In the beginning, he worked in the Czech and Slovak Republics. The ex-Yugoslavian countries were added later: Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo – and finally Albania. In the end, there were nine countries from the former Eastern bloc. A huge area that required extensive travelling, as well as knowledge of the different cultures, customs and traditions of the many different nationalities.
A situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina showed that he had a good feeling about this. Together with Sales Director Wolfgang Haschke, he travelled in a hire car from Sarajevo airport to the commissioning ceremony at the Lukavaz cement plant. The road there was very winding, narrow and confusing. Suddenly, some horses that were being used to haul timber crossed the road. More horses remained on a hill on the other side of the road. As Heinz Bruns had grown up in the countryside, he knew that the horses still standing would certainly follow the others as herd animals. He stopped the hire car as a precaution.
A domestic car was approaching on the oncoming lane but was unable to recognise the situation due to the unfavourable terrain. He grazed one of the horses that had actually followed the ones in front. The horse that was hit rolled over and came to rest right next to the hire car. To avoid risking any further injuries, Heinz Bruns slowly manoeuvred the car out of the danger zone. The horse was then able to stand up again on its own and followed its mates into the forest, lame. The person who caused the accident, a young man, informed the police. The two Haver men also waited for them to arrive. To their surprise, one of the arriving police officers spoke German. He’d lived in Hamm for several years. What a coincidence!
While the witness reports were being taken, Heinz Bruns informed the Technical Director of the cement works about the delay. The celebration only began when the two had arrived safely at the plant – a very appreciative gesture.
In the evening after the party, Wolfgang Haschke and Heinz Bruns drew up a report and sketches for the car hire company. He only briefly acknowledged the great work at the handover with the sentence “Why? You’re insured anyway.”
