This Friday, April 5th, the Municipality of Ourique pays homage to Commander Helder Mendes, «an illustrious person from Ourique who has stood out throughout his life for his humanist and professional qualities», attributing to him the Medal of Municipal Merit.
A pioneering professional at RTP, where he was one of the first and most important filmmakers, Helder Mendes «has also shown his love for the land where he was born, Ourique, dedicating himself, over the years, to the defense and dissemination of historical heritage , cultural and archaeological of the county».
In more recent times, Helder Mendes has been linked to the investigations promoted by the ORIK – Association for the Defense of the Heritage of Ourique, to discover the site of the mythical castle of Ourique.
Also closely linked to diving, for almost half a century, Helder Mendes was responsible for revealing to the world the richness of the underwater archaeological heritage of the Arade River estuary, which was being destroyed by dredging underway in 1970.
The director immersed himself in and filmed for Portuguese television the famous documentary “The mysterious boats of the river Arade”, discovered following the dredging of the river in 1970, and broadcast for the first time in July 1972.
The Municipality of Ourique invites the entire population to the Ceremony of Homage and Awarding the Medal of Municipal Merit to Commander Helder Mendes, taking place at 19 pm, at the Cine-Teatro Sousa Telles, in that village in Baixo Alentejo.
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