Taxi Charity's Dick Goodwin appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau
Monday evening, May 5, during the 'farewell dinner of the Taxi Charity, Dick Goodwin was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau. The Englishman received this Royal Decoration for his efforts for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans.
Mayors Floor Vermeulen of Wageningen and Agnes Schaap of Renkum surprised Goodwin during the dinner with veterans in Wageningen.
Veterans present at commemorations
The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans has been bringing a large group of London taxi drivers into contact with British and Polish military veterans since 2004. The organization ensures that the veterans can visit the European battlefields from the Second World War.
The presence of the veterans at the Airborne Walk in Oosterbeek, the Airborne commemorations in the Arnhem region and at the Freedom Parade in Wageningen, leave a deep impression every year. Not only with the veterans, but certainly with the tens of thousands of Dutch people present.
Bond between veterans and young people
Dick Goodwin is the crucial pivot at the Taxi Charity. As a volunteer, he provides a travel program to former battlefields in the Netherlands and has explored these in advance at his own expense. He arranges the crossing, accommodations, meals, medical care and sponsorship. He also makes contact with various authorities, emergency services, organizations of ceremonies and school boards. He ensures that the veterans tell their experiences to pupils and students. This creates a bond between the young people and the veterans, which results in the awareness that peace is not self-evident.
He also organizes visits for Dutch youth to the Imperial War Museum and the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London. During the corona period, he was the initiator to have Dutch schoolchildren write a card to the British and Polish veterans.
A surprised Dick
Dick was very surprised and did not expect this. He started his speech humorously, which he had already prepared because on this so-called 'farewell night' speeches are always given, also by Dick. He tells how he first came to the Netherlands with the Taxi Charity in 2012, also to Wageningen. Since then they have not missed a year, well, with corona but that was a missed year for everyone.
Dick had added up some numbers. About 1000 (!) veterans have been on the road with the Taxi Charity to the Netherlands, they needed more than 500 taxis for that. "The welcome we get here in the Netherlands is absolutely fantastic."
Dick is clearly still impressed during his speech and regularly has the audience laughing. He names in detail those who are responsible for the smooth running of the trips, but the backbone of what he does is his wife Susy. A round of applause breaks out when he mentions her name. She is responsible for the various designs and even jumped out of a plane a few years ago to raise money for the Taxi Charity. Dick is clearly proud of her and with her he discusses and devises everything concerning the Charity.
More than justified appreciation
The Taxi Charity was awarded the British Queens Award for Voluntary Service a few years ago. According to mayors Vermeulen and Schaap, the Royal Decoration for Dick Goodwin is personal, a more than justified appreciation for his attention and care for the hundreds of veterans over the years.
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