a challenge to fill her shoes. It
did not take us long to discover
all the things she so willingly
and quietly did to support
the Icelandic community in
Vancouver.
We are pleased that Irene’s
grandchildren, her daughter
Stefanie, and her son Daniel
were in attendance as we
presented Irene Rebecca
Finnson with an Honorary
Lifetime Membership.
Geraldine McDonald
Icelandic Canadian Club of
British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
Gerri was born in Vancouver
and has lived in Richmond
most of her life, except for the
four years she lived in Iceland.
She married in Iceland and her
daughter Steinunn was born
there. Her mother, Doreen
Thorsteinsson McDonald,
... page 7
Seven receive Honorary Lifetime Memberships from the
Icelandic National League of North America
Icelandic Camp 2016
Íslenskar Sumarbúðir 2016
For over 30 years the Icelandic Camp has given young people a chance to study Icelandic language, learn about the Icelandic Culture, sing
Icelandic songs and create friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.
Just 2 miles north of Gimli, Manitoba, Canada – Camp Veselka overlooks
lovely Lake Winnipeg. With a huge recreation room, dining area, 6 cabins,
indoor showers and huge open fields, Camp Veselka offers a wonderful place
for Icelandic campers to gather.
WHEN Friday, July 22nd - Friday, July 29th
WHERE Camp Veselka, Gimli MB
DAY CAMPERS Ages 5-8
FULL CAMPERS Ages 8-15
JR. COUNSELLORS Ages 15-17
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT
www.icelandiccamp.com
or icelandiccamp@gmail.com
Icelandic Language Classes I Saga Stories I Icelandic Culture & History I Arts & Crafts I Icelandic Music I Much More