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Kees Buizer
buurthuiswerker
Geboortejaar : 1950
Geboorteplaats : Kapelle-Biezelinge, Zeeland
In Porem van Mokum omdat Kees de grote kracht achter De Havelaar is en initiatiefnemer van heel veel goede activiteiten in Oud West; zolang de Havelaar er is, is Kees er!
“Vrijwel elke dag ben ik wel even in de Kinkerbuurt te vinden, op de Ten Katemarkt, de Zimmerhoeve of de Havelaar. Dan zeggen ze: ‘Die man met die grote Snor, Kees van de Havelaar, is weer gesignaleerd’.”
I
Tien jaar oud was ik, toen ik samen met een vriendje op bezoek ging bij de burgemeester van Wolphaartsdijk, het dorp waar ik getogen ben. We hadden het plan opgevat om Eau de Cologne te gaan fabriceren en wilden toestemming van de burgemeester om rozenblaadjes te ‘oogsten’ in het gemeentelijk plantsoen. We kregen de gewenste toestemming, en ontvingen deze toestemming daarnaast ook nog eens zwart op wit. Apetrots en ‘gewapend’ met deze brief op zak, gingen we vervolgens aan de slag. Wanneer buurtbewoners ons boos aanspraken op ons vandalisme, toverden wij triomfantelijk de brief tevoorschijn. Onze Eau de Cologne werd helaas geen succes; er bleek meer voor nodig dan het toevoegen van rozenblaadjes aan water. Het resultaat van onze arbeid was een jampot vol met een rottend en stinkend slijmerig goedje…
Jaren later opende toenmalig burgemeester van Amsterdam, Schelto Patijn, een kinderwereldwinkel in de Havelaar. Deze gebeurtenis rondde de jeugdherinnering helemaal af. Ik was weer even dat jongetje van tien…
II
Ik heb ruim tweeëndertig jaar in de Havelaar gewerkt, met name als kinderwerker, maar later ook met volwassenen. In die tijd werd de Havelaar een bloeiend buurtcentrum en velen schreven dat op mijn conto. Dit klopt natuurlijk maar ten dele. De talloze trouwe vrijwilligers en de mooie ligging, dat allemaal heeft bijgedragen aan het succes van de Havelaar. Desondanks werd ik een buurtfiguur: een aardige buurthuisbromsnor.
Ik heb in al die jaren – het eerste jaar als vrijwilliger, daarna als professioneel sociaal cultureel werker- vooral de belangen van kinderen verdedigd. Ik wilde dat ze opgroeiden in een dorpsachtige situatie, waar ze prettig om zouden gaan met andere buurtbewoners. Ik denk ook dat dit de reden van mijn voordracht is.
III
Opgegroeid in een klein dorpje in Zeeland, vertrok ik als verlegen provinciaal naar Amsterdam. Ik had besloten psychologie te gaan studeren aan de Vrije Universiteit en kwam op die manier ook écht in aanraking met de stad. Het eerste jaar stond in het teken van mijn weg vinden. Amsterdam was en is ten slotte een overweldigende, prikkelende stad. Het studentenleven hielp bij mijn zoektocht, maar waar veel studenten in het weekend hun ouders bezochten, bracht ik die dagen veel door in de cafés in de Warmoesstraat. Het is uiteraard helemaal goed gekomen en uiteindelijk kwam ik na mijn studie, via wat omzwervingen, terecht in het buurthuiswerk. Eerst als vrijwilliger en later als beroepskracht.
IV
Hoewel het contrast tussen de grote stad en het dorp waar ik ben opgegroeid groot was, waren er toch wel degelijk raakvlakken. Het is vooral de aanwezigheid van de kinderboerderij Zimmerhoeve die mij steeds weer dat vertrouwde dorpse gevoel van vroeger gaf. Als ik dan baalde van het buurthuiswerk, ging ik even naar de beesten kijken. Op die plek ligt ook gelijk een van mijn mooiste herinneringen. Toen mijn dochter twee jaar oud was, kocht ik zo’n ouderwets blauw overalletje voor haar. Dat trok ik haar dan aan op zondagmorgen en samen gingen we dan de dieren op de kinderboerderij verzorgen. Dat waren echt topervaringen.
V
Ik beschouw mezelf als een stugge Zeeuw. Kort van stof, niet teveel praten en vergaderen, maar vooral gewoon doen! Samen met vrijwilligers de handen uit de mouwen steken. Ik kreeg in mijn werk steeds meer moeite met het groeiend aantal beleidsmakers en boekhouders, die zich steeds meer gingen bemoeien met mijn werk. Mijns inziens zonder echt zichtbaar resultaat. Toch heb ik mijn levensmotto wel verwezenlijkt in al die Havelaar-jaren. Ik kan met trots zeggen dat dit werk mij tot een bijdehante Amsterdammer heeft gemaakt! En als Amsterdammer wil ik mijn stadsgenoten dan ook meegeven om kritisch te blijven op politici, boekhouders en beleidsmakers. Eigenlijk op alle mensen die op basis van een duur diploma de wijsheid in pacht menen te hebben. Maar ook: werk hard en blijf grappen maken, want Amsterdam is humor. Op het eerste gehoor lijken het gemene grappen met en over elkaar, maar daaronder is er altijd warmte.
Voorgedragen door : Tineke Smit
Portret :Fardou Keuning
Portret :Fardou Keuning
Sponsor : Nog niemand. U?
Interview : Nils Jonsthovel
Foto : Koos Baaij
Date of birth : 1950
Birthplace: Kapelle-Biezelinge, Zeeland Province
Nominated for Porem van Mokum because Kees was and always will be a driving force behind community center De Havelaar,
and the initiator of a lot of fine activities in and around the neighborhood; as long as thereís a Havelaar, Kees will be a part of
it!
ìYouíll find me in the Kinkerbuurt almost every day, on the Ten Kate Market, at urban farm De Zimmerhoeve or in De Havelaar.
Then people say: ìYou know who I ran into? That guy with the bushy moustache, Kees from De Havelaar.î
I
I was ten years old when a friend and I made an appointment with the mayor of Wolphaartsdijk, the village where I grew up.
Weíd come up with the brilliant idea of manufacturing eau de cologne, and we wanted to ask the mayorís permission to collect
rose petals from the parks around the village. We were given that permission, and we also received an official confirmation in
black and white. Proud as peacocks and armed with our letter, we got to work. Whenever villagers would reprimand us angrily
for our act of vandalism, we would proudly produce our letter. Our eau de cologne, unfortunately, was not a big hit. As it turned
out, the process required more than just adding rose petals to water. The fruit of our labor came down to a jelly jar full of
rotting, stinking, slimy gooÖ
Years later, a childrenís fair-trade shop was officially opened in De Havelaar by Amsterdamís mayor at the time, Schelto Patijn.
That event was the perfect rounding-off of my childhood memory. For a moment, I was that ten-year-old boy againÖ
II
I worked in De Havelaar for more than thirty-two years, mostly with children, but later on with adults as well. In those days De
Havelaar was a hum of activity, and many people credited that to me. Of course, thatís only partly true. The huge crowd of loyal
volunteers and the great location all added to the centerís success. Nevertheless, I became a sort of neighborhood icon: a
grumpy-but-friendly, community-center moustache bear.
During all those years ñ the first year as a volunteer, after that as a professional social/cultural worker ñ my main goal was to
serve the interests of children. I wanted them to grow up in a village-like situation, a situation in which they could have
pleasant dealings with other people in the neighborhood.
I think thatís also why I was nominated for Porem van Mokum.
III
Having grown up in a small village in Zeeland, I came to Amsterdam as a shy provincial. I had decided to study psychology at
the Free Protestant University, and that was what really put me in touch with the city. The first year was dedicated to finding
my way around. Amsterdam was and is, after all, an enormously stimulating town. Student life helped me in my search, but
whereas most students went home at the weekend to visit their parents, I spent most of those days in the cafes along
Warmoestraat. In the end, of course, everything worked out fine and after finishing school I ended up, by way of a few detours,
in community-center work. First as a volunteer, later as a paid staff member.
IV
There was a huge contrast between the big city and the village where I grew up, but there was also common ground. It was
above all the presence of the urban farm, De Zimmerhoeve, that gave me that old, familiar village feeling. Whenever I was
feeling fed up with my community work, I would go and look at the animals. Thatís the place where one of my best memories
lies. When my daughter was two, I bought her a pair of old-fashioned blue overalls. On Sunday morning I would help her put
that on and we would go to the farm to take care of the animals. Those were experiences Iíll never forget.
V
I consider myself a typical, taciturn native of Zeeland. Fairly tight-lipped, not fond of a lot of talk or meetings, more of just
getting out there and doing it! Of rolling up my sleeves, along with the volunteers. In my work, I found myself confronted more
and more with a growing number of policymakers and bookkeepers who tried to put their two cents in. Without any real visible
results, in my opinion. Still, after all those years at De Havelaar, I did achieve my goal in life. I can proudly say that this work
has turned me into an off-the-cuff ëAmsterdammerí! And as a proud citizen of this city, Iíd like to encourage my fellow
Amsterdammers to remain critical of the politicos, bookkeepers and policymakers. To remain critical, in fact, of all those who ñ
just because of an expensive diploma ñ think they have a monopoly on the truth. But Iíd also like to say: work hard and keep on
laughing, because Amsterdam is also all about humor. At a first glance those might seem like hard-nosed jokes at the otherís
expense, but beneath it all thereís always a warm feeling.
Nominated by : Tineke Smit
Portrait :Fardou Keuning
Sponsor : Not yet. What about you?
Interview : Nils Jonsthovel
Photo : Koos Baaij
Translation : Sam Garrett
Date of birth : 1950
Birthplace: Kapelle-Biezelinge, Zeeland Province
Nominated for Porem van Mokum because Kees was and always will be a driving force behind community center De Havelaar,
and the initiator of a lot of fine activities in and around the neighborhood; as long as thereís a Havelaar, Kees will be a part of
it!
ìYouíll find me in the Kinkerbuurt almost every day, on the Ten Kate Market, at urban farm De Zimmerhoeve or in De Havelaar.
Then people say: ìYou know who I ran into? That guy with the bushy moustache, Kees from De Havelaar.î
I
I was ten years old when a friend and I made an appointment with the mayor of Wolphaartsdijk, the village where I grew up.
Weíd come up with the brilliant idea of manufacturing eau de cologne, and we wanted to ask the mayorís permission to collect
rose petals from the parks around the village. We were given that permission, and we also received an official confirmation in
black and white. Proud as peacocks and armed with our letter, we got to work. Whenever villagers would reprimand us angrily
for our act of vandalism, we would proudly produce our letter. Our eau de cologne, unfortunately, was not a big hit. As it turned
out, the process required more than just adding rose petals to water. The fruit of our labor came down to a jelly jar full of
rotting, stinking, slimy gooÖ
Years later, a childrenís fair-trade shop was officially opened in De Havelaar by Amsterdamís mayor at the time, Schelto Patijn.
That event was the perfect rounding-off of my childhood memory. For a moment, I was that ten-year-old boy againÖ
II
I worked in De Havelaar for more than thirty-two years, mostly with children, but later on with adults as well. In those days De
Havelaar was a hum of activity, and many people credited that to me. Of course, thatís only partly true. The huge crowd of loyal
volunteers and the great location all added to the centerís success. Nevertheless, I became a sort of neighborhood icon: a
grumpy-but-friendly, community-center moustache bear.
During all those years ñ the first year as a volunteer, after that as a professional social/cultural worker ñ my main goal was to
serve the interests of children. I wanted them to grow up in a village-like situation, a situation in which they could have
pleasant dealings with other people in the neighborhood.
I think thatís also why I was nominated for Porem van Mokum.
III
Having grown up in a small village in Zeeland, I came to Amsterdam as a shy provincial. I had decided to study psychology at
the Free Protestant University, and that was what really put me in touch with the city. The first year was dedicated to finding
my way around. Amsterdam was and is, after all, an enormously stimulating town. Student life helped me in my search, but
whereas most students went home at the weekend to visit their parents, I spent most of those days in the cafes along
Warmoestraat. In the end, of course, everything worked out fine and after finishing school I ended up, by way of a few detours,
in community-center work. First as a volunteer, later as a paid staff member.
IV
There was a huge contrast between the big city and the village where I grew up, but there was also common ground. It was
above all the presence of the urban farm, De Zimmerhoeve, that gave me that old, familiar village feeling. Whenever I was
feeling fed up with my community work, I would go and look at the animals. Thatís the place where one of my best memories
lies. When my daughter was two, I bought her a pair of old-fashioned blue overalls. On Sunday morning I would help her put
that on and we would go to the farm to take care of the animals. Those were experiences Iíll never forget.
V
I consider myself a typical, taciturn native of Zeeland. Fairly tight-lipped, not fond of a lot of talk or meetings, more of just
getting out there and doing it! Of rolling up my sleeves, along with the volunteers. In my work, I found myself confronted more
and more with a growing number of policymakers and bookkeepers who tried to put their two cents in. Without any real visible
results, in my opinion. Still, after all those years at De Havelaar, I did achieve my goal in life. I can proudly say that this work
has turned me into an off-the-cuff ëAmsterdammerí! And as a proud citizen of this city, Iíd like to encourage my fellow
Amsterdammers to remain critical of the politicos, bookkeepers and policymakers. To remain critical, in fact, of all those who ñ
just because of an expensive diploma ñ think they have a monopoly on the truth. But Iíd also like to say: work hard and keep on
laughing, because Amsterdam is also all about humor. At a first glance those might seem like hard-nosed jokes at the otherís
expense, but beneath it all thereís always a warm feeling.
Nominated by : Tineke Smit
Portrait :Fardou Keuning
Sponsor : Not yet. What about you?
Interview : Nils Jonsthovel
Photo : Koos Baaij
Translation : Sam Garrett