-attitudinalhewasveryinfluencedbyhisexperiencesduringthewar.Hewasamongothersconcernedtopreventwar,bothduringtheVietnamWarandtheIraqWar,whenheraisedmoneyforthevictims,saysfreelancejournalistIngeborgJensen.
ShehasmadedocumentariesandwrittenaboutthebombingofHolenschoolatLaksevåg4October1944.HelgeEideKnudsen,whopassedawayWednesday82yearsold,wasoneoftheprotagonistsinthefilm.Hewasalsoworkingtoestablishmemoryassociationforthesurvivors.
Dugoutalive
Eleven-year-oldEideKnudsenwasdugaliveoutoftheruinsoftheschool,buttenofhisclassmatesand51otherstudentswerekilledinthebombattack.Atotalof193Norwegianskilledinthealliedbombing,whichwasaimedattheGermansubmarinebunkerinBergen.
-Hewasopenthathewasstrugglingwiththeaftereffects.Itbecameworseashegrewolder,hesaid.”HereIsitandrichandpowerful,butIcannotsleepwiththelightoff,anddonotliketakingtheelevator,”hesaysJensen.
EideKnudsenwasinfactlaterbestknownasSparkjoep-gründerandoneofBergen’srichestmen.In2014hisfortunewasestimatedat7.2billion,whichenabledhimtoNorway’s18thrichest.
Staffgrief
TheemployeesofSparBuyischaracterizedbythedeath.
-Itiswithgreatsadnessthatwereceivednewsofhisdemise.Wetakethisveryheavily,saysHaraldNoss,marketingmanageratSparBuyAS.
-Wearethinkingespeciallyofthefamilyinthisdifficultmoment,hecontinued.
SaveKing
HeisBergensecondrichestman.BillionaireHelgeEideKnudsen(78)isnotlikeotherbillionaires. Nosssaysthattheemployeeshavegonequietinthedoorstodayandcomfortedeachother.
-Hewasanoutstandingmanager,areflectiveandsociallyengagedandverywellread.Wewillmisshim,saidaclearlymarkedNøss.
AlongwithhiswifeReidunstartedBergenmerchantupforthemselvesathomeinthebasementofHjellestad.Fromtheretheknittingyarnsoldviamailorder.Somethingstorefronttheydidnot.ThereforetheyhadtoadvertiseinlocalnewspapersandtravelaroundtheSkodaenherandadvertisegoods.GraduallytheconsignmentsofgoodstoScandinaviaandEideKnudsenbecamethemajormailorderking.
ThiswastheprecursortoSparkjoep,whichwasestablishedin1962.
OnthebasisofthegoodearningsinSparkjoepbeganEideKnudsenbuyinginterestsinshipsthroughtheholdingcompanyWestCoastInvest.Therewasalsoalucrativeshop.
Still,herefusedtocallhimselfshipowner.
-No,I’mnotwiththeshipownersassociation.NobodyfromLaksevågarealternates.Outthere,IgrewupamongCommunistsandLaborpeopleandithasshapedme,hetoldBTin2009.
Hedescribedhimselfinsteadasaradical.
-TrondMohnisaradicalthatIcherish,butI’mevenmoreradical,saidEideKnudsen.
IngebjørgJensenconfirmsthatHelgeEideKnudsenwasnotthetypical,Bergencapitalist.
-Hewasdefinitelynotpartoftheestablishedbourgeoisie,butamerchant’ssonfromLaksevåg,shesays.
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