Next Lodge meeting
Saturday, 19th October
Next Chapter meeting
Thursday, 23rd May
Paul Field - 2021/2022
OCTOBER (INSTALLATION) 16th 2021 - W Bro. Vic Chivers our reigning Master having occupied the chair for 3 years without break finally opened the Lodge knowing he was handing over today. The pandemic gave rise to this situation with our meetings last year being abandoned entirely. In opening the Lodge, W Bro. Vic called all present to order for the sad losses of our Provincial Grand Master, W Bro. Rodney Lister Bass and from our own Lodge W Bro's Barry Nichols & Maurice Sharp together with Bro. Roger Marsh.
Following confirming the minutes from our meeting held during Saturday, 15th February 2020 together with approving two years accounts the installation ceremony began.
W Bro. Iain MacMillan & W Bro. Paul Thurgood occupied the SW & JW chairs respectively, W Bro. Roy Squibb acted as IG, W Bro. Lewis Mayo continued as Chaplin, W Bro. Steve Bull acted as Secretary & W Bro. Terry Thurston continuing as DC with W Bro. Kevin Wealthall as ADC.
The WM then installed our ME Paul Field into the chair in a splendid ceremony mush appreciated by all following such a long Masonic break. W Bro. Vic now the IPM delivered the address to the Master.
The working tools were presented as follows - 3rd W Bro. Richard Bedini a past member, visiting today, 2nd (long version) Bro. Joshua Vaughan & 1st Bro. Julian Slater - all deliveries were excellent and the brethren called to order by the DC. Equally, the address to the Wardens was delivered by W Bro. Roy Squibb and the address to the Brethren by W Bro. Brian Bowden-Brown in what can be described as a sincere piece of Masonic ritual delivery.
W Bro. Field then proceeded with appointing and installing his officers.
The usual reports followed together with details of a new initiate together with a joining member for our November meeting.
In consideration, that several officers were absent, the members produced a ceremony to be proud of and concluded with our hearty festive board with several reigning circuit Masters in attendance.
NOVEMBER 20th 2021 - We anticipated the meeting today would be special but, we didn't by how much! The WM W Bro. Paul after opening the lodge received our APGM W Bro. Tony White.
The WM went on to perform a very sincere 1st degree ceremony for Bro. Trevor Sadler. The tools were presented by Bro. Julian Slater who also gave the pre-amble to the charge with the Charge itself being faultlessly presented by Bro. Joshua Vaughan. The ceremony ended with a 'first class' explanation of the 1st degree tracing board by our WM. Our DC called the brethren to order for each of the presentations.
A joining member Bro. Martin Murphy was approved together with the members approving a further £6000 donation for the Festival 2022 raising the lodge to a Platinum status.
A delightful part of the meeting was when our APGM sat down with W Bro. Jim Messenger for a 20-minute chat, discussing his years in the craft culminating in presenting Jim with his 50 year certificate. Jim thoroughly enjoyed the moment and equally the respect from those in attendance who gave a rousing appreciation of applause.
WM presenting APGM with
Festival 2022 cheque for £6000
WM with APGM presenting Jim
with his 50 year certificate
WM and APGM with our
longest serving member, Jim and
our shortest serving member, Trevor
Jim with Trevor and our
new joining member Martin
The special feeling spilled over to the Festive Board which ended a wonderful day for the lodge.
JANUARY 15th 2022 - Our WM W Bro. Paul confidently opened the meeting knowing that today we were hindered a little by the Covid-19 pandemic with our DC & ADC both being absent having tested positive with the infection. W Bro. Stuart James stood in as DC and W Bro. Roy Squibb as the ADC and the meeting proved another success with a double initiation ceremony. Bro. Julian Slater presented the working tools in his inevitable style and Bro. Joshua Vaughan likewise the Charge, but with an illuminating physically described pre-amble, which was a joy to watch.
W Bro. Graeme McCormack was finally invested as JW having been unable to make the earlier meetings along with W Bro. Austin Latham as Charity Steward and Bro. Paul Batchelor as Steward.
The evening ended with a themed Burn's Night Festive Board which included along with the accoutrements of such an evening, Graeme McCormack addressing the Haggis!
FEBRUARY 19th 2022 - The lodge was opened by our WM W Bro. Paul at 4pm and following confirmation of the minutes of our January meeting, continued with an initiation ceremony. Having performed this ceremony on the previous two meetings the work performed by all officers was first class.
Bro. Trevor Sadler at his first meeting following his initiation, presented the working tools extremely confidently and the DC called the lodge to order. Bro. Julian Slater & Joshua Vaughan presented the pre-amble and charge respectively, in their inevitable styles also achieving a call to order.
A successful ballot was taken resulting in a welcome return of W Bro. Simon Clarkson as a member of the lodge.
Our usual hearty festive board ended a lovely afternoon of freemasonry.
MARCH 19th 2022 - W Bro. Paul Field opened the lodge for his final full meeting as WM. The day was to be memorable for him but also for the history of the lodge as today we endured a ‘perfect storm’ of difficulties.
There were many officers and members absent – Treasurer, Senior Warden, Almoner, several Stewards to name but a few - with many testing positive to the latest Covid pandemic strain and several guests also cautious of this latest spike in positive contacts and decided not to attend reducing the attendance to just 32.
Nevertheless, the ceremony of raising Martin Murphy was in no way muted and excelled to the usual high-standards now achieved by the lodge.
The WM performed the ceremony of raising with Terry Thurston delivering the traditional history. Chris Bull presented the working tools and Josh Vaughan gave a sincere, faultless walking charge which was duly acknowledged by all with a call to order by Terry Thurston from the WM’s chair!
The election of the WM and officers for the year 2022/2023 took place together with a successful vote for the return of ‘reading’ the lodge minutes.
The evening ended with the revised Festive Board being a Speciality Fish Evening but, including a traditional group singalong between courses lead by own Bernie Knight.
From a ‘perfect storm’ the day panned out and finished with a ‘gentle breeze’ to everyone’s delight.