My dear CADS,
I hope this finds you all well. This Spring has certainly been very enjoyable so far, with lots of warm sunshine here in Amsterdam. Looking at the CADS calendar, it’s time to start planning our annual boat cruise in Amsterdam, which will take place on Friday, August 15th. As always, guests are very welcome! In the past, members have brought along partners or potential new members—it’s a great way for them to see what all the fuss is about. I’ll send out the formal invitation closer to the time, but if you’d like to reserve a spot now, feel free to get in touch. The boat has a maximum capacity of 50 people, so early booking is encouraged!
May Lunch
Our guest speaker at the May lunch was Celina Keute, a German historian who has written a fascinating book, Schüsse in der Stille, about her 97-year-old great-grandfather’s experiences during the Second World War. As a young man growing up near the Dutch–German border, he was conscripted in 1944 and suddenly found himself ‘at war’ with former friends and neighbours. Celina offered us a compelling insight into what that experience was like for a 17-year-old German—bringing a perspective none of us in the room had encountered before.
At our AGM last October, it was agreed that we would improve the CADS website so that much of the administration of events is made easier for all concerned. We are in the
middle of the improvement exercise now, part of which is changing the overall look and feel of the website. To this end, we would like to add some new photos of previous CADS events gone by. Do you have any high-quality images that you would be prepared to share? It doesn’t matter how long ago the picture was taken – what is important is the quality of the image and hopefully that it is an excellent portrayal of a CADs event.
Also, I am obliged to seek your consent on the use of images…….
Photo Consent Notice
We plan to regularly upload photos to the CADS website, some of which may include your image and may appear on publicly accessible pages. If you do not wish to appear
in any photos on the CADS website, please inform me now. If I do not hear from you, I will assume you consent to the use of your image without my asking for permission. Thank you!
Garden Party – June 13, 2025
Dorette Schilte-Ouwehand is opening her garden again (along with 25 other Canal Gardens) on June 13, 14,15 and has kindly invited CADS members along for drinks on the
13th from 17:00-19:30. RSVP: www.schilte-ouwehand.nl, access through the green iron gate at Keizersgracht 46A, Amsterdam.
CADS Golf Outing
New member, Mary Gillies is looking into the possibility of organising a golf outing for our members. If you are interested, could you please email Mary at: mary.gillies@hotmail.com with your name, handicap and golf club (should you be a member)
Calendar of events – 2025
Many of you are super busy and are often ‘surprised’ with the announcement of events and then cannot make it, so please put ALL these dates in your diary NOW!
(Please note that due to the availability of the venue, occasionally we are not meeting on the 3rd Friday of the month).
We are always keen to get ideas for speakers and of course welcome our own members sharing their expertise at a CADS event. We are now fully booked for speakers for 2025 and are already seeking speakers for next year. Excellent presenters on interesting topics are quite difficult to find so we always like to start our search early. Any suggestions?
NB. We do not pay for speakers but give them a free lunch and a bottle of something nice.
You may want to organise events for CADS outside of the monthly meetings such as battlefield tours, and garden tours – any details of the event can always be shared in this
newsletter (as we have done for Dorette and Mary).
Thank you for your continued support and engagement with CADS. I am very much looking forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.
Our next meeting is dinner, on Thursday 19th June., at the KIGC Amsterdam. I will not be present as I am on holiday, and my fellow Board member, Julia Heidstra, will be your host at the dinner. Enjoy!
