Gústi - "Man of God"
Ágúst Gíslason was born in 1897 in Dýrafjörður in the Western Fjords and died in 1985 in Siglufjörður, his home for nearly 60 years. In his youth he sailed the seven seas, encountering distant peoples and their varied ways of life. His faith in God, instilled in him as a child by his grandmother, grew during his travels. Upon his return, he took to living very simply and alone for the Christian mission of helping the disadvantaged.
Virtually all of the money he earned during his long life as a fisherman he donated to children‘s missions around the world.
He would preach on Sundays in the small town square in the centre of Siglufjörður. He rarely had many listeners aside from when he was storming against 'the great enemy', Communism. During these orations he would take a short break from the gospel and swear mightily.
In light of his faith, he was called Gústi Guðsmaður (Gústi Man of God). There are endless stories about him: how he sacrificed everything for his mission and trusted in his Lord for safety at sea in all weathers; or how he once became lost in a fog in his boat but was found out at sea in a tiny unclouded spot, bathed in sunlight and hauling in fish.
In the spirit of Gústi Man of God, Museum staff worked on a small documentary on his life - only available in Icelandic so far - is shown here, and is also on display at the Boathouse. A small donation barrel is available there for museum visitors to contribute money toward helping needy children in the Global South, in cooperation with ABC Children‘s Aid.