Rotary Aristocracy

Rotarian Aristocracy

Bröckedde is located in the heart of Germany - where the Rhine and Danube flow into the beautiful Bröckeddesee. This is where RC Bröckedde meets in the Bröckedder Hof - every Wednesday at 1 pm in the Salon Hindenburg.

Alexander Hoffmann                                                                                                    01.05.2022

Recently, genealogy has become ever more popular amongst the members of RC Bröckedde, particularly as the internet makes research so much easier. The whole topic of family trees has also become quite competitive, with Count von Wolkenklau-Oderbruch enjoying both huge advantage and prestige by being able to trace his lineage back to the crusades.

That rather irritated the Club’s intellectual and committed republican, Professor Dr Krümelein. He had recently given a talk on the fourth crusade, whose nadir in 1204 was the sacking of Constantinople by the so-called Christian knights. The good Count claimed historical proof that his ancestor at the time had suffered something like burnout syndrome and remained at home in Bröckedde’s castle becoming a great patron of medieval German love poetry now famous as “Minnesang”. However, the remainder of the Club seemed rather sceptical.

Taking the sting out of the atmosphere as ever, President Pröpke suggested a different tack, “Let’s concentrate on Rotarian aristocracy; who amongst us can look back on a family tradition of Rotary membership?”

Several members were second generation Rotarians but Club Treasurer Knödler’s father and grandfather had been members of RC Bröckedde, “On my tenth birthday, I remember my grandfather making me promise that one day I would also take over as treasurer. I don’t think any other club could claim a similar pedigree!”

That sparked further interest amongst the family tree fans, to the extent the Professor formed a historical commission to research the Club’s history. In fact, compared to the earliest German speaking clubs such as RC Vienna 1925 or RC Hamburg 1927, RC Bröckedde was really quite ”nouveau”. The Professor seemed disappointed until President Pröpke made an aside “Well one year in RC Bröckedde should count as five years in a normal club and I should know.”

Professor Dr Krümelein went off feeling rather happier and drafted the foreword to the Club’s next chronicle; “Ideally, RC Bröckedde could be regarded as the oldest Rotary Club in Germany if not the whole of Europe”.

“Isn’t that rather audacious?” asked President Pröpke.

“Not a bit” replied the Professor, “it’s an enhanced historical view – remember those long lost Chicago minutes from February 1905!”