Brunssum - On Tuesday 14th May, a group of school children aged 11-13 from ‘De Boemerang’ school, Brunssum, visited the headquarters as part of a NATO project entitled 'De Soldatenmijn' (the Military Mine). The pupils were guests of HQ Joint Force Command Brunssum (HQ JFCBS), based at the Hendrik van Nassau Ouwerkerk Camp, the former site of the Hendrik State Mine in Brunssum.
Together with their teacher, Mrs Wouters, the children entered the grounds through the main gate on the ‘Rimburgerweg’. There they were met by Lieutenant Colonel Bart Bams of HQ JFCBS, and given a 90-minute presentation and a tour of the grounds lasting an hour.
The presentation talked about the rise, heyday and fall of the Dutch mining industry and the associated socio-economic consequences. It also described the measures the Dutch government took to attract replacement employment to this area. One of those measures was the bringing in of the NATO headquarters (then known as HQ AFCENT) from France in 1967.
During the tour, which lasted almost an hour, Lt Col Bams pointed out a few things about the site that are still reminders of the state mine.
To strengthen the relationship between HQ JFCBS and the community, HQ JFCBS has started two projects, namely the school project mentioned above and another similar project called Sunday Tour for the local community.