Four royal honors for residents of Opsterland
Four residents of Opsterland received royal honors today. Mayor Andries Bouwman had the honor of pinning the insignia associated with the royal honors on them. A fifth honor was awarded to a resident of De Fryske Marren, but this was also presented by Mayor Bouwman.
Four of the recipients were appointed Members of the Order of Orange-Nassau. One recipient was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
As is tradition, on Honours Day, the mayor and aldermen take a short tour of the municipality to honor the recipients at a location that is meaningful to them.
What makes this year special is that three awards were presented to aldermen from the municipality of Opsterland. The awards ceremony took place prior to a group lunch in Bakkeveen.
All of them have been honored for their long-standing commitment to the community. In recent years, they have gone above and beyond as volunteers in their local communities, thereby making a significant contribution to the Opsterland community and beyond.
The honorees:
Berend van der Molen (72) of Langezwaag. Has been involved in community activities for many decades. Co-founder and board member of the Langezwaag Village Hall Foundation, volunteer and tournament director at the De Ketsers billiards club in Langezwaag. Active as treasurer for various associations. In that capacity, he also served Opsterlands Belang for many years. The award ceremony took place at the village hall in Langezwaag.
Grietje Beute-IJtsma (83) from Ureterp. She has been a volunteer with De Zonnebloem’s Ureterp chapter since 1995. She served on the board for many years and, along with a few others, kept the organization running during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a vital link within the organization. For several years, she has been a volunteer with the Senior Ministry of De Ontmoetingskerk in Ureterp. The award ceremony took place in Ureterp.
Libbe de Vries (69) of Frieschepalen. In addition to his administrative work as Alderman , he has been active Alderman 45 years in the village communities where he lived (Terwispel) and currently lives (Frieschepalen). Among other things, he is an editor at the village newspaper Wispelwaegen, chairman and actor with the theater group Sizze en Dwaan in Terwispel, a volunteer with the Terwispel Shanty Choir, and chairman of the village hall De Dobber. He is also involved with the theater group Nij Libben in Frieschepalen and serves as a board member of the Lammert Heringa Fund Foundation.
Durk Durksz (67) of Vegelinsoord. In addition to his administrative work as Alderman 1980, he has served as bookkeeper and later as treasurer and co-sexton of the Support Fund Foundation of the Mennonite Congregation in Joure. He is chairman of the Red-and-White Friesian Cattle Foundation and editor of its newsletter. He is also treasurer and a volunteer for the Sister Congregation/Partner City Foundation Drolshagen - De Fryske Marren. He is also active as treasurer and a volunteer for the Fryske Folkshegeskoalle Schylgeralân Foundation.
Rob Jonkman (65) of Siegerswoude. Since 2010, Jonkman has served as Alderman deputy mayor in the municipality of Opsterland. In connection with his primary role, he has undertaken a number of important activities. For example, he served for 15 years as a member of the Europe and International Affairs committees of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG). He is also a member of the supervisory board of the Kenniscentrum Europa Decentraal. For many years, he served as a member of the European Committee of the Regions on behalf of the VNG, representing local and regional governments in the European Union. Since 2022, he has been a volunteer with the Stichting Friese Rijders. The foundation provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
