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In the late 1980s, a group of friends sitting in a New York City bar near Central Park bemoaned the fact that they didn’t participate in popular activities such as boxing, wrestling, or judo. It was then that one of the men declared, “We’re kind of dull, aren’t we?” This remark led to the founding of what is now known as the Dull Men’s Club. Decades later, in England, a man named Harry Seager sparked worldwide interest in the club by posting a picture of a smooth Mars bar on Facebook. This post was picked up by the media and read by millions around the world, including the BBC.
Grover Click, an 85-year-old man who was one of the founders of the Dull Men’s Club, began the group as a joke. Members of the club race lifts or elevators to see which is fastest, and even once organised a bus tour that started and finished in Manhattan, without visiting any locations in between. The club now has 1.5 million members on Facebook, a newsletter, a calendar, and hosts real-life meetups and awards. One such award is the coveted Anorak of the Year, which was won in 2021 by Tim Webb, a man from Orpington, southeast London, who takes pictures of potholes with plastic ducks in them.
Another Anorak of the Year recipient is Rachel Williamson, a 61-year-old retired police detective who lives in Rhyl, Denbighshire. During the first Covid lockdown in 2020, Rachel put a sparkly hat on the post box outside of a chemist in her town. She has since topped more than 300 post boxes with knitted decorations and made countless other decorations for the community. She says, “After 18 years in the police, it has restored my faith in people. The people of Rhyl have been absolutely great. And we’ve made lots of people smile.” Rachel’s passion for knitting and her contributions to her community have garnered her the Anorak of the Year award.
Grover Click is proud of the members of the Dull Men’s Club and notes that their hobbies and pursuits give them a sense of purpose. He writes, “What they [the dull men] are doing is referred to in Japan as ‘ikigai.’ It gives a sense of purpose, a motivating force. A reason to jump out of bed in the morning.” Tim, Rachel, and the rest of the Dull Men’s Club prove that the seemingly dull or ordinary can be a source of joy, community, and purpose
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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