September 1963, the beginning.
The years “Pronk”
Town of radio and artists.
The last study year, the end of an era.
A last party, a last meeting and then
goodbye.
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September 1963, the beginning.
It was during the last school-year of the technical
school of the town Meppel, that it became clear that I should not
stop there, like most of my class friends used to do.
At that time and still now, it was usual that after having completed
the technical school, one would start working day-time and pursue his
education in a evening school in order to complete his / her
professional training.
However some of class friends did what I did, continue
their education. I did choosed that time electronics,
what was my passion at that time. I did not stop
to fiddle around with all sorts of things, and that of great despite
of my mother who really hated all this.
Ok, it has been decided that I would go to Hilversum
where was a High-School specialised in advanced electronics, ( “The
Institute for advanced Electronics Rens & Rens” ) who had
and as of today still has, a very good reputation.
This Institute which doesn't exist any longer today, belonged in my
time to the sir's Rens and Rens, that's where the name came from.
The institute has been founded about in the years 30 by them.
So we have taken our car and moved on the way to
Hilversum, my parents even bought me a watch somewhere on the way
down, and this has been the only watch I ever had.
First, at least the first year I was an internal student, I lived in
the same building as where the courses were.
Afterwards during the school-year I went home one
weekend out of two, the other ones I stayed in Hilversum.
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 Here
is a picture of the garden of that institute, the whole was in a
rather big villa ( “maison de maître” as you
would call it in french ) which had three levels with room
which each three to six students living there, some classrooms, a
restroom, but also two other buildings. There was a
rather big garden house and large barrack, like the dis
mountable ones, like construction firms use to have, which
served also as classroom.
The two upper levels and also a part of the backside
of the building had the sleeping room for the internal students.
The
remaining space were all classrooms, with the exception of the
garden house, which as reserved for the kitchen personnel, and a
had also practical workshop.
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The years “Pronk”.
No this name is nothing special, it is just the name of
the family where I lived after my “Internal Student”
period. Nearly all my room mates did quit be Internal,
and had taken a furnished room in town. This way we
could at least go out and study like we needed to do, then in
opposite to what people tend to think, forcing someone to study, go
out, and come in fixed hours is not a guarantee for good results.
Than self-discipline is also something what has to be learned to.
Family “Pronk” a retired cattle-merchant,
his wife being a lot younger as he was, rented three furnished rooms
of their house, food included, to students and young workers.
The other two rooms were rented out to one ho worked in a
construction equipment firm and the second work at the radio.
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This how family's “Pronk” house looked
like, it is a typical Dutch house, all in line, every one with a
little garden at the front and a small place at the backside.
This house was next to market place and not very far
from the railway-station, and I did not need more as a dozen
minutes to go to the Rens & Rens Institute.
I lived in room under the roof, it was really quiet
up there, and this was also the largest of the three rooms, the
other ones were just sleeping rooms.
I stayed a long time in contact, conserving a
friendship relation with them, and that far beyond student time.
I even did specially come back to see her (her
husband died already for a long time at that moment) a last
moment, when I was already in Geneva for some time.
Thereafter I have not heard or seen any news from her.
She
had, in fact, contacted my parents, (she did not my address in
Geneva) saying that she would like to see me a last time.
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Town of radio and artists.
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Hilversum was and today for sure still is a
preferred place for radio, artists and music. On the
right are shown two pictures of the radio-societies “NCRV”
et “VARA”. That time, nearly all of the
radio and television societies were very political oriented.
But that made not a very big difference to us, students, than all
invitations to assist at the radio recording sessions were
welcome.
The distribution of those tickets were usually done
by an association, and we were anyway going to them to get any
tickets. Sometime it was them who contacted us,
because they needed some public for the one or other radio
recording.
I did not mention television, because television was
and still is done in a town next to Hilversum, and there was a
longer way to get there. Tis town did neither have
the same culture nor the same type of artists.
We went there from time to time for some TV
recording, but we had always to find someone with a car or take
the train.
If I
remember right, we had that time about a half a dozen radio and
television societies, and each of them got a proportional amount
of the total emission time attributed to them as they could show
members.
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I was also member of an association called “Soos
voor kamerbewoners”. This association was meant
for people living in furnished rooms or alone in studio's.
This association was run by a girl of our age “Els”,
and it was with this association we had most of the contacts with
the various artists.
The last study year, the end of an era.
As with everything, also good things come to an end.
The school year 1965 - 1966 was the final preparation for the
examination, who have taken place in ”Den Haag”
either in once everything or twice with 6 month in between.
I and some of my friends have taken the 6 month option, this in order
to have more time for the preparation. It was anyway
impossible to find any job so close to military service.
It is in this period that I went very often to the“Soos
voor kamerbewoners” or simply to see “Els”
who ran this association. I liked her very much, but
there was nothing else between us, just friends. Anyway,
we shared some ideas about society and about re-incarnation theories.
She had plenty book on this subject in her room and also
books on related subjects. Her room was full of model
cars, “Dinky Toys”, she was collecting.
When after military service I came back to Hilversum to
see I friend, I was very sad to hear that “Els”
was killed in a car accident.
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 Voilà,
a friendship which was a lot more as the others, and which is
worth to be mentioned here. Her name is “Bea”
coming from her real name “Beatrice” (she
really hated that name!). Why I mention her
specially ? because it was by knowing her that I have learned
that there is a difference between being in love
and loving someone
(It seems that certain persons never learn to make this
difference!)
I
met her when I went with a friend of mine to “Loosdrecht”
to see her sister, who was going out with him. In
fact we had a common interest for the American
singer “Buddy Holly”
(alias Charles Hardin Holly), that was, at least for the
two of us, our favorite artist, and
that was where everything started with.
This relationship however faded away during my military service.
She was to young anyway to have a fixed relation
with someone. Much later, I did have some more
contact whit her when I was already living in Geneva, but somehow
this contact is lost, and I have not had any news from her since
then. It is maybe bad, but that's the
way live is, and we will have to accept it.
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A last party, a last meeting and then goodbye.
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After we all succeeded our examination we decided
that we should meet at the place of one of us, who lived in place
called “Koudum”, to stay a last weekend
together.
The upper photo has been taken at the persons place,
and it was there were had our last meeting-party.
The second picture has been taken in a fisherman's
village somewhere on “Ijsselmeer” coast.
At least this time it was not me who took the picture.
On the way back we stopped at my parents place,
thereafter everybody has take his own way of live.
For me it was a last goodbye, than I have not seen anyone back.
For me the military service period was coming
nearer, and after military service, two years in “Amersfoort”
the departure for Geneva had come and contacts faded away.
This was
then the end of the
“Hilversum”
period
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Remarkable events of that time:
Murdering of J.F.K. in Dallas.
The Vietnam war.
“I Have a dream” Martin Luther King.
Starting of “The Beatles”.
Starting of the Hippy “Peace & Love”
period.
To know anything more (in Dutch) on
“Hilversum
Today”
click on the name!
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