Rob den Engelse
One
of Norfolk’s largest farm businesses spanning
more than 10,000 acres was run by Rob den Engelse, who has died aged 86 at his
Wroxham home.
A
former secretary to Stalham Farmers’ Club, he was a member for more than 40
years.
In
a career spanning four decades he managed large farms in Norfolk,
Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire and Yorkshire.
As
a highly-respected farm manager, he addressed the Oxford Farming Conference in
1973 and was a past chairman of UKF (United Kingdom Fertilisers) discussion
group.
He
was a founder member and first chairman of the highly-influential (Norfolk)
Mardlers discussion group, which first met on May 19, 1965 at Charles Wharton’s
Winsford Hall farm.
For
three years from 1985, he was secretary to Stalham Farmers’ Club, the country’s
oldest, and took over from Nigel Wright.
A
lifelong sailing enthusiast, he decided aged 60 to become an instructor and
obtained the Royal Yachting Association’s qualifications.
In
a brief funeral address, the Rev Neville Khambatta, who had known him for more
than 20 years and ran the RYA training school, said that Rob was “a gentle and
quiet unassuming man.”
Born
on June 4, 1935, he was educated at Taverham Hall, and St Edward’s School, Oxford.
He did his National Service in the Royal Artillery at Plymouth
and was commissioned 2nd lieutenant in 1956.
He
went up to Emmanuel College,
Cambridge, to read natural sciences and then
also completed a two-year diploma in agriculture in 1960. He then worked abroad
gaining further experience before starting his career in farm management in
1961 at two of East Anglian Real Property’s farms at Paston, near North
Walsham, and Southrepps, near Cromer.
He
became EARP’s general manager in 1969 on the retirement of his father, Adriaan,
who had come to Norfolk in 1925 from his native
Holland. The industrialist, Van Rossum, who was
a leading force in starting Britain’s
first modern beet sugar factory in 1912 at Cantley, had started buying land to
grow the crop from 1923. As more land was bought, in 1936 the East Anglian Real
Property Company was formally established, which was then managed by his
father.
In
1978, when he left EARP, it had farms across Norfolk
from Palgrave and Sporle, near Swaffham, Guestwick, near Reepham, and also had
one of the county’s biggest dairy herds with 600 cows at Cantley. Later, EARP
was bought by the National Coal Board’s pension fund, sold and broken up.
He
was a founder director of Aylsham Grain Store and Marketing co-operative and
also served on Anglian Water Authority’s Norfolk
& Suffolk land drainage committee between
1974 and 1989.
He
held a succession of senior management and agronomist roles in Cambridgeshire, Yorkshire
and Buckinghamshire. He was farms directors of March-based David Johnson Farms
until 1981. He also worked for land agents Smiths Woolley in the farms’
department back in Norfolk advising on estate
management.
He
had a number of roles during six years including membership recruitment and an
agronomist with Loddon-based Anglian Produce, which became the country’s
largest potato growers’ co-operative, until 1991.
A
keen tennis player, sailing was always his first love. He bought an Ernest
Woods river cruiser, Will o’ the Wisp in 1998 – built in 1935 – matching his
age.
Determined
to help people, especially youngsters learn to sail, he encouraged so many to
share his passion. He taught visitors hiring boats from Hoveton and Upton yacht
stations to learn the skill of sailing keel boats on the Broads.
Married
to Ann in 1962, he leaves two children, Annalisa and Anton, and four
grandchildren. He died on August 31 and a funeral has taken place.