A century-old tradition of a Zonderop at De Vlieger windmill continues.
On Thursday afternoon, October 29, many people from Voorburg and the surrounding area gathered at the town hall of Leidschendam-Voorburg to say goodbye to Bram Zonderop as the miller of De Vlieger windmill. Bram held that position for 55 years. Unlike his ancestors, who manned the mill since 1932, he did it not as a profession but as a volunteer.
For many people in Voorburg, Bram is a familiar face. Not only because of his work as a miller, but also because of his activities for the Sparta Athletics Club. He also cleverly managed to combine these two things by recruiting members from his Sparta network as volunteer guides for the mill.
Alongside the real miller’s work, such as turning the sails, winding the mill, and maintenance, Bram always spent a lot of time on public education. Besides the actual miller’s work, like turning the sails, winding the mill, and maintenance, Bram has always spent a lot of time on public education. When he and his family still lived in the mill before it was moved in 1989, he could only receive visitors occasionally.
After the move of De Vlieger to the Essesteijn polder, where he got his own house and the mill was turned into a small museum, he gave guided tours every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon with the help of a growing number of volunteer mill guides. Bram had a talent for keeping both the mill and the tours running smoothly without being overtly present. For his work at the mill, he received the Silver Medal of Honor from the municipality of Leidschendam-Voorburg on his 50th anniversary as a miller.
Earlier, he was honored with a knighthood for his many contributions to both the mill and the athletics club.
Even with ‘mill retirement,’ Bram and his wife Janny continue living in the house next to the mill. His son Robert has taken over the miller duties from him, continuing the nearly century-old tradition of a Zonderop at mill De Vlieger.
TV Midvliet made a nice report:
