This heartache came to 73-year-old Asmund Johnsen in April 1974. This made the then head of social services, Kolbjørn Halmøy, think about the matter. Then the idea of the “Husjord project” was conceived.
Now Halmøy could invite Johnsen to visit his home where the new home help scheme for the 7 elderly people at Husjord had become a reality.”
In the far west of Lødingen municipality towards the comma border with Hadsel and Sortland, the Øksfjord splits into the southwestern part of Hinnøy – surrounded by high mountains. Midway inside the Øksfjord – on the east side of the fjord, there is the farm Husjord. In December 1974, there were 7 elderly people living in there.
From Saltvannet out in Vestbygda, a road stretches north to Fornes, which is located by the Øksfjord. That’s where the road stops. To get on to Husjord farm, the boat had to be used. There was no question of a road at the time – and never would be. At the time, it was hoped that the road from Lofoten could provide Husjord with a road connection with the outside world.
Husjord’s connection to the outside world was Magnus Ingebrigtsen’s village boat “Trygg”, as well as the telephone. At that time, “Trygg” called at Husjord three times a week, – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The boat was not suitable for transporting goods, and the people out there therefore hoped at the time that Lofoten Trafikklag’s boat “Lofotfjord II” could call at Husjord to improve the transport of goods.
The “safe” sail in the route Øksneshamn – Kvannkjosen – Svartskard – Husjord. Any daily calls of “Trygg” in Husjord were not relevant for the reason that no children of compulsory school age lived there. It was only older people. Water was installed at Husjord in the 1950s, and electricity came in 1955. The mail was transported with “Trygg”
For the elderly people who now lived there, it was now starting to become cumbersome. When the heavier roofs were to be made, the older ones were no longer able to do this. It was worst in the winter when roads had to be kept reasonably open. But for the few people of 70-80 years, snow shoveling was probably heavy. Both horse and sleigh had long since become history.
The alternative was to move to, for example, Lødingen. This was probably something these people did not want the most. They wanted to be able to live in their home country as long as they could take care of themselves in everyday life on their own. Get to walk on the road between the houses and visit each other.
To sit in their own homes and look out at Øksfjorden and its mighty mountains that surrounded the fjord – to look out over their home that they had lived in for many years. The wish was that some younger people could live there to help the older people in everyday life with the heaviest tasks.
In addition to the head of social services Kolbjørn Halmøy, agronomist Roald Sæthre and municipal engineer Knut Eldby were also involved in this case, where it was investigated what opportunities were possible to achieve – such as an offer to the elderly people at Husjord.
Then Lødingen municipality launched a measure that attracted attention in the country: Farm tenants. The idea was to get some young people to move to Husjord to help the older people in their lives, so that they could live there as long as their health had to last.
Then this somewhat special position was advertised, and already in May 1974, applicants from Kjøllefjord in the north to Oslo in the south had shown their interest. There were doctors, nurses, an engineer and agronomists.
In the end, the choice fell on Leif Waag, originally from Bamble in Vestfold, and his wife Ingrid from Skjøtningsberg in Finnmark. This couple had lived for five years in Finnmark where they farmed with up to 400 sheep, and knew the challenges that would face them. On 10. October, the Waag couple came to Husjord. A good and mutual trust quickly arose between the couple and the people of Husjord.
The couple used a farmhouse with a barn on the site, and the plan was to farm and raise sheep. The buildings on the farm had to be taken care of, but it was only positive to have something to do, Waag believed.
Farming would also be positive for the elderly in the area. There was even talk of growing vegetables. A boat for fishing on the fjord was also in mind at the time. Now the social manager Halmøy had arranged for a nice Christmas present for the people of Husjord, – a snow blower.
Waag was going to use this, and this milling machine would probably attract the attention of the old people. Now there were going to be nice roads on the site. Now it was not only Husjord that Leif Waag had to look after. The neighboring farms outer Sommerset and Bjerknes were home to five people who also needed help. When Harstad Tidende visited, a widow at Sommerset had received winter firewood, thanks to Leif Waag.
It is said at the time that if Lødingen municipality had introduced this measure a few years earlier, more elderly people could still have lived at Husjord. This project could then have been called “district conservation”. The alternative was that the farms were deserted.
At that time, you could see in your eyes that the place would die out by itself, as no younger people wanted to live there. For Hagar, Borghild, Liv and Eivin Christensen, among others, they had a brighter view of the encounter with winter, where younger forces had come to the place to help.
The article was printed in the Lødingen yearbook 2001/02, and is reproduced with permission from the Lødingen yearbook editors
Photo: Harstad-Tidende
Text: Tore Waage
Source: Report from Harstad Tidende 02.
December 1974 by Sevald Eilertsen.
