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Pensioner of the Month
Henri Brookson
In Pensioner of the Month, we ask pensioners about retired life. Is it everything they expected it to be? And what can they teach us about our days to come?
In this edition, we meet up with Henri Brookson, a Sint Maarten native and famous teacher and organizer. He tells us about his many journeys, from becoming the Minister Plenipotentiary to organizing a langlauf competition in Luttenberg.
When Henri Brookson arrived in The Netherlands to go to the kweekschool in Steenwijkerwold for the first time, he was 15 years old. Sister Borgia had personally visited his father to convince him to let young Henri continue his education in The Netherlands. “This young man is destined to become a teacher,” she had stated calmly but conclusively.
Little did Henri know he would become a renowned school director at the Maire Laurence School, let alone Minister Plenipotentiary. “It was 1965 and I had nothing but a phone number from the priest who was supposed to help me get started. I arrived at Schiphol dripping like a duck, because I had packed my coat in my suitcase and we had to go to the baggage claim by foot. My friend and travel companion had a ride to Amsterdam, but I had to go all the way to Steenwijkerwold. ‘Take line 4’, my friend told me. I had no idea what he meant. A line, that was something to hang your laundry on, right?”
But once young Brookson had settled in at Steenwijkerwold , he felt right at home. This might have had something to do with his early encounter with Agnes, who was only 15 at the time and was immediately bestowed the nickname ‘Sunshine’, because according to Brookson, “she lit up the room wherever she went.”
‘Sometimes my wife would unplug the phone during dinner without me knowing, just so we could eat our meal in peace.’
After finishing the kweekschool Henri and Agnes moved to Luttenberg, where they were both employed as teachers. Both their children were born here and there was never a dull moment in the Brookson house. “I organized many events; street parties, football matches, horse parades at the horse ranch, and even a langlauf competition when it snowed. Although Luttenberg was a small community, the people were super active and many assisted as volunteers with the events. Without the assistance of those volunteers much of the events could not be organized. That was the strength of Luttenberg. And people from all over of the country visited Luttenberg to be part of one of those events.”
After more than 20 years in The Netherlands, the Brooksons came back to Sint Maarten in 1988. The decision to come back was well thought-out. “I had already introduced Agnes to Sint Maarten in 1972 – a visit funnily enough very much encouraged by Agnes’ father. “Agnes’ parents and I were very close, and they knew that I had the intention to go back some day. That’s why at the beginning of our relationship, they encouraged Agnes to go test the waters. She immediately fell in love with the island.”
‘It is important to keep setting goals when you retire. And the beauty is, you can choose your goals freely now.’
On Sint Maarten, the Brooksons continued as they had: both went back to teaching, now at the Marie Laurence School. And both were fervent event organizers, again. Brookson laughs when he thinks about those times. “We never had a moment’s peace – always organizing a fundraiser, party, or gathering. Sometimes Agnes would unplug the phone during dinner without me knowing, just so we could eat our meal in peace. At some point I would get suspicious; I found it hard to believe that the phone hadn’t rung once for an hour.”
And now, that the Brooksons have reached their pension, they keep active and busy as they always have. They organize the annual Fête de la Cuisine, a week-long event with many chefs flying in from all over the world. Also, they exercise as much as they can – walking and swimming.
“It is important to keep setting goals when you retire. And the beauty is, you can choose your goals freely now. Find your passion and target your ambitions towards it, that’s how you keep your body and spirit in shape.”
