Today, Mayor Halsema presented 40 Amsterdam residents and 3 Weespers with a royal award in the Concertgebouw. On the occasion of the king’s birthday, Amsterdam residents who have made a special contribution to society and the city received a special ribbon during the traditional ribbon shower.
On the day before King’s Day, people who have done something special for society are honored every year with a royal award. Today the mayor presented 43 Amsterdam residents with this special ribbon.
Recognition
One of those people was Sjarel Ex, director of the Centraal Museum in Utrecht and later of the Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. In total he led about 700 exhibitions and purchased thousands of works of art. Norman van Gom, the face of the Amsterdam Radio and Television Mart in Zuidoost, also received a ribbon. Every day he offers thousands of listeners a listening ear. According to the municipality, thanks to Van Gom, Mart Radio has grown into an indispensable radio station in the city.
92-year-old Myriam Mater-van Hulst was awarded today because, at her age, she still tells moving stories from the war to primary school students. “She teaches students to take responsibility and to be kind to each other. Always with the message: keep talking to each other,” the municipality writes.
Example
The musical Amsterdammer was also put in the spotlight. Saxophonist Arno Bornkamp also received an award because he knows how to inspire composers and other musicians to great heights with his playing. “After many international studies, his career reached its first peak in 1991 when he won the Dutch Music Prize. Since 1995 he has been training new generations of saxophonists, including at the Conservatory in Amsterdam.”
Toos Enkelaar, ‘the mother of children’s judges’, is committed to children in the courtroom and co-founded the Youth Court and is also a board member of Children Rights Amsterdam. She received a ribbon for her work.
The municipality announced that not everyone could attend the ceremony. “They were congratulated by the mayor by telephone and will receive their award later.”
Below are all Amsterdam residents who received an award today:
