Photo caption: Center Roelie Wierenga with her daughter-in-law on the left there her granddaughter on the right. Photo taken by Mieke Regelink.
It was on a Tuesday morning that we agreed to interview Roelie. Roelie has been involved with the coffee mornings at the Noorddam Center for the Upper Churchers for 10 years in September. Roelie and I get talking over a cup of coffee and every now and then I ask a question.
How did the initiative for the coffee mornings come about 10 years ago?
In Bankras, Jaap and I always went to the neighborhood platform. When we came to live here in Bovenkerk , we sought out the Bovenkerk neighborhood platform. We felt it was important to be involved in the village.
During a residents' meeting, we are asked the question: What do we miss in our village? Jaap then immediately came up with the cup of coffee. We regularly walked around the neighborhood and were asked: Where can we drink coffee here? There was no provision for that back then. Nellie Copini also sat at the table with us. Jaap then came up with the idea of organizing it for the elderly one morning. Since there was a weekly market at Urbanus Park on Wednesdays, Wednesday mornings seemed to offer the best chance of success. You get the oranges and have a nice cup of coffee together right away. Then we negotiated the price of the cup of coffee. We came up with €1 per cup.
How did you get started at that time?
The three of us then just started; Jaap Nellie and me. We served coffee and collected money from the people. At first only a few people came, but it went better and better. At some point, word of mouth did its job and more and more people came. We noticed that we were meeting a need and that's what makes it so much fun.
When did Loes get involved with the organization?
About two years after the start, Nellie passed away. That must have been about the time Loes joined the organization. Last year my husband Jaap passed away. Since then, Loes and I have been doing it together. My role from the beginning has been to collect the money from the coffee. I am the woman of pennies.
How did you end up at Silversant during the renovation of the Noorddam Center?
During the renovation of the Noorddam Center, we had to move to another location. The VOKA building came up for discussion, but Loes and I didn't want that. Silversant was just what we wanted. Silversant was willing to cooperate, but the price for a cup of coffee had to go up. That then became €1.50. We were able to get over that and so we were housed there for more than a year. When the renovation of the Noorddam Center was finished and we could go back, it was now Corona time. Then we didn't get together for a whole period of time. It wasn't possible at that time.
When we were able to start again, Loes and I each called a list of participants with this happy message. I then had people crying on the line, who had missed the cup of coffee so much.
How did the cooperation with the KBO come about?When we started, there were two groups drinking coffee in separate rooms on Wednesday mornings. Jaap then said: if we pour the coffee, we can fill the cups of the KBO. There was some resistance to that, but we didn't force anyone to participate. We just started doing it from within ourselves.
What was the moment when there was one big group of coffee drinkers?
That actually grew naturally. I can't pinpoint the exact moment. What did help was the birthday treats that were handed out. It was not compulsory to buy treats, but people already took both groups into account. Thus, we grew closer and closer together into one group. The nice thing is also that if one of us is not there, someone just helps serve the coffee.
What about the connection to the activities organized by the KBO? Because at the current coffee group there are also non-CBO members.
This is handled very flexibly. They can just join activities and pay the non-member price.
I heard there's a lament wall. What is that?
That's that green wall in the "old" North Dam Center. We called that the lament wall. To avoid getting stuck in the "pains" and the "sorrows" while drinking coffee, we had an agreement that after fifteen minutes those sorrows had to be over. Then you have to take the step to talk about the nice things. That green wall is no longer there today, but it is still an unwritten rule. We should all be energized by it. After all, everyone is flawed from time to time. My mother used to say, "It's not in the violin, it's in the bow. Or in the words of Jaap: You have to hang the garlands yourself.
At one point Jaap developed vascular dementia. Jaap and you were both in the coffee drinking organization. What did that mean to you?
Jaap was always very open about that. It is, as it is. Jaap had to stop volunteering at one point due to his illness and I just continued with the coffee mornings. We were very normal about it. Even the grandchildren said: Grandpa sometimes forgets something and that's all it is.
Why can you be found in the Zonnehuis Bovenkerk with the coffee drinkers a few times a year?
We think it is important that the residents of the Zonnehuis feel involved in the neighborhood and vice versa. That is why we participate in the winter fun weeks and the camping weeks. We then go with the whole group to the Zonnehuis for coffee and the Zonnehuis then comes to the Noorddam center the next day. By the way, not everyone goes. It's not an obligation. We've been doing that for several years and it's getting easier and easier. We then just pay for the coffee and put it in the pot to do fun things for the residents. I think that's the way it should be. You get that from home.
What can you tell about the sub groups that are there?
Nowadays we have a large group of men sitting at a table. Then there is a craft club. There they crochet, knit and make beautiful postcards. And we have a big chat group of mostly women who exchange all the news. Experience has shown that doing games for Wednesday mornings doesn't work. That's not what people come for.
What role does Hans have for you?
Hans only has to make coffee and prepare it with some goodies on the trolley if necessary. At the end, of course, the dishes and cleaning the tables and the room. All other tasks we take care of. I have a special purse for the pennies. After the event I hand in a bill and the pennies to Hans. Then Hans can tick it off further with the Foundation. That's a well-oiled machine and runs very smoothly.
How long do you want to continue coffee mornings?
You can pour coffee until you're a hundred. But it's often a clucking fit. I just come home tired. That's okay too. You have to do something, don't you? After all, I am 80 years old. I go to the market especially before coffee morning. Afterwards I don't feel like it. But I'm not thinking of quitting yet.
Interviewer Edwin Barentsen