Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.09.2017, Page 9

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Lögberg-Heimskringla • 1. september 2017 • 9
measures. When women leave
their work and gather outside
the parliament to draw attention
to these issues, they are joined
by men who understand that
society is stronger if all people
are treated fairly.
Other progressive policies
in Iceland, like publicly funded
education from preschool
to university and universal
healthcare, provide a foundation
for equality of opportunity for
all members of society.
I have discovered that
Icelanders are strong, resilient
people.
To survive in the harsh
conditions of an Icelandic winter
(and sometimes summer), you
have to be made of sturdy stuff.
The sagas tell stories of
Vikings and adventure and
it still takes a Viking’s spirit
to fish on the North Atlantic.
Icelanders famously stood up
to the British Navy to defend
their fishing rights in a dispute
that became known as the Cod
Wars.
And in the face of the
economic collapse of 2008,
Iceland stood up to the world.
There can be no making
light of the consequences that
the collapse of the banks has had
for the entire population. As the
situation was unfolding in the
fall of 2008, the anger and sense
of betrayal of the people were
palpable, but so was the strength
and resilience. Icelanders knew
who they were and that they
would survive. They turned to
their communities and families
for support and they found it.
Icelanders had the courage
to take decisions that were
widely criticized. The British
government invoked anti-
terrorist measures against the
Icelandic people. But brave
Icelanders stood their ground.
In the many examinations
that have been done since,
the prevailing conclusions
are that the decisions taken
were the right ones and have
been effective in allowing the
economy to first stabilize and
then grow again. In fact, the
economy of Iceland expanded
7.2 percent in 2016 – which,
at these times of low growth
in developed countries, is
remarkable. Earlier this year the
capital controls that were put in
place after the crisis were lifted,
which is an important milestone
in this long journey.
The króna is a strong symbol
of Iceland’s independent nature.
Iceland is by far the smallest
country in the world to have
its own free-floating currency.
Painful as it was in other
respects, the devaluation of the
króna as a result of the financial
crisis made travel in Iceland
much more affordable than it
had been, which helped spur
the growth in tourism that has
been so important to Iceland’s
economic recovery. The days
of Iceland as an inexpensive
destination were short lived
– but in the meantime the
reputation of the country as a
world class vacation destination
has exploded.
And that’s another thing
I discovered – Iceland is a
beautiful place.
Any direction you look
could be a postcard – ocean,
mountains, rivers, waterfalls
glaciers, fjords – and the
otherworldly, moonscapes,
bubbling mud pots and eerie
rock formations – sometimes
creepy and beautiful at the same
time.
For years now, you can
hardly pick up a newspaper
or travel magazine and not
see photos of the beautiful
landscape and accounts of
marvelous adventures In
Iceland. Iceland welcomed 1.8
million visitors in 2016 – many
times its population.
These are just a few of the
many wonders of Iceland and
its people.
And what I have discovered
about Iceland – my other land
– is something that I know
many others here today have
shared. We may be separated
from Iceland by two or three
generations, but when we travel
there we feel at home.
Ég vona að gestir okkar frá
Íslandi finni að þessi staður og
fólkið hér er hluti af Íslandi og
að þeim finnist að þeir eigi líka
heima hér.
It is an honour to have the
opportunity to make this tribute
to an amazing place that is part
of our shared history but also a
remarkable modern nation.
Iceland – we toast you!
May you continue to
astound us.
Sandra Sigurdson was
born and raised in Gimli. Her
parents are Alma and Raymond
Sigurdson of Gimli and her
grandparents were Alfred and
Beatrice Martin of Vidir and
Bjorn and Hildur Sigurdson of
Gimli.
Sandra has worked with
a number of different firms
in the course of her career
in the investment industry,
including the Icelandic bank,
Landsbanki. She is currently
Director of Strategic Investment
Planning for Investors Group
in Winnipeg. She received
her Bachelor of Commerce
(Honours) degree from the
University of Manitoba in 1984
and the Chartered Financial
Analyst designation in 2003.
A member of
Íslendingadagurinn for more
than 20 years, Sandra served on
the board for 12 years and was
President in 2004 and 2005. She
is currently the Vice President of
the Betel Home Foundation and
also serves on the board of the
Icelandic Canadian Chamber
of Commerce.
Sandra lives in Winnipeg
with her husband, Don
Gaudry. They have two
grown children, Danelle and
Douglas, and a seven-year-
old grandson, Lucas.
PHOTO: BERIT WALLENBERG / PUBLIC DOMAIN
Women at Þingvellir in 1930
PHOTO: AJITH KUMAR / CC BY 2.0
Icelandic men's football team at the Euro 2016 qualifying match
Greetings from
Gordon J. Reykdal
Honorary Consul of the
Republic of Iceland
Suite #208 11523 100 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta
T5N 3Y6
Cell: 780.497.1480
E-mail: gjreykdal@gmail.com
First Lutheran Church
580 Victor Street
Winnipeg R3G 1R2
204-772-7444
www.mts.net/~flcwin
Worship with us
Sundays 10:30 a.m.
Pastor Michael Kurtz
PHOTO: STEFAN JONASSON
Iceland is world renowned for its stunning natural beauty