Royal decoration for Ms. Betty van der Dennen and Mr. Henk Hutten

On Saturday, August 24, 2024, Mayor Suzanne Otters - Bruijnen presented 2 Royal Awards to an extraordinary couple with a great record of service. Both were appointed Member in the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Ms. Van der Dennen and Mr. Hutten have rendered special service to the local community and in particular to the Heritage Society of Son and Breugel. 

The mayor presented the awards during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Heritage Association Son and Breugel in the theater hall of the Dommelhuis.

Mr. Hutten

Mr. H.G.M. Hutten (age 82) has rendered service to society in a special way. For 50 years he devoted himself to the Heritage Society of Son and Breugel (formerly Heemkundekring). He also devoted himself to other organizations.

Heemkundekring Son en Breugel

Henk Hutten was - 50 years ago - in 1974 one of the founders of the Heemkundekring. In the early period, 1974 to 1982, he fulfilled the role of chairman. From 1975 to 1988 he was a member of the editorial board of the magazine "Heemschild" later called "Heem Son en Breugel". Since 2003 he has been a member of the editorial board again.

Over the past 50 years he has authored numerous articles on the history of Son and Breugel. These included articles about historical buildings and striking inhabitants as well as articles about the large-scale spatial development of our village. He is co-author of the book "Son en Breugel 1960-1970". Recently, he provided a publication on history of the church in Son en Breugel, converted into Dommelhuis in 2022, and a publication on the construction of the Wilhelminakanaal in 1923.
He also provides regular lectures on local history and contributes to the design of exhibitions. His contributions include an exhibition on Bishop Sonnius (2014) and 75 Years of Liberation (2019).
Henk Hutten has a special interest in the history of Son and Breugel during World War II. He also advocates the preservation of knowledge about that period. In 2019, for example, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the liberation, he prepared a teaching package for elementary school.
He also visited all the schools to motivate them to start using the curriculum. He also wrote an extra issue of "Heem" in 2019, entirely dedicated to the liberation of Son and Breugel. And again this year he is involved in the preparation of the celebration of the liberation.

Henk Hutten can rightly be called an authority on the history of Son and Breugel and his knowledge is frequently used gratefully. The municipality also regularly makes grateful use of his knowledge.

Parish of Saint Peter's bands

From 2003 to 2012, Mr. Hutten was chairman of the parish council and a member of the policy group. In that capacity, he led negotiations with the parish council and the diocese regarding the acquisition of the church and the construction of a new smaller church. From 2010 to 2012, he also served as treasurer.
From 2003 to 2019, he was a member of the Gregorian Choir and also acting conductor.
From 2010 to 2012, he contributed to church transportation (picking up and bringing home the elderly for the Eucharist). He also delivered the letters of the Church Balance campaign for a number of years.
In addition, Mr. Hutten Map the parish's ecclesiastical art possessions and made the parish's archives accessible to everyone. He is supportive and inquiring about issues and questions about the history of the church.

Mrs. Van der Dennen

Mrs. E.J.W.M. van der Dennen (age 81) has devoted herself to the Heritage Society of Son and Breugel (formerly Heemkundekring) for 50 years.

She was co-founder and one of the first board members of the Heritage Society in 1974. After she resigned her board membership, she has been active in various ways as a volunteer and involved in the Heritage Society to this day.

She has contributed to many articles on the history of Son and Breugel. She also collaborated in the creation of several books published by the society.
She is a medievalist and is engaged in transcribing old texts. In doing so, she supports other volunteers in their work. In addition, she has also provided support for transcriptions by several other genealogical societies and the National Archives in North Brabant, among others.
She is a faithful member of the "Monday Group" that staffs the Heemkamer in the old town hall every Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on other open days (e.g., during the annual fair). She receives guests and provides information to residents of Son and Breugel and
other interested parties.