Dorus Rijkers

Theodorus "Dorus" Rijkers
Photograph of Dorus Rijkers at the age of 40, 1887.
Born	28 January 1847 Den Helder
Died	19 April 1928(1928-04-19) (aged 81) Den Helder
Occupation	Lifeboat coxswain
Organisation	Noord- en zuid-Hollandsche Redding Maatschappij (NZHRM)
Salary	As a volunteer, he was paid on a fee-for-service basis
Spouse(s)	Neeltje Huisman (widow of Jan Kuiper)
Children	1, including 6 adopted ones, of which some were so young, that they viewed him as their father
Website	Foundation "mrb Dorus Rijkers" - historical information and photographs
Notes
Dorus Rijkers saved the lives of over 500 people.

Theodorus "Dorus" Rijkers (27 January 1847 – 19 April 1928) was a famous Dutch lifeboat captain and folk hero, most famous for his sea rescues of 487 shipwrecked victims over a total of 38 rescue operations, and at least 25 before joining the lifeboat-service.

Dorus received his nickname Grandpa (Dutch: Opa) while still a young man: he had married Neeltje Huisman, a fisherman's widow who already had 6 children. Shortly after the marriage, the oldest of Neeltje's daughters had a child of her own, and so at only 23 years old Dorus became known as 'Opa' in Den Helder where he lived. Although the nickname began as a joke, Dorus soon started acting and looking like a grandpa, and from that time on he became primarily known by his nickname.

Dorus gained most of his fame as a result of his service to the Noord- en Zuid-Hollandsche Redding Maatschappij (NZHRM), one of the two main Dutch lifeboat-societies at the time. The NZHRM would later become the Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij (KNRM).

However his life-saving career began in 1872 before he joined the NZHRM, while acting as captain of his own boat. While at sea, he saved all 25 crew members of the barque Australia from drowning at sea. Because of this incident, Dorus gained a reputation as a rescuer, which preceded his joining the NZHRM as a volunteer. On the basis of his reputation, he was granted the position of coxswain upon joining the NZHRM without having to prove his qualifications. His rank of coxswain entitled him to immediately command his own boat and crew.

Although Dorus joined the NZHRM as a volunteer, he worked so many hours that it precluded him from taking on other paid work. Dorus and all of his crew members received a sum for each trial and each service.

During his nearly 30 years service with the NZHRM, Dorus saved hundreds of people from drowning at sea, becoming legendary long before his retirement. In the waters where he served, he saved such a large number of people with such effectiveness that the survival statistics increased dramatically. At the end of his career, although he remained active, his role became more symbolic in nature.