Poet and musician Ruud van der Heijden from Best has been honoured posthumously. A poem by him was unveiled on the wall of Boterhoek shopping centre. The poem ‘Brabander‘ was made in aluminium by artist Pim Bens.
The tribute is an initiative of council member Leon Kennis (Best Open political party). He proposed to honour Van der Heijden, who died in 2020 at the age of 88, with one of his famous poems. ‘Brabander’ was chosen by residents of Best. In addition to being a poet, Van der Heijden was also a musician, singer, conductor, writer and entertainer. In the local weekly magazine ‘Groeiend Best’ (‘growing Best’), some 1,500 poems have been published in recent years.
Well-known figure
Van der Heijden was a very well-known figure in Best. As a musician and entertainer, he performed numerous times. Several CDs, music cassettes, 45 rpm records, LPs and compilation CDs were released. He was also closely involved in the booklets written by his wife Jeanne. He was also the conductor of various choirs in Best and Oirschot.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
