Tourists, participants in congresses and guests in Aalborg in general from 34 different countries were last year initiated into Christian The Fourth´s Guild in Aalborg. All in all the Guild got 588 new members who all were initiated during one of the initiations of the year in Duus´ Winecellar in Jens Bangs Stenhus in Aalborg. This information was given by the chief bencher Niels Voss Hansen at the Guild meeting (which is the general meeting of the Guild) and it of course was held in the winecellar.
The biggest initiation so far took place in May last year when the Guild initiated more than 100 persons in a double initiation. It was members of the staffs from several travel agencies who visited Aalborg on Star Cruise´s cruise ship “Viking Star”. It went so well that we in the Guild are looking forward to initiate passengers from several of the cruise ships that will visit Aalborg the coming summer season. This will contribute to make Aalborg better known and give a lot of Aalborg´s guests an extra holiday experience. At the same time it will bring in some extra money in the Guild´s cash box – money that will be spent on good purposes. The Guild´s foundation donates every year 100,000 DKK to social, humanitarian and cultural purposes. And the Guild itself donates for example the Prizes of Good Spirit, which at Christmas time is handed out to a student in each of Aalborg´s educational institutions. The receivers of these grants are chosen (by their educational institutions) for being cheerful and good comrades, and that is why the chief bencher always hands over the money with a warning against spending it on textbooks and other dull purposes.
At the Guild meeting Frank Wilquin also was honored with the Aalborg Prize for his magnificent model of King Christian the Fourth´s flagship “Trefoldigheden”. The model is exhibited at the maritime experience center “Springeren” (former the naval museum) in Aalborg. The Guild also honored the “Bayeux-group” who has – through many years - been working on making a wonderful copy of the famous, historical Bayeux tapestry with motives from the Viking age. The tapestry is now exhibited at “Børglum Kloster”.
At the Guild meeting was air force specialist Brian S. Israelsen honored as “Soldier of the Year”, and according to tradition the two residents of the two rooms in the “4th of May College” in Aalborg, which are sponsored by the Guild, received a small check to sweeten the springtime. This years Prize of Honor was awarded to Bo Rosberg for his work through many years for the maritime Aalborg – not least his giant work for getting “Tall Ships Race” to Aalborg. Rosberg was absent from the meeting and will at a later occasion receive his prize.
Photo: Happy receivers of honor and prizes. From left Gitte Pedersen from the “Bayeux-group”, Frank Willquin, Brian Israelsen, 4th of May residents Martin Beerman Staal og Arthur Bastrup-Birk Wachmann, chief bencher Niels Voss Hansen and Kamma Jensen from the “Bayeux-group”.
Photo: Fini Ryming