THE BOARD MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES TO YOU.
Herman Meirhaeghe (° Tielt, 1949) – Honorary Chairman & Guardian of the Heritage
Son of Jan Meirhaeghe (born in Kanegem in 1919), also a passionate genealogist and my best collaborator. I spent my youth in Oostrozebeke. I attended the Latin-Greek Humanities program at Sint-Jozefscollege in Tielt; completed the first and second year of Psychological Sciences at Ghent University. I have been a resident of Ghent since 1972. Former civil servant at the Education Policy Department of the Flemish Community. Co-founder and facilitator of several meditation groups in the Zen Buddhist tradition in Ghent; author of "How Bodhidharma Came to Ghent: on the Origins of Zen in Ghent (1975-2010)." Also guides a meditation group affiliated with the World Community for Christian Meditation. Custodian of the Van Meirhaeghe lineage; publisher of the Van Meirhaeghe Family Newsletter 't Meerminneke and author of the Van Meirhaeghe Genealogy. Publishes on more general historiographical topics in various historical yearbooks.
"Eternal thanks to our young Scots Riko Van Meirhaeghe and Adelwijn Meirhaeghe who contacted me in the autumn of 2013 regarding our family coat of arms and the creation of a Scottish tartan. Who would have thought then that from this rather unusual perspective, this Family Association would grow? Also, thanks to Lucien Van Meirhaeghe and Roland Vammeirhaeghe, who were already keenly interested in our family tree thirty years ago and now help carry this new initiative forward."
Adelwijn Meirhaeghe (° Deinze, 1980) – Chairman
Adelwijn Meirhaeghe is a classicist and psychologist. He works as a Latin and psychology teacher at the Emmaüsinstituut in Aalter. Additionally, he is active as a musician (Highland bagpipes player) and integral coach. He is passionate about anything related to Scotland, diving, traveling, and of course, the family association.
"I've been struggling with two challenging passions for quite some time: history and Scotland. And inexplicably, these two interests converged when a namesake, Riko Van Meirhaeghe, approached me about designing a Scottish tartan for the Meirhaeghe family. I had harbored this dream for some time, but repeatedly stored it away in the deep drawer of the temporarily impossible. Yet, I couldn't let this opportunity pass. We leaped: the Meirhaeghe tartan would be created! The consequences were unforeseeable. With this project as a catalyst, we delved into the family history, coat of arms, and the essence of the family, so that we could design a tartan that would honor the family. Naturally, this reignited the always-dormant interest in genealogy and family history. Would we leap for the second time? The enthusiastic responses from some other family members, and especially the fact that Herman Meirhaeghe had already sown the seeds, tipped the scales. The Meirhaeghe family association was born."
Roland VanMeirhaeghe (° Oudenaarde, 1949) – Association Policy
Roland is a descendant of the Olivier branch (Huise) through the wicker and basket maker branch (the "Mandies") from Zingem, Huise, and Ouwegem. He grew up in Ouwegem and was a leader in the local youth organization and a board member of the youth club.
He pursued Scientific A, Modern Humanities, at the Brothers of Glorieux in Oostakker. Afterwards, he lived in a dormitory in Ghent. Roland graduated as a Civil Engineer from Ghent University in 1972 and obtained his Ph.D. from the same university in 1980 with research in the field of semiconductor physics. Throughout his career, he worked as a scientific researcher and later became a professor of Solid State Physics at Ghent University.
In the 1970s, Roland began genealogical research on his mother's family (Schamp). Through Herman, in the early 1980s, and his Meerminnekes, Roland became involved in the genealogy of the Meirhaeghe family. He traced his "branch" back to the connection to Herman's work (up to and including Jacobus Van Meirhaeghe, Huise).
Inspired by the enthusiasm of his uncle Riko and cousin Adelwijn, Roland was involved in the founding of the family association in 2014.
Meanwhile, Roland has significantly contributed to the family tree himself as the father of Rik, Tijl, and Jan VanMeirhaeghe and grandfather of Leon (Lontje), Ella, Martha, Cezar, Esmee (Smeetje), Kasper, Arne, and Joanna VanMeirhaeghe.
Riko Van Meirhaeghe (° Wevelgem, 1965) – Membership Activities
Riko is a special education teacher, specializing in education form 2. His task is to educate students with mental disabilities to become independent adults who can be employed in a sheltered workshop. History has always been his passion, especially military history.
"Due to my interest in Scotland and its clans, I became more and more fascinated by my own family history. When my sister got married, I insisted on wearing Scottish evening dress to the party. Although I had a kilt now, something was missing: a kilt in our own colors, a family tartan. In realizing that, my two interests would meet. In search of a person in Belgium who could help me with that, I came across Adelwijn. Without knowing who Adelwijn was, to my great surprise, he turned out to be a Meirhaeghe, albeit without the "van." What was even more pleasant was that he had the same dream: a family tartan. We joined forces and went on an adventure. The kilt became a reality. In the aftermath, much more came. Why not establish a Family Association? Surely there must be more family members interested in their history? That's how we found Roland VanMeirhaeghe, who introduced us to Herman Meirhaeghe and Lucien Van Meirhaeghe. Later, Cynthia joined our ranks. The Family Association is a reality and has brought me back home. I hope that our family association can be a beacon for everyone who longs for their roots. The train has left the station, and anyone who wishes is welcome to jump on board."
Lucien Van Meirhaeghe (° Huise, 1946) - Responsible Family Tree
Olivier was the first Van Meirhaeghe in Huise, and Lucien is currently the last bearer of the name born in the ancestral home in Huise. Shortly after my birth, my parents moved to Ghent. However, coming from a farming family, living in the city wasn't easy for them. In 1953, our family moved to the more rural area of Zwijnaarde, then a suburb of Ghent.
After obtaining my A2 diploma in mechanics, I further studied to become a technical engineer in electronics, now an industrial engineer. After a brief private career, I started at Ghent University in 1973. Soon, I learned that there was another namesake working in the same lab, namely Roland. Since our research assignments were completely different, we had little contact. Department heads retired, and research groups were reorganized. Eventually, after about a decade, I was added to Roland's research group. There, until my retirement, I provided technical support for scientific research.
Until 1999, I was the proud father of two sons. Unfortunately, due to a tragic traffic accident at the end of that year, I lost my youngest son. Now, my hope to keep one of Olivier's branches alive rests on my grandson, Maarten.
Since 1983, I have been infected with the genealogy bug by Herman. Given my professional exposure to computers, it was natural for my family tree to move from index cards to a PC. Initially in my own database, then through a commercial program. With Wim's support and the cooperation of all members, we will endeavor to add as many branches and twigs to the Meirhaeghe family tree as possible.
Wim Vanmeerhaeghe (° Oudenaarde, 1983) - Responsible for Digital Family Tree
For more than a quarter of a century, I worked in the same hotel-restaurant, but in 2023, I made the transition to the real estate world. From birth - until recently - I was a resident of Kluisbergen, but recently I crossed the language border. Now I live in Escanaffles (Schalafie), a stone's throw away from East and West Flanders.