50th anniversary

St. John’s anniversary: Laughter for a good cause

Reinhard Nowak and Nina Hartmann clearly had a good time at the charity event.(Bild: Starpix / A. Tuma)

The Johanniter aid organization celebrated its 50th birthday on All Saints' Day. Stars from the local cabaret scene paid their respects in Vienna's Stadtsaal.

Humanitarian aid, disaster control and rescue services - for 50 years, it has been impossible to imagine Austria without the Johanniter. Reason enough to celebrate the anniversary and do good at the same time. On 1 November, the who's who of the Austrian humor scene gathered in Vienna's Stadtsaal to raise money for this important organization. "They live from donations and voluntary work. I'm happy to help," said cabaret artist Reinhard Nowak, who also had an adventurous story ready for the "Krone": "With Alfred Dorfer and Andrea Händler, we once overturned on the highway at a lane narrowing. I finished the rest of the tour with a stiff foot after a tetanus shot."

President Johannes Bucher and Managing Director Petra Grell-Kunzinger from the Johanniter.(Bild: Starpix / A. Tuma)

Nina Hartmann and Roland Düringer have never had to call on the emergency services themselves. "I've been racing motorcycles since I was twelve," says "petrolhead" Düringer, "but I've always made it to hospital on my own." Cabaret artist and fellow Johanniter veteran Andreas Ferner hopes for the longevity of the aid organization. "It would be nice if they can still take good care of me in 50 years' time when I need it." This also appealed to Johanniter President Johannes Bucher and Managing Director Petra Grell-Kunzinger.