During the meeting on December 13, 2025, our chairman, André Wevers, handed over his chairmanship to board member René Hoekstra.
André has dedicated himself to Oger SARdogs for many years and took his role as chairman very seriously. He coordinated national and international operations with great dedication. He also has extensive experience organizing large-scale exercises. He has always championed the partnership with the Collaborative Rescue Dog Organizations (SRO). He has put this experience and connection into practice several times by organizing large-scale search exercises with all SRO-affiliated rescue dog groups. This was to strengthen the collaboration and contribute to raising the profile of the SRO.
His experience in organizing realistic exercises stems from his time with the fire department. From there, he also possessed extensive knowledge of safety equipment and safety. This has resulted in excellent, professional equipment and valuable materials for our team.
He also provided mental health support following disasters and serious/difficult situations. Then we saw a caring chairman who champions openness.
André is a jack-of-all-trades, a vital link within Oger SARdogs. During training weekends, he arranged lunches, restaurant reservations, and a place to sleep when necessary. It’s wonderful that he remains active in our team as a general board member.
On behalf of all of us: Thank you, André, for your enormous dedication, perseverance, and tireless commitment to the professionalization of the Oger SARdogs team.