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Nov 21 - Van Thienen Replies To Heritage Trust “Attempt To Discredit” Him

Bart van Thienen has replied to a press release issued earlier this week by the Gibraltar Heritage Trust. This is the full text of his statement to the press:

I note the Heritage Trust press release about my handing back of the Award and can only conclude it exists of vague suggestions and allegations that are clearly intended to discredit my name and 3 years of hard volunteering work. Instead of fixing the problem that lead to my protest action, they prefer to shoot the messenger. The last 3 years with the Heritage Trust have been very frustrating for me because of their inaction on many issues and their preference to fight the symptoms but not the cause of problems. To call my protest action “premature” is as such quite laughable.

We should not forget that the Heritage Trust is funded with tax payer's money so they should not be surprised that someone holds them accountable when they are not doing their job or not doing it properly.

One of the biggest difficulties I had over the last 3 years was to get in contact with the Heritage Trust about my volunteering work: e-mails were not answered, sometimes it took a month to get a meeting, etc.

There is also a clear misrepresentation about a cancelled meeting. It is claimed that I cancelled a meeting to talk about the embarrassing restoration attempt at Devil’s Gap Battery where an improper type of concrete/cement was used under guidance of the Heritage Trust. The truth is that this meeting was planned several days before the failed restoration happened and that 4 people were to attend: the Trust’s Chairman, another Trust board member, the Trust’s CEO and me. First the board member cancelled, then the CEO cancelled and then I cancelled as a meeting without the main players is simply a waste of time.

There is also the suggestion that all my expenses were paid by the Heritage Trust. I can reply on this that I paid out of my own pocket more than £2,000: tools, machinery, a generator and a study trip to UK and Ireland to investigate, study and acquire expertise to do a proper restoration of Devil’s Gap Battery. That trip was not holidaying: every day started early and ended late to make the most out of it like site visits, talks with experts and private collectors, etc. Over 1,500 km were driven to get to all sites. I wonder how the Heritage Trust is now going to lead on the restoration without all that knowledge available to them?

I loved what I did and don’t regret a moment of it and my passion for the work hasn’t gone down a bit. I am working on new and better ways to make a positive contribution to Gibraltar’s Community. The overwhelming and massive support from the Gibraltarians for my work and for my standing up for Gibraltar’s Heritage has impressed me tremendously and is highly motivating to continue my volunteering work.

Editor’s note: this is in response to an article that appeared earlier this week (http://www.yourgibraltartv.com/society/8028-nov-18-heritage-trust-rubbishes-devil-s-gap-volunteer-s-claims).

The Trust has clarified that, although not entirely funded by the tax-payer, it is in receipt of a Government grant to cover salaries.