Café Kølbert's performing waiters saw the light of day again after a virgin birth in 1995, but our roots of course go much further back into the past. Back in fact to the distant days when the world was not out of joint and politeness was a matter of course.

In the dark days after the surrender of the fertile farmlands and marshes of the fair south of old Denmark to the Germans, a star appeared in the heavens. Mr. And Mrs. Anton Svennevig inherited a reputable old guesthouse on the Danish Riviera near Esbjerg from a terminally ill aunt. The old guesthouse stood in need of a loving, not to mention firm and sober, set of hands. It got more than one from Café Kølbert's dedicated staff. They weren't much to look at but by dint of hard work and waiterly ingenuity they soon transformed the guesthouse into a shining beacon in those dark times. The new times were happy ones and Christmas was just around the corner but in that hour of glory the five dark years of German occupation began.

Following the King's command and guided by Mrs. Svennevig's strict hand, the staff succeeded in keeping a stiff upper lip in all eventualities. The guesthouse became a place where the many who dutifully served King and Country could congregate. Yes! Thanks to Anton Svennevig's ingenuity and good head for business they were able to turn bad times to good times, to such an extent that at a time which was otherwise so difficult for our country, they were always proudly able to pronounce that their guesthouse was 'Occupied'.

After this fabulous start, and reasonable dealings with ration books, the sun shone again on the guesthouse after the fall of the evil empire. But only for a time. In the course of the annual spring-cleaning when every nook and cranny was doused with cleaning spirit, and in the middle of the annual end of season dance for Evelyn Elgaard's Academy of Dance and Etiquette, the hotel was ravaged by a terrible fire on the night of May 19th 1957. The east wing was burnt to the ground. Only through the quick thinking action of the waiting staff was it possible to the save the children and Bror Arne's Trio who were in the middle of a rendition of a tempestuous tango. It came as a double blow when, in the course of the disaster, Anton Svennevig breathed his last in a young girl's room. With selfless heroism he plunged into the heart of the flames and tore off not only his own but also the innocent maiden's life-threatening nylon clothes, and then threw his corpulent body on top of the terror-stricken innocent in order to protect her. But alas! All was in vain and Anton Svennevig left this life as the good Lord had ordained it.

Without worldly goods the team of waiters and Mrs. Svennevig - who in Anton's honour wished henceforth only to be known as Miss - marched forth to conquer the world with the courtesy which so marked this chosen people. In the face of a population where standards were in rapid decline, the waiters remained resolute in their responsibility. They roamed the length and breadth of Denmark, working dedicatedly and indefatigably as dependable and conscientious waiters for hire to spread the gospel of good manners and the right way of doing things. Few indeed are the vicarage teas or Silver Wedding Anniversaries which have not taken advantage of the waiters' deferential behaviour and service.

Recent times, however, have been hard. Charter tourism and the appalling departures from orderly conduct and polite bearing which were witnessed in the Sixties and Seventies led to hard times for this ever loyal team but, despite everything, they never lost heart. In 1985, when decent values once more gained a footing in Denmark and the dividing line between the right sort of people and the rabble again became clear, Miss Svennevig felt it was her duty to relaunch her well-mannered team - God willing. Since then no decent event has been able to take place without her waiters' service and her own firm but fair rebukes. With the motto "Trust is good but supervision is better" Miss Svennevig and her waiters for hire have left an indelible mark on Danish history.