CHAPTER 4
History of the Business
Das Klee Batt (Partnership)
Das Klee Blatt; so beschreib man Personen in einer Company im Bergischem Lande. In 1951 Mr. Eugen Lohmann in Lennep appointed the Management for his company Wender & Duerholt Australia.
The no.1 manager was Robert Schultz, ex Remscheider (a Australian citizen, living in Adelaide) for information and rules and regulation in Laws.
Manager no.2 was Helmute Link a Technic Zeichner, Draftsman (from Lennep) supervisor for the building site.
The Housing-trust gave Helmute Link the Title "Architect" in 1954.
Manager no.3 was Walter Wiegelmann (from Lennep) “the Kaufman“ purchasing officer of goods for the company in South Australia.
Records in the Housing Trust Documents
In an interview Walter Wiegelmann and Averil Holt on the 18 October 1981 it reads; We came out as Assistant Managers, and then in 1955, we became Directors of the Company, and then gave the companies , companies business right to the day when Mr. Schultz and Mr. Link and myself separated from Wender & Duerholt. So ended Das Klee Batt.
Eugen Lohmann borrowed the money for the project in batches from German Banks and also had borrowed money from German Banks for his contract employees he sent to Australia. These employees did not know from where this money was drawn.The project for the South Australian Housing Trust income for Wender & Duerholt, Eugen Lohmann reinvested his personal part of his income back into Wender & Duerholt Australia. Between 1950 - 1977 Eugen Lohmann and family had made fifteen trips by air to Australia.
In 1976-78 the Company Wender & Duerholt complex in Lennep became rearranged at this time Eugen Lohmann had dispatched many wood working machines to his personal new workshop in Perry & Iris Ave. Edwardstown South Australia. In 1962 Eugen Lohmann’s personal donation „The Rainmakers“ for the Park in the Housing Trust area at Christies Beach but did not generate enough power for him to obtain control again over his company in South Australia. However it did give him the right over a block of land in Perry & Iris Ave. not to far from Wender & Duerholt base Bennett Ave. Edwardstown where he in stored the woodworking machines.
In 1976 Henry Smith was working as a subcontractor for a subsidiary firm building transportable timeframe homes. Wender & Duerholt (Australia) was only the supplier of building materials to that firm. In 1976 Eugen Lohmann came and invited Henry Smith and asked him to come and see his new workshop where he had installed the old woodworking machines from Lennep Wender & Duerholt workshop in Germany, E. Lohmann was hoping to make plastic veneer cupboards. Henry responded he had no experience in plastic lamination of timber with these machines. Eugen Lohmann responded (in German) ‘DAS IST RATHER SCHADE’. Shortly after that meeting Eugen Lohmann returned to Germany. It was his last trip to South Australia.
His personal house in Blackwood was sold. The company Wender & Duerholt Australia was put on the market in 1981. Another building company Emmett and Sons bought Wender & Duerhot in Bennett Ave. and Eugen Lohmann’s section in Perry & Iris Ave. Edwardstown as well. The company Wender & Duerholt in Lennep Germany disappeared.