‘In their hometown of Woerden, Theo, son of the Melkboer, and Bets, daughter of the Banketbakker, married in 1941. Together my parents founded a family with seven children. He became an accountant at the roof tiles/brick factory, she was a telephone operator and focused on the household.
Around 1950 Pa got a job in Zwolle as an administrator and later as the director of the director at a wholesaler in building materials. The youngest two children were born in Zwolle.
In 1957 my parents bought a piece of land from a farmer’s family, next to the farm in Ittersum near Zwolle, a contractor built our new house. Earlier our parents had devised an appropriate name and thus the parental home of our family has the name ‘De Woelige Stal’.
In the summers we went to Katwijk aan Zee for a few weeks, where our movement moved into a rented home of a family. Every day, when the weather allowed, to the beach! For lunch sandwiches and toppings, milk, buttermilk and two thermos bottles with coffee.
Countless photos were also taken; Dad was an avid hobby photographer. Developing and printing also went well. A complete youth album was made for each child, with accompanying texts with the photos.
When Dad got his driver’s license at a later age, a used car was purchased: an Opel Rekord. The whole family fit in. When we went on holiday to Denmark with a folding caravan behind it, the German customs officer counted nine people in one car to his surprise. Many photos of that holiday also found their way in the bound albums that we received later. Years later I digitized that entire photo archive in the hope that it will also be preserved for posterity.
At home it was common in the summer that mum and dads walked through the garden on Sundays after coffee, to see how the plants and bushes grew and bloom. A few times a year I visit their grave and then I always put some plants down. I think back to my parents with love and respect. Not only because they have given me the world, but also because I had a very nice childhood thanks to them. ”