Tony Wilfer Hoven, who started working in a power station run by Tapline (Trans Arabian Pipeline) in Budna (present Arar) in 1957, recently posted about his experiences of his life in Rafha on a website.

Hoven expressed his desire to meet his old colleagues in Arar and Rafha.

People in the city have been moved by the Dutchman's love for their home and are sending airline tickets to him and his family. They have also arranged an apartment for their stay, Al-Eqtisadiah reported on Monday.

Prominent Rafha citizens Ahmad bin Jabir Al-Eradi and Yasin Al-Alawi confirmed they had invited Hoven and his family to visit Rafha and would pay for their tickets and accommodation.

Copies of the letter sent by Hoven have been carried by a number of websites in the region. Muhammad Hammad Al-Khamali is one of the local men who worked with Hoven.

The Tapline power station in the city had many foreign workers apart from Saudis, he said. Hoven is keen to find out what happened to his friends in Rafha and Budna.

He expressed pride over the unique opportunity to work with such a group of nice people in Rafha and get involved in acquainting them with modern technology. "Now I am 78 years of age. Until this day I have been overcome with nostalgic feelings. After spending several years in Rafha, I am still cherishing good feelings about my contributions in the progress achieved by a section of people in the region," Hoven said in his post.

Hoven spent 17 years in the Kingdom from 1957 until 1974. He was in charge of the electricity power supply division of the Tapline pumping stations.

Hoven said he was fully confident that some of his colleagues would still remember him.

The Dutchman said his first memories revolve around Budna during 1957.

"I was in charge of the electricity division of the pumping station (Tapline Budna). I had to also supervise all electricity power supply-related problems in Arar city. During those days, Budna was a small inhabited area. Life was quite different there," he said.