After thirty-three years of loyal service Wally van de Westerlo is nearing retirement from Horticentre (originally Veg Gro) Drury branch.  He will be missed by all the greenhouse growers he has helped over the years.

History:

Born in Holland in 1956, the Westerlos family immigrated to Pukekohe in July 1967. Over the next two years, they moved between Buckland and Waiuku, with Wally and his brother attending St. Joseph’s Pukekohe Catholic School, where they had to learn English. Two years later, the family settled in the farming community of Aka Aka.

At thirteen, Wally started attending Waiuku College and spent many weekends with the Brambley family at Wattle Bay on the Awhitu Peninsula. It was there that he rekindled his passion for fishing, a hobby he had enjoyed in Holland with two of his uncles on the canals.

At fifteen, Wally left school to work for his parents, who were share milking. Between milking duties, he also worked for Paddy Webb, a farmer and grower. By seventeen, he was working full-time for Webb, but he later returned home to help when his father fell ill. During this time, Wally met his wonderful wife and best friend, Yannick, and together they raised three hardworking children.

After deciding to stop farming, Wally worked for two years at a concrete plant, producing posts, paving slabs, and troughs. During this time, he and Yannick got married at the ages of twenty and eighteen. Yannick sought a change from her previous job and applied for a position at a poultry farm, though she didn’t get it. However, Wally was offered a different role at the same farm, where he worked for six years, four of which he spent as the manager. During the summer months, Wally also worked late nights and weekends, hauling hay for two local trucking companies to earn extra money—a commitment he maintained for twenty years.

In 1978, they bought their first home for $26,000, which may sound inexpensive, but Wally was earning only $7,000 annually. Not long after, his former employer, Paddy Webb, contacted him with an offer to manage a cropping operation growing a wide variety of vegetables. After eight years of long hours and missing family life, Wally, by chance, was offered a job as a storeman at Horticentre (then known as Veg-Gro) in Drury. Soon after, Wally and Yannick were asked to wind tomato dropper hooks, starting with 45,000 in the first year. This number quickly grew to nearly two million hooks annually, which they managed with some help.

The work was demanding, with Wally and Yannick often putting in a combined total of 120 hours a week. They continued the hooks (new and rewinds) for over twenty-five years. After four years at Horticentre, Wally was promoted to Store Manager, and not long after, to Regional Manager. He has been with Horticentre for thirty-three years, though in recent years, he has reduced his hours to spend more time with Yannick, their children and grandchildren.

The Growth of Horticentre:

Since joining the Drury branch, Wally has witnessed Horticentre’s remarkable growth, expanding from just two stores in Drury and Massey to twelve stores nationwide. Each store has its own unique focus, with specialised experts catering to the specific horticultural needs of their region. The Drury branch mainly supported greenhouse flower and vegetable production. Wally explained that one of the biggest advantages of Horticentre is the expertise of specialists across the country, both for indoor and outdoor crops. This broad knowledge base and the sharing of information internally have been invaluable in helping all branches tailor advice to suit their customers’ needs. Wally humbly describes himself as an expert in nothing, but when it comes to advising growers, he sees himself as a “jack of all trades.” However, as a grower, I can confidently say that Wally’s advice has always been spot on, particularly when it comes to pest and fungus control.

During his time at the Drury branch, Wally has overseen substantial growth, with turnover increasing by up to 1000% over the past thirty years. The growth in both large and small vegetable growers in South Auckland has certainly contributed, along with exceptional service and competitive pricing.

Industry Changes:

One notable shift in the industry during Wally’s tenure has been the significant decline in cut flower growers. At the peak, over forty pallets of products were sold to flower growers each month; this has now dropped to an average of just five. Wally attributes this to strong overseas competition, particularly cheap imports, and tight margins that have forced many flower growers to diversify or sell and move on.

Memories:

Wally has often said that he “loved his job” so much that he would delay taking holidays. He was well-known for coming into the store on Saturdays to tidy up, ensuring everything was ready for when growers arrived on Monday. If something was needed over the weekend, a quick call to Wally would ensure he was there. He genuinely enjoyed interacting with growers and got a real thrill from helping them secure a “great deal.”

He also has fond memories of fishing trips with many customers and colleagues.  There is certainly a story or two amongst those fishing trips!

Wally has worked alongside some fantastic colleagues, many of whom he’s known for over twenty years, and he’ll miss them when he moves on.

Wally’s reputation extends far beyond Auckland. He has helped growers across New Zealand source greenhouse supplies, and if you’ve ever had a tomato bobbin re-wound at Horticentre, chances are Wally was behind it. Over the past thirty-three years, Wally has overseen a massive volume of imports, including fertilizers, chemicals, substrates, irrigation equipment, and all the other essentials that growers rely on, whether they’re growing flowers or vegetables.

Wally has been a crucial part of the protected cropping industry—truly a top bloke who will be missed. He’s promised to take more holidays with his wife, but he plans to visit growers for the occasional coffee, so be on the lookout for a knock on your greenhouse door, and if you’re fishing and see Wally, you can bet there’s a big snapper on board!

Nice Snapper and a great hat!