ONFA NEWS November 2008

NEWSLETTER OF THE NORWAY FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION

Chairman’s Letter Hello again, On the Eighth of November for the Buffet Dance, which will Notice of follow in the Town Hall, , As we approach the end of 2008, ONFA reached its is now well in hand. Music, this another successful year, it is Thirtieth birthday, and a year, will be by the difficult, on looking back, to formal celebration of this Band, which is well accustomed realise just exactly where the achievement will take place in February of 2009, when a to playing for traditional danc- AGM time has gone. During 2008 there was perhaps a higher dinner, with entertainment, ing, and catering will be by the The Annual General than usual number of Norwe- will be held in the Albert Albert Hotel. Meeting of the Orkney Hotel, Kirkwall. It is hoped gian visitors to our shores, As I approach the end of my Norway Friendship Asso- that as many members and and ONFA has been active term of Office, I would like to ciation will take place on in many of the events that friends as possible will join in this event, further details of thank everyone who has helped Monday 19 January have taken place locally. and supported me in any way, which will appear in due 2009 at 7.30pm in the We would like to think that, and I am pleased to observe Kirk Hall by helping in any way, we course. It would have been preferable to officially cele- that our Membership has re- It will be followed by a have fulfilled many of the mained numerically fairly static. talk from aims and objectives of our brate the event on the actual date, however, all things ONFA has always enjoyed a Association. good working Committee, and being considered, it was Sarah Jane Gibbon hopefully that will continue; We unfortunately have not thought more practicable to however, the backbone of any on been able, this year, to hold carry the date forward into organisation is its Membership our usual number of social the New Year. and I thank you all for your sup- ‘Earl Rognvald’s evenings, and this is regret- Ecclesiastical table; however these are set Our next major event, the port. annual Tree Lighting, will to resume after the Annual Beste hilsener Legacy’ General Meeting, which will take place on Saturday the Sixth of December 2008. be held in January 2009. Tommy Planning and preparation All Welcome

2008 Tree-Lighting Party Direct Bergen Flights to Resume

Loganair has announced that it of visitors to Orkney and wish will operate a new scheduled Loganair the best of luck with air service between Kirkwall this route.” and Bergen in summer 2009. From the end of May to the end Flight details are: of August 2009 Loganair will Wednesdays & Saturdays operate each Saturday and Wednesday. BE 6865 Depart Kirkwall 1140 Arrive Bergen 1400 Loganair’s Chairman, Scott Grier said: “We are aware of the BE 6866 Depart Bergen 1440 historical and cultural links be- Arrive Kirkwall 1500 tween Orkney and Norway, and With flying through airports of course specifically the twin- south becoming a bigger trial ning arrangement between Ork- all the time, your editor can Buffet and Dance ney and Hordaland. We are highly recommend the experi- Music by Stronsay Band confident that the new air ser- ence of leaving home at morn- vice will be very popular at ing coffee time and being at Kirkwall Town Hall both ends of the route and will your foreign holiday destination help to renew old friendships.” in time for afternoon tea. Saturday 6th December Barbara Foulkes of VisitScotland Tickets are already on sale 8pm for 8.15pm said: “We look forward to wel- through www.flybe.com and Buffet will be served at 8.15pm coming an even greater number cost around £135 return. Tickets £10-00 (£7.50 for under 12’s) From Orcadian Bookshop, Albert St., Kirkwall or DM Anderson, 852970 Volume 1, Issue 1 Samuel Laing an’ a’ that The speaker at this year’s 17 · Translating the secular May celebrations was Profes- scriptures of the North- sor Magnus Fladmark lands, 1844 (below), who was particularly keen to stress the important The ancient bonds between role of Orcadian Scholar Orkney and Norway took a Samuel Laing in the birth of downturn with the Union of the modern Norwegian nation. Kalmar in 1396, when Den- mark became the Scandina- Samuel Laing’s three vian superpower. It took until gifts to Norway: 1834 to see a new dawn. This was the year that one of · Journal of a Residence in your men sailed across the Norway, 1836 North Sea to renew the Caption describing bonds. His name was Samuel picture or graphic. · Shaking the Government Laing of Papdale (1780— of Sweden, 1839 1868). Papdale House: Home of Samuel Laing

“...the saga translation was the crowning glory of his gifts, and it can be argued that Laing became a sig- nificant cog in the ‘Norwegian engine of romanticism’ searching for the soul and cul- tural identity of the new nation.”

Caption describing picture or graphic. Looking back to 17 May 2008 (more overleaf) Like Dr Ray Fereday, some of you will be more familiar than me with the story of his extraordinary achievements. As a thumbnail sketch, he belonged to one of your distin- guished families and was a keen student of enlightenment ideas and with a keen inter- est in political change following the French Revolution. As a young man, he sampled continental Europe during the Napoleonic Wars, where he worked as banker, diplo- mat and soldier, escaping military confron- tations by skating along the frozen canals of Holland. He is remembered as a liberal and pro- gressive Provost of Kirkwall, who went out of his way to support community initiatives. As an entrepreneur, he pioneered improve- ments in agriculture and fisheries on Sanday and Sronsay, but his business folded when the kelp market collapsed. But being of a positive disposition and with a strong interest in the history and cultural heritage of the Northern Commonwealth, he then turned to scholarly work, travel and writing. As part of his output, he presented Norway with three major gifts that deserve more attention. The first was a book published in 1836, after having spent three years across the North Sea. Its title was Journal of a Resi- dence in Norway during 1834, 1835 and 1836: made with a view to inquire into the moral and political economy of that country and the condition of its inhabitants. In it, Laing praised the land, its people and their form of government, thereby making Nor- way accessible to a wide European reader- ship. His second gift came in 1839. The book on Norway was well received, so he decided to visit its neighbour, and his next book was entitled A Tour in Sweden in 1838: compar- ing observations on the moral, political and economic state of the Swedish nation. In- deed, he compared Sweden to Norway and came to the critical conclusion that Sweden was a class ridden nation with an anti- quated political system. He described a country run by a privileged few, from be- hind the curtain of democracy. Among com- parative observations were the following: The Press — Free in Norway — Not in Swe- den. To jubilation by the Norwegians, the book almost brought down the Swedish govern- ment. Their ambassador at the Court of St James’s was instructed to publish a pam- phlet addressed to the British people refut- ing what Laing had said in his book. A gov- ernment commission was also established to look into some of the issues raised by Laing. Name Committee 2008 and HORDALAND FYLKESKOMMUNE Hon President: Ian Macleod Present Hon Vice President: Address Consul Bill Spence Chairman Music from Norway Tommy Tullock 15a Royal Oak Rd, Kirkwall Music by Vice Chair Geirr Tveitt Sheila Campbell St Magnus House, Poetry by Olav Hauge

Treasurer Performed by James Watson Balay Cottage, Inganess Rd, Geir Botnen Secretary Piano Jean Crichton 26 Alfred St, Stromness Reidun Horvei Minutes Secretary Song I would like to: John Mowat Lambaborg, Berstane Rd, Kirkwall Einar Mjølsnes

Membership Secretary Hardanger Fiddle and Viola de Gamba Louise Budge Become a member Upper Settir, Lyness Social Convener Renew my subscription Christmas Music Arthur Budge Performed by Upper Settir, Lyness Publicity/Archive George Macphee DM Anderson Organ I enclose a cheque for: Raebar, Hillside Rd, Stromness Schools Liaison: The Mayfield Singers Ishbel Borland

Individual £4 Bea House, Back Rd, Stromness Newsletter / Posters: St Magnus Cathedral Family £8 Clare & Leslie Burgher (couple + children under 18) Roebank, High St, Kirkwall Sunday 7 December Committee Members 7.30pm Admission £5 Corporate £10 Violet Flett 69 Quoybanks Cres, Kirkwall Sarah Jane Gibbon Please send me a stand- 24 High St, Kirkwall ing order mandate Patricia Harvey Newhaven, Dalespot, St. Ola Agnes Watson Note change of details Balay Cottage, Inganess Rd, St Ola

Comments / Suggestions

Memberships for 2009 are due at the AGM.

To renew your membership please use the form on the left. If you would like to set up a Standing Order, please let us know. If you require clarification of your membership status please contact the Member- ship Secretary. If you would like to suggest an event or a speaker for an ONFA talk please let us know. We are always keen to hear of new connections with Nor- way. If you have visited and would like to contribute words or pictures to the newsletter or to an ONFA meeting we will be delighted to hear from you. Finally, when you have fin- Please hand to a committee ished with this magazine, member or post to please recycle it: pass it on to The Membership Secretary, ONFA, Upper Settir anyone who you think may Lyness, Orkney find it interesting.

" Design and Photography by Leslie Burgher. Printed at the Herald Printshop