Seven ribbons awarded in Smallingerland

Fri April 26, 2024, 3:35 PM

DRAGON – Seven residents of the municipality of Smallingerland were surprised with a ribbon on Friday morning. Mayor Jan Rijpstra decorated them in the town hall in Drachten during the annual ribbon shower prior to King’s Day.

They were all appointed members of the Order of Orange Nassau. One decorated person was unable to attend, he will receive his ribbon at a later time.

Century Aalsen Geertsma

Mr Eeuwe Aalsen Geertsma (66) from Drachten served in the National Reserve Corps for 19 years and was a member of the General Association of Reserve Military Personnel (AVRM). There he organized the Long Distance Patrol and served as treasurer.

He is also a board member of Onze Vrijwilligers Vereniging, a foundation that wants to make people aware that freedom and democracy cannot be taken for granted. Since 2016, Mr Geertsma has also been on the board of the Frisian 11-city Walking Tour Foundation, where he has been chairman since 2021.

Cornelis Bastiaan Leenheer

Mr Cornelis Bastiaan Leenheer (71) from Drachten has been a volunteer editor-in-chief and photographer at the Dutch Association for Metal Detection (DDA) for more than 30 years. The DDA aims to improve the relationship between metal detector amateurs and professional archaeologists.

Mr Leenheer also produces the magazines for the DDA. In 2011 he made a very special find in Cothen in Utrecht, 71 early medieval silver coins. These coins are currently in the collection of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden.

Albertje Heddema-Huitema

80-year-old Mrs. Albertje Heddema-Huitema from Drachtstercompagnie was awarded for her years of dedication to the village. She was appointed a member of the Order of Orange Nassau, partly because of her more than 40 years of commitment to Frisian Christian Rural Women.

She was also active at Funeral Association “De Laatste Eer” and organized all kinds of events for the Romania Committee. Mrs. Heddema-Huitema has been taking care of the flower arrangements for the Protestant Municipality of Drachtstercompagnie for about 15 years. Finally, she is committed to the antiquities room in the village.

Jan Rienstra

Mr Jan Rienstra (68) from Boornbergum can now also call himself a member of the Order of Orange Nassau. He has been committed to the Secondary Reformed Church in Boornbergum-Kortehemmen for over forty years. He was, among other things, a member of the Management Committee for financial affairs and chairman of the youth center.

He is still a daily board member of the national church. Mr Rienstra is also active for the Dabar association in Boornbergum, which is committed to helping the less fortunate. He is also a board member of Doarpshûs ‘t Bynt.

Hendrik Slootweg

Mr Hendrik Slootweg (69) from Drachten has been active as a volunteer for over 15 years at, among others, the Drachten Oranje Committee Foundation, the 4 and 5 May Working Group and the Shooting Exploitation Foundation. At the Working Group 4 and 5 May he arranged volunteers, provided sponsorship funds, made contacts with the first aid and police and helped to make Queen’s Day and later King’s Day a great success. He also did a lot of work for the Orange Committee.

Johannes de Vries

In addition to his work as a general practitioner, Mr Johannes de Vries (73) from Drachten was active as a volunteer on many fronts, including at the Harkema badminton club and as a club doctor at Harkemase Boys. He was also active in the Harkema Working Group to put the village on the map.

Mr De Vries was also a member of the Suyderhuys Client Council in Surhuisterveen and of the WMO council of Achtkarspelen. In March 2019, he was co-initiator of the establishment of an Alzheimer’s café in Surhuisterveen. Finally, he was a confidential counselor at the Lauwers College in Buitenpost.

Emkje Jonker

Mrs Emkje Jonker (62) from Drachten was active for the Protestant Municipality of Drachten for twenty years. She helped people who were lonely or needed a chat. She was also a volunteer at the Zuidoostzorg Foundation. Her efforts ensured greater enjoyment of life for the clients of Zuidoostzorg.