Selwyn Times: November 29, 2016

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18 Tuesday November 29 2016 Our People SELWYN TIMES Guido Schromges Butcher brings a corner of Guido Schromges owns the Deutsches Eck German Butchery in Lincoln. He spoke to Tom Doudney about the meaning of the shop’s name, being robbed in South Africa and digging water holes for elephants in Botswana What does Deutsches Eck mean? Directly translated it means ‘German corner’ and it originates from my home town where the two biggest rivers of Germany flow together and it has always been called, in history, the German corner or Deutsches Eck. What rivers are those and in what part of Germany? That is the Rhine and Moselle River and they come together in Koblenz, that is 100km north of Frankfurt. What sort of differences would people notice between a German butchery like yours and other local butcheries in the Christchurch area? I guess the produce range in general, the looks of the products and, of course, the ingredients are much, much different compared to the other butchers because I don’t use any type of fillers in the form of starch, gluten, mechanically deboned meat, colourings and so on. What would be some of your speciality products? On the fresh sausage side, there is the bratwurst, the traditional German sausage – that’s by far the best selling sausage. And on the smoked side, it’s the Polish sausage, which is actually a garlic sausage. My bier sticks are also very popular. What led you to move to New Zealand from Germany? No, no, I am German, but I lived in South Africa and then it got a little bit too out of control with the crime. I was four times involved in an armed robbery and I thought, ‘OK, it’s time to leave,’ and 11 and a half years ago I came to New Zealand as a consultant to the meat trade, working in Auckland for a local company. Over what sort of time period were you robbed four times? I would say in the space of five years. That would have been pretty scary I would imagine? WITH A SMILE: He’s lived in Germany and South Africa but butcher Guido Schromges has called Lincoln home for 12 years and says he is here to stay. PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN Well, let’s put it this way – the last one that broke the camel’s back was somebody put a gun behind my ear. They make you kneel down and then you think it’s time to move on, you know. There was that experience and then I started looking for opportunities and New Zealand came up because a company wanted to introduce concentrated spices from overseas. What led you to move to Lincoln? The butcher’s shop that I bought, that was the best option for me. Lincoln has got a high school, a university, the research centre. So for me, as a German butcher, it was the niche marketplace because you had lots of international people at these schools, university and research centre. I came six months after the [February 2011] earthquake. Were you looking at advertisements for butcher’s shops all around the country at that point? Because I was working down in Invercargill at the time, I was looking down in that region but it was hopeless, there was absolutely nothing available that suited the purpose. DRAW YOUR DREAM BEDROOM COMPETITION Draw a picture of your dream bedroom. Involve the whole family, one entry per household. The winning prize is a family pass (2x Adults and 3x children aged 5-14yrs) to Orana Wildlife Park, the prize has been generously donated by them. Entries must be received by 5pm on Friday 16th December 2016 - they can either be dropped off at Classic Curtains & Interiors in Rolleston, 817 Jones Road, between 9am to 4.20pm Monday to Friday or emailed to: maxine.classiccurtains@gmail.com A bag of lollies for every hand delivered entry. The winning entry will be notified by Saturday 17th December 2016 and their drawing will be displayed in the shop window. Family Name: ........................................................................................... Parent/Guardian: ...................................................................................... Contact phone number of Parent or Guardian: ......................................... Email address: .......................................................................................... CLASSIC CURTAINS & INTERIORS Maxine Bawden 817 Jones Road, Rolleston Contact: 03 347 4295 Email: maxine.classiccurtains@gmail.com Classic Curtains & Interiors
SELWYN TIMES Tuesday November 29 2016 19 Germany to Lincoln How long did you live in South Africa? As a butcher, 20 years, as a child, five years, so altogether 25 years. You were born in Germany, right? I was born in Germany, but then for five years in the 1960s my parents moved to South Africa. But then we moved back to Germany, where I learned the trade and everything and what is connected to it. Once I earned money, I went to visit my school mates in South Africa and then somebody offered me a job that was too good to refuse so I relocated in the middle of the 1980s back to South Africa. It was very easy because I had permanent residence. What was the job that was too good to refuse? Production manager of a South African firm which specialised in German small goods. What part of South Africa were you in? Johannesburg. Before the crime got the better of things was that a nice place to live? Yeah, that was in the middle of the 1980s, in 1984, and then HOMELAND: Guido Schromges’ butcher’s shop Deutsches Eck takes its name from the place in Koblenz, Germany, where the waters of the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet. the change over came and everything was fine, but then somewhere around 1999 or 2000, I had the first bad experience and then it continued and then, in 2005, I simply said ‘that’s it’ and I left. What was it that had led your parents to move the family there in the 1960s? Better money. In the 1960s, the money was basically the top range in South Africa. My father was a panel beater. Do you travel back to Germany much? Due to the age of my parents, I have gone every year and I will continue to go back as long as my mother is still alive. Do you ever feel homesick for anything in Germany? No, it’s too long that I’m gone. I’m happy here and I guess it’s my final destination. No more relocating. I’m here to stay. I know football is a big deal in Europe and a bit in South Africa as well. Are you a football fan? Yes, I still check on the internet results from Europe and the English and German champions’ leagues, especially the German. What’s your team? Bayern Munich. Have you seen them play? Forty years ago I was once in Munich to watch a game but nothing recently. How old are you now? Fifty-seven. What are your hobbies outside of work? Long distance running. Did you used to do that competitively? I did, but once I got the shop I stopped. I am still running on a daily basis if I can afford it timewise, but nothing major any more. Not like the old days in South Africa when I was running one marathon after another. Did you ever win any events? No, in my age category, I won a couple of prizes but I never won any event. It was only my age category that I came first, second or whatever in a couple of marathons. Anything else you like to do with your spare time? The butcher’s shop keeps me occupied and therefore I go running just to switch off and, if I’m on holiday, I like adventure sports and, in Africa, I liked wildlife. You must have seen some impressive wildlife over there? Oh, well I travelled the southern continent, every country south of the equator I have been. What’s the most impressive animal that you saw? The best thing was in Botswana, in the Okavango swamps, digging water holes for elephants. While the elephants were watching, we were digging, you see. Did you have much interaction with the elephants? No, we kept the distance, or they kept the distance. As soon as we left the place they came and sucked everything up that collected in the groundwater hole. Was that a tourism experience? No, no. As tourists, we went there and we knew the camp owner so we gave him a hand. That was a matter of coincidence, it was not the way we planned it. THE HOME OF GOOD BAKING SOUTHERN PLAINS BREAD VARIETIES Excludes Spicy Fruit. $ 1 99 EA HOT DEAL! CHRISTMAS CAKES – FULL RANGE IN STORE NOW SQUARE MINCE & VEGE PIE Golden pastry loaded with a meaty mince filling. HOT DEAL! 5 FOR $ 4 50 APRICOT YOGHURT FAMILY PACK BISCUITS $ 4 99 PK MILK Dairy Dale 2L varieties. $ 5 98 2 FOR or $3.19 each WHITE OR GRAIN AND HONEY ROLLS 6pk $ 1 99 EA Promotional pricing available while stocks last from 28/11/16 to 04/12/16. Images are serving suggestions only. Open 7 days | 8 Convenient local locations Hornby • Barrington • Ferry Rd • Papanui • Riccarton • Upper Riccarton • New Brighton • Rangiora BAKERIES www.couplands.co.nz
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Selwyn Times: November 29, 2016

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