Rob Wesselingh, whose father was manager at Netherlands Harbour Works in Hong Kong, brought me into contact with Wim Boele, who shared several childhood photographs with me.
Wim Boele:
"My father, Richard (Rick) Boele, worked in Hong Kong in 1953, for Netherlands Harbour Works, and his senior manager was Rob Wesselingh’s father, Jan Wesselingh.
He supervised the quarry at Cha Kwo Ling, near Lei Yue Mun Pass, the entrance to the harbour. The Netherlands Harbour Works boats were also there – KM9, Zephir, tow boat “Wilhelmina” and the dredger.
When the typhoon shelters project was finished, a French company, “Dragages” won the contract to build Kai Tak runway 31. Essentially, it was a dike, just like the typhoon shelters. Netherlands Harbour Works, not getting the contract, sold its inventory, staff included, to Dragages. My father stayed on as manager of the quarry at Cha Kwo Ling.
Photographs show:
•Family portrait in the harbour, with the dredger, the “Mina” (short for “Wilhelmina”) and our private boat, “Badging”, from left to right: my sister Marleen, myself, my father, my brother Pieter, the boat boy and my brother Henk.
•The dredger with Lei Yue Mun Pass in the background.
•Kai Tak Runway #31"
Courtesy Boele family archives
