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April 2016 XLVIII:iv
The Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia
N E W S L E T T E RN E W S L E T T E RN E W S L E T T E R
Strandarsaga—A Coast Story
Icelandic National League of North America, April 29-30, 2016 Convention, Vancouver
Hosted by the Icelandic Canadian Club of BC
Convention Banquet Sold Out Often at the Icelandic National League of North America conventions, banquet
tickets are sold out. The difference this year is that the tickets were sold out
much earlier than expected. The support from our Icelandic North American
community is something to behold. It is rewarding work when we get a response
like the one we have experienced for the 2016 Convention. The Convention
Committee would like to thank all those who have registered.
There is a cost to success. We knew we had to subsidize the registration and
convention costs in order to make the convention work. The more successful the
turnout is the deeper the financial burden. The Convention Committee is working
with existing sponsors but it appears additional fund raising is necessary.
Friday Heritage Lunch The convention program will designate Friday’s lunch as a Heritage Lunch. The
lunch will be dedicated to the memories our Amma and Afi’s, our Mom’s and Dad’s
and others to recognize their pioneering spirit. We ask that you support the
convention by making a donation in their memory. We have already received an
honourable donation towards this idea. In the weeks before the convention and
even after the convention, we offer you an opportunity to honour individuals or
families who are a cherished part of our collective history. Donations can be made
by sending a cheque with a note mentioning in whose name the donation is being
made. Cheques are to be payable to the Icelandic Canadian Club of BC.
Donations can also be made OnLine using the convention website. CLICK on the
DONOR button and complete the information. The amount donated can be paid through PayPal. The website is:
http://www.icelandicclubbc.org/convention2016/
The Convention Legacy Minutes from the October 2014 ICCBC Board Meeting read: “Names of people that are willing to get into a room in the next week
to start convention planning are needed.” Since then, time has flown by in front of our eyes.
When those members of the Icelandic Canadian Club of BC did get into a room and begin developing a vision for the 2016
Icelandic National League of North America Convention, one thing became clear. Icelanders are a determined bunch!
A garden gnome was introduced to the Convention Committee early on in the planning. He became known as “Afi” and was used
in many of the early Facebook posts to introduce the 2016 Convention. Afi brought focus to our early ideas.
What the exact legacy of the convention will be is yet to be determined. My list of things seems to grow daily. One thing for
sure is that our little friend “Afi” inspired a few that grew into many. Thanks Afi and Amma too.
Norman Eyford, Convention Committee Chair
How can those not registered take part in the convention? The Committee knows there are some of you who would like to take part in the convention in a limited way. We have suggestions
but you will have to contact us. We are designating the following email address for those who have their own transportation and
wish to know how they can be a part of the convention activities in a limited way. Email to: [email protected]
2 April 2016
FUNK (nee Polson) Olive “Amma” July 11, 1931 - March 11, 2016
After a brief illness, Amma passed away in the early hours of Friday, March 11, 2016 when the world was quiet and still. She was married for 51 years to Ron, who passed away in 2010 and is survived by daughters Diane (Jeff) and Janet (Steve) and her beloved grandson Alex. Amma was a psychiatric nurse who helped the mentally ill throughout the Vancouver area for over 30 years. We will always remember you and love you Amma! We could never, ever forget you. Your daughters now know how you felt when you wanted to be with your Mom and Dad again, because now we want to be with you again. To remember Amma, be kind to anyone with hearing problems.
Notice of Annual General Meeting, Scandinavian Community Centre Society 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, Thursday, April 21, 2016, 7 pm.
Agenda: 1) Reports of the Directors; 2) Financial Statement for the year ended December 31, 2015; 3) Resolutions; 4) Elect Directors for coming year; 5) Transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting.
Agenda will be posted at the Scandinavian Centre 30 days before the meeting. Dated February 11, 2016. By order of the Board of Directors of the Scandinavian Community Centre Society.
Special Resolution at SCCS AGM 21st April 2016 to revise By-Laws:
Add to 3(i): “Board action may be evidenced by an e-mail vote and read into the minutes at a subsequent board meeting.” Add to 3(k): Committees to be established and continuing committees to be re-confirmed at the first board meeting after the AGM.
Old: 5(b): All officers shall be appointed annually. No person may serve as President for more than one year in succession, alternating between members within FHS, DHS, SHS, NHS, and IHS. New: 5(b): All officers shall be appointed annually. The President serves a one year term alternating between the members within FHS, DHS, SHS, NHS, and IHS. If a President resigns or must retire before the end of the one year term, another Director from the same House Society as the retiring President must be appointed to complete the balance of the retiring President’s term.
New paragraph: 5 (c): The Vice president shall be appointed from the House Society which are to provide the following year’s President.
New paragraph: 7 (f): The Chairman of an Annual General, or Special General meeting shall be elected by and from the members present at the General Meeting.
Renumber 7(f) as 7(g), and 7(g) as 7(h).
Old: 6(d)(ii): Collect all dues to the SCCS and keep the funds of the SCCS safely deposited in a Chartered Bank or Credit Union approved by the Board of Directors. Funds so deposited may be drawn out on the authorization of the Board of Directors. Cheques shall be signed by any two of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and one other authorized signatory as may be appointed by the Board of Directors from time to time. New: 6(d)(ii): Change: “and one other authorized signatory” to “and up to three other authorized signatories.”
STRAKER, Margaret Aldis (nee Hordal) March 29, 1917 – February 16, 2016
Aldis was the oldest of 6 children born to Egill and Oluf (nee Bjornson) Hordal in Kristnes, Saskatchewan. The family grew up in Wynyard, Saskatchewan. She married Stanley Straker January 20, 1938 and moved to Vancouver, BC to start their married lives. They had 2 children, Gail Margaret and Ronald Keith. This resulted in 7 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren. Predeceased by her husband Stanley, son Ronald, grandson Chad, granddaughter TraceyAnn, and great-granddaughter Kimberley; also by her brothers, sisters and numerous friends. Aldis, Margaret, gramma and amma, will be sadly missed by family and friends with whom she regularly kept in touch. A family remembrance will be held on her 99th birthday, March 29, 2016. Margaret was a long-term member of the Icelandic Club of BC.
3 April 2016
Silent Auction, INL Convention
Wow! - Some great items have been donated to the silent auction.
This painting, by Wayne Thorsteinsson Bissky called “Koma Heim” (“Coming Home”), of the Gimli
Harbour will be just one of the many exceptional items at the silent auction. There is still room for more items.
If you wish to donate, please call Marilyne Anderson, 604-936-9926, or email: [email protected].
If you are coming to the convention please plan on bringing cash/ or cheque and enjoy the bidding!
Icelandic Canadian Club of BC 2016 memberships have not all been received.
Singles, couples and families with children under 18 yrs, $25. Cheques can be sent to the address
below, OR, using the convention website. http://www.icelandicclubbc.org/convention2016/ Membership can
be paid through PayPal. (PS: Check out the website anyway, the pictures are great.)
The Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia, 2016 Membership
6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC, V5B 4P9
The Iceland Canadian Club of British Columbia
Notice of Annual General Meeting Iceland Room at the Scandinavian Community Centre, 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC, on
Wednesday 6th April 2016 at 7:00 pm.
The agenda will consist of: Reports of the Directors and of the member groups; the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31st December 2015; Resolutions; Election of Directors for the coming year; and such
other business as may properly come before the Board.
Coffee and treats served after the meeting.
Agenda for the Annual General Meeting will be posted at the Scandinavian Centre 30 days before the
Meeting. Dated the 20th of January 2016, by order of the Board of Directors of the Icelandic Canadian
Club of British Columbia.
Loren Guðbjartsson, President
4 April 2016
COMING EVENTS Apr 6 Annual General Meeting, Icelandic Canadian Club, 7 pm Scandinavian Centre Apr 21 Annual General Meeting, Scandinavian Community Centre, 7 pm Scandinavian Centre Apr 29-May 1 Icelandic National League Convention River Rock Casino & Hotel, Richmond, BC May 1 Icelandic National League Tour of Höfn & Scandinavian Centre, including lunch May 15 Golf tournament, Mylora Golf Course, 12 noon Richmond, BC June 17 Icelandic National Day celebration, evening Scandianvian Centre June 17-19 Midsummer Celebration Scandinavian Centre
Sumardagurinn Fyrsti (First Day of Summer) Sumardagurinn fyrsti is an annual public holiday in Iceland held on the first Thursday after the 18
th of April. In
former times, Icelanders used the Old Norse calendar which was divided into two season winter and summer. The first month of summer is Harpa, although the name may not be that old. In the Snorri Edda, this month is called Snipe month or Sowing month.
The climate in April cannot be considered to be summery but after the long and dark winter the darkness and cold of winter is waning. If there was frost on the eve of the first day of summer it was said to be a sign there would be a good summer. Icelanders celebrate the first day of summer today with scout parades, sporting events and entertainment. These celebrations are held all around Iceland.
Heiðlóa or Golden Plover Spói or Whimbrel Hrossagaukur or Snipe Forecasting of the season was very important to Icelanders. While we have Whiarton Willie in Canada, Icelanders have their own forecasters. The Golden Plover was a predictor of a cold spring in the south and west but welcomed in the north and east.
The long cry of the Spói (Whimbrel) meant the spring cold was over. If the sound of the snipe is heard from the south or the east that is a good sign but if it comes from the north or the west it is not a good omen.
Generally, people did not work on Sumardagurinn fyrsti although there may have been some work such as fertilizing fields. The other exception was fishing. People dressed up in their best clothing in respect of the day. Animals were finally let out of their barns or shelters into the fields.
This day was also referred to as Maiden Day as the young women or girls would welcome in Harpa just as it was up to men and women respectively to welcome in the months of Þorri and Góa. Sumardagurinn fyrsti was a feasting day, so it was important to save a few bits of good food for this day when the cupboards were otherwise bare. Enormous rye breads, one foot in diameter were baked for this day in some parts of the country. On top of the bread was butter, meat, fish or whatever was left.
Unique to Iceland was the fact that summer gifts were given, they even existed before Christmas gifts, as a common custom. The earliest record of these gifts was in 1545 and by the 1800s it was practised in the north and east. In the southwest and Westmann Islands, the fisherman brought home his share of the catch for his wife for her own personal use rather than part of the household income.
There were also church services held on this day until that was banned by royal decree in 1744 since it didn’t confirm to the Danish church calendar.
Mark your calendars for the next few Sumardagurinn fysti.
2016 - April 21 2017 - April 20 2018 - April 19
5 April 2016
Iceland is told. The audio-guide is apparently very good
quality and the wax figures bring the history alive a bit
more for kids and adults. (May 2014 update: the
museum has moved to the harbor area. It is called the
Saga museum and is near the Maritime museum).
DAY TRIPS OUT OF REYKJAVIK
Golden Circle: the Golden circle is the most common
day trip out of Reykjavik and people usually go to
Thingvellir (site of the ancient parliament which is also
partly on a cool canyon between the North American
and European tectonic plates), to Geysir to see the
geysers and bubbling mud, etc, and then to Gullfoss,
which is a very big waterfall draining the highlands and
glaciers of the centre of Iceland. All are interesting, but if
you are driving yourself (rather than on a bus trip) and
have a bit more control, the day can be made more fun
by stopping at the small town of Laugarvatn where
there is a small spa/thermal pool called Fontana that
has nice outdoor hot tubs, steam baths and sauna on
the shore of a lake — that you can also go into if you
want the full cold water shock experience. There is a
nice restaurant beside the Fontana spa, and the spa
itself has a few simple but very tasty lunch options itself
(they will also serve you beer or wine out in the hot tubs
too, which is nice). **NB: In winter, given unpredictable
winter driving conditions, I would suggest a bus trip of
the Golden Circle might make more sense.
Day trip to Vik on the south coast: I actually prefer the
slightly less touristy day trip down to the south coast at
Vik. Follow Highway 1 out of Reykjavik through
Hveragerdi, Selfoss and Hella toward Vik. There are
two main waterfalls past Hella. Seljalandsfoss, then
further down the road, Skogafoss. Both are impressive.
In between the two, there is a very cool natural hot
spring swimming pool that you get to by parking your car
past some farms and then doing a very easy 1 km hike
along a river into the valley. The hidden pool is called
Seljavallalaug (google it for images). It is a great place
off the beaten track with very few tourists if any. No real
infrastructure there but a couple rustic change rooms at
one end of a pool that the locals built into the side of a
mountain back in the 1930s. One side of the pool is a
white cement wall, the other side is just the hillside rocks
with hot water just seeping out of it. Very cool with the
mountain sides of the valley towering around you. Back
on the drive toward Vik, you will drive just south of the
big volcano that erupted in 2010 (Eyjafjallajokull) that is
glacier topped. Just below it is a very small info-centre
museum (only open in summer months) that is run by
the family who lives on the farm across the road. They
(Continued on page 6)
MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES
Harpa: the new concert hall on the water in downtown is
an amazing architectural building. Worth a walk through
and to take pictures from. Nice shop and good
restaurants (good one for lunch in the main concourse
and a fine dining one upstairs overlooking the fjord). If
you can see a concert or show all the better.
National Museum: (http://www.thjodminjasafn.is/english)
Good museum to learn about Icelandic history. Their
main exhibit: Making of a Nation - Heritage and History in
Iceland, covers the history of the Icelandic nation from
the Viking settlement to the present day.
The Settlement Exhibition: Also called 871±2 has a
great multimedia archeological exhibit about the original
settlement of the Vikings, all built around an underground
set of ruins that have been excavated under downtown.
Nice small museum that does not take a long time but is
very well designed and educational. (http://
minjasafnreykjavikur.is/english/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-
4206) Right downtown off the main square, at the bottom
of Tungata Street.
National Gallery: (http://www.listasafn.is/?root=1) is right
downtown on the pond beside the old green and white
“Free Church.” Has a small main collection and then
more modern temporary exhibits which are sometimes
excellent.
K j a r v a l s t a d i r ( h t t p : / / w w w . a r t m u s e u m . i s /
desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-2173/3432_read-6298/) is one
of three art museums run by the City of Reykjavik and is
excellent. The main exhibit is the work of Kjarval, by far
the best artist Iceland has produced. It is a little outside
the main downtown in a park, but not too far you couldn’t
walk from downtown on a nice day. The City’s other
downtown gallery right across from the old harbour is
also excellent and has a nice cafe overlooking the
harbour.
The Pearl – restaurant, observation deck and Viking
Museum: There is a glass dome building sitting on top of
6 huge hot water tanks that used to provide the city with
its water pressure like a water tower. Nowadays four of
them still hold water, but the location is more known for
the Pearl’s rotating restaurant that has amazing views
of the city as it rotates around while you dine. While the
food is good, unfortunately the menu is bit old school and
it is quite expensive. You can still visit the observation
deck though to see the view. More interestingly there is a
Viking Wax Museum in the empty water tanks that is
quite excellent. Through 15 or so life size wax figure
scenes, the history of the Vikings and their arrival in
TIPS FOR VISITORS TO REYKJAVÍK — 2014
6 April 2016
survived the eruption and they have a very good short
film 20-30 mins that tells their story but also great
descriptions and footage of the eruption. Worth the short
stop. Then once you get to Vik, there are two beautiful
coastal/beach areas to check out, one before the town.
Dyrholaey with rock formations, amazing views, and one
of the biggest puffin colonies in Iceland and one just on
the far edge of town which is essentially a huge
gorgeous black sandy beach, you can walk along.
There are a couple of places to eat lunch in Vik. Or in
warm weather months you could bring a picnic with you
and eat at some point along the way. Vik is only about a
2 hour drive away if you drive straight without stopping,
so adding these stops on the way there or back makes a
great day trip. Along the way, you can also stop at
Solheimarjökull to go glacier walking. Check out the
company Arcanum. Good guides, small groups and good
2 hour trips. **NB: In winter this can also be done in a
bus trip, with many of these same stops.
Hike up to the Glymur Waterfall: One of the best short
day trips out of Reykjavik (**not for winter). About one
hour drive North out of town on Highway 1. When you
get to Hvalfjordur (Whale Fjord) just north of Reykjavik,
(Continued from page 5) turn right before the tunnel under the fjord and drive
inland along the fjord to the end of the fjord. It should be
marked on your map. The parking lot for the hike is a few
miles off the main road at the end of the fjord. The hike
down the valley and then up along the edge of an
increasingly deep chasm reveals Iceland’s highest
waterfalls which are stunning. The hike is not hugely
challenging, but not an easy walk either. Hike takes about
an hour to an hour and half up if you keep a good pace
and another hour or so to get down, depending on how
high up you go. Dress appropriately with wind breaker
and rain gear in case the wind/weather changes and don’t
forget your camera. It is stunning.
Other excursion options: There are dozens of excursion
options within a day of Reykajvik. Depending on the
season and your interests there is horseback riding (on
cool little Icelandic horses), sea kayaking, whale
watching, deep sea fishing, glacier walks,
snowmobiling, skiing (in the winter – although snow
conditions are unpredictable and the hills are small
compared to many other countries with ski areas), hiking,
etc. There are also many excursion and tour
companies that you can find online or in downtown
Reykjavik offices or tourist info centres.
NORDIC CULTURAL WEEKEND, April 9th & 10 Scandinavian Centre 6540 Thomas St, Burnaby BC
Expand your horizons and learn a craft or a new recipe!
Saturday 10 a.m. Finnish Karelian Pie baking with Riitta Huttunen
or Nordic Woodcarving with Anita Jacobsen (min age 13 yrs)
Sunday 10 a.m. Norwegian Meatballs & Rosette cookies making with Susan Strang
or The Art of Open-faced Sandwich making with Tina Taylor
Two-Day Workshops: Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. Norwegian Rosemaling & Swedish Kubits folkart painting with Aaslaug Boulier or Hardanger Embroidery with Bea Jacobsen
Please register by April 4th. More Info & Registration Forms available online www.scandinaviancentre.org or email Sonja [email protected] to have form emailed to you.
Cost: one day $10; two-day workshops $20 (kids & teens free in classes but must register). Please bring own bag lunch. Coffee, tea, juice & coffee break goodies provided.
The best place to be a woman: Iceland
The northern nation yet again takes the top place in the World Economic Forum’s gender rankings for 2015, with the Scandinavian trifecta of Norway, Finland and Sweden making repeat showings in the next three spots. Canada ranks 30th – a big fall from the country’s 19th-place ranking in the 2014 study. Iceland is also the safest country to have a baby. The maternal mortality rate is three women for every 100,000 births – according to the World Bank, that’s the lowest in the world. Iceland also has the lowest mortality rate for children under age 5, and also ranked first among 195 for its neonatal mortality rate – for every 100,000 births, only one baby is lost. In Canada, the maternal mortality rate is seven for every 100,000 births.
And, Iceland is also the country with the most female board members where women hold 44% of the seats on the boards of publicly traded companies, according to 2015 data by Catalyst.
7
Iceland’s Slow Motion Town The East Iceland district of Djúpavogshreppur, population less than 500, is the only municipality in Iceland with a Cittaslow (Slow Town) status. The area was featured in The Guardian, but, unlike what The Guardian claims, the Cittaslow status was granted three years ago. The slow movement’s aim is to calm down the pace of life by reconnecting distinctive areas with their food, nature and their craft producers to protect them against homogenized, globalized culture. Djúpavogshreppur is a community where artists thrive and their workshops are very visible. There is a showroom in town for a company which makes handcrafted apparel and accessories from animal and fish leather, horn, wool and horse hair. Furthermore, the area has a rock museum, a wilderness center and a large sculpture consisting of 34 large-scale egg replicas, which represent the 34 bird species in the area. Now you’re wondering, “Why am I learning about this Cittaslow status three years after the fact?” The answer is simple: everything travels slowly in the town of slow motion, even the news.
Puffin Population on the Rise in Reykjavík A jewelry store which has been operating on Laugavegur, downtown Reykjavík, since 1904, will be replaced by a tourist shop, mbl.is reports. “The downtown is in fact changing into tourist shops and res taurants , ” s tated Ragnar Símonarson jeweler, owner of Jón Sigmundsson jewelry store at Laugavegur 5. The company is one of the oldest in the country. It’s not clear where the store moves, but it will likely be to one of the shopping malls, Kringla or Smáralind. “We received an offer too good to refuse,” Ragnar explained. The offer was given on short notice, which is why a new location hasn’t been selected. Tourist stores are commonly referred to as puffin stores. Thus, it is clear that the population of puffins, albeit stuffed, is on the rise in Reykjavík.
Geysir Erupts to Loud Applause Geysir, Iceland’s most famous geyser (and the source of the word) appears to have woken up from a long rest. For the second time in a month, it erupted yesterday to the immense delight of bystanders, according to RÚV. Guide Ása Björk Þorleifsdóttir heard loud rumbling behind her, turned around and witness an unforgettable sight: a tall and wide plume of water—much larger, she said, than ever erupts from the nearby geyser Strokkur. Her group of tourists thought she was losing it when she screamed to bring their attention to the spectacle. In the old days, an eruption from Geysir was sometimes produced at the arrival of kings and queens by pouring soap into it. Such event planning, though, is no longer practiced. This time, Geysir simply needed an outlet for its energy. MPs Want Highlands on World Heritage List There is interest among certain members of Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, to put the central highlands of Iceland on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, mbl.is reports. The resolution reads, “In order to be on the World Heritage List, the respective site needs to be unique in the world, its definition needs to be clear on the respective government’s behalf, and complete agreement is needed regarding protect ion, oversight and managing of operation … Sites on the World Heritage List often attract an increased number of tourists, thereby increasing the national economic importance of such places. The World Heritage List is considered a very powerful way to protect cultural heritage and nature, in addition to building up a quality tourism industry in every country.” Feathered Frequent Flyers Set Records Many frequent flyers have a lot of information collected about them, some of which turns out to be quite surprising. The flyers in question are
banded birds. Since the year 1921, close to 681,000 birds of 154 species have been banded in Iceland, according to the website of the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. Almost 12,600 birds of 77 species were banded by the Institute last year. Since birds were first marked in Iceland, more than 55,000 of them have been retrieved. Last year, unusually many birds were found again, or 2,365. Of those, 154 were found abroad. An Icelandic age record was broken in August of 2015 when a dead gannet was retrieved in the Orkney Islands, which had been banded as a chick in Eldey island in 1982. Thus, it reached the age of 33. The European record among gannets still belongs to a British bird, which survived for 37 years and five months. And those of you who saw the award-winning Rams (Hrútar), filmed in Bárðardalur valley, North Iceland, may be interested to learn that a whooping swan found in that valley in May of last year may well be the oldest of its kind in Europe. It was, at the time, 28 years and eight months old. Finally, an arctic tern, banded in Höfn, Hornafjörður, in 2013, before it had even learned to fly, was discovered near exhaustion in October of last year by Cape Town, South Africa, no less than 11,319 km ( 7,033 miles) from Höfn.
Icelandic Dads Get World’s Best
Score A report done by the World Health Organization reveals that Icelandic children have a better relationship with their fathers than do children in other countries, RÚV reports. The report is based on an international comparative study, which covers 220,000 children, ages 11, 13 and 15 in 42 countries in Europe and North America. The children involved in the study in Iceland are the first age groups to have benefited from a change in rules on paternal leave, increasing the rights of fathers to taking time off when their children are born. Psychology Professor
(Continued on page 8)
From Iceland Review Online– March 2016 Compiled by Iceland Review Editorial Staff
April 2016
8
The 8-page newsletter is published at the beginning of each month, ten months of the year. A newsletter is not printed in July or August. Material is gratefully received by the 20th of each month.
Editor & Publisher:
Margrét Bjarnason Amirault, Tel: 604-688-9082
ICCBC Mail: 6540 Thomas Street
Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 E-mail: [email protected] Distribution: Naomi Dyer, Gerri McDonald, Nina Jobin
Labels: Norman Eyford
Courier: Naomi Dyer
Website: Icelandic Canadian Club of B.C.
www.inlofna.org/ICCBC/Welcome.html Convention: http://www.icelandicclubbc.org/convention2016/
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Icelandic-
Canadian-Club-of-British-Columbia/190426084338925
Website: Icelandic National League: www.inlofna.org
Icelandic Archives of BC: www.inlofna.org/IABC/Welcome.html
Icelandic Radio (6 stations): www.xnet.is
Morgunblaðið: http://mbl.is
Ströndin Internet Radio: www.inlofna.org/SIR
Honorary Consul General of Iceland for BC & Yukon,
Heather Alda Ireland: [email protected]
LIBRARY & GENEALOGY Books written by Icelanders in English or translation
are available in the Scandinavian library upstairs.
The sorting of books in the Sólskin Library is
progressing. Information regarding the Genealogy
Centre can be obtained from Gerri McDonald, email:
Icelandic Language CDs or Tapes
Get acquainted with the language or brush up on your pronunciation with lessons 1 & 2, each one hour long. Typed lessons are included so that you can learn to read Icelandic
as well. Canadian Orders: CDs, 2 lesson sets $30 CAD/ USD;
tapes are also available. Postage & handling included.
US and Foreign Orders: International money order only.
Send your cheque or money order made out to: Icelandic Canadian Club of B.C.
3776 Arbor Street, Burnaby, BC V5J 1T4 Tel: 604-433-6329
www.inlofna.org/ICCBC/Tape_Lessons.htm
April 2016
Oakridge Lutheran Church 585 West 41st Avenue,
Vancouver
10 a.m., Sunday Morning Service
English Joint Services Coffee served every Sunday
Everyone is welcome!
SCANDINAVIAN CENTRE Website: www.scandinaviancentre.org (for more details)
E-mail: [email protected], Telephone: 604-294-2777
Apr 8 & May 13 (Fri) 12 noon—Scandinavian Seniors Lunch, please call Tor 604-294-0749 or the office.
Apr 9 (Sat) 6 pm—Finlandia Club—Arts & Jazz Night.
Apr 13 & May 11 (Wed) 7 pm—Scandinavian Business Club’s Dinner, Email Paul Andreassen at [email protected]. We welcome both non-members and members to all our events! Also visit us at www.sbc-bc.
Apr 16 & May 21 (Sat) 1 pm—Genealogy meeting.
Apr 17 (Sun) 8 am—Scandinavian Centre SunRun Team, Contact: [email protected]
Apr 9 & 10 (Sat/Sun) 9am-4pm—Nordic Cultural Weekend. Contact: [email protected]
May 7—Spring Clean-Up Day, 8:30 am, Scan Centre.
May 16—Deadline for Midsummer 2016 Craft Table Application and Commercial Booth application. Applications are on-line.
May 15, 12 noon—Friendly Game of Golf, Mylora Golf Course, on-line info or [email protected]
Icelandic Online Club; email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IcelandicOnlineClub
Ársæll Arnarson is convinced there is a correlation: “I think the introduction of the paternal leave has increased considerably the participation of fathers in the upbringing of their children. This, of course, is outstanding performance, and we ought to be very proud of it.”
The University of Akureyri has given a questionnaire to about 12,000 Icelandic children every four years since 2000. This time around, the results reveal that girls as well as boys of all three age groups have a more positive attitude toward their relationship with their fathers than do children in other countries. According to the Ministry of Welfare, Icelandic law allows a paid parental leave of 9 months following the birth of a child.
The benefits amount to 80% of regular wages, but do not exceed ISK 370,000 (USD 2,900) /month. A mother has the right to take 3 months off, the father another 3, and the 3 remaining months can be divided between the two as they wish. Even though the relationship with Icelandic fathers is stellar, Icelandic children still report their relationship with their mothers as better. That’s the verdict of both girls and boys, and of all age groups. Worldwide, Icelandic mothers rank fourth in terms of quality of relationship with their children.
(Continued from page 7)
