Luc Eekhout, EXARC member and former EXARC treasurer, has been appointed into a Dutch chivalric order. 

In late April 2024, about 3,400 people were honoured in the Netherlands for their acts of special merits for society. For about 400 of them, it was even more special. Luc was one of these, and he may now call himself “Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau”, as bestowed upon him by the grandmaster of the order, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. For this citation, friends and colleagues sat together, and described the extraordinary character of Luc’s work. Luc is linked with at least ten other organisations in his professional and voluntary career.

He is an important bridge builder in our world of archaeology and museums and helps us to step out of our comfort zone and reach out to others without feeling uncomfortable. He has a keen eye for the people behind the organisations and networks and always looks at the relevance of his activities for others.  He saw early on that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations form a good bridge with various colleagues throughout the world, even more so because the focus is often very different in other regions of the world than in the Netherlands. When he saw a presentation War Childhood Museum at an ICOM conference in Prague, thanks to Luc, their exhibition was shown at Heeswijk Castle in the Netherlands within months.

The result must be seen as a recognition, not only by the authorities, but especially by the people around Eekhout. In his words of thanks, Luc said, he feels surrounded by people who by standard do more than the usual, step in when needed, help each other. In this sense, as Luc put it, all his friends and colleagues should regard themselves as knights.

A huge congratulations to Luc – such a great honour and also a wonderful demonstration of the value that the work of EXARC members can have on wider society.