Arie Olckers is most famous – and almost worldwide – as the co-founder of "Ruimtevaart Filatelie Club Nederland” (RFC) (Space Philately Society of the Netherlands), founded in July 1976. He became its first treasurer and six years later its president, which he enthousiastically stayed for more than 28 years.
Already before that, 37 years ago, he published the first issue of the society’s magazine The Newsletter, which in those days was only available in a limited, type written edition. Later it changed into a stencilled format A5 edition, still in black and white. Over the years some colour was introduced and its format changed to A4. Since 10 years it has been an attractive full colour magazine.
Arie promoted "his beloved RFC” in several ways, both nationally and internationally: he was involved in six ESTEC exhibitions and his astro and rocket mail exhibits were shown at numerous exhibitions with propaganda character and with competition character. Arie could be found in the RFC booth at many a exposition, he wrote countless articles and with his lectures he taught as well as he entertained his audiences.
For his great services to Dutch philately and especially for the Astro Philately, he received in April 2001 one of the highest honours of the Netherlands Federation of Stamp Societies, its famous Golden Pin, a reward of which he was justifiably very proud.
When he retired as RFC president its General Assemblee unanimously agreed on granting him a honorary chairmanship. Thus the RFC members and its board showed their enormous respect and appreciation for Arie’s special merits before and during the foundation of RFC Nederland. He received this special honour on 25 October 2009.
Arie Olckers will always be remembered as an enthousiastic, passioned and inspiring philatelist.

Odijk, may 2013.
Albert P.H.M. Jacobs,
Dutch delegate of the FIP Section of Astrophilately.