The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.1968, Page 45

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
43
I am not offering this as poetry, but
rather as a very old and honorable
Icelandic tradition.
There are two main currents that
run through all of Iceland’s history.
One has to do with unique and often
brilliant accomplishments, the other
consists of unbelievable disasters, hard-
ships and misery. One relates more to
cultural heritage, the other to hered-
ity, as far as they can be separated.
It is believed that Iceland was known
to people of other countries, as early
as four hundred years before Christ.
However, it is not until 12 centuries
later that Irish monks discovered it,
as a sanctuary from the strife and wars
of Europe, in general, and probably
from the raids of the Vikings in parti-
cular.
To the PAPAR, as they were called
by the Vikings, it was indeed God’s
Country, wrought as it was from the
waves of the Atlantic in one of natures
most awesome display of anger and
fury.
It was covered with birchwoods, and
rich grazing lands extending across
the lowlands, over the highest hills and
far up into the mountain sides.
Water was plentyful and wildlife so
tame, it is said, you could walk among
the birds and the seals and pet them.
Then came NaddoSur, Hrafna,
Floki, GarSar and Ingolfur.
They named it Snaeland, Garffars-
holmi and Island. To others it was
known for centuries as Ultima Thule,
or the land farthest out.
The settlement of the Vikings is
said to begin in the year 874 and last-
ed until the year 930 when Iceland be-
came a republic with the establish-
ment of parliament and laws for the
entire country.
JOSEPH SVEINSON, Correctional
Counsellor
Joseph Sveinson in July was elected
mayor pro-tem of the city of Gonzales
in California. A member of the city’s
council for more than six years, he has
two years of his current term yet to
serve. In his first year on the Gonzales
council he was elected president of the
California League of Cities, Southern
Monterey county. Ele is also a mem-
ber of the California League of Cities
law enforcement committee. A cor-
rectional counsellor, Mr. Sveinson has
been employed by the California
Department of Corrections for 25
years, 18 of these at the Correctional
Training Facility at Soledad.
J. RAGNAR JOHNSON, HONOUR-
ED BY THE PRESIDENT OF
ICELAND
John Ragnar Johnson, Q.C., hon-
orary consul of Iceland in Toronto
since 1947, in May was made a Grand
Knight of the Order of the Falcon by
Iceland’s then president, Asgeir As-
geirsson. The honor was presented to
him by his cousin, Prime Minister
Bjarni Benediktsson of Iceland, on be-
half of the president during a private
visit to Toronto. Mr. Johnson was
created a Knight of the order in 1951.
Born in Winnipeg, Mr. Johnson is a
graduate of the University of Man-
itoba and Manitoba Law School and
has practised law in Toronto since
1935.