Rudolf Boelee The life of
Onno Boelee 1945 – 2013
Rudolf Boelee
The Life of
Onno Boelee 1945 – 2013 Photography: Robyne Voyce & Rudolf Boelee
Design: Rudolf Boelee
Publisher: Crown Lynn New Zealand Limited
© Rudolf Boelee 2014
1944 - 1945
The Boelee family likes to thank the Worthington family for their care of Onno during the final stages of his life.
The Dutch “Hunger Winter� was a famine that occurred during the winter of 1944 45 at the end of the Second World War in the German controlled parts of the Netherlands. Widespread starvation was seen especially in the cities of the western Netherlands. The German blockade was caused by the reluctance of the Dutch to help the Nazis win the war; this resulted in the starvation of the urban population. The Dutch had to survive with 30% calorie intake at the worst situation People ate whatever they could find, such as grass and tulip bulbs, and did whatever they could find in order to stay alive. Children often looked through trashcans to search for food. With the gas, electricity, and heat supply turned off, the Dutch suffered from the cold weather and hunger. By May of 1945, more than 20,000 people starved to death by the time the food supply was restored. Approximately 4.5 million were affected by the famine but eventually survived through the tough period with little food supply and warmth.
Onno was born during that dreadful time on the 30th of January 1945, the third child of Anneke and Bram Boelee. I was the eldest born 1940 and our brother Jelle was born in 1943 at the Navanderstraat 10, Blijdorp in Rotterdam.
1945
The rest of the 1940’s and early 1950’s appeared to have been relatively normal. Our father Bram worked as an electrical engineer for the GEB, Rotterdam (municipal power supply authority). Our mum Anneke cared for the three of us and in 1952 for four with the birth of our sister Anita. The Navanderstraat apartment became too small for three growing boys in one small bedroom. In 1955 we moved to a much larger apartment in the Doezastraat 12b, Blijdorp, were we had a bedroom each.
Onno was quite small as a boy. I spend some time in the merchant navy and when I came back from my first trip to South America in 1959, Onno had turned into this immensely strong ‘Michelin Man’.
I immigrated to
New Zealand in early 1963 and Onno followed a year later as an eighteen year old. He spoke virtually no English, but made his way as a carpenter building bridges for the new motorways in central Auckland and working as a doorman at various night clubs. Photo: Onno and our grandfather Jan Boelee, a legendary figure in the Rotterdam dockside world.
Onno played rugby as a prop for Grafton Rugby Club but decided after a couple of years that an individual sport like judo was for more him. He was New Zealand heavy weight champion in 1967-68-69-72-73. 1972 open weight champion. 1966 Oceania H/W bronze and 1973 Oceania H/W gold
Onno took up skydiving during the seventies and a sight to behold as one the largest men to take up the sport in New Zealand. He was a member of the New Zealand Federation of Prachute Clubs.
Rudolf Boelee painting
Portrait of Onno Boelee AKA Otto Mannheim 1976. This work hung for many years in Shantytown, a night club in Queen Street, Auckland, where Onno was the bouncer.
ONNO BOELEE - Height 6'1 - Weight 125 kgs
Onno Boelee Onno Boelee is a New Zealand actor, stuntman and retired professional wrestler of Dutch decent. Although never winning a championship title, he was a popular star in Steve Rickard's All Star-Pro Wrestling, frequently appearing on Rickard's wrestling programme “On the Mat”, and later in Japan for Giant Baba and All-Japan Pro Wrestling during the early to mid1970s. A Dutch New Zealander, Onno Boelee grew up in Auckland and later became a bouncer for the well-known Shantytown night club in Queen Street. His older brother Rudolf, who emigrated from the Netherlands in 1963, painted a portrait of Onno which was displayed at Shantytown for many years. When the occasional patron became upset with his brother, according to Rudolf, they would throw their drink at the painting rather than at him. Onno began training at a gym in Mount Roskill for a career in professional wrestling. He made his debut in 1970 working for Ernie Pinchers and South Pacific Wrestling. A year later, he joined Steve Rickard's All Star-Pro Wrestling and toured the country for the next five years. In one of his most memorable matches, he and partners Frank Lipanovich and Bronco Barnes took on the 490 pound André the Giant and "Kiwi" Johnny Frazer in a three-on-two handicap match at the sold-out Auckland YMCA in 1972; this was André the Giant's official debut in New Zealand. Boelee was also invited to Japan where he appeared for Giant Baba and All-Japan Pro Wrestling from September–November 1974. In 1975, Onno was among the many native New Zealanders to appear on Rickard's wrestling programme On the Mat. During its first two years, he was one of the show's first stars with bouts against some of the top names in New Zealand including "Wild" Don Scott, Jock Ruddock, Merve Fortune, Del Adams, Robert Bruce, King Curtis Iaukea, Teddy Williams, Butch Miller, Bruno Bekkar, Johnny Garcia, Al Hobman and John da Silva, and international stars Big Bad John, Abdullah the Butcher, Bulldog Brower, Mark Lewin, Waldo Von Erich, and The Sheik.
I saw how strong he was one night at the Y.M.C.A. in Auckland. The place was packed out and overflowing. A guy broke in under where the dressing rooms were. Onno picked him up by the seat of his trousers and tossed him out the back door and made sure no one else broke in. Dave Cameron
He was well known as a bouncer around the night club scene. He was bouncer at Shantytown in Queen Street back in the 70s and Alfie’s in the 80’s. Onno and Robert Bruce were both bouncers , Onno used to sit in a barber’s chair smoking his pipe.
In 1975, Onno was among a number of New Zealand wrestlers to appear on Rickard's wrestling programme “On the Mat�. During its first two years, he was one of the show's first stars with bouts against some of the top names in New Zealand including "Wild" Don Scott, Jock Ruddock, Merve Fortune, Del Adams, Robert Bruce, King Curtis Iaukea, Teddy Williams, Butch Miller, Bruno Bekkar, Johnny Garcia, Al Hobman and John da Silva, and international stars Big Bad John, King Curtis, Abdullah the Butcher, Bulldog Brower, Mark Lewin, Waldo Von Erich, and The Sheik.
His booming voice and roaring laughter‌
Following his retirement from the wrestling business, Onno tried his hand at acting. He found some success in local independent films with roles in Prisoners (1981), Other Halves (1984) and Second Time Lucky (1984). His brief foray into the Hong Kong action cinema genre, however, saw a rise in his career with supporting roles in Mad Mission 4: You Never Die Twice and Legacy of Rage (1986). He also starred in director Garth Maxwell's 1988 independent film Beyond Gravity before taking a break from acting for the next several years.
Onno eventually started a successful private security company which became involved in stunt performance, armory and acting in the New Zealand film and television industry. In 1994, after a six-year absence, Boelee appeared as Gargan the Giant in the television movie Hercules and the Lost Kingdom. He also had a minor role in the 2000 independent short film Sci-Fi Betty, guest starred on the children's TV series Power Rangers Dino Thunder in 2004, and on both Maddigan's Quest and Street Legal in 2006. In recent years, his security company has participated in the productions of Crooked Earth and Orange Roughies.
Stills from Mad Mission 4 & Legacy of Rage
Onno eventually started a successful private security company which became involved in stunt performance, armory and acting.
1981
Prisoners
Squeeze
1984
Other Halves
1984
Second Time Lucky Ripperus
1986
Mad Mission 4: You Never Die Twice
Patient
Hornsby 1986
Legacy of Rage Prisoner
1988
Beyond Gravity Truck driver
2000
Sci-Fi Betty The Bouncer
Short film
Television
1994
Hercules and the Lost Kingdom Gargan the Giant
2004
Television movie
Power Rangers Dino Thunder guard
Security
Episode: "Thunder Storm, Part 1 &
2" 2006
Maddigan's Quest
Mean Milton Man
Episode: "Road Rats" 2006
Street Legal Put
Asunder�
Boris
Episode: "No Man
Onno’s 50
th
4 STEPS TO HEAVEN 1995
Friends
Myeloma Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for producing antibodies. In multiple myeloma, collections of abnormal plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow, where they interfere with the production of normal blood cells. Most cases of myeloma also feature the production of a paraprotein—an abnormal antibody
which
can
cause
kidney
problems.
Bone
lesions
and
hypocalcaemia (high blood calcium levels) are also often encountered. Myeloma develops in 1–4 per 100,000 people per year. It is more common in men. With conventional treatment, median survival is 3–4 years, which may be extended to 5–7 years or longer with advanced treatments. Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy in the U.S. (after non-Hodgkin lymphoma), and constitutes 1% of all cancers.
About twenty people turned up for Onnos wake at Tanuki's Cave last Monday at short notice . The best story was about Onno and Matsuura from Doshisha Uni on the 1st nights practice. Onno had never met such a small very skillful Japanese judoka before. Onno's feet had never faced the ceiling so many times before. Seinage, tomoenage, seionage, tomenage etc. Onno came off muttering shit! I hate little Japanese.
As Onno had donated his body to the medical center a funeral director was not involved and thus no death certificate had been issued. This in turn prevented Judokai and Auckland Uni judo clubs from putting a notice in the N.Z. Herald regarding the wake. No death
certificate
Monday
we
no
rang
public the
notice.
Births,
That
Deaths
government department and they had no information Auckland
but
suggested
medical
center
we
ring
the
which
we
did,
which gave us the following message; We will reopen on the 16th January 2014. Sorry Onno old mate but we did our best. Anyone wishing to contact Onno by phone please ring 027-490-6284 and you can still hear his cheery Dutch accent voice message asking you to leave a message‌
Sayonara Sayonara Sayonara.
Friday’s at the Middle East
Onno Boelee Profile I started wrestling for South Pacific Wrestling in 1970. I did my training at a very good gym in Mt Roskill, Auckland, New Zealand. The promoters I worked for were Earnie Pinchers, Steve Rickardand Giant Baba. I toured New Zealand extensively from 1971 through to 1976 for Steve Rickard. I have toured internationally only to Japan in September, October and November 1974. Opponents The local and international wrestlers I fought were: Frank Lipnovich, Wild Don Scott, Bronco Barnes, Robert Bruce, King Curtis, Mark Lewin, Teddy Williams, Butch Miller, Bruno Becker, The Sheik, Jock Ruddock, Johnny Garcia, Big Bad John, Abdullah the Butcher, Al Hobman, Bulldog Brower, Waldo Von Erich, Merve Fortune, Del Adams and Andre the Giant. My toughest opponent was John da Silva. I now work in the TV and Film industry with my security company in stunts, armoury and acting.
Onno died on Wednesday the 18th Dec 2013 after a long battle with leukemia.
A Wake for Onno was held at Santhya’s, Dominion Road on the 23
rd
of
January with his closest friends in attendance
Onno, funny, loved Drambuie, was kind to waitresses (we needed kindness) had a dry wit and was brave and crazy (he jumped out of airplanes for God’s sake) loyal and honest. My friend, Good Journey!!! Sher Gillard, Brisbane