Hello everybody,
Your website is very interesting, congratulations !
I wonder if someone remembers Theodorus Johannes Cornelius Buys and “Hotel Buys” in Palembang. He is fourth from the left on the picture, with a light suit. Thank you in advance and looking forward hearing from you.
Michaël S. Buys
Gearchiveerd onder: Indisch in Beeld
Dear Sir,
Summer 2011 I and my wife together with our family of 11, have stayed at this Hotel for five days and have enjoyed the nice pool and the big bedroom in the front at the first floor for € 65,–/night. Hotel Buis is now called Hotel Swarnadwipa. This hotel has changed hands over the years that my family lived in Palembang untill July 1960. Michael, the son of the German owner in 1956(?), was our classmate and also visited our Beatrix School at the Jalan Merdeka 25. The hotel later on changed into the hands of a Dutchman, Mr.Quist 1957(?) and the name also changed into Hotel Stanvac. The dates here might not completely be accurate.
I am not so sure, but I remember that the name of the Hotel at one poit was “Sriwijaya Hotel”.
The hotel today,does not look the same as it used to. It has been extended. The sirap(?) roof is not there anymore.
There are plans now to build a very modern big and tall hotel on the left side beside this building (when you are facing the hotel). A daughter hotel has been set up in Lahat.
The Grote Vijver has been improved for the better, with a nice enlighted fountain and a boulevard around it, where the young people hang around.
Hotel Smith is gone (burned down) and has been replaced by aTax adm. office.
There is a lot more to tell about the area, called Talang Semut (field of ants). It would be good to visit the hotel, while it is still there.
As schoolkids, age 11 (5th.Grade), we had a rehearsal of the “Doorn Roosje” play, in your Father’s hotel. The wife of the consulate was there as well (Mrs. Vleer) and some of our teachers of the Beatrix School.
If you would be interested in the war story of Palembang, Plaju and Sg. Gerong and environment, then I would like to recommand the book: “The Battle for Palembang” by Terrence Kelly (Englishman from the RAF). I think that I should stop here, since I might end up telling you the story about my search for the traces of this war.
By the way our family had lived at the Trompweg 6 (Jl. Hangsuro 6), beside the old swimming pool and the tennsicourt.
I hope that you will be able to return and visit Palembang, a non-touristic city (still).
Sincerely yours Rein and Kathy Carlier
Dear Rein and Kathy,
Thank you so much for your interesting message. During the war, my father was sent to a prisoner camp in Tjandoer and later returned to the Netherlands in The Hague, married and I was born in 1955. We moved to Switzerland in 1956 where my father died in 1981. I have never been in Indonesia. I found the website of Hotel Swarnadwipa and on one picture, part of the original hotel seems recognizable. At that time Hotel Buys was located at Vijverlaan. If you or your relatives knows more about my father or any related story, I would be very happy to hear about it. My e-mail is michael.buys@bluewin.ch. Once more thank you.
Michaël Buys
Hi Mike,
Nice to read Rein’s reflections on your appeal. He is a close friend and former schoolmate in Palembang. I have lived there for almost seven years until 1958. Obviously we all have a bound with Palembang.
I hope that Rein could inform you about Palembang in those days.
His late father (a great hunter and very authentic person) was also one of the very early pioneers of the Giestingcommunity. Established due to create a homeland for born Dutch Indies after the handover. A political disaster. Anyhow he is the person who could tell you the related stories anyhow.
take care
Wouter
Dear Michael,
Thanks for your pictures of “tempo dulu” (old times). Seems to me these were taken in the twenties or thirties of last century, “before the war” as old timers like me would say.
I am afraid there will be few people alive who would remember your father or other persons on the first photo. So, I cann’t help you there.
However, there is more …….
My aunt Leonie de la Croix (tante Dick) was married to a Willem Anne Buijs (also written as Buys), my Oom Wim.
Oom Wim was born in Likoepang (now written Likupang), province Menado, on the island of Celebes, now called Sulawesi, on 9 February 1898. He died November 1968 in The Hague, Holland.
His father Cornelis Bernardus Buijs was of Freesian stock, born 19 February 1849 in a village called Ballum, on the (Wadden)island Ameland. His mother was Neeltje Melkior, a native woman of Likoepang, date of birth unknown (which was common for Indonesians at the time).
Oom Wim’s grandfather was Jelle Buijs, born 17 May 1810 in Leeuwarden and his grandmother was Antonia Gerharda Johanna Matthijssen, born 31 March 1810, also in Leeuwarden (the capital city of Friesland). The couple had 6 children, 1 daughter and 5 sons. Oom Wim’s father Cornelis Bernardus was the number 5 kid.
Oom Wim’s widow (my “tante Dick”), died 10 years later, leaving me i.a. a zinc box full of old documents, testaments, a “geslachtslijst” dating back to 1753, pictures, diplomas, schoolreports, flying license (1923) and navy pilot’s wings and other memorabilia.
Do the names and data I that I mentioned ring a bell? I would gladly hand over “Oom Wim’s box” with contents to any RELATED Buijs or Buys who would be genuinly interested.
Best regards,
Pierre de la Croix
The hotel was called before “Schwartz” and was it also located at the Raadhuisweg?
Was Theodorus born in Curaçao? He never worked in the flowersale ?
Dear Wouter, Pierre de la Croix and Boeroeng, thank you for you replies. My father Theodorus Johannes Cornelius Buijs (Buys) was born on 7 August 1894 at Willemstad, Curaçao.
My grandfather was Theodorus Johannes Cornelius Buijs (Buys) born at Callantsoog son of Marius Buijs (Buys) and Bartha Jacoba Antonia van Ewijk and my grandmother was Susanna Johanna Wilhelmina Verwoerd born at Brielle, daughter of Cornelis Johannes Verwoerd and Lijntje Welman.
My father had a brother Marius (Ass.Resident, later Chemist) and a sister Bertha at The Hague.
On the pictures of Hotel Buys is written Vijverlaan, Palembang. Indeed my father told me that he worked in flower or plant business at the early stage of his life.
Many thanks to all of you and hope to hear from you.
Michaël Buys
Hello Boeroeng,
In your message of 16 December you asked if my father was born in Curaçao and if he has worked in flowersale. As I mentioned in my reply of 17 December, indeed he was born in Curaçao and had worked in some flower or plant business.Do you have some information ? Looking forward to hear from you.
Best regards, Michaël Buys
Hello Boeroeng,
In your message of 16 December, you asked if my father was born in Curaçao and if he worked in the flower sale. In my reply of 17 December, I mentioned that indeed he was born in Curaçao and he has worked in flower or plant business. Do you have any more information ? Looking forward to hear from you.
Best regards,
Michaël Buys
Michaël,
I found some information at this sites:
http://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-boerstra/I3599.php
http://www.genlias.nl/nl/searchDetail.jsp?val=0&xtr=22867380&vgr=2
And I read there was a flowershop Th. Buys before the war in Palembang in a telephonebook:
Search ‘telefoongids Palembang’ at google
Dear Michael,
So it appears there is no connection between your family and my Oom Wim (by marriage) Buijs. That doesn’t prove there is none. I never went through all the papers in the box, many of which nineteenth century stuff, handwritten and hardly legible. I might set myself to work some rainy day.
My Oom Wim started his career as a navy pilot (got his naval training at Willemsoord, Den Helder). Back in the Netherlands Indies he joined the police (he served before the war i.a. with the “Veldpolitie”). Last job before he returned for good to NL in the early fifties of last century was Deputy Commissioner (Adjunct Hoofdcommissaris) of Batavia (later Jakarta). His police badge (politiepenning), cap and shoulderemblems are among the treasures in the box.
If your father never mentioned this police Buijs as being (remotely) related, I am afraid we should rest the case for the moment.
Of course, you are welcome to contact me whenever something new comes up. Webmaster Boeroeng of I4E is hereby authorized to reveal my email address to you, should you be in need of closer contact.
Vaya con Dios, best regards,
Pierre de la X
Maybe it’s interesting for you to look at my site for old pictures.
I have many old pictures from the time he was there in Palembang and other places.
Dear Steveline,
Thank you very much for your message. I had a first look at your site and I found a picture od my father’s hotel ! That’s incredible. I will study carefully your site, as it is very interesting. I hope we will stay in touch. Best regard, Michaël Buys
Dear Michael,
Thanks for visiting my site http://www.palmboom-divisie.nl . I saw your messages on this site and already thought you would recognize some pictures. When you would like to have some scans ,without watermark, of the pictures, you let me know.
Offcourse we stay in touch, you know where to find me.
Kind regards,
Steveline