The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.1964, Síða 22

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Autumn 1964
20
VISIT OF ICELANDS PRIME MINISTER
and the Icelandic Day Celebration at Gimli, 1964
Icelanders in the Western Hemi-
sphere have been particularly for-
tunate in recent years in that they
have had the privilege of entertaining
first the Chief of State of Iceland,
Pre idem A-geir Asgeirsson, three years
ago and now the head of the Govern-
ment of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson.
As a result of arrangements made by
the Committee in charge of the annual
Icelandic Celebration at Gimli, Dr.
Bjarni Benediktsson, Prime Minister
of Iceland, his gracious wife, fru Sig-
rtSur Bjbrnsdot'tir and their son Bjorn,
were the honoured guests at the Ice-
landic Day (Islendingadagurinn) Cele-
bration in Gimli and also at other
festive gatherings in Manitoba and
Western Canada.
Their arrival at Winnipeg’s Inter-
national Airport August 1st saw many
of the leading members of Winnipeg’s
Icelandic community out to welcome
them. The Prime Minister’s party later
proceeded to Government House,
where they were guests of His Honour
the Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba,
Errick F. Willis and Mrs. Willis for
the duration of their stay in Winnipeg.
This was the first time that a Prime
Minister of Iceland had visited Mani-
toba.
The Prime Minister, his wife, and
son attended a religious service on
Sunday, August 2nd at the First Luth-
eran Church. The pastor, V. J. Ey-
lands expressed the appreciation of the
congregation for having the distin-
guished visitors present. Speaking to
the congregation, Dr. Benediktsson
expressed his pleasure at finding the
Icelandic language still alive among
the descendants of the pioneers who
first brought it to .his country.
On Monday morning, starting at
8 a.nr , August 3rd, the Prime Min-
ister’s party was taken by motor caval-
cade to Winnipeg Beach, where he
was taken aboard a boat provided by
the Manitoba Yacht Club. With a flo-
tilla of six boats, i.he last few miles
of the historic route followed by the
York boats of the original settlers
eighty-nine years ago, was retraced.
The Prime Minister was shown Willow
Island and the Point where the settlers
landed.
Plundreds of people were already on
hand to greet the Icelandic Prime Min-
ister a; the Gimli Pier as he and the
official party arrived aboard the
“Carlabob J.” A ceremony at the dock
followed the landing of the official
patty. Dr. Benediktsson was presented
with an honorary membership in the
Manitoba Yacht Club by the Com-
modore of the Club, and was also made
a gift of the burgee flown on the
Commodore’s vessel. In return, the
Prime Minister presented the Com-
modore with the Icelandic split flag
which he had flown on board. After
the brief ceremony, the official party
joined the parade which then moved
through the streets of Gimli. The large
number of brightly-decked floats help-
ed to make this year’s parade a par-
ticularly impressive one. As the car
bearing the Prime Minister reached
the monument to the pioneers, the
cavalcade stopped, and the Prime Min-
ister, accompanied by the Fjallkona