Ron

Streeter

What is your current position / what do you do like this?

I am a paver and have been working for the municipality of Wassenaar for 41 years. I start every day nice and early, at 7.45 and then finish at 16.15. At 9.30 we eat a sandwich with colleagues and from 12.30 to 13.00 we have a break and I usually - especially in winter - take a soup in the canteen. Other than that, I am outside all day which is wonderful. In fact, we make all the streets in Wassenaar. The 2 of us drive around the village on the company truck with all the tools. What happens a lot is that the tiles have come up because of tree roots. We then dig it up, cut away the tree roots and clean the street afterwards. That gives a lot of satisfaction. We also have larger jobs like making paths and an entrance, for example. I work together with a first carpenter who helps me; I am the only paver.

What is your background / Where have you worked before?

I am a true Wassenaar native and have lived here all my life. When I was 16 I left school and helped people move for 1.5 years. I did a lot of moving jobs. Then I worked as a handyman making suspended ceilings. Then I saw a job opening at the municipality as a first carpenter. I knew the paver I would be working with and it clicked. At 19, I went to work with him. It worked out well because I've stayed ever since.

What do you encounter in your work: what is difficult and what makes it fun?

There are tough jobs among them like chopping tree roots. That's physically demanding and I hope I don't get it in my back or knees. Because that's what I rely on all day. So I exercise a lot alongside my work and Health that I stay healthy. I really enjoy tidying up the street and it gives me a lot of satisfaction. I find it important to do it very well and neatly and I get compliments on that from the residents.

Can you name something that makes your work special and tell something about it?

I'm outside all day. I wouldn't want it any other way. I also have a lot of freedom in my work. And I work in beautiful places like the Horsten and Kieviet in South Wassenaar. Those are very beautiful neighborhoods.

Strangers feast their eyes on Wassenaar and so it is. For me, the days fly by. People think I am cold. I can stand it well and we have good suits. It doesn't bother me. I am not a person to sit inside.

Why did you choose the municipality of Wassenaar?

At the municipality, you are in a good place. It's all neat and well organized and gives permanence. The pay is good and I sometimes work extra shifts. Then I have winter picket and drive the gritter through Wassenaar. I work in a beautiful environment with beautiful houses, avenues streets and forests. What more could you want.

What do you think is the most beautiful place in Wassenaar?

The Horsten and the Kieviet.

What is your biggest hobby and what does your home look like?

I live in Wassenaar and am married to Hanny. I have many hobbies. I like doing odd jobs and tinkering with bikes. I have made a lot of bicycles and get into it. I also have a canoe close to home and go out in the winter. I make a trip on the Valkenburg Lake. All you hear there are birds. I mustn't turn around then because the water is very cold. Soon Hanny and I are going on a cruise along the Norwegian fjords. That will be beautiful.