My dear CADS,

I hope you are all well and enjoying the first glimpses of Spring we have had recently. I’ve been busy in my garden preparing it to host me with my first glass of rosé when the evenings begin to warm up. I know that we can often have (and in fact it’s already forecast!) severe weather in March, but I am the eternal optimist!

January 25th saw me, and Peter Smethurst represent CADS at the Ambassador’s Residence for her Annual Burns Supper. I was additionally honoured with the request to address the haggis which I wholeheartedly embraced (just ask Peter!). John Cameron Webb and his wife Anika were also there, with their McVities band providing the musical entertainment, so all in all CADS was well represented with Her Excellency!

I am delighted to report that our dear society looks to be finally emerging from its COVID ‘depression.’ Last Friday’s February lunch was a ‘belter’ if I say so myself. We had nearly 30 people in attendance, an interesting and engaging speaker, some potential new members as guests, (some of whom have already signed up), and some old faces, (who haven’t been to an event since COVID) put in a welcome appearance. Hello again to Scott Anderson and Edwin van der Ploeg!

As I mentioned, our speaker was interesting and engaging. Jan Willem Visser is the External Affairs Manager for Hardt Hyperloop, a young innovative company
whose aim is to develop sustainable transportation options for cargo and people through the global hyperloop network. This could be a commercial viability from as
early as 2030. Our CADS audience had lots of questions, and in fact Jan Willem has asked me to get the person who professed expertise in ‘handling passenger streams in stations’ to get in touch again, as this is an area of development for Hyperloop. Does anyone know who that was? Please do get in touch with me if you do, as there seems to be a real business opportunity there. If any of our members would like to be the guest speaker, like I did in January, then please get in touch. I am looking for volunteers for our April and May lunches.

Our next meeting will be a dinner at the KIGC on Thursday March 16th. We are holding a dinner, as we plan to do every 3 months or so, to accommodate our full-time working members. Our guest speaker will be Simon Banham, the Netherlands Country Director for the Department of International Trade. Simon will give a presentation on his department’s activities to assist UK companies doing business here in the Netherlands. If you would like to pose a question in advance for Simon then I will pass it on, and this will ensure we get the most benefit out of his presentation.

As mentioned in last month’s newsletter there will be a CADS trip to some of the WW1 Western Front battlefields on the weekend of 1st and 2nd April 2023. There are already around 14 people signed up, but John has asked me to remind those of you interested to sign up soon, as hotel accommodation and restaurants book up fast. Please contact John directly to register your interest.

Thank you for your feedback on which charities you would like CADS to support in 2023. I have received lots of great ideas including giving support to the terrible humanitarian crisis in Turkey and Syria following the earthquakes there. I will convene a CADS Board meeting shortly in order to make the final decision on where
the funds will land, and I will communicate our decision in a future newsletter.

As I said earlier, our March meeting will be a dinner on THURSDAY March 16th at the K.I.G.C. in Amsterdam. Dinner will be from 18.30 and costs €55 p.p. Following the success of ‘bring a guest’ in February, please feel free to bring a guest to the dinner if you think they might be interested in joining the club. Please RSVP asap to reserve your place!

Looking forward to seeing many of you (with your guest) on Thursday Friday 16th March for dinner at the K.I.G.C.

Warm regards,

Jennie