Mayor Stemerdink Presents Royal Honors to Mr. Van Rooijen and Mrs. Van Rooijen-Kort
On Saturday afternoon, March 16, 2024, Mayor Nadine Stemerdink presented royal honors to Mr. Paul van Rooijen (77) and Ms. Hanneke van Rooijen-Kort (75). The ceremony took place during the celebration of the 110th anniversary of the Beekeepers’ Association of The Hague and Surrounding Areas at the Louwman Museum in The Hague.
The Hague and Surrounding Areas Beekeepers’ Association was founded in 1914 and has approximately 145 members and donors, about 60 of whom are active beekeepers. The association maintains its own apiary on the Reigersbergen estate, adjacent to the Haagse Bos and Marlot.
For nearly 25 years, the Beekeepers’ Association has been led by Paul and Hanneke van Rooijen-Kort of Voorschoten. Together, they carry out all related activities on a volunteer basis and with great enthusiasm. As a result, over the years the association has been able not only to support beekeepers in The Hague and the surrounding area with advice and assistance and to train new generations of beekeepers, but also to devote significant attention to education and outreach in The Hague and the surrounding area.
The Van Rooijen-Kort couple works to support the bees year-round. Every day, including weekends, they take on many tasks, knowing that a healthy bee population is essential for the preservation of flora and fauna. They share and support each other in all tasks and activities for the association, with Mr. Van Rooijen focusing more on the association’s secretariat, training new beekeepers, providing information, and maintaining contacts with local municipalities and the province, among others. Mrs. Van Rooijen-Kort is primarily involved in managing the bee garden, queen rearing, harvesting and selling honey, serving as hostess for courses and open houses, welcoming groups, and maintaining the association’s building.
The Van Rooijen-Kort couple also played an important role in the development of Fonds 1818’s nature and environmental policy. In addition, through the Beekeepers’ Association, the couple played a major role in the creation of the Pollination Chamber, which was installed in the garden of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag in the summer of 2013.
Mr. Van Rooijen and Mrs. Van Rooijen-Kort were both honored—for their combined contributions to the field of beekeeping—with the title of Member of the Order of Orange-Nassau.