Saturday May 30th - Monday June 1st 2015 International Fellowship Of Flying Rotarians “Fields of ” 2015 IFFR-Benelux Meeting

The Benelux section of the IFFR invites you to join us at our annual meeting in () from May 30 th and June 1st 2015.

We offer you a varied program, including a drive through the famous “Fields of Flanders”.

If you are flying in by private plane, we will welcome you and your crew at the international airfield of (EBKT).

Kortrijk is situated in the province of in Belgium nearby the battlefields of .

In a luxury coach, we will drive you to the of Ypres and its surroundings.

A hundred years ago, during World War I, Ypres was the centre of intense and sustained battles bet- ween German and Allied forces.

Our hotel is situated in the city centre and we will visit the most important museums, attend the at the , drive through the ancient battlefields and visit the most important cemeta- ries.

We are looking to welcome you to this interesting meeting.

Hence all the more reason for you to register with the enclosed form as soon as possible.

On behalf of the board of the Benelux section,

Egide Van Dingenen, president. IFFR Benelux meeting 2015 : “FIELDS of FLANDERS” - PROGRAM

Saturday May 30 th 2015 - arrival

Our destination is situated in the western part of Belgium. 12.00-14.00 hrs. : arrivals at EBKT, Kortrijk International Airport. You should land no later than 14.00 hrs. latest, leaving you enough time to enjoy our welcome-buffet at the airport. There is also a possibility to visit parts of the airport on the day of arrival. At 15.00 hrs, a luxury coach will take us to Ypres. We check-in at the hotel, spend some time exploring the city centre. At 18.00 hrs, our diner will be served at the hotel. This is rather early, but at 19.30 hrs, we are going to attend The Last Post at the Menin-gate (walking distance from the hotel, less then 5 minutes). After the last post, you still have plenty of time left to have a stroll in the The famous Menin Gate city and enjoy a beer in one of the many pubs and bars. The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war G O O D N I G H T !! Enjoy your stay in the Novotel-Ypres city centre. memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres of World War I and whose graves are unknown. The memorial is located at the eastern exit of the town and marks the starting point for one of the main roads out of the town that led Allied soldiers to the front line. Following the Menin Gate Memorial opening in 1927, the citizens of Ypres wanted to express their gratitu- de towards those who had given their lives for Belgi- um's freedom. As such, every evening at 20.00 hrs, buglers from the local fire brigade close the road which passes under the memorial and sound the "Last Post".

Hotel details : Hotel Novotel Ypres center is one of the hotels in Ypres located in the near the Menin Gate and the museum. This three-star hotel offers comfortable rooms. We offer the traveler: free WiFi, spa and hamman. Enjoy delicious drinks in our cozy bar. This hotel is situated near the Market Square in the middle of the city centre. Most interesting …. The museums are less then a 5 min. walk ! (is about the same distance as from your plane on an apron to the bar of an airport)

Cost : For the entire weekend program : 395,00 euro per person in a double room. For the single use of a room, there is a supplement of 100,00 euro. These costs include hotel & breakfast, transfers, lunches and dinners (with wines and water) and also the visits to the musea !!!

IFFR Benelux meeting 2015 : “FIELDS of FLANDERS” - PROGRAM

Sunday May 31 st 2015 - Ypres

GOOD MORNING ! Breakfast-buffet at our hotel.

10.00-12.00 hrs. : guided visit to the “In Flanders Fields”-museum. (with an English speaking guide) For sports enthusiasts there is a possibility to climb 230 ft high belfry.

12.30 hrs. : Flemish lunch in Brasserie Central on the Market Square.

14.00-17.00 hrs. : tour by private coach with English speaking guide. During the tour we get acquainted with the Gas Attack of 1915. We explore the area of where the allied troops launched - in inhumane circumstances - an attack on the German lines in 1917. To start we visit and the restaured Dressing Station where John McCrae worked and wrote his famous poem 'In Flanders Fields. After that we visit the frontline and take a peek at the York- shire Trench and Dug-out. A unique opportunity to stroll through a trench. Passing by the German Cemetery in Langemark we arrive at the largest british cemetery in Passendale. Via and the French Cemetery Saint Charles de Potyze we return to Ypres. After this tour, the coach will take us back to Ypres, where you can spend some time off and get prepared for our evening activities.

19.30 hrs. : Aperitif 20.00 hrs. : GALA diner ( tie)

Tyne Cot Cemetary

Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War in the on the Western Front. The cemetery grounds were as- signed to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the sacrifices made by the in the defence and libera- tion of Belgium during the war. It is the largest ce- metery for Commonwealth forces in the world, for any war. The cemetery and its surrounding memorial are located outside of Passendale, near Zonnebeke in Belgium.The name "Tyne Cot" is said to come from the Northumberland Fusiliers seeing a resemblance between the German concrete pill boxes, which still stand in the middle of the cemetery, and typical Tyne- side workers' cottages – Tyne Cots.

Monday June 1 st 2015

Unfortunately, it is time to say goodbye. Our IFFR meeting is reaching its end. After our breakfast, we check-out of the hotel and pick up our lunchboxes. Transfer to Kortrijk airport. Fly home. We all look forward to our 2016 meeting in the Benelux.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If you break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields

By Major John McCrae – 1915 -

INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF FLYING ROTARIANS BENELUX SECTION

Registration form for YPRES May 30th - June 1st 2015 (Please complete and e-mail to : [email protected]) Until April 30th 2015 latest !!!

Name : …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Address : ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Postal code : …………………… City : ………………………………………………………………….…..

Country : ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….

Telephone number : ……………………… Mobile number : …………………………………...

E-MAIL ADDRESS : ……………………………………… @ ………………………… . …………….

Aircraft type and registration : ……………………………………………………………………….

ETA @ EBKT (local time) : ………………………………………………………………………………….

Name of emergency contact : ………………………………………………………………………..

Telephone number of emergency contact : ………………………………………………...

Name of passenger 1 : …………………………………………………………………………………...

Name of passenger 2 : …………………………………………………………………………………...

Name of passenger 3 : …………………………………………………………………………………...

I will travel by car or fly commercially : …………………………………………………………

Arrival date : …………………...……………. Departure date : …………………...…………….

Transfer 395,00 euro per person (in double room, supplement single room : +100,00 euro) to :

IFFR Benelux, Den Helder BIC ABNANL2A IBAN NL54 ABNA 0568 8195 19

These costs include hotel & breakfast, transfers, lunches and dinners (with wines and water) and also the visits to the musea !!!

This registration form is an appendix of the YPRES-program 2015 by Benelux Section of the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians