OLAV BEDDARI
Olav Beddari lived in Skogfoss, was a teacher, a local historian and author of several books. One of his lifelong projects was for the Pasvik region to regain its connection to Finland.
Olav has lived his life with a changing border. His neighbor Finland became Russia after the war, and he has personally felt the consequences of a changing political climate. He is of Finnish and Sami descent, and as a child he spoke only Finnish. When he started school, he had no choice but to learn Norwegian, as the Norwegian government did not want other languages or cultural identities to prevail in the area. He is Norwegian, but will never forget his Finnish background.
When Olav grew up, the country was on the other side of the border of the Pasvik River with Finland, and his friends and relatives lived just across the river. The river was a way of traveling and not a barrier. He could cross the river to visit friends and family whenever he wanted, and his wife was also Finnish. After World War II, this changed radically, when the Russians took over the Petsamos territory. Then the borders were closed and the Finnish residents deported further south in Finland.
…He has also received a medal of honor from the Norwegian government…
As a result of the Cold War, his Finnish connections, and his refusal to “report suspicious behavior” to a Russian colonel’s request to his father, he was monitored by Norwegian authorities for a long period of his life. He had difficulty finding a job, and the revelation of the surveillance came as a shock. He was monitored for at least 20 years, but was later given a small monetary compensation for the surveillance. He has also been awarded a medal of honor by the Norwegian government for long service as a teacher to Norwegian children in Pasvik.
In 2002, Olav asked to see the files held by the secret police, and was shocked. His visits to relatives as early as 1945 had been interpreted by the secret police as evidence that he had been to the Soviet Union to receive training as a Russian agent. It was also concluded that his training as a teacher was probably sponsored by the Soviets.
As long as he lived, he felt the loss of contact with Finland, and believes that the small settlements in Pasvikdalen suffer from a lack of contact, transport and trade. That is why he is still fighting for a road through the wilderness, to connect with his old neighbor Finland further up the valley. He believes this can bring new life and vitality to a dying area.