I know it is not nice to speak of the dead, but it galls me to hear him spoken nicely off given pain he caused here in Thailand and in Australia to people I know.
Brett
Brett,
Hans died in the hospital of natural causes, no investigations or whatsoever in progress.
It is not the place to speak about that, so later I will open another thread myself. If overseas there has been issues with him possibly, in Thailand, I would say that the things are way different except for two people, who happen to be my friends and got issues. So I am not 'blind' or partial, but one must be fair.
I will just say that in Thailand, Hans did a lot of good things for the people, and the orchid people.
He did have issues with some Thai growers, that's correct, but minor ones compared to what he did for the physical people in Thailand.
I have seen myself disgusting stories of people that he helped and they afterwards spitted on him, like this woman from the Jatujak who complained about Hans, he ordered plants from her a month before, and did not pick up those, it was big problem for her, Hans was soooo baaaad...
This very same woman had her own mother who had a cancer. She told Hans a year before, and he paid all the expenses in Burumgrad, so she has been saved. He never asked any money or plants in return. I reminded her, she said 'it's different things'. When she had to pay the fine to the police as they caught her countless times selling wild orchids in Jatujak, she would call Hans and get the money for the fine instant. All of that was nothing to her.
The Pandora box will be opened on some stories soon, like his former caretaker who got a house built and paid by him.
He went to the hospital a couple of years ago, and she stole everything during his first long stay in intense care. Millions of plants, I will post the pictures. That woman was nothing before he hired her.
He paid a complete house on the nursery land - that he was renting from her relatives - for them and their parents. She was entitled to steal everything for two reasons. First he did not pay her two months of salary - he was under intensive care. Second Hans girlfriend would steal everything, so it was better she took control of everything before, and 'give it back to Hans later'. ********, just thieves. Amongst the stolen plants, a large Australian shipment.
Brett, maybe you are quite new or not educated yet for Thailand, but there, for many people, everything you have done good in the past is 'normal' to them, and no need to talk about. They are not grateful. But if you make a single mistake with those very same people you helped, you are immediately very bad.
Ask Joe, the famous leucochilum breeder in Chiang Mai. He can tell you the truth, both sides, about many thai stories.
I will add a couple of things here:
- In the nursery stolen by Katai and P'Neung was the largest orchid species collection in the world. None could come close to it. There was an exhaustive collection of Madagascar orchids amongst many other plants, that would make Marcel Lecoufle hobby collection look bleak. They came from many sources, including Olaf Pronk. Everything was there, including the rarest species and forms. I still have the pictures. They were under way of propagation at that time. Amazing place, believe me.
- When Hans Hermans was in the hospital at that time, they sold many plants to many thai growers. I have seen it myself with my eyes. Very rare things, impossible for Thai growers to obtain. They moved out to another nursery a lot of plant to hide them and sell them after. Everyone knows this in Thailand and many people have a good laugh about. Yet, they are respected, trusted, and still in the business as of today.
As a friend only, without any business involved, Hans was oddly amazing, generous and excessive.