The idea for this documentary arose a few months ago when Wim van de Sluis from Lewedorp called filmmaker Joska Zinkweg. Wim is a Van der Klooster, a family of lifeguards and beachcombers. He told her wonderful stories about that family and managed to pique her interest.<\/p>\n
For generations, he told her, the Van der Kloosters lived at the harbour of Burghsluis (‘t \u201cSluusje\u201d), which was then located right at the seaside. In the shallow waters of Schouwen, where it could be quite stormy, they knew their way around unerringly. They formed a close-knit community, with its own standards and values. For instance, they dropped everything if a ship was in distress. But if there was nothing to do, they could laze about on the dyke. At a time when church and faith were sacred, and idling was seen as a sin, this was remarkable behaviour.<\/p>\n
Yet they were considered heroes by their peers. They rescued dozens of shipwrecked sailors and received numerous medals. However, it didn’t make them rich: the last skipper’s old-age pension even required a fundraising campaign.<\/p>\n
Today, Burghsluis station has merged into the nationwide organisation KNRM (Royal Dutch Rescue Society). To help appreciate the Van der Kloosters, the makers of the documentary compare a rescue operation of today with stories about actions of the past. By showing how professional and well-trained today’s rescue crews are, we better understand the risks the Van der Kloosters took back then.<\/p>\n
And even though conditions have changed, modern rescue workers undoubtedly still closely resemble the heroes of the past. After all, they too drop everything when a ship is in distress, and dedicate themselves 100 per cent and gratuitously to saving lives. This film is an ode to them!<\/p>\n