The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.1968, Page 27

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
25
SESSELJA ELDJARN and PETRINA ARNASON
standing in front of the White Rock Monument, raiser in commemoration
to the first Icelandic settlers who landed at that rock in October, 1875
a holiday trip to the Scandinavian
countries, and she accepted the in-
vitation.
Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Arnason
visited Iceland in July and while there
spent a good deal of the time with their
relative Sesselja. Who is to be given
the main credit need not be analyzed
-but as a result of discussions between
the three it was decided that the in-
vitation from the Accident Prevention
Society be changed from the Scandi-
navian countries to Canada. The Soci-
ety agreed and Miss Eldjdm went
with Mr. and Mrs. Arnason to Mani-
toba.
This proved mast fortunate, not only
for the people immediately concerned
but in the cause of easLwest Icelandic
relations. Sesselja Eldjarn, through her
pleasant manner and her clear under-
standing of the inescapable difference
between the people of Iceland and
people here of Icelandic descent,
proved to be an excellent ambassador
of good will between -the two who, in
spite of differences in surroundings
and even in language, have so very
much in common.
The large White Rock monument
on Willow Point, near Gimli, is a per-
petual reminder of the place where the
first Icelandic settlers landed on the
west shore of Lake Winnipeg, in Oc-
tober 1875. It is very appropriate that
this ambassador of good will from Ice-
land should be pictured standing be-
side -the monument with Petrina
Arnason on the other side.
-W. J. L.