The 50 year old Jopie Nijenhuis and the 13 year old  Hanjo de Groot felt each other well and it looks like a father and son combination, because the results in the association and region could be called super. In those days they flew very hard with pigeons from Jan Pot Utrecht  also on pigeon shows we made good results.

Jopie was a honest and temperate man with a good view on the pigeon sport and he learned the youthful Hanjo the small tricks of the pigeon sport. And he enjoyed it to share his knowledge about the pigeons with the youthful Hanjo and Hanjo was a quick and good student. Hanjo had an great feeling for good pigeons and the care of the pigeons and some times he corrected his master with words and facts. With 16 widowers and 25 youngsters they competed against Pier Venema, which was hard to beat in those days.

In 1982 the "Rooie Appie’s" were added to the breed through Bennie de Vries and again the train  Nijenhuis-de Groot was launched. With the great standard-bearer the "Vale Homo" 84-616137; an crossing between the Jan Pot breed and the sort of the "Rooie Appie’s" from Freek Romijn from Twello; this cock won in 4 weeks time 3 first prices in the association and the region and in the department Friesland he won the 1st St. Ghislain Hornu against 15.558 pigeons, 1st St. Ghislain Hornu against 14.164 pigeons and the 5th against 17.016 pigeons. Also his brothers won many first prices in the association and the region. The "Vale Homo" was sold for a lot of money to Jan Hermans (de duif) and was transferred to Taiwan.

Below you see (f.l.t.r) the father, the mother, his aunt and the brother of the "Vale Homo"; each one top pigeons.

77-123699 father of the homo flew himself 3 first prices and was ace pigeon middle distance of the region de kuststrook		the mother of the homo. Great breeding hen. Mother of many first price winners. 100% Freek Romijn Rooie Appie sort		79-166555 aunt of the homo was ace pigeon youngsters in 1979		84-616104 brother of the homo best  ace pigeon speed in 1985 in the association.

Below you see yet 3 pigeons which we were very successful with.

77-123669 The "Vale Super Kweker". He is for example the father of the 84-129 and the 84-130.		84-616129 Son of the  "Vale Super Kweker" Won 3x the 1st in the association.		84-616130 Son of the  "Vale Super Kweker" Won 3x the 1st in the association.

In 1988 the combination came to its end, because Hanjo went out of the house of his parents. The pigeon sport didn't have all of his attention because his attention went to his other hobby football. Hanjo was a right winger and many defender has gone crazy by him. In those days Workum played second division KNVB and had to play against HHC Hardenberg, WHC Wezep, Harkemase Boys, O.N.S Sneek, now a days these clubs play in the first division.

But in 1994 the fever came back and the pigeon sport was again serious business. He bought an round of late youngsters of the greatest champion of Workum ever; Pier Venema. Pigeons with a great Janssen pedigree were bought at J.C. de Zwart and Tiny van Herpen. He also bought an round of late youngsters from Klaas Wijnsma, Leeuwarden. He was sometime Best fancier of the Netherlands (WHZB), among them 2 youngsters of "Vale Arie" 93-1720409, 1st  NPO Troyes, which later for a lot of money was sold to Pieter Veenstra and renamed to: "Red Pearl".

That this was a good choice, proved in 1995 when he started with the youngsters in the association with the 1st loft, 1st signed and 1st ace pigeon and he also won a bicycle on a special flight. This all with the crossings between the Venema and Wijnsma pigeons.

In 1996 an detached house was bought at the Brouwersdijk with a large garden and after that all the pigeons were also moved and you have to watch out for this fanciers. Because the moved pigeons lost a lot of time because they first went to the old address and then went to the brouwersdijk, but with the youngsters it was a different story and he played super with as most beautiful result the 1st Maaseik in the department Friesland '96 against 26.046 pigeons.

In 1996 he bought also an round of youngsters from the combination Van der Veen – De Jong Tjerkwerd, they were unbeatable  in the association and the regionwith their super pigeons from Ad Schaerlaeckens. They also were several times on the podium of the whole department.

Now the interest for Ad Schaerlaeckens was born, the man with his sharp pen and his honest judgment about the pigeon sport.

In 2001 we made the great step and we got 20 eggs from Baarle Nassau. Despite there were 4 eggs not good and Ad would not be Ad to tell us to get some new eggs next year. Also these eggs were picked up at Ad Schaerlaeckens with a lot of pleasure. Hanjo got a large burn out and had to take it easy and that is way he decided to ask Douwe de Jong if he wanted to take place in the combination. They both decided not to play for the general championship, so the last few years we didn't play on the long distance flights. But the combination enjoys the speed, middle distance and the youngsters flights, and on that flights they are the ones to beat.

In 2010 we got again some eggs from Ad Schaerlaeckens just to take their colony to a higher level.

Roger de Vrij - Ad Schaerlaeckens - Hanjo de Groot  (f.l.t.r)		Hanjo approves the 09-6345111"De Gueret"; 10th National of whole Belgium against 14.400 pigeons at the kitchen table at the brothers Maegh from Rykevorsel. Also the eggs of this great pigeon went tot Workum.

Will we achieve that, the time will tell; but it stays a beautiful hobby.