Louis van der Kallen - Afghanistan War Victims' Voices

At 73 years old, Louis is still a member of the executive board of the Brabantse Delta Water Board. Louis is one of the leading water experts in the Netherlands.

Due his broad interests and former job positions, Louis is called ‘the old wise guy’ in our organization. Louis is expert on warfare and history and has a better knowledge on Afghanistan and the region then 99% of the people in the world due his interest in history and people.

Louis is the intellectual father of the founder of the AWVV.org, Marcel Mulder.

Occupation(s):
From 1970 to July 2005 research and development employee at AKZO-Nobel Resins.

Before that he worked for 5 years at the Royal Breeding Company D.J. van der Have on the experimental farm in Rilland.

From 2005 to 2018 owner/researcher research bureau Geberes.

Study at the Open University, completed 20 modules (72 credits) in the study lines:

constitutional law,
administrative/administrative law,
environment/environmental law,
economy,
management/policy science,
public finances,
education.

Bundled in the following short higher education programs:

environmental management,
politics and policy,
financial/economic government policy,
local government and policy,
employment contract law.

Experience in political administrative positions:

been a member of DS ‘ 70 until its dissolution in 1983, the last period was part of the national central board,
from 1990 to 1998 on behalf of the Municipality of Bergen op Zoom regional councilor of the Regional Region Western North Brabant,
from 1991 to March 2001 member of the provincial council of the Province of Noord-Brabant on behalf of the Brabantse, Independent Fractions (BOF), from April 2002 to March 2003 on behalf of Leefbaar Brabant/BOF,
from 1993 to March 2003 party leader BOF, from April 2002 party leader LB/BOF,
from 1992 to April 1996 member of the Traffic Committee of the VNG,
from 1998 to June 2002 member of the General Board of the Municipal Partnership West Brabant,
volume 2003 member of De Derde Kamer, member of the theme group Expenditure development money.

Current political administrative position:

from 1986 councilor of the municipality of Bergen op Zoom on behalf of the local group Bergse Social Democrats; from March 2002 to March 2006 of the combined fraction D66/BSD, from March 2006 of the BSD fraction.

Experience audit office (committee) functions:

in the years 2005-2006 member of the audit committee of the municipality of Maasbracht (until the merger),
in the years 2005-2006 chairman of the audit committee for the municipality of Heel (until the merger),
from 2006 to April 2008, chairman of the audit committees of the municipalities of Cuijk and Sint Anthonis (terminated due to the acceptance of DB membership of the Brabantse Delta water board,
from 2006 to the end of 2010 (until the municipal reorganization) chairman of the joint audit committee for the municipalities of Breukelen, Abcoude, Loenen aan de Vecht,
from 2006 to the end of 2010 chairman of the audit committee for the municipality of Bergen (L),
from 2006 to February 2012, chairman of the audit office of K5 municipalities (Bergambacht, Nederlek, Ouderkerk aan de IJssel, Schoonhoven, Vlist),
from 2007 to the end of 2011 (until the merger) vice-chairman of the audit committee of the municipality of Niedorp,
from 2006 to the end of 2011 (until the merger) vice-chairman of the audit committee of the municipality of Harenkarspel,
from 2005 to February 2014, chairman of the audit committee of the municipality of Zoeterwoude,
from 2006 to February 2014 chairman of the audit committee of the municipality of Schijndel,
from 2006 to February 2014, chairman of the audit committee of the municipality of Mook and Middelaar,
from 2007 to February 2014, chairman of the audit committee of the municipality of Venray,
from 2007 to February 2014, Vice-Chairman of the Audit Committee for the Municipality of Maasgouw,
from 2008 to February 2014, chairman of the audit committee of the municipality of Landerd,
from 2006 until the end of 2020 chairman of the audit committee of the municipality of Haaren (until the merger).

Business management experience:

from 1993 to 2000 member of the Chamber of Commerce in Breda on behalf of the FNV Bondgenoten; Group chairman of the employee section (12 people) with representatives of the FNV, CNV, Unie BLHP and VHP, including a member of the committees for tourism & recreation and RO & environment,
from 1993 to the end of 1997, member of the Spatial Planning and Environment committees of the PSK (Provincial Cooperating Chambers of Commerce North Brabant); from October 1995 to the end of 1997 also member of the Utilities Committee,
from 1998 to the end of 2000, member of the Utilities Committee of the BSK (Brabantse Cooperating Chambers of Commerce, the legal successor of the PSK),
from 1996 to the end of 2000, member of the Advisory Council of the PNEM Energy Sales (Provinciale Noord-Brabantse Energie Maatschappij),
from 2002 to the end of 2004 member of the Brabant Social and Economic Consultative Body (SEOB),
from 2002 to the end of 2004 member of the Supervisory Board of N.V. Airport Seppe,
from 2002 to the end of 2004 member of the Reconstruction Committee De Baronie and from September 2003 to the end of 2004 a member of the Area Committee Brabantse Delta,
from 2002 to the end of 2005 member of the Chamber of Commerce in Breda on behalf of the FNV and also a member of the executive board. From 2002 to the end of 2004 deputy chairman,
from October 2003 to October 2011, member of the UWV (formerly CWI) dismissal committee for the South West Netherlands District.

Experience of administrative functions in water management:

from 1993 to the end of 1994 (until the merger) member of the General Board of the Zoomvliet Water Board on behalf of “built”
from 1995 to the end of 2003 (until the merger) member of the General Board of the Western North Brabant Water Board on behalf of “bedrijfsbouw”
from 1996 to the end of 2003 (until the merger) member of the General Board of the Scheldekwartier Water Board on behalf of “built”
from January 2000 to the end of 2001 (until the merger) member of the General Board of the Rivierenland Purification Board on behalf of “bedrijfsbouw”
from 1999 to the end of 2004 (until the merger) member of the General Board of the Alm en Biesbosch Water Board, on behalf of “bedrijfsbouw”
fember of the General Board of the Rivierenland Water Board for the whole of 2005, on behalf of “bedrijfsbouw”
from April 2002 to April 2006 member of the General Board of the Zeeland Islands Water Board on behalf of “bedrijfsbouw”
from September 2003 until the end of 2007 member of the South Departmental Board of the Rijn en IJssel Water Board on behalf of “residents”
from 2004 to the end of 2008, member of the General Board of the Brabantse Delta Water Board on behalf of “bedrijfsbouw”
from January 2009 to February 2014 and from April 2015 to the end of 2017, member of the Executive Board of the Brabantse Delta Water Board on behalf of Ons Water/West-Brabant Waterbreed.

Current administrative functions water board:

member of the executive board of the Brabantse Delta Water Board,
from January 2009 to the present member of the General Board of the Brabantse Delta Water Board on behalf of Ons Water/ West-Brabant Waterbreed. RKC member since early 2021.

Employee participation:

from 1972 to 1974 chairman of the youth committee
from 1975 to 1978 member of the Works Council, the period 1975/1977 secretary
member works council from 1990 to 2005, chairman from 1992 to 1998
from 1992 to July 2000 member of the AKZO-Nobel Coatings Group Works Council, vice-chairman from 1995, chairman from 1999
from 2000 to 2005 member of the AKZO-Nobel Chemicals Group Works Council
from 1993 to 2005 member of the Central Works Council of AKZO-Nobel Netherlands
member of the European Works Council AKZO-Nobel from 1997 to 2005, from 2001
member of the executive committee at GOR and COR level chairman of the financial and economic committee and member of the committee’s daily contact.

Miscellaneous:

holder (as inventor) of an environmental patent since March 1981, namely United States Patent No. 4255464,
1978 – 1988 owner/operator part-time stamp and coin shop in Bergen op Zoom, trade register no. 35899,
from 1998 to the end of 2001 (until merger) member of the
from February 2005 until the end of 2018 owner of the Policy and Research Office Geberes,
from 2006 to March 2012 volunteer walk-in house Williamstraat, Bergen op Zoom,
from 2007 to the end of 2018 volunteer youth monument day, Bergen op Zoom,
from 2019 member of the Board of Directors Adrianohuis, Bergen op Zoom.

Background:

Louis was born in 1948 in a working-class neighborhood in Rotterdam. His Roman Catholic father and Reformed mother decided not to baptize the children, but to inform them about all the world religions. Later, Louis had to choose whether and how he wanted to fill in the religious aspect in his life.

At the age of sixteen, after the death of his last parent, Louis moved overnight from that working-class district in Rotterdam to the Zeeland village of Rilland. After a few days, Louis went to work for the only larger employer, the agricultural experimental farm Van der Have, near the village. Depending on the workload in the office, in the field or in the laboratory. Whether the employer was happy with him was doubtful. Already on the first day of thanksgiving (for the crop), this “red” from Rotterdam wanted to know where in the collective labor agreement it was stated that thanksgiving day was a compulsory day off. Because there was no collective labor agreement, it was decided that Louis would be the operator that day. It was a turning point: at the day of prayer in the spring there were 5 dissidents.

At the age of 18, Louis became acquainted with 17-year-old Ank, a Rotterdam girl whom he met during a competition in which the Rotterdam Harmonica Association Modulation, of which they were both members, participated. It was love at first sight. They married a year later. In May 2019 his beloved Ank sadly passed away after almost 51 years of marriage. The legs under one’s own table were decisive. Taking your own responsibility is one of the life mottos that Louis has been given from home. It soon became apparent that the two salaries together did not amount to much and that a better future and children could only come within reach through study. Many years of evening study started at the Laboratory School in Goes, which was soon supplemented with all kinds of correspondence courses. At the age of 21, the first step was taken with the newly acquired knowledge. Louis started working for Synthese in the laboratory, where he had the pleasure of working for more than 35 years.

In those 35 years, the trade unionist Louis had many highs and lows. Highlights were the patent in the name of Louis as inventor (a method for manufacturing polyester products that are environmentally and health-friendly) and the royal honor (Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau), which Louis was awarded at the request of his employer Akzo Nobel Resins.

The many years of works council activity at local, group, national and European level had many highs, but certainly also lows in the form of giving substance to reorganisations and changes within Akzo Nobel, whereby not everyone can always be made or kept happy. Meanwhile, the employer-employee relationship with Akzo Nobel has ended and Louis has completely surrendered to his activities in public administration.

Louis’ political-administrative activities started at the end of the seventies at DS70. Louis was part of the national board of this party and performed some hand and span services for the then second chamber fraction of DS70.

In 1986, Louis joined the Bergen op Zoom City Council and many more positions followed, including councilor and many water board and audit committee positions (see CV).
In 2005 Louis stopped working and had enough time to develop new activities. His interest was in the audit of the audit for municipalities. Nothing is more fun and instructive than looking into other people’s administrative kitchen. Louis was also able to give substance and follow-up to his greatest hobby: research. He has now been active/active in audit offices/audit committees for 22 municipalities.

In everything Louis does, his motto is a line of poetry by Henriëtte Roland-Holst, which can also be found on the gutter of his house:

“Tomorrow is written today”