diff --git a/roles/openvpn/tasks/main.yml b/roles/openvpn/tasks/main.yml
index 9e27f95b5..0b265238e 100644
--- a/roles/openvpn/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/openvpn/tasks/main.yml
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
     - { src: 'client1.crt', dest: '/etc/openvpn/keys/client1.crt', mode: '0644' }
     - { src: 'client1.key', dest: '/etc/openvpn/keys/client1.key', mode: '0600' }
     - { src: 'announce', dest: '/etc/openvpn/scripts/announce', mode: '0755' }
-    - { src: 'announcer', dest: '/etc/openvpn/scripts/announcer', mode: '0755' }
+    - { src: 'announcer.j2', dest: '/etc/openvpn/scripts/announcer', mode: '0755' }
     - { src: 'silence', dest: '/etc/openvpn/scripts/silence', mode: '0755' }
     - { src: 'xscenet.conf.j2', dest: '/etc/openvpn/xscenet.conf', mode: '0644' }
     - { src: 'iiab-vpn.conf.in', dest: '/etc/openvpn/iiab-vpn.conf.in', mode: '0644' }
diff --git a/roles/openvpn/templates/announcer b/roles/openvpn/templates/announcer
deleted file mode 100755
index 26de78019..000000000
--- a/roles/openvpn/templates/announcer
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash -x
-# small daemon to identify this machine to the openvpn server
-
-HANDLE=
-UUID=
-source /etc/iiab/iiab.env
-if [ -f /etc/iiab/openvpn_handle ]; then
-    HANDLE=`cat /etc/iiab/openvpn_handle`
-fi
-# DANGEROUS AS OF AUGUST 2018:
-#if [ -z "$HANDLE" ]; then
-#    HANDLE=`cat /etc/iiab/iiab.ini | gawk \
-#        '{ if((toupper($1) == "HANDLE") && ($2 == "=")) { print $3;}}'`
-#fi
-if [ -f /etc/iiab/uuid ]; then
-   UUID=`cat /etc/iiab/uuid`
-fi
-# start the daemon which will serve the handle on demand
-# NEXT LINE OBSOLETE?  August 2018
-source /etc/init.d/functions
-SERVER=/usr/bin/ncat
-# NEXT LINE OBSOLETE?  August 2018
-PID_FILE=/var/run/openvpn/announce.pid
-HANDLE=${HANDLE// /_}
-{% if is_debuntu %}
-ID=`printf "HANDLE = %s|UUID = %s|" $HANDLE $UUID`
-$SERVER -l -k -p1705 --exec "/bin/echo $ID" &
-{% else %}
-daemon --pidfile=${PID_FILE} $SERVER "-l -k -p1705 --exec \"/usr/bin/echo $(printf 'HANDLE = %s|UUID = %s' $HANDLE $UUID)\"" &
-{% endif %}
diff --git a/roles/openvpn/templates/announcer.j2 b/roles/openvpn/templates/announcer.j2
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..8580112f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/openvpn/templates/announcer.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+#!/bin/bash -x
+# Small daemon to identify this machine to the OpenVPN server
+
+HANDLE=
+UUID=
+if [ -f /etc/iiab/openvpn_handle ]; then
+    # Option #0: Might source directly from /etc/iiab/local_vars.yml in future
+    # Option #1
+    HANDLE=`cat /etc/iiab/openvpn_handle`
+else
+    # Option #2: Dangerous to invoke hypothetical variables :(
+    source /etc/iiab/iiab.env
+    # Option #3: CAUSED FAILURES IN AUGUST 2018, invoking stale variable from /etc/iiab/iiab.ini, but safer now that relegated to #3 ?
+    if [ -z "$HANDLE" ]; then
+        HANDLE=`cat /etc/iiab/iiab.ini | gawk \
+        '{ if((toupper($1) == "HANDLE") && ($2 == "=")) { print $3;}}'`
+    fi
+fi
+HANDLE=${HANDLE// /_}
+if [ -f /etc/iiab/uuid ]; then
+    UUID=`cat /etc/iiab/uuid`
+fi
+
+SERVER=/usr/bin/ncat
+ID=`printf "HANDLE = %s|UUID = %s" $HANDLE $UUID`
+# August 2018: Removal of trailing slash tested on Raspbian, Ubuntu 18.04 & Ubuntu 16.04
+#ID=`printf "HANDLE = %s|UUID = %s|" $HANDLE $UUID`
+
+# Start the daemon which will serve the handle on demand
+{% if is_debuntu %}
+$SERVER -l -k -p1705 --exec "/bin/echo $ID" &
+{% else %}
+source /etc/init.d/functions
+PID_FILE=/var/run/openvpn/announce.pid
+daemon --pidfile=${PID_FILE} $SERVER "-l -k -p1705 --exec \"/usr/bin/echo $ID\"" &
+#daemon --pidfile=${PID_FILE} $SERVER "-l -k -p1705 --exec \"/usr/bin/echo $(printf 'HANDLE = %s|UUID = %s' $HANDLE $UUID)\"" &
+{% endif %}