The Icelandic connection - 01.09.2010, Qupperneq 16

66
ICELANDIC CONNECTION
Vol. 63 #2
These men all braved the hardships
and loneliness of Lake Winnipeg
extremely well and were seldom heard to
voice any complaints about their lot in
life. All of these experiences became a
thread in the fabric of their lives and they
often enjoyed reminiscing about their
adventures on Lake Winnipeg.
A Postscript:
This story took place in the 1920s
when Johann was about 27 years old. His
brothers would have been about 25 and
21 years of age at the time.
As a youngster I heard this story and
many other stories of the lake when my
uncles Einar and Bergur shared stories
with my dad, Johann. They had ceased
fishing on the lake except for some sum-
mer jobs, mostly in the Hecla Island area.
Finally they all quit and devoted the rest
of their lives to farming in the Arborg and
Framnes districts.
Through the years, we would be vis-
ited by Laurence when he worked in the
vicinity. He worked on the dredge that
cleaned the harbours all along Lake
Winnipeg and if we were lucky he would
let my dad bring us aboard the huge
machine when he worked at the Hnausa
dock. What an adventure that was for us
boys!
Of course they never forgot to talk
about their early adventures and the
ordeal on the lake which I have written
about here.
The “dark-haired girl” Emilia Rosa
Jonsson, who sent the letter to Johann,
became his wife and the mother of their
four sons . . . but that’s another story.
I would like to add one more fact
relating to this story. My middle name is
Laurence. I like to think that this was
done to honour their very dear friend who
had been part of their young lives, so long
ago.
c<yve/ C
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