In his house there is a garden gnome wearing yellow and blue clothing. Not an ordinary dwarf, but one that portrays himself as a Samaritan. A gift from his club. Daniel Beck smiles when he talks about it. He has been there for 55 years and was president for 45 years. “The Triesenberg Samaritan Association is like a fourth child of mine,” he says.
Everything started unspectacularly. In 1971, when Daniel Beck was 20 years old, he and his wife Rosemarie attended a Samaritan course in the old schoolhouse in Triesenberg. A few classrooms, the materials stored in the coal cellar – there wasn’t much space back then. A Samaritan teacher persuaded him to stay. A course became commitment. And from that a passion that never left him.
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If necessary, he will continue to be on duty: “I will certainly not talk them down,” emphasizes Daniel Beck (1st from left). (Image: Submitted)
Between calling and burden
There were phases in his life in which almost everything revolved around the Samaritan Association: courses, exercises, medical services and, finally, his job. However, his path there did not begin as a plan, but as a result of a decisive experience. At that time, the Triesenberger worked for the Frick brothers until a serious accident at work changed everything. After he was discharged from the hospital in Grabs, the doctor who treated him advised him to look for work that was less physically demanding – “preferably in a factory,” remembers Daniel Beck. Instead of taking that path, he decided otherwise.
The Liechtenstein Red Cross had just advertised a position as a paramedic. In 1978 he took advantage of the opportunity and not only found a new job, but also his true calling. He was in service for eleven years. At the same time, he was heavily involved in the Samaritan community: he completed training to become a Samaritan teacher, gave courses and often went to schools on his days off to teach children and young people about first aid.
But the work left its mark. Serious traffic accidents, personal fates – situations that become memorable and do not simply disappear again. “I can count the positive bets on one hand.” And the rest? He stayed. “At some point the strain became too much. The pictures, the stories – they kept me busy and robbed me of sleep.” In 1989 he drew the conclusions. It wasn’t an easy decision, but a necessary one.
From emergency services to police
The move to Vaduz municipal police was initially anything but self-evident. “I couldn’t even imagine being out and about with a uniform and a pistol,” he remembers. And yet he stayed. What was intended as a transition became a second calling. Daniel Beck shaped everyday life in Vaduz as a community police officer for over two decades, most recently even as a manager. At that time, his everyday work was varied: securing school routes, parking, 30 km/h zones, operations in the event of noise or vandalism, as well as organizational responsibility for a small team. But above all, it was dealing with people that fulfilled him. “I have never argued in all these years,” he says. And very often he felt sorry when he had to write out a ticket. “When people came and explained how it happened, I often tore them apart and let it go,” he says with a laugh and adds:
My problem has always been that I have trouble saying no. That is still the case today.
At the same time, the Triesenberg Samaritan Association remained the center of his life. In 1980 he became president after good persuasion from his predecessor. Elected on Friday, the documents were already at the door on Saturday, he says. In the following 45 years. He further expanded the club, professionalized structures, organized vehicles and documented history with a meticulousness that is unparalleled today. Hardly any other club in the country is documented so comprehensively.
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Field exercise in Steg in 1986. Princess Marie takes a look at the documents with Daniel Beck. (Image: Submitted)
The club grew and changed. Of the once around 50 members, around half remain today. “The world has become more open,” he says, as “young people” today have completely different options. Training, career, abroad – a lot has shifted. Volunteering is under greater pressure. And yet: He is pleased that young people are taking on responsibility again.
Today we have a good, young board of directors. A healthy club. This is important.
The fact that Daniel Beck was able to achieve all of this for decades was also due to his environment. His wife Rosemarie always had his back. “She understood my passion, gave me support and also some good advice.” The two celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 2021 and have now been married for 55 years – a period of time that almost coincides with his involvement with the Samaritans. The three sons – Patrick, Dominik and Marcel – were also part of this world. They helped with exercises, played “injured people,” supported with reports or in the background.
Letting go and still staying connected
After 45 years, Daniel Beck relinquished the presidency at this year’s annual meeting. A conscious step, as he emphasizes. He still can’t let go completely, the connection is too strong for that. He continues to help out when needed and is available when needed. “I’m definitely not going to talk them down,” he emphasizes. He gives his successor one thing in particular: “People come voluntarily. It is a volunteer position. You should never forget that.”
Since retiring in 2015, his everyday life has changed. Less pressure, more calm: “If I don’t do something today, I’ll do it tomorrow or another time.” He is not completely idle. He has completed over 30 alpine marathons and today he is drawn to familiar peaks – places where he feels safe. He likes to go for walks and spends a lot of time outside. And as if the gnomes weren’t enough, there’s another collection: Easter boxes. He has carefully arranged them in a typecase hanging in a room. His sons like to tease him about it. He takes it calmly. “It’s just a hobby,” he says and smiles.
by Stefan Trefzer
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Fire brigade commander Florian Eberle, head Christoph Beck, Daniel Beck and Pastor Georg Hirsch at the open day of the new building for the blue light organizations in May 2025. (Image: Stefan Trefzer)
He has also been taking photographs for a long time. It used to be family pictures from a box that fascinated him. He could arrange and look at them for hours. Later he bought his first “real” camera, photographed his children and, over time, everything he encountered: people, moments, landscapes. «A photo captures what would otherwise be lost. Especially from people when they are no longer there at some point.” What he also particularly likes are the little rituals that shape his everyday life: Thursday is shopping day with Rosemarie. Friday we clean together – “I’m responsible for vacuuming,” he says with a laugh. And on Saturday lunchtime it’s family time, then we have boiled potatoes and the sons come over.
Daniel Beck describes what shaped him best: “I got my hands from my father, my heart from my mother.” His father taught him how to work, how to tackle things, how to be disciplined, and his mother who taught him compassion, a big heart, and openness. And perhaps this mixture is exactly the reason why he was there for others for decades – in the emergency services, with the police and in the Samaritan association.
Today he stayed where it all began: with first aid. With his “child” – where help is not explained in detail, but simply happens.
