Scattered archival photographs of the brothers in the late 1950s and mid-1960s tell a story distinct from Austrian village folklore. In black-and-white family portraits taken beside Lake Thalersee, Meinhard presents an upright, classical posture, often flashing an easy, radiant smile beside an intense, brooding Arnold.
Friends from Thal recalled Meinhard as charismatic, polite, and well-liked across the village. He did not share Arnold's obsessive fascination with American iron culture or Reg Park magazines. Instead, he embraced winter sports, casual weight training, and local social life.
Behind that relaxed facade, community members and family associates noted a rapid descent during his early twenties. Separated from the domestic arena where Gustav demanded perfection, Meinhard struggled to construct an independent identity. He began using alcohol to numb lingering anxiety, spending his evenings in tavern circuits around Graz and later Tirol. While Arnold was pumping iron in Munich and Santa Monica, establishing absolute control over his physical body, Meinhard was steadily losing his grip on his own.
