Convention celebrating 150th Anniversary of Icelandic settlement in New Iceland
The Gimli Icelandic Canadian Society (GICS) will be bringing about 250 people to town in a few weeks’ time when it plays host to the Icelandic National League of North America’s convention.
The national league holds a convention every second year to bring its members together and celebrate their shared history and culture through a variety of events including guest speakers, presentations, a gala dinner and entertainment. Its member clubs take turns hosting the convention.
GICS, which has about 200 members, was asked to host the convention this year.
For Gimli, 2025 is a special year as it marks the 150th anniversary of the landing of the first Icelanders in the Lake Winnipeg area. The Icelanders were being pulled on a barge by a steamship. They were headed north to Riverton but the ship’s captain had to cut them loose south of Gimli during a storm. They landed on Willow Island on Oct. 22, 1875, and made camp on the beach.
Vivian Painter, GICS chair, said the theme of this year’s convention is Though Years and Centuries Pass.
“The theme is about looking backwards over 150 years that have passed, but also looking to the future and what it means to be of Icelandic descent in North America,” said Painter. “It honours all the traditions that have lasted over time and the way the language has been kept alive.”
The Icelandic National League of North America was founded in Winnipeg in 1919 by Icelandic immigrants to Canada and the U.S. It currently has 13 clubs across Canada and three in the US.
This year’s convention already has about 175 registrants, but many people will be bringing their spouses and friends to Gimli, and Painter said the gala dinner on Saturday, May 3, is expected to have 250 people.
“I think the convention will be a fantastic event,” she said. “We’ve got people coming from all over the continent, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Minnesota and North Dakota. They’ll be in town from April 30 and will be staying a few days after the convention ends.”
GICS has lined up a number of special guest speakers such as Ryan Eyford, a University of Winnipeg professor and author of White Settler Reserve, Kristin Johannsdottir, a researcher, linguist and educator from the University of Akureyri in Iceland, filmmaker Pamela Hogan, who made the 2024 documentary The Day Iceland Stood Still (Hogan will be speaking virtually about how she made the film), and Eliza Reid, a former First Lady of Iceland and author of Death on the Island.
“Eliza is going to be speaking about her journey as a non-Icelander. She grew up in Ottawa and became an Icelander by living there and having to learn the language. It’s an interesting twist,” said Painter.
In addition to speaking at the gala dinner, Reid will be talking about her mystery novel at the A-Spire Theatre in Gimli on Saturday, May 3 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
The gala will have a number of entertainers including singer Helgi Gunnar Thorvaldson, Richard Gillis, Heitha Forsyth (who goes by the stage name Sol James), Gilles Fournier and Emmanuel Bach.
Painter said it’s important to engage the younger Icelandic generation, and the convention will be organizing some events for Snorri – North American youth (ages 20-30) who’ve taken part in a five-week summer cultural program in Iceland to learn about their heritage and culture.
“The Snorri alumni are the future of our organization,” said Painter, “and I’m super excited to have about 21 Snorris from across Canada attend our convention.”
In addition to Painter, members of the 2025 convention committee are Candice Murphy (Treasurer), Gwen Grattan (Secretary), Tammy Axelsson, Gunnvor Asmundsson, Chris Magnusson, Serena Goebel, Svala Thrastardottir and Oliver Cunningham (Technical Support)
GICS has received lots of assistance from people outside its club, including those from Lundar, Arborg, Riverton and Winnipeg, said Painter. They’ve been “instrumental” in helping the Gimli club organize the convention.
“This is a big event to pull off and we’re like the little engine that could,” said Painter. “I’m proud of everyone who has participated in putting this together. We’ve got volunteers who will be getting people from the airport and others who are decorating. I’m excited to see this come together.”
The Westshore Community Foundation, the Government of Iceland, the RM of Gimli and (former Lundar resident) Donald K. Johnson are the convention’s major sponsors.
“In addition to our major sponsors, lots of local businesses placed ads in our souvenir program,” said Painter.
The convention has invited a number of dignitaries, including the Icelandic ambassador to Canada Hlynur Gudjonsson, the Icelandic Consul General in Winnipeg Vilhjalmur Wiium, Manitoba’s Lieutenant Governor Anita Neville, Icelandic Consul General in Minnesota and North Dakota Jeannie Isfeld Entenza, Elder Ruth Christie from Selkirk (Christie has ties to the Icelandic community through her great grandfather John Ramsay) and local political leaders such as RM of Gimli Deputy Mayor Kurt Reichert, Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman MP James Bezan and Interlake-Gimli MLA Derek Johnson.
Filmmaker and writer Andy Blicq will be showing a documentary he made about John Ramsay, an Indigenous man who helped the first Icelandic settlers to the New Iceland area, which stretches from Winnipeg Beach to Hecla. The land was granted to the settlers by the Canadian government.
“We will be including a Treaty land acknowledgement and talking about how the Indigenous people in New Iceland helped the settlers survive,” said Painter. “When the settlers arrived on Willow Island in 1875, there was nothing here to support them. There’s no question that the Indigenous people such as John Ramsay helped the Icelanders.”
The convention gets underway on Thursday May 1 and includes a meet and greet opening reception in the evening. On the evening of Friday, May 2 there will be an INLNA awards ceremony. The INLNA will hold an AGM on Saturday, May 3 from 130-3:00 p.m. with the gala dinner starting at 6 pm.
The New Iceland Heritage Museum is organizing a bus tour on Sunday, May 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors will be taken to significant sites in New Iceland and will include lunch in Riverton.
Interlake Brewing is making a special beer to commemorate the 150th anniversary of New Iceland and will be hosting an Icelandic trivia night on Thursday, May 1.
For more information about the convention, visit the Icelandic National League of North America’s website at inlofna.org or email the Gimli Icelandic Canadian Society: gimliconvention2025@gmail.com
