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The new European Area President comes from Denmark
Miniprofile by Ole Blume
Name, Club, Nationality
Peter Villadsen, Ansager Y’s Men’s Club, Denmark
European Area President 2008-2009 Member of the International Council
2007-2010
How and when did you join the Y’s Men’s movement?
I have been a member of the Y’s Men’s movement for 25 years. As a member of
the Grindsted Y’s Men’s Club I was one of the foun members of the Ansager
Club in 1991 and have been a member there ever since.
Where have you been to the International Convention earlier?
As Area President Elect (APE) I have been to the European Area Convention in
Lappeenranta in 2007. Later the same year I went to the South Pacific Area
Convention in connection with the International Council Meeting in Adelaide,
Australia – a fantastic, eventful and different experience with an
incredibly hospitable and friendly meeting with the local members. But this
is the first time that I have been to an International Convention, so it is
with great pleasure that I am here in Herning. I would like to express my
thanks for the effort produced by the Storaa District in connection with
this major event! Thank you.
Could you please outline some of the main events from some of these places.
First and foremost I am looking forward to the successful completion of the
program where I am on the firing line in the first few days and my wife and
I are looking forward to taking part in the rest of the arrangements
including the Danish Regional Conference at the end where I am partaking as
the President of the Ansager Y’s Men’s Club for the year 2007-2008.
What does the International Convention mean to you?
Even though there will be many high points, I am particularly looking
forward to the first evening which will be a “Danish” evening built around
our IPIP Lasse Bergstedt. He has done a fantastic job as International
President.
What do you expect from the meeting in Herning?
A lot of new friendships and memories from the world’s largest regional
event.
Tell us about the best or most intense experience you have had as a Y’s Man.
In 1997-1998 we had a YEEP student from Bolivia, who after 10 years still is
in Denmark – with a degree in engineering and living in Copenhagen – our
“second son”- and at the same time our own son was a year in Canada as a
YEEP student. These two together gave us our first really great
international experience. But the greatest experience of all was a visit
this year to our Brother club Frøjland and Orstad near Stavanger in Norway
where we celebrated “17 th May” (the Norwegian Independence Day) and the
following day attended the service for the laying of the foundation stone of
their new church – costing 61 million Norwegian kroner – with hymn singing
and descriptions of historic places on the way to the site. We walked for
four hours to the site of the church with the vicar and the bishop at the
head of the procession.
A fantastic experience and Service when we got there – all near 1.000 of us.
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