A NEW BEGINNING IN THE LIFE OF OUR GREAT ... - GROUP CHAIRMAN Brethren, ... turn asked David Roberts to convey his own sincere thanks and very best wishes to Jim Wilson and all the

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF WEST LANCASHIRE

LANCASTER AND DISTRICT GROUP

NEWSLETTER

We believe in an ethical approach to life, our values are based on integrity, kindness, honesty and

fairness. Members are urged to regard the

interests of the family as paramount however, Freemasonry also

teaches and practices concern for people, care for the less fortunate

and help for those in need.

Volume 11 Issue 1 September 2014

A NEW BEGINNING IN THE LIFE OF OUR GREAT PROVINCE

AT MAGNIFICENT AND COLOURFUL CEREMONIES held in the wonderful sur-roundings of the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, James Anthony Harrison - more affec-tionately known as Tony - was invested, firstly as the Grand Superintendent of the Royal Arch Province of West Lancashire and secondly as the Provincial Grand Master of the Craft Province, both ceremonies being impressively conducted by Grand Secretary Nigel Brown.

Continued on page two

The Grand Deputy Grand Directors of Ceremonies lead the recession of grand officers out of the lodge (Picture by courtesy of George Thornton)

Page 2 Lancaster and District Group of Lodges and Chapters. Newsletter Volume 11 Issue 1. September 2014

A new beginning in the life of our great Province

Continued from page one: Nigel had literally stepped in at the last minute in place of the Deputy Grand Master Jonathan Spence who was unable to attend due to a pressing family issue. The task of hosting this extremely special event fell upon the shoulders of the Lancaster and Fur-ness and South Lakeland Groups with brethren from both groups undertaking the important role of stewards which demanded being on duty at the Winter Gardens by 8.00 in the morning but whose hard work ensured that the day ran smoothly.

PRESENTATION

The two ceremonies of investiture were separat-ed by a formal luncheon held in the Spanish Hall when Grand Secretary Nigel Brown proposed a toast to the health of Tony saying how delighted he was to have the honour and pleasure of con-ducting the investitures and how the occasion marked a landmark and new beginning in the life of the Province. On behalf of the United Grand Lodge of England Nigel was also delighted to present Tony with a Lucite paperweight in which was encapsulated a replica jewel of office. Such a paperweight is traditionally presented to all Provincial Grand Mas-

ters at their investiture. In response Tony thanked Nigel for honouring the Province with his attendance and went on to thank everyone who was involved in both the ceremonial and administration of the day including the brethren of the Lancaster and Furness Groups for stewarding the event so well.

MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Tony continued: "We have much to look forward to in the weeks, months and years ahead. I am confident that our Province, not only in the Craft and Royal Arch, but in all oth-er aspects of Masonry is in good shape and I look forward to joining with you all in meeting whatever challenges lie ahead." In reflecting on the investiture later Tony paid tribute to his predecessor Peter Hosker who, he said, had put in an unbe-lievable amount of work behind the scenes, and had imple-mented procedures to ensure that the Province ran in a much more business-like fashion.

Tony expressed a 'huge thank you' to Howard Jones for agreeing to continue as Deputy Provin-cial Grand Master as well as to all the Assistants. Looking forward to a period of stability within the Province Tony hoped that it would enable us to get on with what we are good at: "enjoying our Freemasonry and making sure that everyone else enjoys it too". He said: "I would suggest that there is nothing better than hearing of brethren talking about Free-masonry openly among their family, friends and colleagues. Every single brother of this Province has his own part to play in our future and I would like to en-courage greater transparency in what we do so that everyone feels that he is part of the whole process and that his views and opinions are just as important as anyone else. I have had a wonderful day as your Provincial Grand Master and it really is my biggest wish that we can all share in that same enjoyment and fun in all our Masonic activities."

An obviously very happy Tony responds to the toast to his health given by Nigel

The Lucite paper weight presented to Tony by Nigel on behalf of UGLE


JIM’S JOTTINGS REFLECTIONS FROM THE GROUP CHAIRMAN

Brethren,

I trust that you have all summered well and enjoyed your break from Masonic duties. The weather this year has been very kind to us so for once we could not use that as an excuse.

This year, of course, the break was temporarily interrupted in the best possible way by the investiture meeting for our new Provincial Grand Master.

The Lancaster and District Group, along with our colleagues from the Furness & South Lakeland Group were given the privilege of arranging the meeting and just in case anything went wrong I arranged with Alan Jones the Chairman of FSL Group for our respective vice chairmen - Martin Baxendale and Peter Schofield - to have complete control in making the arrangements. I am delighted to be able to say that the trust we placed in them was completely fulfilled and I am sure the experience they gained will stand them in good stead for the future.

They both held meetings with their various team leaders and made quite a few trips to Blackpool to check out the venue in order to get everything right and I am sure they would both wish me to express our appreciation and thanks to the Provincial Secretary Peter Taylor and Provincial DC Keith Kemp for their input and guidance along the way.

I trust all of you who attended both the Royal Arch and Craft meetings had an extremely enjoyable day which made all our efforts worthwhile and judging by the broad smile on the face of our new Provincial Grand Master it goes without saying that he did!

GROUP SPONSORED WALK

In June the annual Group Sponsored Walk took place hosted this year by Poulton-Le-Sands and Heysham Lodges under the guidance of our Group Social Secretary Neil McGill. My thanks to Keith Lamb and Joe Emmerson and the brethren of their respective lodges for making the ar-rangements and providing the refreshments. I do not have the final figures as yet but I am sure it will have been supported with your usual generosity.

In August the installation meeting of Vale Chapter took place at Garstang Masonic Hall. Vale Chapter is a chapter open to all past and present principals of the Lancaster and Furness Groups. This year John Heaton from Lancaster was installed as first principal and Peter Quirk and John Myers of Furness as second and third principals. We look forward to some interesting meetings under their guidance and I would remind all eligible companions to consider becoming members to continue their friendships.

Over the summer months the various maintenance teams have been carrying out repairs and decorations to our Masonic halls. I thank them all, along with the hall directors, for the efforts they put in to see all our halls continue to be places we are proud to meet in. However, as we start our new season and lodges start to consider their disbursements please remember our halls need your financial support to continue their important work. I would really like to see every lodge in this group giving something to their hall.

The second Group Meeting of the year takes place on 30 October at Morecambe Masonic Hall. This is an opportunity for any brother to put a question to the group officers or group executive so if any of you have something you would like to raise please contact your lodge or chapter group representative.

Well brethren as this Newsletter is a bumper edition I will restrict my jottings to the minimum but look forward to seeing you again around the group and I hope you are looking forward to many enjoyable Masonic meetings in the months to come.


Douglas is a platinum Freemason

DOUGLAS HAYHURST of Lune Lodge No 4724 has celebrated the marvellous mile-stone of being a Freemason for 70 years. The anniversary was celebrated at Douglas' home in Morecambe by a visit from the lodge almoner Doug Willoughby and the lodge secretary David Roberts who brought with them a commemorative certificate together with a letter of congratulation and gratitude for his service to Freemasonry from group chairman Jim Wilson. David was also delighted to also bring Douglas the greetings and best wishes of the WM and brethren of Lune Lodge. Born in Lancaster on 25 July 1922, Douglas at-tended Bowerham Junior School in Lancaster where interestingly the headmaster was William Dell who was the secretary of Lune Lodge! Doug-las went on to the Lancaster Royal Grammar School before starting work in the overseas and export department of Jas. Williamson which was one of the largest floor covering companies in the country specialising in linoleum. In 1941 Douglas volunteered for military service and was sent to Rhodesia where he trained as a pilot, receiving his 'wings' in 1943. Upon returning to the UK he transferred to the Fleet Air Arm before his demobilisation in 1946 when he returned to his previous occupation at Williamsons until 1949. Douglas then decided to work for himself and

went into the milk business in the Lancaster and Morecambe area until 1960 when he became the manager of what many of our members in the Morecambe area will remember as the Arcadi-an restaurant - a position he held until 1980.

CHANGE OF DIRECTION

The year of 1981 heralded another change of direction for Douglas when he went to work for the ship's chandlers Glasson Basin Yacht Company providing supplies and equipment for ships and boats. In spite of his busy work life Douglas always liked to keep active and regularly swam and played golf. It was in 1955 that he married his sweetheart Ellan who was a midwifery sister. They were the proud parents of a daughter Susan who presented Douglas and Ellan with three wonderful grand-children. Sadly Ellan died in 2002. Douglas was initiated into Lune Lodge on 21 August 1944 at a special meeting convened due to the war. His second and third degree ceremonies were held in August 1945 and January 1946 respectively which were again emergency meetings due to the war. Douglas was proud to take the chair of the lodge in 1963 and his work for Freemasonry was re-warded with an appointment to Provincial Grand Lodge with the rank of PPrJGD in 1974. At his celebration of 50 years as a Freemasonry Douglas was further promoted to the rank of PPrGSuptWks. He served the Lancaster and District Masonic Group as the lodge representative from 1974 until 1986 and was the lodge chaplain from 1996 until 1998. He is also a member of another Masonic Order. Douglas was delighted with the visit and the messages of congratulation and greeting and in re-turn asked David Roberts to convey his own sincere thanks and very best wishes to Jim Wilson and all the brethren of Lune Lodge.

Above: Doug Willoughby (right) presents Douglas with his commemorative certificate to mark 70

years as a Freemason


Introducing . . .

Bernard's super donation from the heart!

WHEN HE suffered a heart attack a few years ago Bernard Snape of St Michaels on Wyre Lodge No 8348 had good reason to be grateful to the dedicated people at lo-cal charity Heartbeat who he readily admits 'turned his life around' and assisted him to recover and rebuild his life. At his installation as the master of the lodge in April 2013 Bernard therefore vowed to dedicate his year in office to raising funds for the charity and he made a really impassioned plea for support during the response to the toast to his health at the post-installation banquet. That support, and the many fund-raising activities that Bernard has arranged and undertaken in-cluding a 50 mile sponsored walk, culminated in the donation of a cheque to Lisa Riding of Heart-beat for no less than £8,348 in a presentation held at Wyrebank, Garstang, attended by (then) Assistant Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison, Group Chairman Jim Wilson and vice chairman Martin Baxendale. On receiving the cheque Lisa praised Bernard for raising the profile of Heartbeat and to all the Freemasons who had so generously and vigorously supported Bernard in his campaign saying: "We rely upon donations such as this to continue our fight to reduce the impact of coronary heart disease in the North West. That is why we are indebted to all the local Masons who have got be-hind Bernard's campaign in such a generous way."

Pictured, from left to right, are: Tony Harrison Jim Wilson, Frank Hogarth (lodge charity steward), Lisa Riding, Jackie Lowry (Heartbeat gym instructor), Bernard Snape, Martin Baxendale and William

Richmond whose barbecue events supported Bernard's campaign.

Amounderness (in)Spire(d) to give support

SPIRE (Preston) Ltd is a not for profit charitable organisation providing support for adults with learning disabilities and their families living in Preston, Lancashire and surrounding districts. The charity had been personally chosen by Bob Brown, the master of Lodge Amounder-ness No 7105, to benefit from the lodge's an-nual distribution of funds to good causes. To assist with the purchase of a new drum kit for the charity's Music Group Ian Cuerden and Dr Kadaba Vasudev went along to pre-sent a cheque for £200 and were really im-pressed by the mirth and hilarity present with-in the group which enjoys fellowship, singing and dancing.

Pictured, from left to right, are: Dr Kadaba Vasudev, Nick Brown of Spire, John Fox a 'service user' of Spire, Ian Cuerden and another 'service user'.


Tony and his team travel to the top of the Province

ON THE SECOND DAY of what has become known as ‘The Northern Tour”, the Pro-vincial Grand Master Tony Harrison didn’t find that things were ‘grim up north’. In fact he, together with a very impressive array of acting Provincial grand officers were welcomed most enthusiastically at Wyrebank, Garstang Masonic Hall, by over 100 brethren. Amongst those accompanying Tony were Howard Jones Deputy PrGM, David Grainger APrGM, Peter Pemberton PrSGW, Martin Lockyer PrJGW, Peter Taylor PrGSec and Keith Kemp PrGDC together with many other acting Provincial grand officers. The chairman of Lancaster and Dis-trict Group Jim Wilson, vice chair-man Martin Baxendale and group secretary Chris Butterfield were also delighted to join in the wel-come. Garstang Lodge No 6633 were the proud hosts of the meeting which happily coincided with the enactment of a second degree ceremony which they had been asked to carry out by City of Lan-caster Lodge No 281, who are the host lodge for the local ‘universities’ scheme’ which facili-tates the recruitment of new Masons from the University of Lancaster and University of Cumbria, Lancaster campus. On this occasion, it was perhaps understandable that the candidate, Bert Roex, was a little overwhelmed by the impressive number of Masons who had assembled to wit-ness the ceremony.

LIVELY ATMOSPHERE

A very enjoyable festive board followed in the banqueting suite due, in no small part, to the excel-lent food and service provided by the Wyrebank team. The atmosphere was particularly lively with conversation and Tony in his inimitable style circulated around the tables and had a chat with as many of the guests as possible. It fell to David Grainger to respond to the toast to the grand offic-ers and he praised in particular the work carried out in the lodge room and expressed his hope that the candidate would enjoy a long and enjoyable Masonic career. David also proposed the toast to the health of the Provincial Grand Master, with particular warmth and conviction. He referred to the ‘golden smile’ that appeared to have been “a permanent feature on the face of our Provincial Grand Master since the day of his installation”. He reminded his au-dience that we were very fortunate to have in Tony a leader who wholeheartedly believed in en-joying Freemasonry and who communicated his enthusiasm to all that he met, especially making mention of his ‘approachability’ and eagerness to ‘chat’ and receive feedback from all the mem-bers. In support of David’s glowing tribute, the toast was honoured with resounding enthusiasm. In his response, Tony quickly took the opportunity to thank Garstang Lodge for hosting the even-ing and very sincerely thanked everyone present for the warmth of the welcome he had received and the support evidenced by the packed dining room. He praised the quality of the ceremony he had witnessed and had some special words of welcome and support for the candidate. Tony en-couraged all Masons to enjoy their Masonry and urged them to share that sense of joy and pleas-ure with others, especially with their family and friends. A greater openness and communication of the aims, objectives and aspirations of Masonry are key elements in improving public perceptions and increasing recruitment and retention.

Continued on Page seven

The candidate Bert Roex (centre) is congratulated by Tony Harrison (left) and the WM of Garstang Lodge Alan Ormston


Tony and his team travel to the top of the Province

Continued from Page six Developing on the theme of recruit-ment, he thanked the members of the ‘Three Columns Club’ who were in at-tendance, reminding the audience that the club was truly a social organisation for new Masons enabling them to ex-change views and seek support. The club organised many activities and was proving to be a fertile ground for en-couraging both recruitment and en-gagement with members, friends and colleagues. He also shared the latest news regarding the hopefully imminent official recognition of the local ‘Universities’ scheme’ by the United Grand Lodge of England as this was also proving to be a very successful recruitment route. In closing, he once again thanked Howard Jones for the very capable way in which he had led the Province during the ‘interregnum’ between Peter Hosker’s retirement and his own appointment.

His thanks were warmly expressed to all the acting Provincial officers who had supported him on the ‘tour’ and espe-cially to everyone who had attended the evening. On resuming his seat he was applauded resoundingly. It then fell to Peter Pemberton to make the final response of the evening, that to the toast to the health of the Provincial grand officers. He added his own com-pliments and best wishes in echo of those already expressed and in comple-tion made an observation regarding the ‘Northern tour’, suggesting that the word

‘Northern’ could be replaced with ‘Top’ in relation to the two Masonic groups position in the Prov-ince, purely in regard to their geographical location…..of course! As the brethren made their way out of the venue at a relatively late hour, our PrGM would un-doubtedly have smiled even more if he could have overheard the conversation between two local Masons as they crossed the car park. “Did you enjoy it?”…”Oh aye, that were a reet good neet”.

The Provincial Grand Master is pictured with the acting Provincial grand officers and group officers

Members of the Three Columns Club welcome their newest ‘recruit’.

The assembled brethren listen intently to Tony


Bare, enthusiastic, and proud of it!

ON A WARM and sunny Sunday after-noon, the heat was definitely ‘on’ for the competitors and spectators alike at the Lancaster and District Group round of the West Lancashire Mason-ic Charity Bowling tournament.

Although the number of participants was a little on the low side, the enthusiasm of those taking part could not be doubted. Bare Village Club, Morecambe, was the venue for this annual event, which saw Masons from nine lodges compete for a place in the Provincial final at Fleetwood. Keith Lamb, master of Poulton le Sands Lodge No 1051 was the eventual group round winner, after a keenly contested deciding match against fellow finalist Brian Warrington of Morecambe Lodge No 1561.

In a competition specifically for masters in office, the winner was Dav Morrow of Runic Lodge No 6019 who, on his ‘bowling debut’, was generously ceded the title by fellow master Keith Lamb who had earlier won the group final trophy. Keith ex-pressed his opinion that the trophy should go to Dav in recognition of the outstanding standard of play he had shown as a relative novice to the game. Chris Butterfield, group secretary, who congratulat-ed the winners and all who had taken part, present-ed the trophies and prizes. He particularly thanked Malcom Cambidge group bowling representative for his work in organising the event and wished the

local finalists continuing suc-cess at the Provincial finals. The raffle, organised by Bill Stables raised over £100. Left: The participants and their supporters pictured at the end of the competition.

Keith Lamb (right) receives the winner’s trophy from Chris Butterfield

Chris Butterfield (left) presents the masters trophy to Dav Morrow

Brian Warrington (right) is pre-sented with the runners -up trophy by Chris Butterfield


Scottish demonstration for the Sassenachs of Heysham Lodge

MARK NEEDHAM, the WM of Piel Castle Lodge No 6099 lives in Torrisholme and delights in being a frequent visitor to Heysham Lodge No 4108. When Piel Castle made arrangements for a Scottish Lodge to demonstrate their third degree ceremo-ny it was therefore only fitting that Mark invited members of Heysham Lodge to witness what prom-ised to be a very in-teresting and enter-taining evening. So it was that Rich-ard Dennison, Bob Malcolm, Kevin Beaumont and Allan Mills made the trip around the bay for what they enthusiastically describe as a 'thoroughly enjoya-ble evening'! So much so, in fact, that they had no hesitation in inviting the Right WM Nicholas Miller and other brethren of Lodge St Modan, Rosneath No 1015 which was constituted in 1906 under charter from the Grand Lodge of Scotland, to travel south of the border again to give their third degree demonstration to all the members of Heysham Lodge. So popular did the invitation promise to be that Heysham actually convened a special extra meet-ing in June which attracted no less than 84 brethren. Of course, Richard Dennison volunteered to be 'the candidate', but the Newsletter is assured that he has now made a full recovery! The festive board at this wonderful and happy meeting raised a magnificent amount of £400 which was presented to the Lodge of St Modan for the benefit of their charity account which was very much appreciated by the Right WM and the brethren who thanked Heysham Lodge for their friendship and companionship on what had proved to be a very enjoyable evening.

The brethren of Heysham Lodge and the Lodge of St Modan

Warrior spirit overcomes adversity!

MICHAEL COLE of City of Lancaster Lodge No 281 has successfully completed the ten mile Total Warri-or endurance race raising over £1,000 for charity. The course of the race included over 30 obstacles that had been engineered by the UK's special forces to test every ounce of strength, determination and mental reserve. In training for the event Michael almost became 'half the man he was' after shedding some 5½ stone but it put him in great shape to set off on a wet and gale blown day on the top of Shap in the Lake District. Of the 2,000 competitors who start-ed the challenge only 1,569 made it to the finishing line with broken bones, hypothermia and exhaustion being some of the factors causing retirement. Michael's endurance raised £850 divided between the British Heart Foundation, the Tigerlily Trust and the RNLI together

with a further £250 for a charity chosen by City of Lancaster WM Steven Nutter and Michael is extremely grateful to all the brethren, family and friends for their support.

'Warrior' Michael Cole


Lancaster Group golfers are ‘putt’ to the test

OVER 30 golfers from nine lodges throughout the Lancaster and District Group en-joyed an excellent day’s competition at the local round of the West Lancashire Pro-vincial Golfing Tournament held at Bentham Golf Club. Provincial Senior Grand Warden Peter Pemberton, who was the principal guest, was delighted to attend the event to present the prizes. Pilling Lodge No 7879 were the winners of the Group Trophy and Heysham Lodge claimed the Morecambe and Heysham Trophy. Bill Bamber of Pilling Lodge was presented with the ‘Best Indi-vidual Score Shield’. A total of six local competitors went through to the finals held at Swinton Park Golf Club but unfortunately only Carl Horrax scooped an individual prize by winning the Ar-thur Entwistle Trophy. On congratulating all of the participants, Peter thanked Arthur Laycock, group golf representative, for both the invitation to attend and for the hard work he had put in to organising the day. He re-minded everyone that all the monies donated by lodges and chapters, together with the raffle pro-ceeds, which were in excess of £140, were forwarded in their entirety to charity and not used for the administration of the competition. Peter commended the golfers for their generosity and wished them continuing success in the finals.

Above left, the jubilant Pilling Lodge team, pictured from left to right, are: Iain Collinson, Harry Robinson, Bill Bamber and Gordon Rae, receiving the Group Trophy from Peter Pemberton (centre).

Above right: Heysham Lodge golfers (pictured left to right) are: Peter Roberts, Trevor Horn, Mike Brown and Barry Robinson being presented with the Morecambe and Heysham Trophy by Peter Pemberton.

Left: Bill Bamber is extremely happy to receive the shield for best score from Peter Pemberton.

Right: Peter pre-sents the prize for nearest the pin on

the par 3 tenth hole to Carl Horrax.

Below: The Lancas-

ter and District golfers

Above: Peter Roberts receives the prize for third place in the overall results


BRING ME SUNSHINE - ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL GROUP WALK

ERIC MORECAMBE certainly brought a fine and pleasant evening if not wall to wall sunshine for our group walk when 22 intrepid members, partners and friends fore-went watching England play Italy in the World Cup and set off for an extremely pleasant and leisurely stroll along Morecambe's very attractive sea front. Enjoying the spectacular views across the bay the group made their way to Happy Mount Park before returning to Morecambe Masonic Hall for some light refreshment. Group Social Secretary Neil McGill was on hand to wish the walkers bon voyage and to take the 'team photo' but unfortunately was committed to another engagement so could not accompany the troops on their trek. Group Chairman Jim Wilson paid tribute to Heysham and Poulton-le-Sands Lodges for hosting the event, to those lodges who had so generously given their support and, of course, to all those who took part.

Soggy but satisfactory at Garstang

CHRIS BROWN, the Lancaster Group Mem-bership Officer, together with members of his team and other keen brethren who assisted on the Provincial stand at the Garstang Show had to brave a particularly wet Satur-day but were nonetheless rewarded by a number of potential members expressing an interest in joining the fraternity. This year the Provincial Membership Officer, Mike Threlfall and his wife Janice both as-sisted on the stand along with David Wright of Wyreside Lodge, who had also helped Chris at the Great Eccleston Show. Chris was very pleased to thank David, Mike and Janice for helping out on the day. He also thanked Jim Barnes the membership officer of the North Fylde Group for delivering and collecting the Provincial trailer to and from the show ground. Mike commented that the shows around the Province had been particularly successful this year.

Mike Threlfall is pictured at the Provincial membership stand at Garstang Show.


Morecambe Lodge hosts

a ‘proper knees up’

IT IS NOT often that you hear the phrases ‘knees up’ or ‘a proper sing along’ used in modern times but both were apt descriptions of a social event hosted by Morecambe Lodge No 1561. WM Roy Norman, together with over 50 guests including friends and family, enjoyed a great night at Morecambe Masonic Hall, with music and entertainment supplied by Frankie McGregor a talented and well-known local piano accordion player. In addition, Stewart Aimson, the lodge senior warden, organised his own version of the TV game show ‘Play your cards right’ to add a touch of excitement to the evening.

Roy surprised the audience with his vocal tal-ents and was successful in persuading anoth-er one or two ‘volunteers’ to help out with the singing duties. Although all those participating gave a good account of themselves, it was thought unlikely that any recording contracts would be offered in the near future. Morecambe members normally invite their la-dies and guests to dine at the festive board following their final meeting of the year but due to the number of initiation ceremonies they have carried out this year, with four in the last six months alone, it proved necessary to ar-range a separate evening for this event. In ad-dition to everyone having a wonderful evening, almost £200 was raised for good causes.

Left: Swapping his camera for a microphone is George Fox.

WM Roy (third from right) and his guests getting into the swing of the occasion.

Roy Norman (right) serenades the guests accompanied by Frankie McGregor.


CHAPTER NEWS CHAPTER NEWS CHAPTER NEWS

Three new assistants and three

new principals!

THE MEMBERS of Vale Chapter of Installed Principals No 5256 had been looking forward to their installation meeting all summer. The installation meeting is normally held on the last Wednesday in August, however, when the an-nouncement was made that David Grainger was to be appointed as an Assistant Provincial Grand Mas-ter and his successor as Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principals was to be Chris Butterfield the chapter’s secretary, and his investiture was to take place on the same night as the installation the members of the chapter knew that they were in for a special night. Little did they know that as the summer progressed and the investiture would not be for one new Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principals, but three - the meeting was surely going to be a

memorable one. After accepting the sceptre from first principal Ken Robinson Grand Superintendent Tony Harrison appointed his officers and opened Provincial Grand Chapter. Tony then explained to all the companions the reason for the meeting, saying that he was delighted to invest his three new assis-tants. Tony asked if Chris Butterfield, Ian Cuerdon and Barry Jameson were present and upon being in-formed they were Tony asked for them to be placed before him so that he could appoint and invest them. Tony then gave a resume of their Ma-

sonic careers and having said they were well qualified and experienced to become Assistants to the Provincial Grand Principals he asked if they were ready and willing to take the office to which the three companions affirmed. Tony closed Provincial Grand Chapter and asked Ken if he would return to his chair and take the sceptre back. Ken informed the companions that the next business was to appoint and install the three princi-pals for the ensuing year: John Heaton as first principal, Peter Quirk as second principal and John Myers as third principal. John then appointed his officers ably assisted by the chapter DC Trevor Barber. Ken then presented the chapter's charter to John thereby concluding the installa-tion ceremony. Tony then said it was at this point he would have risen to give greeting on behalf of the Grand Su-perintendent! (which was greeted by much laughter from the companions). Tony said: ”Although the installation ceremony was short it was a pleasure to watch and the ceremony had been deliv-ered very well and he was delighted to have been present.” He congratulated everyone who had taken part in the ceremony and wished the three principals a happy and healthy year in office. The senior officers of the Province are pictured from left to right: (seated) Paul Shepherd, Danny Jones, Peter Elmore, Tony Harrison, Stanley Oldfield and Paul Renton. Standing are: Ian Higham (PrGDC), Ian Cuerden, Michael Rad-cliffe, Barry Jameson, David Randerson, Chris Butterfield, Peter Taylor (PrGScribeE) and Barrie Crossley (PrDGDC).

Pictured from left to right, are: Chris Butter-field, Ian Cuerden, Tony Harrison and Barry

Jameson.

Tony is pictured with the three new principals.



Two new assistants from our own group

IT IS WITH GREAT PRIDE that two of the new Assistants to the Provincial Grand Principals hail from our own Lancaster Group - Chris Butterfield and Ian Cuerden. Chris becomes the Assistant responsible for the Furness and South Lakeland and Lancaster Groups. He was exalted in the Royal Arch in 1997 into Lancaster Castle Chapter No 5952. He served as first principal in 2004. He then served the chapter as secretary from 2004 to October 2013. He received acting rank in the Royal Arch in 2007 as Provincial Grand Steward and was promoted in 2011 to PPrGSwdB. He received a second acting rank in the Royal Arch in 2013, that of Provincial Grand Sword Bearer and in August 2014 was appointed Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principals with specific responsibilities for the Lancas-ter and District Group and the Furness and South Lakeland Group. He is currently secretary of Vale Chapter of Installed Princi-pals No 5256 a post he has held since August 2010. In 2011 he was the founding secretary of Brigantes Chapter No 9734 Cumberland and Westmoreland and still holds that office. He is also a past first principal of Fraternity Chapter No 4072 and currently third principal of the Provincial Grand Stewards Chapter No 8516. Chris is also a member of several other Masonic Orders. Outside of Freemasonry he enjoys walking and is a keen photographer and a Formula 1 fan. He enjoys an odd drink of real ale being a member of CAMRA. Until a couple of years ago, he was on the PCC of Christ Church, Fulwood, Preston and served as its treasurer for six years.

Chris said: “I am very much looking forward to my new role as an Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principals and con-tinuing, in the footsteps of some very worthy companions, in promoting the Royal Arch in both the Furness and South Lakeland Group and the Lancaster and District Group and continuing to work with the chairmen, group officers and companions in both groups to enjoy our membership of this very colourful degree.” Ian, a member of Lodge Amounderness No 7105 which meets at Garstang, becomes the Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principals with responsibility for Wigan and District, Preston and Leigh Groups. Ian was exalted into Penwortham Chapter No 5874 in April 1971, he was first principal in 1986 and served as Scribe E from 1988 to 1991. He was director of ceremonies from 1991 to 1994. He is also a member of Setantia Chapter of Installed Princi-pals No 7755 and is currently its first principal. He is also a member of Provincial Stewards Chapter No 8516. He is also a senior member of another Masonic Order. Ian received his first appointment to Provincial rank in the

Royal Arch as Provincial Grand Steward in 1990 and was promoted to PPrPGSoj in 1994. In 2000 he was again promoted to the very high rank of PrGSN – The Millennium Nehemiah! In 2005 he was promoted to the grand rank of Past Grand Standard Bearer. After 45 years Ian says he still experiences a quickening of his step upon entering a Masonic hall and hopes that his enthusiasm will engender ever greater interest and participation in the Royal Arch amongst the companions he will be privileged to serve.

Chris Butterfield

Ian Cuerden

Page 15 Lancaster and District Group of Lodges and Chapters. Newsletter Volume 11 Issue 1 September 2014


A DRAMATIC DEMONSTRATION

OF THE CEREMONY OF EXALTATION

ROWLEY COURT

MONDAY 20 OCTOBER 7.00 pm

The exaltation ceremony is already very colourful and dramatic for a new exaltee but as the story

unfolds there are opportunities to add to this enjoyment with some changes to the way the

'story' is explained. The demonstration is to show where companions can

add to the enjoyment of both the exaltee and the members of the chapter by the addition of these

suggested changes .

The demonstration is open to all companions but first principals, directors of ceremonies and newly-exalted companions are particularly

urged to attend.

To book please contact your chapter ScribeE or John Heaton:

[email protected] The price for a two-course meal is £10.00



Tea and toast at Heysham for Ben

HEYSHAM CHAPTER No 4108 re-cently welcomed their newest member, Ben Yates, in traditional style. Following a very enjoyable ceremony Alan Dean proposed the toast to his health and the companions responded by raising their teacups! The Chapter has a tradition of holding an informal and simple meal following its meetings, con-sisting of tea or coffee and sandwiches. Ben, a member of Heysham Lodge No 4108, has been a Master Mason for al-most three years and now felt it was time to take the next step on his Masonic career. Speaking after the ceremony, Ben said, “I felt I was now ready to join the Royal Arch degree. I have had three very enjoyable years in Craft Masonry, progressing through offices in the lodge and gaining an understanding of what being a Freema-son means. Alan, my proposer and Paul Craddock who seconded me, were very helpful in an-swering any questions that I had”. Ben was also keen to point out that at no point had he ever felt pressured to join another Masonic degree. “The options were explained to me shortly after my third degree ceremony but I was told that the decision was entirely mine to make”. He continued, “I very much enjoyed the ceremony and I’m looking forward to making new friends and learning more about this particularly colourful degree”. He will soon have some family support as his broth-er, Max, is due to join the chapter shortly. One of the first to congratulate Ben was the newly appointed Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principals, Chris Butterfield, who was visiting the chapter as a private guest. However, the members were anxious to mark the occasion despite its informality and presented Chris with a cheque for £100 in favour of the West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity, which he gladly accepted on their behalf with gratitude.

EVENT CELEBRANT DATE

70th Anniversary Douglas Hayhurst, Lune Lodge No 4724 21/08/14

50th Anniversary Ken Richardson, Knott End Lodge No 8674 25/09/14

50th Anniversary John Reed, St Michael’s-on-Wyre Lodge No 8348 26/09/14

50th Anniversary Robert E Eastham, City of Lancaster Lodge No 281 14/10/14

Royal Arch demonstration Rowley Chapter No 1051 (Rowley Court) 20/10/14

60th Anniversary William A J Thompson, Wyreside Lodge No 2605 21/10/14

50th Anniversary Hugh Rothwell Howarth, Vale Lodge No 5256 22/11/14

50th Anniversary Carnforth Chapter No 4951 04/12/14

50th Anniversary Alan Westall, Morecambe Lodge No 1561 06/01/15

50th Anniversary Raymond Ward, Poulton-le-Sands Lodge No 1051 25/03/15

50th Anniversary Eric Proctor, Silverdale Lodge No 6926 07/04/15

50th Anniversary Alan Lamb, City of Lancaster Lodge No 281 09/06/15

GROUP SPECIAL EVENTS 2014-15

Pictured, from left to right, are: Chris Butterfield, Chris Larder, Malcolm Hayward, Ben Yates, Paul Craddock

and Alan Dean.


Hot, sunny and successful for the membership team

THE WEATHER was hot and sunny for the two days of this year’s Great Eccleston show when the Lan-caster Group membership team secured a pitch close to the main entrance for the Provincial ‘Freemasonry on Display’ stand. With such a prominent position on the showground and a generally enlarged show and greater visitor numbers group membership officer Chris Brown declared it a great success. Chris’ team of helpers included David Wright, Bernard Snape and Martin Dennison who is the group membership officer for the South Fylde Group. They were very ably assisted for the first time by three members of the Three Columns Club: Spencer Sutcliffe, Michael Weston-Cole and Carl Horrax. This more youthful presence helped to demonstrate that Freemasonry is for gentlemen of all ages. A large number of Masons and non-Masons visited the stand over the two days and lots of inter-est was shown. As in previous years a number of visitors were surprised to see a stand about Freemasonry at the show and were genuinely interested to learn more about what we do. As a result of the event ten enquiries were received from Freemasons moving into the area look-ing for a local lodge and also from gentlemen interested in joining Freemasonry. These enquiries spanned the South Fylde, North Fylde, Blackpool and Preston groups as well as the Lancaster group. The enquiries were of a high quality and Chris is confident there will be a high conversion rate to increase the number of new members. Chris said, “I would like to thank all the brethren who assisted on the stand again this year and contributed to making it a success. I hope they all enjoyed the event and meeting the public to talk about our hobby. I would particularly like to thank the Three Columns Club members for tak-ing part and Carl Horrax for helping to collect the trailer and taking it back into storage.”

Pictured, from left to right, are: David Wright, Chris Brown, Spencer Sutcliffe and Martin Dennison

Three Columns Club member and keen Freemason Michael Weston-

Cole on the display stand.


The 3 Columns Club is now one year old and its members have enjoyed many social events

and lodge visits together

Are you missing out on the fun?

If you have been initiated in the past few years or have not yet reached the chair of your lodge

then you are both eligible and invited to join the club

For further details please e-mail: [email protected]

THREE COLUMNS

CLUB


Three Columns Club members travel to

Yorkshire West Riding for their summer

'Masonic fix'

SPENCER SUTCLIFFE of Duke of Lan-caster Lodge No 1353 and Shaun Ash-worth of Morecambe Lodge No 1561 made a pilgrimage 'over the border' as visitors to Savile Lodge No 1231 at Hali-fax in the Province of Yorkshire West Riding. They had been invited by Tony Greenwood whom the two Three Columns Club members had previously met at Mexborough Lodge No 6117 which also meets in Halifax. Savile Lodge does not have a summer recess and meets 12 months of the year. At the meeting Spencer and Shaun witnessed an excellent presentation of the second degree tracing board and

enjoyed a very convivial festive board. Spencer said: " Although it is great to visit lodg-es within one's own Province Halifax is my original home town and I feel very comfortable crossing the border for my Masonic fix during our own summer break." Shaun commented, "This is the second lodge in Halifax that I have visited with Spencer and on each occasion have been treated to a very warm welcome. Although the business of the meetings is similar it is the slight differences that make them really interesting to watch." Spencer and Shaun have invited the brethren from the two Halifax lodges to make a recipro-cal visit and to find out more about the great success of the Three Columns Club.

Left: pictured, from left to right, are: Spencer Sutcliffe, Tony Greenwood and Shaun Ashworth

Prostate Research Campaign tops £32,000

THE PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH CAMPAIGN started by Peter Pemberton when he was WM of St Michaels-on-Wyre Lodge No 8348 has now topped £32,000 thanks to support for the campaign from the Rotary Club of Longridge and North Preston. After hearing of the campaign the club had earlier invited Peter to make a presentation to their members about pros-tate disease and the importance of early diagnosis which Peter says is crucial if we are to stem the tide of men dying from the disease or suffering significant quality of life impair-ment. The presentation subsequently prompted the club to donate the proceeds of their annual golf tournament to the cam-paign amounting to an amazing £2,500. Peter was delighted to receive the cheque from Ribble Val-ley MP Nigel Evans at a meeting of the club held in Ferrari's Country House Hotel, Longridge. If you would like to know more about the Campaign or ar-range a presentation please e-mail: [email protected]

Peter (right) is delighted to receive the cheque from Nigel Evans


WHEN Assistant Provincial Grand Master David Winder hatched the idea of organ-ising a crossing of Morecambe Bay to raise funds for the West Lancashire Freema-sons' Charity he hoped that brethren and their families and friends from across the Province would lend their support. Those hopes were certainly realised when a 'Masonic contingent' of over 100 walkers, including a strong showing from our own Lancas-ter Group, joined many other members of the public who assembled at the memorial in Arnside to raise money for various charities in-cluding North West Air Ambulance, Genesis Breast Cancer Aware-ness, St Catherine's Hospice and many others. At precisely 12.15 pm the official guide Cedric Robinson MBE ar-rived to lead the multitude of walkers across the treacherous sands of the bay to Kents Bank. Cedric, of course, has become quite a celebrity whose official title is 'Queen's Guide to the sands of Morecambe Bay'. He is able to live in his home of Guide's Farm, which is owned by the Crown, virtually rent free instead of receiving a salary. The only people whom he is

'contracted' to guide across the bay is the Queen and anyone nominated by her. However, for some 51 years Cedric has been guiding walks across the shifting sands simply for the pleasure it gives him and in the knowledge that by doing so he has enabled numerous organisa-tions to raise millions of pounds for charity. The day was blessed with perfect weather as the merry band set off on the first part of the walk following the rocky shore line. However, as they struck out across the sands and although the crossing was made at low water, in places the walkers found themselves knee deep in water. The final leg to Kents Bank consisted of salt marsh made up of several muddy channels that had to be negotiated with care. Some four hours after setting off from Arnside the walkers arrived at their destination of Kents Bank where they enjoyed refreshments at the nearby Abbot Hall Hotel.

A very happy and satisfied David Winder said at completion, "I would like to thank all those breth-ren and companions who have taken part in the walk and also all the lodges, chapters, brethren and companions who have made contributions all of which will go to the West Lancashire Free-masons' Charity."

Crossing the bay the Winder Way

David Winder and some of the many walkers ready to brave the walk across the bay

Bernard Snape and wife Linda at Arnside

Mike Kilroy on the crossing


IT IS A PARENT'S greatest nightmare that one’s child or children might be faced with a life shortening illness. This happens to more families than you would believe and they are supported by a series of chil-dren’s hospices throughout the country providing immeasurable and invaluable support and care. One such haven of excellence is Deri-an House near Chorley which covers an enormous area from the South of Lancashire to the South Lakes encom-passing many Masonic groups. On a recent visit, Bob Brown the WM, Dr.Vas, and Ian Cuerden of Lodge Amounderness No 7105, were privi-leged to visit Derian House to make a small donation of £300. Julie Atherton, clinical director and Shirley Poppitt, head of fundraising, conducted the brethren on a tour of the facilities and one could not fail to be impressed by their total sincerity and commitment. This is no mere job to them - they be-lieve entirely in their work and the help it gives to others.

THE LODGE

The recently built state of the art exten-sion, called appropriately ‘The Lodge’, houses computers provided and main-tained by Freemasons and also four bedrooms with the very latest of mod-ern equipment and bright and airy facil-ities. The hospice employs over 100 staff to fulfil its excellent work which extends to supporting families in the community, within the environs of the unit (sometimes on a two to one basis) and also in providing respite care and support even, sadly, when a child dies. The hospice needs to attract approximately £3,000,000 in funding annually with only some 9% of this being provided from local authority or government sources. Like other charities it has found its donations squeezed in recent years due to the economic situation and for various reasons chil-dren’s hospices do not always attract the level of legacies that other hospices might benefit from. Freemasons support hospices financially throughout the country and the need for our support will forever remain both from central Masonic charities, individual brethren and lodge donations. It is one way we can actively benefit the community in which we live. Those lodges which have given and those which might be considering donating in the future might be assured from the visit by Lodge Amounderness that a more worthy cause is hard to find and the recipients, both children and young adults, together with their families, benefit substantially from our actions.

WM Bob Brown is pictured with Susie Poppit (left) and Julie Atherton


'Reflections on sacrifice' - a WWII Normandy cemetery

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

Major John McCrae 1915

LEST WE FORGET

The Freemasons of the Lancaster and District Group will again join the processions and wreath-laying

ceremonies in Lancaster, Morecambe, Carnforth and Garstang on

Remembrance Sunday 9 November 2014

Lancaster: Garden of Remembrance,

Lancaster Town Hall 10.30

Garstang: Assemble at the Discovery Centre car park at 10.00

Morecambe and Carnforth: to be

announced.

Please show your support and join the group officers in this important

demonstration of Freemasonry in the Community


CRAFT INSTALLATIONS

DATE LODGE ATTENDING 2014 OCTOBER

07 Tuesday Scorton 5791 C Band PJGD 08 Wednesday Warton 8411 H Jones PGSwdB, DepPrGM 17 Friday Heysham 4108 J A Harrison PrGM 25 Saturday Vale 5256 J H Wilson PJGD

NOVEMBER 12 Wednesday Great Eccleston 8895 B Crossley PAGDC 14 Friday Runic 6019 C Butterfield PAGDC 18 Tuesday Torrisholme 5245 D Grainger PAGDC, APrGM 27 Thursday Lancaster Castle 5952 D J Winder PSGD, APrGM

DECEMBER 05 Friday Morecambe 1561 A Jones PAGDC

2015 JANUARY

08 Tuesday Silverdale 6926 Rev G Halsall AsstGChaplain 21 Wednesday Duke of Lancaster 1353 M Lockyer PrJGW 28 Wednesday Amounderness 7105 P Taylor PAGDC, PrGSec

FEBRUARY 16 Monday Plantagenet LIM 9357 D Parkinson PSGD, APrGM 17 Tuesday Wyreside 2605 F P Gardner PSGD, PAPrGM 19 Thursday City of Lancaster 281 D Grainger PAGDC, APrGM 25 Wednesday Poulton-le-Sands 1051 K Kemp PAGDC, PrGDC

MARCH 04 Wednesday Lune 4724 P H Gunning PSGD, APrGM 18 Wednesday Longridge 8077 D Grainger PAGDC, APrGM 24 Tuesday Garstang 6633 R Martland PSGD, APrGM 25 Wednesday Carnforth 4951 P Pemberton PrSGW

APRIL 02 Thursday Aegis 9115 D Grainger PAGDC, APrGM 23 Thursday Knott End 8674 J Robson PAGDC 24 Friday St Michael’s-on-Wyre 8348 H Cox PSGD, APrGM

MAY 14 Thursday Pilling 7879 T Bent PSGD, APrGM

ROYAL ARCH INSTALLATIONS

DATE CHAPTER ATTENDING 2014 OCTOBER

06 Monday Lancaster Castle 5952 I Cuerden PGStdB, AtoPrGP’s NOVEMBER

17 Monday Rowley 1051 H Ross PAGSoj, P3rdPrGP DECEMBER

02 Tuesday Fortitude 281 P Renton PGStdB, AtoPrGP's 2015 MARCH

02 Monday Great Eccleston 8895 P Shepherd PAGSoj, AtoPrGP’s 02 Monday Morecambe 1561 09 Monday Knott End 8674 S Oldfield PAGSoj, 3rdPrGP 12 Thursday Heysham 4108 D Randerson PGStdB, AtoPrGP’s

APRIL 02 Thursday Carnforth 4951 C Butterfield PGStdB, AtoPrGP’s 09 Thursday Sandylands 5702 C Butterfield PGStdB, AtoPrGP’s 27 Monday Scorton 5791 C Butterfield PGStdB, AtoPrGP’s

CRAFT AND ROYAL ARCH INSTALLATIONS 2014-15


Esther Rantzen talks about The Silver Line

Tickets £18

available ONLY from the Regional or Local Care Officers

Open to all Masons

TO BE HELD AT

WELLINGTON PARK, LEYLAND

6th NOVEMBER 2014

6.30 FOR 7.00 pm (Lounge Suits)

ANNUAL

PROVINCIAL

ALMONERS'

DINNER

In the presence of: RW Brother James Anthony Harrison Provincial Grand Master for West Lancashire

"A unique opportunity to hear Esther Rantzen talk about The Silver Line - a helpline for older people"

Documents

A NEW BEGINNING IN THE LIFE OF OUR GREAT ... - GROUP CHAIRMAN Brethren, ... turn asked David Roberts to convey his own sincere thanks and very best wishes to Jim Wilson and all the