In Memoriam: Barbara Wilbrink
On October 18th, our former volunteer Barbara Wilbrink passed away at the age of 83. Barbara was an active volunteer from 1976 to 2006. Many riders and VIP's remember her especially for her role in the award ceremonies, where she and the ceremony team always brought a touch of style and a distinctly Rotterdam flair.
Many riders will undoubtedly recall the unique silver, often antique, mementos they received at award ceremonies. The large basket filled with ribbons and silver items. Back then, ribbons were still fastened directly to the bridles in the arena. Barbara personally sourced these special prizes, had them engraved with “CHIO Rotterdam,” ensured that both the prizes and the ladies of the ceremony team looked immaculate, and made sure that everyone with a role in the awards knew their responsibilities so that each ceremony ran like clockwork.
In addition, she volunteered for many years at the secretary office and in the CHIO stand in the 'Stroodorp'. Who doesn’t remember the beautiful pashminas in various colors that were eagerly purchased by visitors when the weather turned chilly?
In her younger years, Barbara herself was an avid and accomplished rider. She rode the horses of the Cardenas family, a renowned breeder from Seville.
CHIO Chairwoman Carolien Lavooij began her CHIO career on Barbara Wilbrink’s team, where she learned the “ins and outs” from her: “Barbara embodied the tradition and commitment that make CHIO such a special event, bringing people together. She was part of the generation that ‘raised’ you with the values, standards, and traditions of CHIO.”
Lucienne Longayroux worked alongside Barbara as a volunteer in the secretariat long ago and later joined the ceremony team, or as they called themselves, the “prijzen poezen.” “Barbara contributed so much to CHIO... the secretariat, the stand, and of course, everything around the awards, from sourcing silver prizes to personally engraving glass and crystal. I got to accompany her to auctions and learned how to select prizes. Barbara also spoke six languages fluently, which was incredibly valuable at the time. There are so many fond memories of this remarkable woman.”
With Barbara Wilbrink’s passing, an era has come to an end. The memories will live on with the many who knew her and shared time with her. Rest in peace.
With gratitude to Henriette Körner, who cared for Barbara until the very end.
