Christa Cats-Thole (71) from Emmer-Compascuum knows exactly how heavy the work was in the peat. Her grandfather worked in it, her father too and she helped as a student with her brothers during the holidays. Even though this is years ago, working in the peat has ensured that she and her brothers finally made a career. Because that’s where it all started.
Researchers from the Open University spoke with dozens of people from Southeast Drenthe about this past for the past two years. They investigated what effect work in the peat colonies has offspring. Their conclusion: the history of peat extraction has left traces. Often it meant that children and grandchildren started a backlog, but it also showed how great the resilience could be.
For Cats-Thole, the resilience started at home with her father. He had only been in primary school for eight years and then had to work immediately. His father was sick, there was a disabled sister and as the eldest son he was responsible for his shoulders. So studying was not possible.
He kept on his heart again: “I have had no opportunities and you do. So use them, use your talents.” For him it was certain that his children had to get further than himself, although that was not self -evident in the area.
In Emmer-Compascuum it was found special at the time when a child went to the HBS in Emmen. For girls the bar was even lower, you had to be good at household and take care of children, they looked at. Cats-Thole did go to the HBS, as one of the few girls. Later she followed a university education and worked to director of Icare Kraamzorg.
Her brothers also followed their own path. The oldest wanted to become a carpenter and insisted that he was hiding his report so that no one would see that he could have actually taken to the HBS. His choice was stubborn and was certain: he wanted to go into construction, and nowhere else.
The middle brother turned out to be exceptionally smart. Professors recognized his talent and gave him the freedom to work out his ideas. The confidence he gained resulted in great discoveries, with publications and formulas that are still used worldwide.
At home it was sober about that, it was only logical to use talents. But in the village it remained standing out. “As if no ‘handsome heads’ could come out of the peat,” laughs Cats-Thole.
That feeling of a backlog is recognizable for many descendants of peat workers, says researcher Maurice Paulissen. “People often have the idea that they are 1-0 behind in their working life.”
Cats-Thole falls back on the spell that her father always said: “Not the many is good, but the good is a lot.” It was not about how much you reach, but about the quality of what you do. “And we succeeded well.”