Proud of my friend
N 48°21'722'' E 013°58'859''
Day: 38-40
Sunrise:
06:18 – 06:21
Sunset:
19:51 – 19:47
Total kilometers:
1017.74 Km
Temperature – Day (maximum):
30 °C
Temperature – day (minimum):
24 °C
Temperature – Night:
20 °C
Latitude:
48°21’722”
Longitude:
013°58’859”
Maximum height:
271 m above sea level
I met Franz over 20 years ago during one of my first trips to Asia in Bali. We immediately hit it off and spent a carefree, unforgettable and intense time together. Our friendship has lasted ever since. Due to our long journey, we sometimes don’t see each other for years, but we have never broken off contact. Franz was actually born to travel. He loved Asia and its inhabitants and was able to deal with them better than almost anyone else. He also inspired people in his home country with his sensitive slide shows. Above all, he has managed to build a bridge of understanding between the local and Asian village populations through the gallantly conveyed experiences.
He would have liked to continue back then. Like me, he would have loved to discover the world for himself, but the duty to take over the farm at home called him and today he manages one of the large farms in Upper Austria.
His wife Maria and he produce strawberries and cucumbers on a large scale and thus contribute to the general nutrition of the population. I visited Franz 20 years ago and was looking forward to a weekend of strawberries until I burst. Back then, the harvest workers were still locals. Today, it is no longer possible to recruit Austrians for such jobs and most of the harvest workers now come from Ukraine. Franz, who traveled a lot in his youth and gained fantastic experience as a philanthropist, converted his parents’ farm in good time. Innovation, empathy, close observation of the market and future-oriented thinking have turned the family business into a model company that employs up to 75 harvest workers in the peak season. Even back then, Franz wanted to help improve the situation in structurally weak countries. In my view, he did it today.
As I sit there, I watch the Ukrainians go about their business from the window. They have just come home from work, are laughing and joking and are obviously happy. No wonder. They have found a second home here on the farm, at least for a few months of the year. A specially employed Ukrainian cook provides the workers with their favorite dishes. They live in nice clean rooms that are more comparable to hotel rooms than workers’ accommodation. They have the rare opportunity to earn a lot of money by their standards. 10 times as much as in their own country. They often support their families, ensure that their children get a decent education or that their parents can afford medical treatment.
Strangely, Franz always wanted to travel to exchange ideas with foreign cultures and now the cultures are coming to him. They travel to Hartkirchen every year and some of them have been coming for 10 years. I am proud of my friend that he has given people a chance to earn money with his ideas, investment risk and above all his love for other peoples. Above all, his harvest workers are happy and enjoy working for him.
