In memory of our founder, Oswald Haas, 24 February 1929 – 1 October 2006
In unity is strength
Oswald Haas, the founding member of Albis Flanges believed in an ethos that there is “unity in strength” taken from the Aesop’s Fable of the Bundle of Sticks. Ecclesiastes picked up this same moral in his proverbs. Ecclesiastes 4:12 : “And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” Oswald Haas lead his family and built Albis on this philosophy. He never missed an opportunity to share this ethos, whether it was addressing staff, sorting out a dispute or toasting at a celebration. “We firmly believe that the success of Albis can be attributed to the “Bundle of sticks” in our lives, being the family, the Albis Staff, our customers and suppliers”, says Sonja Walls.
The Bundle of Sticks: A certain father had a family of sons, who were forever quarrelling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune. One day, when quarrelling had been much more violent than usual and each of the sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle to each of his sons in turn, he told them to try to break it. But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so. The father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his sons to break one by one. This they did very easily. “My sons,” said the father, “do you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in that bundle.”
Moral: In unity is strength.