Five Brothers and a War

Translation of Bruynzeel Article in “Kontakt”

Very suddenly, Mr. Leendert van Pelt passed away. He could not say goodbye to the many friends he had in our businesses in Holland and Suriname. He was 55 years. As a human, this was too young to have to say a final farewell. In the last issue of “Kontakt” [the Bruynzeel newsletter], we published a brief presentation of his working life. For printing reasons, we could not then elaborate on the person of Mr. van Pelt. The van Pelts are in fact a piece of Bruynzeel history. Mr. van Pelt, Sr. was the head of our sales division. Mr. Willem Bruynzeel said about him: "He is one of the two people who taught me the sales business. He was excellent at dealing with people and not just in meetings, but even by phone. He managed to get a lot of orders, and with an ease and flexibility that would make you jealous. We always had a very close relationship. When his son joined us, I knew that he came from a good family and I had great confidence in him as well. Mr. van Pelt, Jr. came to work for Bruynzeel in 1939 as a buyer. During the war, he went to speak with farmers to see whether, for example, they had usable walnut trees in their gardens or orchards. One of the first people who came to know Mr. van Pelt at Bruynzeel was Mr. E. J. de Breejen, now director of Bruynzeel Kitchens and Cabinet Factory, who was then employed in the purchasing department. Both went down a pretty similar path. Indeed, after the war, Mr. van Pelt was sent to Indonesia. Initially, he started in the forest exploration area but soon became head of the department. Later he was responsible for the overall management of the company in Borneo. Mr. E. van den Hoeven , now cashier at Bruynzeel in Zaandam, was at Bruynzeel in Borneo in 1951. Three of his [E. van den Hoeven’s] brothers, and one brother-in-law later worked for the company as well. "Mr. van Pelt came to us as a very suitable choice. He was readily accepted by the population there. They knew that he brought a teacher to his home to teach him the local language (Dajaks). That typified him. He found that he should understand the people rather than have them learn his language. The people just really liked him. Mr. A.K.J. Schols, now Head of Bruynzeel in Dordrecht, got to know Mr. van Pelt and his family in that Sampit period. "He was a man with a very jovial Brabants can-do attitude. A true family man. He was very well qualified. He held to his point of view, but on the other hand was definitely not a person to dictate decision. With the people he was viewed tremendously well. Because you lived in a fairly small group, you got to know each other well.” Mr. William Bruynzeel: "It was indeed a very close community. Mr. van Pelt worked hard to campaign to construct a church building. He often preached himself which again shows that man balance played a very big role in his life. Mr. W.J. la Have, now financial director of Bruynzeel, got to know Mr. van Pelt and his family. "I've always had enormous appreciation for him. He was a warm guy. As for his work, he was really an expert in cutting area at that time. However, his work had quite an impact on his family. They really did not always have an easy time of it. “The last year that Mr. van Pelt was in Indonesia, the contact with the family den Breejen was renewed. We were in the same circumstances. Pretty much the same age. Van Pelt was not just a nice guy. He was totally reliable and very loyal. Not only to the company, but you would also notice it with his friends. He would not abandon you,, and would keep all of his contacts. He had a special appreciation for Mr. Willem Bruynzeel and went through the fire for him. From 1954 until 1965, Mr. van Pelt, first as assistant director and later as director, worked at Bruynzeel Suriname Wood Company. His secretary, Mr. W. Nods said, "I know Mr. van Pelt as a warm person, and as very competent, but above all as an honest entrepreneur. I dare to wholeheartedly say that honesty and loyalty to genuine principles, which is thoroughly representative of Mr. van Pelt, and is why there is so much admiration. That's why he was a man loved by so many in Suriname." After his return to Holland Mr. van Pelt’s vast knowledge and experience came to be needed in the service of the Foundation for the Promotion of Investment in Suriname. He became director of the Foundation and remained so until the end. Mr. William Bruynzeel said, "He has worked incredibly hard during this period to find investors. He was extremely interested in the country and has realized a large number of initiatives under his leadership. There are still projects in the works. He was pretty amazing. He knew the people he wanted to interest to carry on his own love for the country." Dr. A. Goedhart, chairman of the board of HVA got to know Mr. van Pelt since 1966. Together with Mr. van Pelt he made several visits to Suriname. "I got to know him as a very pleasant personable man with a good sense of humor. He was a loyal colleague. He stood up for the interests of Suriname to properly fulfill their business needs. Mr. van Pelt had much experience in international affairs. Thanks to his work, the palm oil industry became a reality, including the refining of crude palm oil in Suriname. This came about through his work, as well as the revival of the juice industry. It is unfortunate that with the independence of Suriname there is insufficient opportunity to develop new initiatives." Mr. William Bruynzeel concluded, "He was to the last a big promoter of this company. For that I have every admiration.”

van Pelt

Five Brothers and a War

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