Blind ambition: Bert Biesot with his replica windmill.
JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
AT 85, TAKING on a man-size restoration job is no meant feat.
But for Belmont’s Bert Biesot the job was even more difficult.
Mr Biesot overcame his vision impairment to carry out a restoration of a two-metre working Dutch windmill – all by feel.
Mr Biesot said he used an electric bench saw “very carefully” despite his virtual blindness due to macular degeneration and glaucoma.
The two-year labour of love began when blindness support organisation Vision Australia alerted Mr Biesot to the windmill, which was about to be dumped at a tip.
“It was all broken and in bits and pieces. I had to restore it from the ground up, Mr Biesot said.
“Vision Australia gave me the courage to take on this challenge. It helped me out of the gloom of going blind.
“It forced me to think through how to do it and get around the restrictions. I had to try to see it in my mind and use trial and error.”
Mr Biesot said a half-hour job on the windmill restoration would take him up to three days.
“But time was not the issue,” he said.
Mr Biesot at times called on the help of wife Connie who provided a pair of eyes for some delicate measuring tasks.
Mr Biesot said he had finished the project but was about to dismantle the windmill.
“We’re going to take it to my daughter’s property in New South Wales where we’ll put it all back together again.
“That will be its new home.”
Mr Biesot revealed the windmill would not be the last of his restoration challenges – he had a partially restored 1956 Hillman Husky in his garage.
