Sweden’s royal couple visits Herstelling at Fort Kudelstaart – 21 april 2009

On 21 April, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden visited Fort Kudelstaart as part of their state visit to the Netherlands. Herstelling had the distinct honour of showing the King and Queen how we handle reintegration. It was an informal visit that attracted great interest from the media and the public.

Introduction

On a bright, sunny afternoon, the royal couple arrived at the fort on the Westeinder lakes in Aalsmeer at 4:15 p.m. They were joined by a number of people including the minister and high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.

During the visit, which lasted just under an hour, Herstelling’s director Yoeri van der Lugt showed his distinguished guests how the foundation deals with reintegration. The Queen’s Commissioner of Noord-Holland, Mr H.C.J.L. Borghouts, and the mayors of Aalsmeer and Amsterdam, Messrs P.J.M. Litjens and M.J. Cohen, were also present.

Enthusiasm

Following a brief introduction on the Defence Line of Amsterdam, the guests were given a tour of the various activities carried out by Herstelling, including painting, carpentry, metalwork and landscaping. The King and Queen spoke to several participants and foremen themselves.

Thanks to the excellent, enthusiastic atmosphere, the visit seemed to fly by for everyone. Shortly before 5 o’clock, the Foundation’s catering department, Herstelling Horeca, served tea and coffee while the guests enjoyed the view overlooking the Westeinder lakes. The Swedish delegation called Herstelling an “excellent initiative” and an “exemplary project”.

Very successful visit

The director of Herstelling reflected on “a very successful visit, in which we were able to show everything we do. The King and Queen showed genuine interest and knew their facts, and asked really good questions. It was a great honour for us.”

Herstelling Horeca manager Helena Hehanussa was also visibly impressed. “Queen Silvia is a beautiful, kind lady.” Her enthusiasm was also apparent in front of the cameras of royalty television programme ‘Blauw Bloed’. And participant Henk was on cloud nine when he was allowed to have his picture taken with the queen.

We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day, in terms of the visit itself and the weather.

See also the photo-series of the visit.
Translated bij AVB, www.avb.nl.

The name ‘Herstelling’ refers to the Dutch word ‘herstellen’, meaning recovery or restoration, and the ‘Stelling van Amsterdam’, the Defence Line of Amsterdam.
The Herstelling Foundation gives people with little or no prior job experience the opportunity to rebuild their lives while repairing and restoring the Defence Line of Amsterdam.

Klicka här för den svenska texten.
Klik hier voor de Nederlandse tekst.