Tinus Vermeulen

His left arm at his side, and with his right hand firmly holding the broom. The statue of Tinus Vermeulen on the Oranjeplein appeals to many people. Tinus Vermeulen has been greeting many people with a smile since 1994. But the name 'The Pioneer' is actually not correct. He is not a pioneer in the spirit of the pioneers who were the first to reclaim the land from which Mariahout arose. The first people were a few farmers. Vermeulen moved to Mariahout in 1932 with his father Wout Vermeulen and his mother Dien van Vijfeijken and it is more than appropriate that Vermeulen (then 67), who died in 1988, is honoured with a statue. Vermeulen served on the Lieshout town council for Mariahout for 42 years, including as an alderman. He was also one of the first midwives of the newly founded Mariahout parish. He was a co-founder of the Jonge Boerenstand and helped to build the Open Air Theatre. He was a bachelor and had his own business. He also drove taxis and accompanied pilgrims to Lourdes. Vermeulen had a weakness for the place of pilgrimage and also had a second house in France. Six years after his death, the statue was erected. A small group of enthusiasts collected money and commissioned Toon Grassens to make a statue of the 1 metre 68 'tall' Vermeulen.