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Dear Tom,
Thank you for hosting the 2023 Danish Canadian Conference. The delegates enjoyed the Conference as well as Nanaimo, Newcastle Island and Cathedral Grove. After four challenging years the members were pleased to finally meet in person. We conducted some important business, a couple of Board Meetings in addition to an Annual General Meeting. It was good to meet live and to catch up. An essential part of the Conference is socializing and to meet and greet. The Viking night with the Museum auction was a lot of fun and Det Store Kolde Bord was a big hit, both the Danish food and a terrific band which got people out on the dance floor. A heartfelt thank you to you and your team for all the planning and work you put into making it a successful conference, especially you for carrying the heavy load. And for being willing to postpone and then again postpone the Conference. That is not what we had planned in 2019 in Winnipeg. Please pass on our thanks to your volunteers, your Board, your family and your Club. Regards and best wishes, Rolf Rolf Buschardt Christensen President, Federation of Danish Associations in Canada rouch@ca.inter.net 613 747 9764
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Our Club is starting to be a little more active following the long, dry COVID season (years!!) and it’s great to see so many members participating in our events. We started the year with our Annual General Meeting (via ZOOM online) and elected a slate of Directors for the Club as follows: Tom Hedekar – President Carsten Krogh – Vice President Rebecca Taylor – Treasurer John Jensen – Director Darlene O’Neill – Director Louise Krogh – Director Inge Yost – We welcome our newest Director! We have not yet assigned the Secretary position. Thanks to the diligent efforts of Carsten & Louise Krogh, we held another very successful “Pub Lunch” on March 23rd. This was our second Pub Lunch this year and seems to be a very popular, mid-day type of event. It was very well attended so we expect that we might plan more of these in the coming months. If you have any ideas about future activities or events, please don’t be shy, we’d love to hear from you. The Board has not done any event planning beyond this Spring so we need to hear from you for any Fall/Winter events you’d like to see. Aebelskiver, Pandekager, Andespil, Dances, …? The big item on the calendar right now is the Federation Conference & AGM and that has taken a good deal of time and effort to put all the plans and arrangements in place. There is another page with some details for our members and we encourage you to attend. It has been years since we attempted to host a Sankt Hans Mid-Summer Celebration, but this year we will go ahead with it! It was suggested that we bring a couple of BBQs along this year and try a few different types of sausages, smokies, etc. to add a little variety to the menu (in addition to our traditional European Wieners) so we look forward to seeing you on Tuesday June 20 at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Picnic Site #S1. Respectfully, on behalf of the Board, Tom Hedekar, President Interested in volunteering? Contact Tom Hedekar to explore volunteer opportunities with the club. A big shout out and Thanks to:
Coombs Wooden Shoe Dutch Import Store for their very generous donation of a whole box full of goodies and merchandise to be used by our Club for raffles and auction items at the upcoming Federation Conference & AGM. When you are in Coombs, look them up and show our gratitude! Coombs Wooden Shoe Dutch Import Store LTD 2268 Alberni Hwy. Box 168 V0R 1M0 Coombs, BC. Canada phone: 250-954-2336 dutchstore@shaw.ca - www.iloveoma.com Club Events:
Well, not much has changed for our club since the Newsletter last Fall. Covid restrictions continue to keep us from holding any social events but we are still hopeful that the situation will ease in the months to come and that we will, once again, have some gatherings and events as we used to do. As we reported in the last Newsletter, the Board decided not to plan any social activities until such time as the Provincial Health Officer allows large, indoor group activities. There seems to be a certain level of optimism that we may see some Covid restrictions eased this Spring but the pessimists are suggesting that might not happen until later in the year, if at all (some might also suggest this is optimistic!). We keep hoping that perhaps we might be able to hold some sort of outdoor activity like our St. Hans Celebration in June but, we'll have to wait and see. Federal AGM & Conference: As we reported in the last Newsletter the Federation of Danish Associations in Canada held its AGM via Zoom on Saturday, October 2nd last year and officially cancelled the planned Conference & AGM that was was to be hosted by our Club in May of 2022. In its place, our Board has agreed to host their 2023 Conference & AGM on May 26 - 29, 2023. This is now three years running that we have cancelled this event so we remain hopeful that 2023 will bring better times and some sort of "normality". Membership Dues & Ad Fees: We are still NOT collecting any membership dues or Newsletter advertising fees so if you know someone that might like to join our club (in hopes of better times), they can sign up for FREE these days. Membership Application forms are available here: Report from the Board Club Events: The only event that we hosted this year was our Danish Canadian Club Annual General Meeting. Since then, our Board has had a couple of meetings on-line using Zoom and at both meetings the Board decided not to plan any social activities until such time as the Provincial Health Officer allows large, indoor group activities. Given the current situation with the pandemic, it doesn't look like we will have any social gatherings anytime soon. We are hopeful that the situation will improve as we enter a new year. Danish Federation AGM & Conference: The Federation of Danish Associations in Canada held it's AGM via Zoom Saturday, October 2 this year and officially cancelled the planned conference & AGM that was to be hosted by our Danish Canadian Club in May of 2022. In its place, our Board has agreed to host their 2023 Conference & AGM on May 26 - 29, 2023. This is now 3 years running that we remain hopeful that 2023 will bring better times and some sort of "normality". Membership Dues & Ad Fees: The Board decided that we will not collect any Membership Dues and Newsletter ad fees until we are able to offer some of our usual social events. So, you will not be asked to pay until further notice and your status as a "member in good standing" will not be affected. We hope that you will have a wonderful Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year! On behalf of the Board, Tom Hedekar, President   Report From The Board
Here we are in the Spring of 2021 and still in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic. As we pointed out in our January report, the Board has decided to cancel all of our usual social events for this Spring. That includes our usual Sankt Hans Mid-summer Celebration that we normally hold in June. At this time, we are not even able to book the picnic site at Rathtrevor so we wouldn’t beable to hold that event even if we wanted to. Annual General Meeting: As required by law, we held our AGM on March 7 via ZOOM on the internet. We had a reasonable showing of members and took care of all the necessary business. The Treasurer’s Report indicated that our finances are still in very good condition so we are ready (financially) to carry on with our club events once the Provincial Health Officer suggests that it is safe to socialize once again. Several of our Board members were up for re-election this year. Hakon Philipsen declined to remain of the Board and we thank Hakon for his service. The remaining members accepted the nominations to remain on the Board. John Strandt of Gabriola accepted the nomination to the Board and was elected so we now have a full slate of Board Members. Board Meeting: Following the AGM, it is customary for our newly elected Board to meet and decide on who will fill the Officers positions. The meeting was held via ZOOM on the internet and the following is our Board for 2021: President: Tom Hedekar Vice-President: Carsten Krogh Secretary: Lena Tsuji Treasurer: Rebecca Taylor Directors: John Jensen, Darlene O’Neill, Louise Krogh, John Strandt Federation Conference & AGM: We have been asked (again) to host the Federation Conference and AGM in Nanaimo at the end of May, 2022. Our Board has agreed to send the Federation an invitation to this event, even though we may have to cancel it (again) if travel restrictions and the rules on social gatherings are not eased in time for us to put arrangements in place for this event. For now, please mark your 2022 calendar for May 27 – 30 and stay tuned! Events for 2021: As stated above, the Board has decided to cancel all of our events for the first half of 2021. No decision has been reached yet on our Fall and Winter events but we are hopeful that we might be able to do something by Christmas time. The Board will meet sometime in the early Fall and make a decision based on the current pandemic situation so again, Stay tuned! Stay Safe! Stay Hopefull! Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Board, Tom Hedekar, President Vancouver Island Danish Canadian Club
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting March 8, 2020 Bowen Park Room 1
The President reported that 2019 was a good year, with good attendance especially for the Christmas Party, noting that many people stayed until 10 pm. The events made money overall, even though some did lose a bit. The Treasurer reported that the financial report showed an overall profit of $2118.36. Tom also presented the financial report for 2019 for the Newsletter which showed an overall profit of $36.87. Tom went through the financial statements and explained items, including a loss of $26.88 that is unaccounted for. It was moved by Inge Yost to approve the financial reports be accepted as presented. Seconded by Vibeke Sandberg. CARRIED There was no report from the Newsletter Editor except to ask if there are suggestions for items in the Newsletter to please let her know. Nomination and Election of Board Members
Discussion of 2019 Activities
Discussion of the 2020 Federation Conference
New Ideas for 2020
Tom said Thank You to: Lynn Hedekar for keeping our Facebook page up to date; Lena Rasmussen for being our Web Master; Grethe Andersen for being the Advertiser Relations person and keeping our Membership List ( she has now retired from this position); Vibeke Sandberg for looking after our Membership Dues and sending receipts; Henny Andersen for her work as our Federation Representative and Catering Rep on our Host Committee; Sophia Sorensen for her work on our Board, now retiring from that position; Our Host Committee for the 2020 Conference; and the Board Members for all the work they do all year. It was moved by Inge Yost that the meeting adjourn at 2:22 pm. Seconded by Ingeborg Kristiansen. CARRIED Respectfully submitted by Lena Tsuji  Danish Julefest Christmas Dinner Party 2019! Click Photo to see more photos from this evening! Let's thank our member Louise Krogh for sharing these photos! Our Christmas Party was a great party with a fabulous, traditional Danish Christmas dinner. We had a good turnout and the weather cooperated nicely with dry roads for a safe drive home. Many thanks to everyone for helping to make this party a success and a special thanks to those that brought those great raffle prizes.
I have finished the preliminary accounts for 2019 and I am very pleased to report our club accounts are in even better condition going into 2020 than they were a year ago. A couple of our events went into the "red" (as predicted) but overall we came out at the end of the year with more than we started with. That fact really speaks to the dedication of our members in attending and supporting club events and activities. Many thanks also have to go out to our Board for their continued dedication and all the work they do behind the scenes to make our events work so well! As you know, our club is hosting the 2020 Conference & AGM of the Federation of Danish Associations in Canada this coming May 21 - 24, 2020. The host hotel is the Coast Bastion and we will be doing a Welcome Reception at the Nanaimo Museum along with field tours to Newcastle (Saysutshun) Island and another to Cathedral Grove. We have a separate Host Committee looking after all the special arrangements and we now have a final agenda, budget and registration form in place for this special event. We will also be working on a special "Members Only Registration" for our Danish Club Members to attend as many events as possible at a special price. Stay tuned for that information. As part of the Conference & AGM the Danish Federation of Associations publishes an annual Heritage Book. The 2019 Winnipeg edition contains stories of local Danish families, pictures of local attractions, obituaries, and histories of the area. We are asking our Members to try their hand at writing about their family, heritage, etc. and adding a few photos. So far, we have a few volunteers, but we need more. Please let us know and we can assist you with the actual writing if needed. It's no secret that our Danish Club has lots of "senior" members with a story to tell about how they ended up in Nanaimo and all the interesting happenings along the way. The book is largely funded by advertisers, so if you have a business or service that you would like highlighted in the 2020 edition of the Heritage Book, please let us know and we will forward the rate sheet to you. Any help we can get in this regard will be very much appreciated. See you at the AGM on Sunday, March 8th at 1pm! - On behalf of the Board, Tom Hedekar, Treasurer  We trust you have had a great summer. Our Sankt Hans Celebration was once again a very big success! We had great weather and a great turn-out and we made sure there was enough food so nobody went home hungry! Everyone had a wonderful evening around the bonfire and it was encouraging to see so many youngsters at this event because they are the future of our Club. As Rathtrevor seems to be an ideal setting, we have booked it again for next year.
The Board met recently to organize our upcoming Fall Events, so mark your calendars for the Harvest Party Event on Sunday October 20th and our Æblerskiver and Andespil Afternoon on Sunday, November 17th. Details are available on our homepage. As you know, our Club will be hosting the 2020 Danish Federation AGM & Conference next May, and we have been asked to provide some stories (biographies) about Danes in the Nanaimo area to be published in the Heritage Book. Everyone has an interesting story to tell, so please get your pencils (computers) out and write a brief history about your family immigration story. Please include photos that can be scanned if possible. We will be happy to try to work with you to write it up. I will have a few copies of the 2019 Heritage Book ($15 each), so if you would like a copy, let me know. The Heritage Book is funded in part by advertisers, so if you are interested in placing an ad, or have a suggestion for someone we should contact in this regard, please give me a call or drop me an email. See you at the Harvest Party on October 20th! Be sure to bring your friends for a wonderful Danish meal. Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Board, - Tom Hedekar, Treasurer Contact me: (250) 390-2388 email: th2388@telus.net We held our Birthday Party on April 14th, serving our fabulous Danish Kroplatte and a delicious cake for dessert. The members who attended seemed to enjoy the evening and many danced until the Band had to pack up.
The table of raffle prizes was groaning under the weight of all the donations, and there were many happy winners! We would call this event a great success! Next year, as we are hosting the 2020 Danish Federation Conference in May, we will be having our Birthday Party then and not in April offering the "Stor Kolde Bord" (The Big Cold Table) with all the delicious foods that will bring. We hope that many of you will wish to attend and meet some of the delegates from across the country. On May 27th, we held our annual Spring Pandekager and Andespil Afternoon with a very good turnout. We feasted on Pandekager with all the fixings and then played fourteen games of Andespil with wonderful prizes won for each game as well as sideways prizes (if you were sitting next to a big winner). Join us November 17th when we hold our Danish Æbleskiver & Andespil Afternoon.  Here is some more information about the upcoming annual Federation of Danish Associations in Canada - The Annual General Meeting and Conference. The Danish Canadian Club in Winnipeg is hosting the conference this year because it is the 400th anniversary since Jens Munk, the Danish explorer, was sent by the king of Denmark to find the Northwest Passage. Munk overwintered in what is now Churchill, Manitoba. Please note that next year, in May of 2020, the Vancouver Island Danish Canadian Club will be hosting this event in Nanaimo. We are currently forming a Host Committee for this event so please give me a call or drop me a note if you have any ideas or would like to help out in any way. Cheers, Tom Hedekar Treasurer The 2019 Conference of Dansih Associations in Canada will be held in Winnipeg May 23rd to the 25th, honouring Jens Munk's 400th Anniversary If you are unfamiliar with the Danish explorer Jens Munk, you have a great opportunity in 2019. It is 400 years since he came to Canada - before it was known as Canada. He called the land Nova Dania (Latin for New Denmark) - the name didn't stick. Today, Jens Munk's name is almost forgotten. However, he is arguably one of the great personalities of history, who never received the recognition he deserved. Munk was Danish, an Emissary of King Christian IV, soldier, merchant, naval hero, linguist, storyteller, navigator, nurse, friend, father-figure, wise and well-liked, inspiring and idealistic. His story has so many aspects it's hard to know which angle to use. As Canadians with Danish roots, it is our story as well; and we can tell it with pride and humility. It's the story of a man who was more noble than any nobleman of the time. He showed compassion and goodwill, but never got any himself. He was an amazing navigator, he was a person with perseverance and loyalty like few. Yet he never received official recognition as one of Denmark's famous sea captains/admirals. In Denmark, there is only a cairn erected by Dansk Canadisk Selskab in Strandgaard Dyrehave, near Faxe. The Federation of Danish Associations in Canada has established a Jens Munk Steering Committee to share his story, in Danish-Canadian circles, and with all Canadians & anyone who cares about history and the human spirit. It is a story that really goes to the core of what it means to be human. - Otto Christensen, Gimli, Member, Jens Munk Steering Committee Ways to get involved:
Tom and Lynn Hedekar would love to have the company of some of our Club Members at the Winnipeg Conference! 2019 Post Conference Seminar May 27 - June 1 This year's Danish Heritage Seminar promises to be an educational, inspiring and fun-filled course which explores various aspects of life in Copenhagen and abroad in the 19th century, and the phenomenon of trolls, as well as Jens Munk's expedition to find the Northwest Passage, north of Canada to China.
The Seminar is modeled on the Folk Schools in Denmark. It is being held right after the Danish Canadian Conference in Winnipeg. An important aspect of the Seminar is in English. For more information, contact Tom Hedekar, he has brochures about the Seminar. We had a very good year in 2018 and our accounts are in great shape going into 2019. Most of our events made a small profit with a couple of exceptions, mainly the Harvest Party. We lost a few dollars there as it was a "Member Appreciation" event with a discount for members in good standing.
As Treasurer, I'm delighted with our current financial situation and as members, I think you should also be quite pleased that our club is doing so well. The Board would like to thank all of our members for supporting the Danish Club Events by bringing your friends and relatives, which has made them so successful. As you probably know, our club is one of about 40 clubs across Canada that belong to the Federation of Danish Associations. Each year, the Federation holds an Annual General Meeting and Conference in a different location, and this year it will be in Winnipeg, hosted by the Danish Canadian Club of Manitoba. This year marks the 400th Anniversary of the Jens Munk Expedition from Denmark to find the Northwest Passage. As he overwintered in what is now Churchill in Manitoba, it was a "natural" for the Manitoba Danish Club to be hosts this year. Next year, we, the Nanaimo Danish Canadian Club, will host the Conference here in Nanaimo. We are currently forming a Host Committee to manage the Conference. We have some great people on board, but we still need a few more, so please give some thought to joining us. My wife Lynn and I will be attending the Winnipeg Conference and we'd love to have some other members join us this May. We have the registration package now, so think about showing Winnipeg how great the Nanaimo Danish Canadian Club is! Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Board, - Tommy Anders Hedekar, Treasurer If you are interested in attending the 39th Danish Canadian Conference in Winnipeg this May 23rd to 26th, please contact Tom Hedekar for the Registration forms and hotel information. You could also get in touch with Barb Nault, the Registrar for this Conference. See below. Vancouver Island Danish Canadian Club |
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