5
CONTACT
appointments
Polished and gleaming
nincrpSè™ors,,»have
SSSake,haUheyno
or Dutch) to: Mr. J. van der Slik,
Collector of beer mugs and
willing to swapXorrespo
(preferably in Enghsh Dutch
In Amsterdam, close to the brewery, stand the Heineken stables.
They normally house our big and powerful English Shire horses. These strong animals pull the
Heineken dray and coach through Holland's towns and countryside. In May this year the
Shires had to lodge elsewhere for a week to make room for their royal companions.
Proud
STATE VISIT
In Holland it's a tradition for heads
of state on official visits to be
given a full-scale ceremonial
reception in Amsterdam, with lots of
pomp and circumstance.
The Royal Stables in The Hague had
sent seventeen horses and three
carriages to Amsterdam to take part in
the splendid ceremony laid on for the
visit of West Germany's Federal
President, Richard von Weizsacker.
Twenty employees from the Queen's
Stables also came along to groom the
horses and act as escorts. For a horse-
drawn carriage trip lasting only a short
while, weeks of preparations were
needed. In the final week before the
visit these preparations took place in
the Heineken stables. For over 30
years it's been an established tradition
during state visits that the horses from
the Royal Stables are given lodgings at
Heineken.
We went to take a look on the day of
the procession. The stables were
bustling with activity. At 6 o'clock in
the morning the staff had already
started feeding and grooming the
horses. On the night before, the horses
longer requtre^ple^^^
write (in English
Beethovenlaan43,
2394 HA Hazerswoude,
Holland.
Heineken advertising materials
sharing the
German) should be addressed
to: Mr. D.T.C. van Roosmalen,
5235CDL VHertogenbosch
Holland.
Equerry-Major Stern issues last-minute instructions.
repair and restore the valuable
possessions of the Royal Stables. All
that work is done in The Hague. But
we need to be in Amsterdam to make
the final preparations for a state visit
like this', explained Mr. Stern. 'So it's a
great help that we're allowed to do this
here at Heineken. We've been given a
friendly welcome at these stables for
dozens of years and it's an arrangement
we hope can be continued for a long
time yet', concluded Mr. Stern.
At 10.15 a.m. on the dot the procession
sets out for Amsterdam Central
Station, where the Federal President
will be arriving. It's a long journey of
over an hour, as the horses and
carriages have to take a round-about
route to avoid the city centre as much
as possible. At the head is the carriage
in which Federal President Von
Weizsacker will take his place
alongside Queen Beatrix. The second
carriage will shortly be carrying Mrs.
Von Weizsacker and Prince Claus.
Mounted police and soldiers escort the
procession. It's an impressive and
colourful pageantWeeks of work have
been needed and, even though the
official drive is only short, the men
from the stables are proud of their
efforts. The next day everything is
tidied up and the entire company
returns to The Hague. But they'll be
back at Heineken in the autumn. For
the next state visit.
The royal adornments gleam like
burnished gold.
had been given a thorough scrub-
down. Their coats had to be gleaming
before harnessing could start. The
antique harnesses and trappings with
their brass coats of arms hung in
readiness on the walls. Oiled, polished
and rubbed until they shone like gold.
For this special occasion what are
known as the 'full-regalia trappings'
were used. In such cases everything has
to be spick and span. Even the horses'
hooves were oiled to make them gleam
nicely. Their manes were plaited
around the small crown on the head
trappings. Then it was the turn of the
men themselves. They changed out of
For this occasion a few beds are placed in
the harnessing-room. The horses are
cared for day and nightbut the
attendants, too, need to rest at night.
their working overalls and into their
full-dress uniforms adorned with heaps
of braid and gold embroidery. Cocked
hats on their heads and gleaming boots
on their feet completed the outfit. The
spectacle became more impressive all
the time. The harnessed and decorated
horses were led to two antique
carriages. These were red landaus,
open carriages with a folding hood at
both ends. These, too, carry the royal
coat of arms. Proudly, Equerry-Major
Mr. L. Stern told us that all these
beautiful things were still cared for by
skilled craftsmen. 'The coach painter,
the carriage-maker and the saddler
At the Annual General Meeting
of Shareholders of Heineken
N.V., Mr. H.H.Thyssen
Bornemisza announced his wish
to retire as Chairman of the
Supervisory Council. He has
been succeeded in that post by
Mr. S. Orlandini, president of
KLM. Mr. Thyssen Bornemisza
will remain a member of the
Supervisory Council. At the
same meeting Mr. J.D.
Hooglandt. chairman of the
Hoogovens Group, was
appointed a Supervisory
Director. Mr. J. Siertsema,
Personnel Director at Heineken
Nederlands Beheer, will be
leaving on 1st October to take up
a post at IBECOR S. A. in
Brussels (Belgium). In due
course he will succeed Mr. P.
Bodard as chairman of that
company. Mr. P.C. Schop will be
Mr. Siertsema's successor as
Dutch National Personnel
Director. Mr. Schop's former
post was that of Commercial
Director of Heineken Nederland
B. V. In Ireland Mr. R. Klerkx
has been appointed master
brewer at Murphy's Brewery in
Cork.
Mr. J.A. Ritman, previously
with Heineken- Holland, has
been appointed General
Manager of Windward
Leeward Brewery in St. Lucia.
Mr. B.J. van den Berg has taken
over the post of Technical
Manager of P.T. Multi Bintang
Indonesia. His successor as
Production Manager is Mr. A.N.
Ninck Blok, formerly Brewery
Manager at Port of Spain,
Trinidad.
The procession lines up in front of the Heineken stables.
Journey's end: the party arrives at the Palace on the Dam.
Full regalia trappings wouldn't look right
without shiny hooves.