Lars-Emil Johansenthe last “polar bear”, turned last week and celebrated 80 years on this earth.
After a long hospital stay, he came home a few days before his birthday, and with the health service’s carefully measured painkillers, he was able to enjoy his big day, which began with breakfast with his grandchildren and preparation for the afternoon reception at Hotel Hans Egede, which he tells AG about here.
Lars-Emil Johansenthe last “polar bear”, turned last week and celebrated 80 years on this earth.
After a long hospital stay, he came home a few days before his birthday, and with the health service’s carefully measured painkillers, he was able to enjoy his big day, which began with breakfast with his grandchildren and preparation for the afternoon reception at Hotel Hans Egede, which he tells AG about here.
– I had to change the anorak at the last minute because the anorak I had sewn for the occasion was too identical to Jens-Frederik Nielsen’s anorak when he arrived. It was in exactly the same fabric, laughs the political veteran, who also joked about it when the current chairman of Naalakkersuisut arrived at the reception.
Therefore, Lars-Emil Johansen, with good help from his adult grandchildren, chose another, darker blue, festanorak. They were also the ones who wanted Aataa to wear his orders. According to his own statement, he has a “sea of orders”. However, they were cut down and eventually ended up with a Greenlandic order on the chest and a Danish order around the neck. In the end, however, everyone agreed that the simplest thing was Nersornaat in gold, and that’s how it turned out.
The reception was originally only for invited guests, but the word about the seasoned politician’s round day quickly reached many, and the hotel premises developed more into an open house with lots of musical elements from, among others, singing choirs, Glenn Møller, Malu, Juaaka, Kaaleeraq Møller Dalsgaard, Katsi Kleist and of course the main character was also there once in a while.
– It was a fantastic afternoon! I was totally on edge, we could hardly stop again. We were supposed to be out at 6 p.m., but I think it was around 6:30 p.m. when we started to break up the company, says the birthday boy happily, who came home with lots of nice gifts. Among other things, he received a pen from Vivian Motzfeldt, who was invited as a special guest.
– I’m her no. 1 fan, he says.
One of the funnier gifts he is looking forward to is a DNA test, which he got from Thue Christiansen’s eldest daughter. He was also delighted with a gift card from Deres Auto, which came with a gift card for one month’s car rental, which he thinks he needs. However, it will be one of the grandchildren who has to drive, as he himself is too visually impaired to drive.
Another of the gifts comes with an anecdote. It is no secret that Lars-Emil Johansen has been a dry alcoholic for decades and says in this connection that the AA world has given him special insight:
– Sharing experiences strengthens hope, says Lars-Emil Johansen.
He has had the same approach in relation to his role in Foreningen Hjertelivet, where he has both been around as a presenter and talked about his own course of illness, but also visited heart disease patients every week at Queen Ingrid’s Hospital.
– I became so gifted that half would be enough, he says.
The day ended in the same calm way as it started: with food at aataa’s house with the grandchildren.
