In The only constant, Erasmus Magazine follows the people who keep Rotterdam’s student life running. They are the constant factor in the ever-changing world of students.
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“Look, I’m making something to glue that frame back into the boat,” says Rob Venema. He holds up a circular piece of wood that belongs in the hull of a rowing boat. He stands in a corner of his workshop, bursting with boxes, used pieces of wood and photos of former Skadi members who are now Olympic champions. On the porch, a row of cards and small gifts stand as mementoes from the many students who have come and gone over the years. Along one wall, a row of cabinets neatly organise the screws, bolts, and tools. “They tightened the bolts on the boat too much. So yeah, then the frame splits. And then you have to put in a new one.”
As boatswain, Rob is responsible for the rowing boats the club owns. He repairs them when they break, which happens quite regularly. “I always have something to do. I’ve never walked into the boathouse in desperation with a claw hammer.”
Amongst the students
It’s an early, clear morning at Skadi. Only a few dedicated rowers are already out on the water. At 6 o’clock, Rob drives onto the premises. “I like to start early because there’s no one else on the road, so I can drive quickly.”
Rob’s workday begins with a tour of the clubhouse, as he also manages the building in addition to his role as boatswain. “I check if everything is still intact.” Parties are regularly held at the association, and they sometimes leave a mark. “One time, they got drunk and started messing around with the fire hose at night. The next morning, there was a few centimetres of water in my workshop.” He no longer bats an eye at such things. “Oh well, you just grab a mop, and it’s sorted in no time.”
Rob never studied at a university himself. It was through his job that he first came in contact with student life. “At first, I found it really strange. I really had to reset my mindset.” Eventually, he adjusted: “At first, you think, what on earth is going on here? But after a while, you start to understand it through all the stories they tell.” These days, he feels right at home among the students in the clubhouse. “It’s hilarious. I’ve never experienced this kind of madness anywhere else.”
Boatswain?
Before Rob became a boatswain, he had never seen a rowing boat up close. He worked at a garden centre and was looking for a new job. By chance, he came across a vacancy in a water sports magazine. “It said ‘boatswain’. I had no idea what that meant. The first time I saw a rowing boat up close was when I walked into the sports building on Woudestein campus for my job interview. There was a poster on the wall of an eight (an eight-person rowing boat – ed.). I thought: ah, might be useful to take a good look at that poster.”
He made an impression and started working. Since then, 1998, he has seen many generations of students come and go. “They’re all between 18 and 22, but they act like they’re 12. And that’s been the case for the past 25 years.”
‘He really is the only constant at the association’
Cups of coffee
How do you do that, working among twelve-year-olds? “I think you have to be very open-minded, a little crazy yourself”, Rob says. “And you have to be able to stay young. And I manage to do that.” Over the past quarter-century, he has built a special bond with the students around him. “I work alone, but I’m certainly not lonely. Someone comes by every day for a cup of coffee or a chat.” And sometimes, friendships develop over those cups of coffee.
“Rob is a really kind man, but you have to pierce through his tough shell”, says Anne Carsouw, a student and former Skadi board member. She often drops by for coffee. “He really is the only constant at the club,” she says. “As a board member, you often don’t know how things were done in the past. But Rob has been around for 25 years.”
Arnold Mulderij also still visits regularly. He joined Skadi in the same year Rob started as boatswain. They got to know each other in the workshop, bonding over their shared love of water sports, wood, and working on various projects. “I spent so many hours here”, Arnold says during one of his frequent coffee visits to the clubhouse. “To the point of annoyance!”, Rob jokes. Arnold continues: “Everything I know about wood, I learned from Rob. From the circular saw to the jointer, I’ve worked with all the equipment here.”
They’ve done a lot of projects together. Arnold helped renovate De Pul, the club’s oldest boat, dating back to 1913. “Arnold helped strip and restore that boat completely”, Rob says. Arnold still consults him for advice. “It’s just super handy to have someone to turn to. He knows everything.”
Their friendship has grown beyond the club. Arnold visited Rob when his daughter was born. And when Arnold became a father, Rob went to Arnolds’. “That creates a bond”, Rob says. “You go through so much together.”
‘I wish I could turn the clock back ten years’
Retirement
Rob’s predecessor had a 40-year career as boatswain. He is now well into his eighties, and they still keep in touch from time to time. Rob’s time at Skadi is now coming to an end too. “I wish I could turn the clock back ten years. So I could work for another ten years. I’m going to miss this place. I feel at home here.”
