A lick of paint here and there, but the spacious apartment does not need much more. In a few weeks Emmy Westmaas will move with her family to Vledder, to live above the sea museum. In return, she acts as a volunteer coordinator a few days a week.
“It is quite an adventure,” says Westmaas, still stunned. “It all happened very quickly. Via-via I was sent the vacancy a few months ago. I had never heard of the museum, but it immediately aroused my interest. I was too late to respond, but in the end I got the redemptive phone call I was chosen.”
Old home of Miss Warners
It took more than six months before the museum had a suitable candidate. The search did not go smoothly. The previous coordinator left last summer, and a successor pulled out at the last minute. Chairman Maurits van Geel then sat with his hands in his hair. Until he had a clever idea. “Above the museum we have the old home of founder Juffrouw Warners,” he says. “It was empty and we thought that was a shame. We decided to use the house as a means of exchange for the new coordinator.”
Broad range of tasks
That worked, because in the end the call got 19 responses. A smart deal, but there is also something in return. “In the first place, you are responsible for 22 volunteers,” explains Van Geel. “But you also have to manage the building, take care of communication and fill in when a volunteer is sick. In short, a broad range of tasks,” says the chairman.
Emmy kicks off in a few weeks, just as the new season kicks off. Until then, she still has time to get used to preparing one. “And then we go off,” she laughs.