Dear members,
This 2017. Is the 10th year since GPU (UPI) has been founded.
In those ten years GPU has developed in to the great international association, joining members from all over the world.
Current governing board has decided to acknowledge the people who founded the base of this organization and to show the appreciation for their role in starting this photographic journey, where people can search and find others based on same passion and interests in photography, offering support and education to each other, to present their work of art, receive feedback and recognition and finally, find true friends, for life, like many of us already did in our photo meetings and festivals.
On 25. March 2017, MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD ceremony was held in Amsterdam, where award plaques were handed to the founding members of GPU (UPI) and former gb members. President Manolis Metzakis opened the ceremony with a speech and paid tribute to all founding and former gb members. We also commemorated friends, who are no longer with us: Nicole Billiau and Sean Casey.
Not everyone from the list could be present, but with those who were we had a memorable time together.
The opening speech of President Manolis Metzakis
Frans Van Groeninge, Theo Van der Heijdt
Freddy Laheye, Roel De Oude
From the left: Kristien De Cort-Lindebrings, Saeed Al Shamsi, Freddy Laheye, Manolis Metzakis, Frans Van Groeninge, Daniel De Cort, Claudio Calosi, Roel De Oude, Theo Van der Heijdt, Marija Milovanović Maksimović, Guo Jing
