And then suddenly there was that other date of death. On February 1, 2022, my great friend and benefactor Jan Houter of Vlieland died unexpectedly. The man who meant so much to me and with whom I worked on two books about Willem de Vlamingh. The man who has also done so much for other people in his life. He leaves a great void, especially of course for his dearly beloved wife Erna, his children, grandchildren and all who knew him. I will always remember him with deep gratitude. May his memory be a blessing to us all.

The heart of Jan Houter always beated a bit faster whenever we talked about Vlieland. Every little thing that had to do with the history of his beloved island could count on his enthusiastic interest. I am glad we were able to make out the text for this website together (even though it was originally intended as a book) and that in the last days of his life he was happy to know we could once again delight Vlieland and the world (even all the way to Australia) with a beautiful piece of true history. Hopefully the information on these pages will appeal to many a heart.

Fare well, Jan!