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Coscan Magazine 2020/1 CoScan Magazine 2020/1 The Magazine for the Confederation of Scandinavian Societies Published twice yearly (June & December) Contents CoScan, News and Societies 1 Message from the President 2 Editor’s note 3 CoScan 1950-2020: A summary history: Mark Elliott 4 Peter Wright, obituary: Mark Elliott 6 Lise Newsome, obituary: Alan Wheeler 8 Lisbet Rausing: Tony Bray and Eva Robards 10 Manchester Swedish Meetup Group’s response to Covid-19: Tony Bray 11 News in Brief Language and culture 12 Stevns Klint: Jens Buus 14 Discussion of ‘The Rök runestone and the End of the World: Mindy MacLeod 16 How to make a Dala horse: Eva Robards 17 The Phoenix House ship: Sarah Maltby 19 From the bookshelf, with review of Gæðakonur: Rory McTurk Travel award reports 23 CoScan Trust Fund 2020 report: Brita Green 24 Helping to save lives: Imogen Allen 27 Strong women meet our ocean’s top predator: Jenny Bortoluzzi 30 No city quite like Oslo: George Carew-Jones 32 Every day is magical: Jennifer Hollis 35 Following in the artists’ footsteps: Isabelle Gapp Contact details 38 Member Societies 2020 39 CoScan Executive Committee 40 CoScan Trust Fund, Editorial Board Back inside cover: CoScan Patrons Front cover: In Nordmarka-Oslo, Norway Photo: George Carew-Jones (see also page 30) Message from the should be controllable in the end, though the timescale is highly uncertain. President The economic and social effects seem likely to be much longer-lasting, and Mark Elliott fundamental change is probable. Some Ten years ago my message for this page of detect positive elements in what is the CoScan Magazine was a brief history hitting us all—an appreciation that actual of our first 60 years, since foundation in human contact is good and necessary, not 1950. Looking back, I am struck by the everything can be electronic; awareness number of people mentioned then whose of the dangers of inequality, and of names still feature among those active the importance of the state in making today. The fundamentals of CoScan appropriate provision, may be growing; are still in place—the magazine, the more now speak of the physical benefits Trust Fund, the International Award, the for city-dwellers of lower traffic levels website. CoScan’s successes over the and less pollution. Some institutions are last ten years have been in developing finding creative ways of adapting and a more professional approach in all the of spreading benefits more widely in familiar areas: a full-colour magazine society, such as the campaign by my own with a wide range of in-depth articles old school to expand its distance teaching and society news, a website well up to facilities in particular (and some others) modern standards, wide and high-level to a much wider spectrum of those with publicity for our annual International educational need. Whether any of this Award presentations. We have in many will be reflected in the actions of national ways grown and prospered. governments remains to be seen. 2020, though, has presented us with For us in CoScan, the international new challenges. Like all institutions, dimension is especially important. we are needing to adapt. The Executive International travel may never recover Committee has moved into virtual to its previous level, and difficulties will meetings, and even your president is surely continue. Many will argue that starting to grapple with Zoom. Electronic cooperation between states, especially in communication is more important than our own region, is more clearly than ever ever. Some of our member societies will of vital importance for the future of us certainly be finding things harder, as are all. The separate and specific challenges all parts of national and international of climate change accentuate this need. society. In 2010 we could look forward Northern Europeans, more fortunate than with some confidence to the next decade most in their geographical location in or so at least, but it would be less obvious terms of global warming, also generally to say that now. enjoy a level of economic prosperity Speculation about the future, national and physical health which improves and global, is currently rife and inevitably their chances in coping with the current inconclusive. The Covid-19 pandemic virus. Consequent on all this is the need 1 to maintain and strengthen those links friends and patrons in the Nordic which are central to CoScan’s purpose. embassies in London. We have a role to play in this common So CoScan will adapt; and it will, and endeavour, working together with our must, survive. Editor’s note Eva Robards When Covid-19 struck, the production situation is somewhat different today, as of CoScan Magazine 2020/1 was we can keep in touch via a multitude of threatened. Not knowing how our electronic means. But there have been collaboration with the printers would severe restrictions. How these have work, if at all, we discussed alternatives, affected you and how you have coped, both within the Executive Committee and make stories that we would welcome the Editorial Board. The conclusion was (send to [email protected]). that we should press on since it might be This edition, however, will not dwell reassuring for you, our readers, to get the on what Covid has done to us. Instead magazine through the letterbox—as if all we highlight the 70th anniversary of were well with the world. CoScan; commemorate two high profile Well ... there has been a sense of CoScan officers who sadly have passed tranquillity and timelessness for many away; portray our International Awardee of us during lockdown. At the same of 2019; and have a look at a Danish time there may be a frustration caused World Heritage site which bears evidence by the fact that countries which we have of the meteoritic impact that extinguished become accustomed to visit whenever it fifty per cent of all life on Earth. An even suits us are out of our reach at present. worse catastrophe may be imminent—if That prompts thoughts of how it was in the new interpretation of the enigmatic bygone days for Scandinavians who had inscription on the Swedish Rök runestone moved to the UK, leaving family and is to be believed. But we also have the friends behind and with few means of heartening article describing a Help for close and continuous contact. Even in Heroes project, aiming to build a replica the 1980s, a telephone call meant that Viking ship—a collaboration between you had to find a phone that worked for York Archaeological Trust and Phoenix international calls, and have the correct House Recovery Centre in Catterick, kind and number of coins. These were a centre that provides support and quickly gobbled up by the apparatus ... rehabilitation for ex-military personnel. and you felt the distance between you Finally, as always, the magazine has a and your loved ones. CoScan and its book section, a number of travel reports, member organisations had an important and contact details. I hope you will find role to play. They still do, though the the reading interesting. 2 CoScan 1950-2020: A summary history by Mark Elliott The Conference of Scandinavian in their area, providing support, social Societies had its origin in a meeting contact and advice. of representatives of seven societies The Bergen conference of 1998, the in Liverpool on 8 October 1950. At first to be held outside the UK, saw the first there was little administrative first moves towards the present structure structure, and discussion was essentially of CoScan. Since 1959 the Chairman general. But the number of member of each conference had served also as societies grew, to 22 by 1963, talks on CoScan President until the opening of Scandinavian matters and social events the next. In 2000 the constitution was were held, and the central secretariat amended to provide for an honorary played an increasing role in facilitating President, not elected and remaining in contacts between member societies. The post, and (usually) a separate Chairman five London Nordic Embassies, involved of the Executive Committee. Roughly from the start, were increasingly once every two years a CoScan appreciative. Conference including an annual general Between 1966 and 1970 the meeting is held in one of the five Nordic Conference was consolidated into the countries, with an AGM held in the Confederation of Scandinavian UK in the intervening years. Societies and became CoScan, Among the duties of the AGM and the newsletter/magazine, now is to select a prominent which first appeared in 1963, Scandinavian individual or developed considerably. institution as recipient of Members of the various the CoScan International royal families appear among Award, first awarded in 1994 the guests at major events to the City of Lillehammer in of the relevant societies. Norway. CoScan group trips to each The decade since 2010 has of the Nordic countries are seen further consolidation organised. New societies join, and modernisation. Eva although some drop out; by Robards, Chairman for most 1990 there are forty member of this period, carried out clubs, although as early as an extensive programme the 1980s there were worries of visits to and meetings about lack of younger recruits with member societies, to membership. Societies are and recruited a number of consolidating their role as new society members. The focal points for Scandinavians CoScan presence on social 3 media became a feature of an active members are now invited to a centrally communications strategy. The website organised annual social event, and the has been updated and made more user- presentation of the International Award friendly. Individual society programmes has become a major cultural function are published more widely, and society attracting wide publicity.
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