THE OLD BOYS NETWORK

The Old Boys’ Network

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                                                                                                    01.09.2022

Whilst sitting on the sofa at home one evening, one of the younger Bröckedde Rotarians, Friend Wurmnickel, remarked to his wife contentedly “I’ve been a member of RC Bröckedde for ten years now and really feel I belong there at last.”

Indeed, at the next meeting the oldest member and Honorary President, Friend Papke clapped him around the shoulders and asked whether he had settled into the Club. “I’ve been a member for 10 years”, replied Wurmnickel, “and I’ve just turned 40”. Papke waved the comment away breezily saying, “Ten years! That’s only the beginning – almost like a blink of an eye for us”.

The “us” Papke was referring to was the OBN, the Old Boys’ Network, the Club’s powerful “eminence grise” or shadow cabinet. The Old Boys were great traditionalists and any threat of change was met with an almost allergic reaction after which their well-honed professional skills were put to kicking the initiative into the very thickest of long grass.

Treasurer Knödler, guardian of the Club’s funds, and Club Secretary Sauerpfote, scribe of the weekly report, were the mainstays of the OBN. Both had held their positions for 30 years unchallenged, mainly because the rest of the Club was delighted not to have to do the work. “Frankly”, Treasurer Knödler had been heard to say, “I don’t mind who is President under me”.

It was into this rather hostile environment that Friend Wurmnickel presented a paper entitled “New Start”, a tightly argued and passionate thesis on RC Bröckedde’s future. In it Wurmnickel recommended new forms of meetings, a higher profile on all forms of social media, improved PR and much more action to address issues in the town and region.

Rather to Wurmnickel’s surprise, Treasurer Knödler greeted him enthusiastically at the next meeting. “What an excellent paper”, he declared, “we’ll have to consider your points very carefully. It’s complex, so we should form a policy committee which can really go back to basics”.

“And then?”, asked Wurmnickel.

“Well, the committee would then produce an interim report, which I reckon would be ready by 2040” replied the wily old Treasurer.

At home a disappointed Wurmnickel complained to his wife that the Old Boys were about to bring his “New Start” to a bitter end. However, he was not about to give up quite so easily. In the following days, and requesting absolute confidentiality, he called all his fellow younger Rotarians with a view to forming a YBN – the Young Boys Network – in order to take the Old Boys on at their own game. As Wurmnickel had expected when putting the “in confidence” seal on the plot, the whole Club knew all about it within 24 hours. However, it did seem to have the Old Boys rattled and they felt they had to calm things down.

Club Secretary Sauerpfote invited Wurmnickel to his ninth grandchild’s christening and Treasurer Knödler asked him to join a rather exclusive golf tournament. As they approached the 10^th green, Knödler remarked to his partner Wurmnickel, “You know, I think young and old should work together for the good of the Club, so I’m sure we can get that interim report on your paper finished much earlier; what about by 2035?”