Curious about what motivates the volunteers who work for the information center? Follow their stories. Mirjam Rikmanspoel explains.

“I cordially invite you to experience a tour.”

When did you get involved with the information center?

Until March 2020, I enjoyed working as a salesman at a multinational company. That's when I decided to make time for other things and retire. My first year of retirement was very quiet because of Corona. I live in Nijverdal and walked a lot. Also on the Holterberg. The Canadian Cemetery is a serene place where you can relax on a bench and muse a bit. A former colleague told me about his use as a guide from the information center next to the cemetery. That piqued my interest. I wanted to know more about the men and that one woman who are buried here. I think it's important to keep these people's stories alive, just so many years after the Netherlands was liberated. In the autumn of 2021, I signed up as a guide.

What is your role?

I started “green”. I had no idea of the variety of visitors that we give a warm welcome here. This diversity is wonderful. As a guide, I delved into about 10-15 stories, some of which I tell during a tour. The interaction with the group means that each tour is different. A surviving relative is very different here, than, for example, a student or business team. The trick is to get responses from each group. I hope that participants will come back again through a guided tour, for example during the memorial meetings. And that they encourage others to visit our information center. In my role as a guide, I also became involved in activities that are indirectly related to it. For example, I started to guide Natuurmonumenten and I'm going to give tours to the former Twilhaar work camp in Nijverdal. My retirement time has now been well spent.

What do you learn?

My curiosity is fueled here. There are so many impressive stories worth telling and hearing. We're also still discovering new information. We have an enthusiastic group of guides, we also learn from each other and everyone's way of conveying the stories.

I cordially invite you to experience a tour. We organize open and customized tours. Have a look at: https://www.canadesebegraafplaatsholten.nl/nl/bezoekers-informatie/rondleidingen/

Mirjam is third from the left in the photo at the back.