Speech Kingdom Representative farewell island governor Nolly Oleana
Dear Nolly and of course not to forget Ann,
When I asked you in 2020 if you were interested in filling the role of acting Island Governor, you immediately replied in the affirmative. But you also said that you were soon retiring from OCW so I had to make sure that the deputising would not happen too often. Who could have imagined then that you would be the acting Island Governor of Bonaire full-time from April 2023 until 1 September 2024? Put it this way, you held the position for about a year and a half, and you did so with the same commitment and enthusiasm all that time.
A period in which many things happened, oil that washed ashore and had to be cleaned up, the many visitors, ministers and delegations from the Netherlands, visits in the many barrios of Bonaire, changes in coalition and Executive Council, etc. Nolly, as always, did it all in his very own way and with great commitment to the people of our island. Sometimes from the culture of his and our beloved Bonaire, sometimes from the passion for nature and of course also in a way that about half the population of Bonaire knows: like the school teacher in front of the class.
I had many wonderful moments with Nolly, we sometimes had to wait for hours at the airport because the delegations from the European Netherlands arrived later than planned and then had fascinating conversations. The concerns he had about the growth of Bonaire, nature but also the organisation or how the members of the Island Council debated with each other. But his eyes shone most when he talked about his plans for the future or his family.
Nolly, but also the Executive Council, the Island Council, and all citizens of Bonaire, the succession by the new Island Governor has taken a long time, but fortunately we shall soon have the new Island Governor taking the oath of office and the era of deputising shall come to an end. Nolly, you know by now that being acting Island Governor is more than something you just do on the side. In your case, deputising for the Island Governor has become more than a full working week with all the accompanying worries and fun. Many times the title of acting official, and I should know, does not express what it entails in practice. Acting officials are also held accountable for the performance they do or do not deliver.
Dear Nolly, I want to thank you immensely for your efforts over this period. It was a pleasure to work with you. I know that you shall continue to work for the interest of our beautiful island as chair of the climate table in the coming period so people shall still meet you at different times. I hope you shall also make time for all those plans you want to realise at the Kunuku and of course that Ann shall also see you a bit more than in the past period, although I do not know if she also enjoyed the peace and quiet at home that this acting position entailed.
Nolly, thank you and all the best to you!