Kees Boelema Robertus received the medal of honor from Mayor Jan de Boer on Thursday
municipality Den Helder received. This silver award is a token of appreciation and
gratitude for special services to the municipality and/or the citizenry.
Boelema Robertus has been the branch director of the Navy Museum since 2019 and will soon be stepping down.
In recent years he has worked on the Navy Museum 2.0, culminating in making it available
of 40 million euros for the renovation and further development of the area at Willemsoord.
Mayor De Boer said about this during the farewell reception: “Wonderful and well deserved for everyone
who is active at the Navy Museum, but also a gift for all future visitors.”
However, the medal of honor was awarded on the basis of Boelema Robertus' entire career. Den Helder is there
according to Mayor De Boer the common thread. “Sometimes crystal clear, other times more inconspicuous,
but always there.” He mentioned the almost 39-year career in the Royal Navy. Boelema Robertus
there he was, among other things, commander of various ships and director of the Material Maintenance Directorate.
Later he became a member and chairman of the supervisory board of De Meerpaal, which provides special education.
offers training to children with learning difficulties, has been a trainer on several occasions and is therefore active at the Navy Museum.
Mayor De Boer stated that working with and for people was 'part of the job' in all these functions,
but that something like that is easier said than done. “Collaboration is a 21st century skill that
Many claim, but fewer can say they are adept at it. In your illustrious career
Have you internalized collaboration? The way Boelema Robertus approached collaboration
with Belgium even earned him a royal distinction from that neighboring country. However,
Locally, he worked just as hard to improve civil-military cooperation.
Mayor De Boer: “Thanks to your way of working and managing, we have achieved more than we could have imagined.
expect. As a token of appreciation and gratitude for your special services to the
The municipality and the citizens have awarded you the Den Helder Municipal Honorary Medal of Honor.”
