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31 happy representatives for different social, humanitarian and cultural institutions and a few individuals in Aalborg have received a small extra contribution to their work.Christian the Fourth´s Guild´s Foundation has at the annual distribution with glögg and apple dumplings in Duus´ Wine Cellar in Aalborg donated almost 100,000 DKK to the many activities with special focus on the “voluntary, unpaid work to benefit the less privileged groups in society” as it is stated in the Guild´s statutes.
The Foundation´s capital comes from Christian the Fourth´s Guild and the about 8,000 members from all over the world. It is the yield from this capital that is donated – but due to the actual low level of interest rates the Guild has had to support the Foundation.
“We are only able to donate the 100,000 DKK thanks to a not unsubstantial contribution from the Guild, for which we are very grateful“ said the chairman of the Foundation, former mayor Kaj Kjær. The 31 recipients each got between 1,000 and 5,000 DKK. The money is meant as an extra pat on the shoulder to the social, humanitarian and cultural work that is done in our society. The Foundation does not support travels, studies abroad and parties.
“It is the aim of the board to support as many purposes as possible. We want to appreciate the work that is done. When we want to reward many, the grants will be small. We would like to donate more money, if our means would allow it” said Kaj Kjær at the ceremony´s end.
There are always many various receivers: for example Idrætsforeningen for handicappede which among other things arranges athletic school for handicapped persons in Aalborg. Dansk Røde Kors who runs a club for women with special problems. Kamillus is a support group for KamellianerGårdens Hospice. IOGT which helps alcohol abusers. Aalborg Pensionistorkester whose members “play instead of eating pills”. The Positive which is a club for retired people with physical and mental problems. Aalborg Mandskor whose members - with an average age of 75 years - entertain gratuitously for rest homes, got a donation. So did the Tobacco Girls from Obel´s Tobacco Factory – and they repaid by giving a cigar to the Board. And two day care mothers, who have bought an allotment garden where the children grow vegetables to cook and eat, also got a donation.
The Foundation´s board consists – besides Kaj Kjær – of the Guild´s chief bencher, Niels Voss Hansen, Aalborghallen´s CEO, Ernst Trillingsgaard, the day to day administrator of the Foundation, Per Svensson, and former head of culture in Nordjyllands Amt and present member of Region Nordjylland´s board and former member of Aalborg Byråd, cand.jur. Vibeke Gamst. She is new on the foundation´s board and succeeds former minister of ecclesiastical affairs, Mette Madsen, who died in 2015.
See the pictures
Foto: Jens Morten
Photo 1:
Some of the happy receivers of support from Christian the Fourth´s Foundation
Photo 2:
Members of Aalborg Jægerklubs Blæsergruppe repaid by blowing some hunting signals.
Photo 3:
Tobakspigerne fra Obel said thank you with a cigar to Ernst Trillingsgaard.
The actors from the Circus Revue – who each year end the season here in Aalborg – have for many years been members of Christian the Fourth´s Guild. But the musicians and technicians from the Revue has never been initiated. That state of affairs were remedied this year when the Circus Revue in September gave a show in Aalborg Congress & Cultural Center.>>>
The festivities in Rebild are tradition – and so is Christian the Fourth´s Guild in Aalborg. These traditions meet once a year on the Fourth of July, when the leading dignitaries of the Rebild festivities on the morning before the events in Rebild Hills are initiated into the Guild.
As usual the initiation took place in Duus´ Vinkjælder in Jens Bangs Stenhus. This year the main speaker was the former Danish foreign minister and present chairman of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, who together with some twenty other members-to-be had to sit with an empty glass, while the Guild benchers proclaimed “our thirst first”.
After the initiation and the traditional walk round Jens Bangs Stenhus, food and drink for everybody were served: red sausages, beer and snaps – the latter is in the Guild called potato-juice.
Mogens Lykketofts wife, Mette Holm, was also initiated and so were the other main speaker, Rune Hørby, the chief of tourism in the “Danish” town of Solvang, California, Jeff Paaske, and Stephen De Vincent, the partner of USA´s ambassador to Denmark. The ambassador himself, Rufus Gifford, was initiated two years ago and was both last year and also this year among the onlookers. Youth speaker was Victoria Due from Aalborg. She has just returnet from Oregon where she has been a exchange student for one year.
Also as an onlooker was the new-appointed Mayor for a Day, Poul Pedersen. He is from Thisted and got his education as a landscape gardener at Thomsens Planteskole in Aalborg and he has since the late 1960´es been living near Chicago where he has founded a large garden center and nursery. Poul Pedersen was initiated into the Guild about 30 years ago.<<<
Photo: Jens Morten og Fini Ryming
There has always been a close connection between Danes and Norwegians. Therefore when a number of Norwegians in Oslo – all members of Christian the Fourth´s Guild in Aalborg – thought there should be a similar guild in Oslo there was not far between thought and action. The 15th of May 1991 it became a reality. With Jahn Otto Johansen as vice chief bencher a Christian the Fourth´s Guild in Oslo was established in close cooperation with the guild in Aalborg. There is of course only one chief bencher at any given time, and that is Niels Voss Hansen from the guild in Aalborg. That is why the guild in Oslo is led by a vice chief bencher.
In all the years the two guilds have visited each other many times and always in an enjoyable and brotherly fashion. All initiations in the guild in Oslo are performed by the guild brothers from Aalborg – either in Aalborg or in Oslo.
That’s why the board in Oslo thought that the 25th anniversary should be celebrated in Aalborg in connection with the annual Norwegian visit to Aalborg and the initiation of new guild members. The attendance at the celebration was high – 154 participated in the tour to Aalborg. The festivities began on Stortorvet in Oslo where the Norwegian vice chief bencher Helge Qvigstad placed a wreath at the statue of Christian the Fourth. The Danish chief bencher Niels Voss Hansen – who together with vice chief bencher Kaj Handberg participated in the event – also made a speech.
The actress Berrit Kvorning recited a text before the whole procession with music and escorted by mounted police marched along the main street Karl Johan to Oslo Military Establishment – and later on to the ferry to Denmark.
Next morning all arrived in Aalborg. 26 new Norwegian brothers were initiated into Christian the Fourth´s Guild. As usual the initiation was held in Duus´ Vinkjælder in Jens Bangs Stenhus on Østerå in Aalborg. Also as usual the crowd in the cellar was very cheerful – and the participants who could not get a seat in the cellar could enjoy a mug of beer outside – entertained by the jazz orchestra brought with them from Drøbak.
After the traditional initiation almost all the participants were gathered for a group photo in front of the old city hall and near the guild tree. The anniversary present from the guild in Aalborg was an impressive cannon salute from Aalborg Cannon Guild.
The celebration in Aalborg ended with a lunch for all the Norwegian guests and the guild brothers from Aalborg. During the lunch the guests were entertained by the guild troubadours and by Berrit Kvorning. The Norwegian vice chief bencher Jahn Otto Johansen told anecdotes about Christian the Fourth. The thank-you-speech was made by vice chief bencher (hon.) Trygve Sødring who in connection with the visit was honored with Christian the Fourth´s Guild´s gold medal.<<<
Photo: Fini Ryming
It was a happy Bo Rosbjerg who at a gathering in Christian the Fourth´s Guild was presented with the Prize of Honor for 2016. Bo Rosbjerg should have received the prize at the Guild meeting in February, but at that time he was out of town.
Instead he received the honor – and a modest check – in the Guild´s meeting room in Jens Bang´s Stenhus. Bo Rosbjerg is the man who in November 1993 was active in creating the first interest for getting the Tall Ships´ Race to Aalborg, after having been skipper on the FDF sailing ship “Jens Krogh” and there had experienced the great sailing ships´ gathering – at that time known as Cutty Sark Tall Ships´ Race. Bo Rosbjerg succeeded in the mid-1990s to turn around the sceptic feelings of both the City and private sponsors, and Aalborg became host for the Tall Ships´ Race for the first time in 1999 - the same year as it was 100 years ago the sailing ship “Jens Krogh” was built.
The visit of the many ships in 1999 was a huge success – for both the ships´ crews and for Aalborg. Since then the Tall Ships´ Race has visited Aalborg on several occasions, and Aalborg will in July 2019 once more host the race for the fifth time.
- “It was you – who in spite of scepticism and adversity – in the beginning woke the City´s interest in getting all these wonderful ships to Aalborg, and it has every time been a tremendous success with lots of guests to Aalborg. and that work do we in Christian the Fourth´s Guild want to reward” said chief bencher Niels Voss Hansen, when he and some of the Guild brothers handed the Prize of Honor to Bo Rosbjerg, who – together with his wife Kirsten - visited the Guild.
Photo: Jens Morten