Cowboy hat by Jean-Luc Dehaene raises 2,900 euros for De Warmste Week

“It concerns the cowboy hat that then Prime Minister Dehaene wore in 1995 during a rodeo on a mechanical bull in Dallas, during which he spontaneously shouted ‘Let the beast go!’ shouted,” says Chelsea Nshuti, vice-chairman of Jong CD&V. “That earned him the nickname ‘The Beast’ and went down in history.”

Tribute

The idea for the auction arose during the preparation of the youth party’s annual plan. Chelsea: “We definitely wanted to do something for The Warmest Week and were looking for a warm, social initiative. We decided to auction items from prominent party figures.” A painting made by Wouter Beke and the face mask with which Koen Geens struggled in a video during the corona crisis also went under the hammer. “We thought it would be fantastic to sell Dehaene’s iconic cowboy hat. We contacted his family and they were immediately enthusiastic. They thought it was a nice tribute to his memory.”

Chairman of Jong CD&V Bram Van Hecke with the hat of Dehaene © !!! No Credit !!!

More than 4,000 euros

The auction ran from December 8 to 18, online via redactie.be. A total of 32 people bid on the hat. “After just a few hours we were above 1,000 euros. It remained exciting until the last minutes,” says Nshuti. Ultimately, the hat went to a young entrepreneur from Ninove for 2,900 euros.

In total, Jong CD&V raised 4,052 euros for De Warmste Week. “We wanted to show in a somewhat fun way how important it is to support the invisible ill. This auction touches the core of our values: not only living for yourself, but also for and with others,” the vice-chairman concludes.

By Editor