The rainbow never sets

days after the event. I was very pleased that I could attend. On that occasion I was asked to make a speech, which had to be somewhat more elaborate than our earlier efforts in Sapowice. I said:

"We can't just ignore a 60th birthday, as you, dear Vater, would probably prefer. You have added another decade to your age, which in your case perhaps counts twice as much, and it is worth while to stop for a moment and reminisce a little. We are grateful to you, Tante Liesel and Onkel Box, to enable us to meet here in this circle, to duly celebrate this day, even though not strictly on the day. But who wants to be so accurate anyhow?

Ten years ago, when you, dear Vater, celebrated your 50th birthday in 1944, Germany was in a mess. Nearly a whole year of war was still before us, and no one could have imagined its outcome. Almost a year later you had to leave your life's work behind, Sapowice, on which you spent all your strength and energy, the place of your childhood memories, the joys and fruit of your labour. A whole new life began for you in Emersleben.

There you learnt life, work and particularly people from a different side. There you proved that you could not only manage a farm in an exemplary way, by working untiringly from early morning, waking the bulls, until late at night filling in forms in the office, but also be a human being to your colleagues, a friend and helper for all occasions, an example, a prop to everyone in those chaotic days. Proofs of this still come by mail daily, letters from the East Zone addressed to you with thanks for what you have been to people there.

But you couldn't remain there, to harvest the fruit of your labour. You had to leave Emersleben. For the second time, fleeing, this time leaving almost all your material things behind, you found here in Braunschweig shelter and to find yourself again. No sooner had you recovered, dear Vater, than a new restlessness seemed to plague you again, and you took on, with enormous energy, any opportunity which looked like work for you.

You might say, you were able to find work only because of good friends. Sure, but how do you make friends in the first place? In Soltau you worked hard at some new job, even though it was only for a short time, but you achieved much. Then you came to Lübeck, the proud Hansestadt on the Trave. There you worked truly hard under difficult circumstances. It was again a change workwise and sociological, and you worked as if you owned the firm.

I looked for a quote in Goethe's 'Faust' which might describe you (as you know, there are so many passages that can be quoted in 'Faust' that some cynics said it was no great achievement to write it; all Goethe had to do was putting together quotes!). I have found a good one for you, which suits you admirably:

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