60 years and counting! The Netherlands-England Society of Limburg celebrates its Diamond Jubilee

Anniversaries are, by definition, special. The 60th birthday of the Genootschap Nederland-Engeland (Netherlands-England Society or GNE) branch in South Limburg, however, was extraordinary. This jubilee, with its rich and entertaining program, will last in the memories of the people who attended it for a long time.

The national organisation of GNE chose the anniversary as this year’s National Day event. Therefore, almost a hundred anglophiles from the ten GNE branches in the country flocked to Maastricht on Saturday April 21st to partake in the celebration with their fellow members of GNE South Limburg. An activity-packed day with different events awaited them but the revellers also had time to get to know each other and enjoy the wonderful weather.

Distinguished guests included British Ambassador to the Netherlands Mr Lyn Parker, Patron of GNE, Mr Gerd Leers, Mayor of Maastricht; GNE’s national Chairman Mr Abel Rasterhoff, Ms Yvonne Janssen, President of Limburg’s Women’s International Club and two representatives of Lion’s Club Maastricht Mondial, Ms Ulrike Heigl and Mr Stafford Wadsworth.

Drinks and lunch at Grand Hotel L’Empereur
The festivities punctually began (as it could not have been otherwise) at 11.30 in the Grand Hotel L’Empereur. The friendly staff of the hotel welcomed participants with a glass of champagne in the hotel’s ball room. Members exchanged greetings, took pictures and met participants from other branches until Ms Resy Snyders, Chairman of the South Limburg branch, approached the podium and began her introductory speech.

Chairman Snyders joined GNE Limburg when she was 16, as her father was a member then. She served as secretary between 1981 and 1986, year in which she became Chairman. In 1995 Chairman Snyders and her family moved to Ghana for two years and Ms Ineke Kersten took the lead of the organization for a few years. In 2001, however, the position was open again and Chairman Snyders volunteered once more.

Looking at the scope of activities that GNE offers every season and the conscientious and smooth organisation of events like the anniversary, one has to note how admirable it is that the Society is entirely run by volunteers. Chairman Snyders is directly aided in her efforts by Ms Davina Mommers-Koppers (membership secretary), Ms Jennifer de Feijter-Vidler (secretary) and Mr Hub Stevens (Treasurer). Together, these “three Musketeers,” as Chairman Snyders affectionately referred to them in her speech, make the dreams and projects of GNE Limburg come true.

These projects include presentations on British-related subjects given by native speakers, annual social get-togethers, such as a Tea Party and a dinner, the English Public Speaking and Young Writers Competition organised in cooperation with BBC World and the British Council at the national level, and a trip to England once every two years.

When dreams come true
“Niet je hele leven met je voetjes aan de grond; / Beetje dromen, beetje zweven, lijkt me ook niet ongezond!” Chairman Snyders used these verses (which roughly translate as “Don’t stay your entire life with your feet on the ground; / dare to dream a bit, or float a bit, to me that doesn’t seem unhealthy at all”) by Limburg poet and entertainer Toon Hermans, to open her welcome speech.

The image of a dream that crystallizes and the floating feeling experienced by visionaries recurred throughout Chairman Snyder’s intervention. The founding of GNE after the Second World War was a “dreamy project” that fructified and now has become an established institution in the country. Similarly, the organisation of the British Week in Maastricht, which began two years ago in collaboration with the Maastricht Hotel Management School (of Zuyd University), was another dream that materialised and surpassed everyone’s expectations. As Chairman Snyders explained, a British Michelin star chef from ‘Restaurant Vermeer’ Amsterdam was invited to produce delicious British haute cuisine; in the world of dreams come true “even that is possible!”

The museum in the mountain
Having whetted their appetites, Chairman Snyders then invited all participants to enjoy lunch. Mayor Gerd Lees, feeling hospitable, spontaneously grabbed a tray with cold sandwiches and started to serve them around at one of the tables.

After the unmistakeable cup of tea, members gathered outside the hotel to board two buses. Destination: the Jezuïtenberg, or Jesuit caves.

Located to the south-west of Maastricht, very close to the Belgian border, these caves are an exceptional natural and artistic national monument. According to the information brochure, they are one of the world’s best preserved marlstone quarries and they were exploited between 1704 and 1880, when marlstone was widely used as building material. They are more famous however, for the vast and peculiar art collection they treasure in their dark and cold tunnels.

Mr Huub Mommers, one of the guides in the caves and a member of GNE Limburg, explained that between 1860 and 1960 Jesuit scholars and theological students would come to the caves on Wednesdays (their only free day from studies and religious duties) to relax and indulge in a particular hobby: the creation of art pieces carved and/or painted on the walls of the galleries that crisscross the inside of the mountain.

GNE members split into four groups for the tour of the caves, offered in both Dutch and English. During an hour and a half members walked through the tunnels and could admire impressive works of art under the eerie light of a handheld lantern carried by the guide. Some of the works really displayed impressive levels of artistic skill that scorn the label of “amateur art.”

The bust of San Ignacio de Loyola, illustrious founder of the Compañía de Jesús in 1534, stood like a stone guardian at the beginning of the tour. A large statue of a young, beardless, crucified Jesus and a relief depicting the ascension of the Virgin Mary followed. However, wilder and more colourful pieces of profane nature are the main attraction of this peculiar museum.

Babylonian winged bulls copied with painstaking exactitude competed with a vibrant reproduction of the Alhambra, which includes the (working) Fuente de los Leones. Visitors seemed to be transported to an ancient time when a gigantic reproduction of the head of Pharaoh Ramses II appeared in a turn of the tunnel, followed by a faithful, if scaled down, version of a Javanese temple. Numerous charcoal and coloured drawings completed this eclectic “collection.”

Towards the end of the visit Ambassador Parker was asked to sign his name on one of the big stones that form the caves’ “Hall of Fame.” With a steady hand the ambassador left this memento for posterity in this outstanding location which will from now onwards remember the 60th anniversary of GNE Limburg.

“Visiting the Jesuit caves was an extraordinary experience,” Ambassador Parker said after the visit. He was fascinated by the nature of the place and commented on how privileged visitors are to contemplate the art in the caves: “You get the sense that you are visiting something which for them [the Jesuit students] was never meant to be public. It’s a private expression of these students studying to be priests, giving a bit of their spare time to this work […] and to which they gave so much time! It’s a really remarkable place.”

The visit to caves appropriately ended in the English corner, where an impressive effigy of William Shakespeare shared the wall with a depiction of one of the most renowned moments from one of his plays: the balcony scene between Romeo and Juliet in fair Verona. This ending point coincidentally seemed to be a subtle wink at GNE’s next event on May 7th , a lecture entitled “Key moments in Shakespeare” by Senior Cambridge professor John Gilroy.

For 100 years the Jesuit students worked inside the mountain, in a way fulfilling their artistic dreams. GNE members said they “loved this visit!” and some of them suggested that the next big GNE anniversary should include again a visit to these “wonderful caves”.

But will GNE celebrate its 100th anniversary?
“GNE needs new blood!” says Ms Hermaans, a very pleasant elderly lady from the Twente branch. Ms Hermaans has been member of GNE for the past five years and realizes that one of the main issues facing the future of GNE at both local and national level is the lack of young people among its members. Despite the fact that sometimes some teenagers attend specific presentations or events (usually children of other members) the general lack of people in their twenties and thirties in all the delegations is rather baffling. “Young people are now very busy,” said Ms Hermaans on the bus returning from the Jesuit caves, “they have their own organisations and they just don’t have the time to come to the events.”

The problem posed by this generational gap seemed to be lurking in the mind of many members, who asked me with surprise and a glimmer of hope in their eyes if I was a member. The South Limburg Branch, despite being one of the smallest, has recruited more members than any other branch in the last few years. But unfortunately only few young people have increased the ranks of the organization here .

Commenting on the reasons why young people do not join GNE, Chairman Snyders said: “I don’t know why it is such a problem. I think it’s a sign of the time, that nowadays many people have so much to choose from (in Western societies) and are so busy that they do not easily commit to a club.”

In the “Information society” in which we live, publicising an exciting and unique experience is as important as organising it. The GNE Limburg, however, seems to be doing an extensive job at advertising its events. According to Chairman Snyders, beyond the usual plastering of billboards in public areas, GNE publishes announcements in regional and local papers, in newsletters such as Crossroads and sends the information to MSM, Zuyd University, various International Institutes and other cultural societies.

Perhaps it is the nature of the events that fails to attract young people. A lecture on the history of British gardens can no doubt be fascinating but a young busy student or worker will more likely prefer to go to see a movie with friends instead. Maybe it would be helpful from time to time to select topics for events specifically targeting younger audiences (i.e. British football or cinema, London in the age of tourism) that still could be enjoyed by regular members.

The idea of partnering with high schools and inviting young students of English could be fruitful as well and events like the Public Speaking and Young Writers Competition have demonstrated their success. Otherwise rapidly aging organisations like GNE will, very regrettably, risk disappearing in the coming decades.

Exploring old and new Maastricht
The buses from the caves dropped the participants on Plein 1992, by Centre Ceramique, at around 15.30. This was the starting point of a walking tour around Maastricht. The organisers distributed a handout with a crash course on the history of Limburg and Maastricht and with some words from the Maastricht dialect.

The tour took participants to the Onze Lieve Vrouw Church, the Hell Gate (Helpoort), the watermill bakery, Stokstraat and the little square marking the spot where the Roman baths of the illustrious Mosam Trajectum used to stand.

“I’ve been in Maastricht for 2 years now and I love it,” says Linda Bradley, a British expatriate who is member of GNE Limburg. “Maastricht combines lively social life with beautiful history and old buildings.”

After the tour, Ambassador Parker told me: “I have been in Maastricht three times and every time I come I learn something new. Maastricht is gorgeous, really lovely. The culture benefits from the location of the city, so close to Belgium and Germany and you just have to look around the streets today, you see lots of people enjoying themselves.”

For friendship across borders: Cheers!
After the tour, Mayor Gerd Leers invited all the participants for a toast to Anglo-Dutch relations in the Town Hall on the Market Square. This closing reception had been originally scheduled to take place at “De Vitrine,” behind the Centre Ceramique, but Mayor Leers’ hospitality made the change possible.

GNE members were treated to some refreshments and a piece of Limburg “vlaai” in the reception room of the Town Hall. Mayor Leers began the round of closing speeches by praising the Anglo-Dutch friendship developed and cemented thanks to the efforts of GNE and congratulated the work of the organisers. His humorous speech – he made the whole audience burst out in laughter when he wittily linked his name with that of a famous Shakespearian king! - was followed by the words of Ambassador Parker who emphatically expressed his gratitude to GNE for organising such a successful event in Maastricht. After thanking the Ambassador for his presence and Mayor Leers for his hospitality, Chairman Snyders presented Ambassador Parks with a bottle of Maastricht wine and a book about Maastricht.

After the round of speeches, participants from the 10 GNE branches had a chance to talk with each other for the last time. Mayor Leers walked around shaking hands with everyone and saying: “Thank you for coming and please come again!” Everyone was invited to exchange their name badges for a GNE pen, which was a gift from a GNE member who passed away last year and who wanted to do something for the 60th anniversary.

The day ended with a serenade by the Coriovallum Pipers, who blasted their bagpipes in the reception room and then outside, on the Market Square, where many passers-by stopped to enjoy the music: A spectacular ending for a spectacular day.

Ambassador Parker highlighted the importance of initiatives like GNE. “It is very good for people to understand each other. Organisations like this are important because they mean something to the members […] What I find most interesting is that there is such a strong interest in another culture and that so many people are committed to it, 60 years on when they have so many other means of getting to know the countries. I think it’s great!”

All the participants looked very pleased with their day in Maastricht. “Sore feet and all, after such an active afternoon,” Chairman Snyders said, “I think our branch has shown that GNE knows how to live well, combining good food and interesting cultural activities as well.”

GNE Limburg can be proud of its accomplishments: 60 years of activities and hopefully many more to come!

By Hector P. Alvarez

Hector Pascual Alvarez, 21, is a Spanish student enrolled at Macalester College in Minnesota (US) where he is majoring in International Studies and Theatre Arts. He is spending the first semester of 2007 at Maastricht University as part of a study abroad programme.

More information
GNE membership fees per season: Families €40. Singles €27.50. Students 50% reduction. website: www.nederlandengeland.nl

Public Speaking Competition and Young Writers Competition: www.bbcawards.com

More photographs

Brugges, Jesuit caves

British Ambassador Lyn Parker signs Guestbook at the Jesuit caves

Crossroad’s reporter Hector P. Alvarez interviews British Ambassador Lyn Parker