Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
SIMPSON BAY--Sadness and joy were the two keywords at a Coast Guard ceremony yesterday as Commander of the Poema Aart-Henk Goossens said goodbye to the Coast Guard and St. Maarten, and new commander Humberto Alberts was welcomed.
The event, which took place in front of the brightly decorated Poema, was attended by various dignitaries including President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell and Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson. It was a memorable event, not only because the command passed from a Netherlands Royal Naval officer to a Coast Guard officer, but it also passed from a Dutchman to a local man.
Commander of the Netherlands Defence Forces in the Caribbean Hans Lodder, who recently took over from Commander Swijgman, had come from Curaçao to be present at the ceremony. He said it was an honour to be present as the new commander of the Coast Guard on this special occasion.
He reminisced that, historically, when a command was handed over, the old commander would sit in a comfortable chair, whereas the old commander would be made to sit on a wooden chair. This was symbolic of the fact that the old commander had already proven himself.
He spoke about Goossens, with whom he had worked before during Goossens' first introduction on a ship, as well as during a mission regarding Somali pirates. "Having command of a cutter is one of the most beautiful jobs one can do," he said.
Speaking of Alberts and the concept of the two chairs, he said that Alberts did not have to sit on an old chair, as to a certain extent, he had already proven himself and had already been commander of another cutter, the Panter.
He reminded Alberts of the big responsibility that he would shoulder 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for his ship and his crew, and told him to "enjoy the fact that this beautiful yacht will be yours."
Goossens spoke about how he came to the island just over two years ago, to an unknown organisation and an unknown island. He expressed regret in having to say goodbye at the end of his posting.
He told of his experiences during his posting, including various international exercises, mapping out an oil leak off St. Eustatius, taking part in the Hurex and the successful Coast Guard Open Day. He mentioned the cooperation with partners of the Coast Guard, particularly a team-building exercise with detectives, during which Goossens decided to check out the bottom of the ship underwater and found one of the rudders to be missing.
"This wasn't the first time, we had lost a rudder before. On another occasion, we lost our anchor chain." The same day, a new anchor with a 100m chain was delivered, and all Coast Guard officers delivered impressive teamwork to get the new anchor installed on the Poema."
Goossens praised the hard work and capabilities of the Coast Guard officer, before handing out two certificates of merit to Coast Guard officers, and a plaque for the Poema.
He thanked his fiancée, Jasmijn, who worked for the St. Maarten government during Goossens' posting, for the support she had given him during the posting. The couple will fly back to the Netherlands today.
Goossens then wished Alberts good luck and a lot of fun, before officially terminating his command of the Poema.
Alberts, in his speech, rejoiced in the fact that, after two years, he was back home. He started with the Coast Guard in St. Maarten in 2003 as commander of a small unit. He reminisced about the supportive welcome he received.
He started working on the Poema in 2006, but it wasn't until two years ago that he started training for his job as commander of a Coast Guard cutter, "maybe the best job in existence," he said. For the last year, Alberts was commander of the Panter in Aruba.
Alberts promised his new crew 100 per cent commitment. "Together, we will work hard," he said. He also wished Goossens much success for the future, before officially accepting command of the Poema.
After the official part of the ceremony, a small farewell party had been organised where all guests were invited for a drink and some snacks. The camaraderie of the Coast Guard and its extended family became clear once again during the event, with outgoing Coast Guard Commander Eddie Kirindongo and his Coast Guard family raising a drink and wishing the best of luck to both Goossens and Alberts.
