Giel van Kollenburg from Best is the Brabander of the Year 2024. Giel is a real hero. He saved the life of 90-year-old Diny after she fell into a deep ditch. Giel did not hesitate, jumped into the cold water and pulled Diny out.
A big smile appears on Giel’s face when he hears that he has become the Brabander of the Year 2024. “I really didn’t expect this. Just after I saved Diny, I didn’t realize how special my action was. But everyone around me thought it was very special. That’s why I came to realize that myself. I especially hope that I can be a can be an example for others and that people will start to look out for each other more.”
Giel was on his way home after football training last March when he suddenly saw a walker on the side of the road. He still thought: surely no one will be lying in the ditch? Although the cars in front of him continued, Giel decided to stop. “Then, to my horror, I saw Diny lying there. I immediately got out and went into the ditch. Don’t think about it, just do it.”
“Here comes my savior.”
It was not that easy to get Diny out of the water. “She had been in the water for a long time, which made her much heavier. And the side was very slippery, I kept sliding back into the ditch when I tried to climb up with her.” But in the end it worked and Diny can still tell the story of her perilous adventure. “I was so happy when I saw him. I thought, here comes my saving angel.”
In the Winter Efteling, Giel receives a bronze statue from King’s Commissioner Ina Adema. He proudly accepts it from her. “I know that my friends have done everything they can to get votes. But I did not expect this. Because I think all five of us have done something very good.”
But for Diny there is only one winner. She beams at Giel who is holding the statue. “Fantastic, this is so deserved. I can’t believe my luck.”
Curious who the other nominees were. You can read their stories here.