Out and About
News from Lodges around the
Province
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Vellum Lodge Dines on Turkish Kebab entertained by Belly Dancer
A first for Vellum Lodge 5845, attended by new as well as long standing members and guests, was celebrated at an informal dinner at the Mangal Restaurant near Stirling Road.
One of the Lodge's newest members, Umit Orer who was born and grew up in Turkey, organised the event with a varied menu of Turkish food of all types. WM Mike Cooney congratulated Umit and his wife Samra on the excellent organisation of the evening and the wonderful atmosphere that was enhanced by the Belly Dancer who entertained the group during the evening. posted 19 Aug 2010
The Immediate Past Provincial Grand Master, RW Bro Michael Price CBE, who retired from office in June, will preside at the Athelstan Lodge 1333 Lodge of Instruction Festival on Thursday, 16th September.
Masonic etiquette sees a period of "purdah" during the immediate twelve months after the appointment of a new Provincial Grand Master, whereby the retired PGM will not attend meetings where his successor will be present, unless under exceptional circumstances. This inevitably restricts attendance at important events, and the opportunity to support the Festival will thus be all the more appreciated.
It will be held at the Atherstone Masonic Hall, 106 Long Street, Atherstone, on Thursday, 16th September 2010 at 5.45pm. The Festive Board afterwards will cost £19 pp (inc wine) and bookings should be made via the Lodge Secretary, W Bro Brian Whitmore, tel: 01827 896259, email: brian.whitmore@btinternet.com.
A copy of the invitation can be seen here. posted 10 Aug 2010
Bro Iain Melvin, who was raised in Kenilworth Lodge 6939 in May, recently spent twelve days completing "Wainwright's Coast to Coast" walk. He was accompanied throughout by Herbert, his faithful Spaniel, raising funds to help awareness and research for sufferers of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) after one of his friends had been diagnosed with the condition two years earlier.
The walk starts at St Bees on the Cumbrian west coast and then follows 192 miles fell walking through the Lake District, North Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, Vale of Mowbray and North York Moors until the end point at Robin Hoods Bay in North Yorkshire on the North Sea.
Iain and Herbert, with his children, who walked with him on day one before sending him on his way.
Tradition dictates that you carry a pebble from St Bees beach and dip your boots in the Irish Sea and then when you get to the North Sea at Robin Hoods Bay you throw the pebble into the North Sea and dip your boots in there to signify the 'finish'.
During the walk Iain stayed in bunk houses, farms, B&B's and pubs at night time and explained to numerous people about MND whenever he met anyone, many of whom made donations. So far his efforts have raised over £15,000, which he hopes to exceed. Details of how to help him achieve this, and further photos and details of his adventure can be found at www.justgiving.com/IainMelvinC2CforMND posted 27 Jun 2010
Soldier turned Airman turns 50
Members and visitors at Knowle Lodge 8001 recently enjoyed a wonderful evening celebrating a 50 year certificate presentation by W Bro Michael Morris, Assistant Provincial Grand Master, to Past Master W Bro John Whiteley DFC, PProvSGW.
John, who will be 92 in June, was born in Nottingham and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross following his service in the Royal Air Force. He afterwards worked for the Norwich Union Insurance Company for over 40 years, during which time he met Mary, who sadly died after 52 years marriage to John in 2003.
During a very varied life John studied Spanish, French and Greek, and achieved an Open University degree in Pure Maths. He has helped teach people to read and write, and with money matters and problems, as well as being a school Governor and active member of the Conservative Party for many years.
But his passion throughout his life has been the RAF, where he was Secretary of the 619 Squadron for many years. In the 1990s he was put in touch with the crew of a U Boat his RAF crew had bombed, thus forming an annual reunion which lasted for 10 years.
John was initiated into Chetwode Crawley Lodge 395, Dublin, in 1960 and became a joining member of Knowle Lodge in 1986, attending 125 of the 136 meetings held since then, and was installed as Master in 1997. He was honoured with Provincial Grand Rank in 2003, and promoted to Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden by the Provincial Grand Master on the floor of the Warwickshire Installed Masters' Lodge in November last year, in recognition of his service as a RAF Lancaster Bomber Pilot during the Second World War.
Last summer John published his memoirs entitled "Soldier turned Airman", and he is pictured (above, centre) with the Master of Knowle Lodge W Bro Brian Smith (left) and W Bro Michael Morris. posted 25 May 2010
W Bro Derek James, Almoner of Machen Lodge 1782, reports that their Worshipful Master, W Bro Leon Jacob and his wife Sarah, held a Ladies' Evening in March, from which the proceeds of £515 were donated to Help for Heroes. posted 22 May 2010
Relatives, brethren and friends of W Bro Leon Jessel MBE, JP, gathered to plant a tree in his memory. Leon was a founder member of Junior Chamber Lodge 8902 and it's first Senior Warden in 1979. He was also a member of Streetly Lodge 7448, and a Grand Officer. The liquid amber tree, donated by Junior Chamber Lodge, was decided upon after many ideas were considered to achieve a lasting memorial following a legacy left to the Lodge by Leon. It was planted at the Walsall Leather Museum in reflection of his long association with the leather industry, and a memorial stone will be placed beneath the tree in due course.
Leon was a well known leather worker who came to the Black Country after fleeing the Nazi concentration camps. He became a popular figure in the industry after coming to live and work in Walsall. He was born into a Jewish family in the German city of Duisburg in 1918 and suffered repeated arrest in the Nazi persecution of the Jews. He was included in the token release of a batch of prisoners in 1939 and later obtained a visa to work in the UK.
He formed Jessel & Son Leather Goods Manufacturers, receiving the MBE for his services to exports in 1972.
Pictured (above) are Leon's Niece Kath Doody and Past Masters of Junior Chamber Lodge Mac Gregory and Keith Heap. posted 22 May 2010
The next meeting of Warwickshire Installed Masters Lodge 4538 will be very brief, business being confined to formal necessities.
And then . . . . . . a relaxed evening and high quality dinner with our Ladies.
Full details here or contact Keith Beckett email keithvbeckett@hotmail.com posted 22 May 2010
Bros Dave Marlow and Ivan Smart of Greville Lodge 4773 have returned safely from the challenge of their winter climb of Mount Toubkal, part of the High Atlas Mountains and the highest peak in Northern Africa. They suffered temperatures of minus ten degrees celsius during two overnight camps on the Mountain face, were very much affected by Altitude Sickness and are recovering from inevitable blisters to their feet.
But they made it to the top (see picture) and it has all been made worthwhile by the increase in funds raised for Acorns Hospice, which was originally aimed at £1 for each of the 4167 metres climbed, but which has now risen to the magnificent sum of £6,500.
Further news and pictures can be seen on the Greville Lodge web site www.grevillelodge.org.uk/pages/toubkal.htm posted 19 May 2010
W Bro Hosey Davoudian, Provincial Grand Steward, is nearing the completion of his personal challenge to visit all of the other St John's Lodges as well as all of the other Provinces, on the UK mainland, during his year as Master of the St John's Lodge 2811 in Warwickshire.
So far Hosey has visited 25 of their Installation meetings and 8 other Provinces which don't have a St John Lodge, making a total of 33 out of the 48 Provinces within UGLE (which includes three which are in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, off the mainland). That leaves just 12 more Provinces, in which the other 9 St John's Lodges are situated.
This will be a remarkable achievement, possibly establishing a record – can anyone claim to surpass it? posted 19 Apr 2010
A party of 49 recently made the trip to London by Coach to visit the Library and Museum at Grand Lodge. Their guided tour included the Grand Temple and they also had the benefit of visiting the Egyptian Temple No 10.
The event was organised under the banner of Meridian Lodge 9003 and after a few hours free in London the party returned to Warwickshire for a meal at Kenilworth Golf Club.
The Library and Museum is open to all visitors, Monday to Friday, but visits on a Saturday require pre booking. The members of the party on this occasion included many partners of Masons as well as non Masons and newly initiated Brethren who found the building and its contents a very worthwhile experience. The Library and Museum of Freemasonry is a registered museum housing one of the finest publicly available collections of Masonic material in the world. For further information see www.freemasonry.london.museum/ posted 27 Mar 2010
During his year as Master of Athelstan Lodge 1333, W Bro Kevin Garner raised money for the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, a Garden Party, Ladies Night and raffles contributing to the total.
This resulted in W Bro Frank Salt and W Bro Malcolm Owen presenting a cheque for £1003 to the WNAA at their base at Coventry Airport.
The helicopter can be airborne in 45 seconds and can reach anywhere in Warwickshire within 9 minutes, and Northamptonshire in 15 minutes. It is the fastest and busiest helicopter in the country and responds to around 110 emergency calls every month.
The Air Ambulance is supported entirely through voluntary donations and costs £1.4 million a year to operate. The service operates 7 days a week during daylight hours, and the team includes three Pilots, twelve Doctors and twelve Paramedics. posted 23 Feb 2010
Acorns Children's Hospice will be the sole beneficiary of money
raised by Greville Lodge 4773 for a winter climb of Mount Toubkal, part of the
High Atlas Mountains and the highest peak in Northern Africa. 
The route will be
via the challenging 'north face' and is taking place between Feb 23 and Feb
27th 2010.
Bro Ivan Smart and Bro David Marlow, both of Greville Lodge, have been under the instruction of Squadron Sergeant-Major Marcus Heslop of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment – 2RTR - during their training. This has involved extended trips to Snowdonia during January & February.
A winter climb of this altitude presents its own problems compared to a normal trek. W Bro David Butcher, a Past Master of Greville Lodge, who is the event patron and Vice Chair of Trustees at Acorns said "The Sergeant-Major will ensure that they are fit for the climb and prepared for the cold weather, however no one can train for the effects of altitude sickness. We all wish them every success."
The pair intend to raise at least £4,167, One Pound for every Metre of the Mountains height and a total sum close to that required every day to run just one of Acorns three hospices , to enable them to care for approximately 600 children with life limiting conditions. They had achieved £3,400 (82%) of their target a week before the climb, half of this being donated by individual masons, and will continue collecting after their return.
The Team are pictured with Chris Reed, Head of Care at Acorns Birmingham,
during a recent visit to the Selly Oak Hospice. (l-r) David Marlow, Marcus
Heslop, Chris Read, Ivan Smart, David Butcher. posted 23 Feb 2010
Brethren wishing to attend an initiation ceremony, especially those newly initiated themselves, are invited to Charterhouse Lodge 5690 in Coventry on Monday 8th March. The meeting will be held at the Coventry Masonic Hall and anybody wishing to attend should email Bro Paul Rowlands at p.rowlands@pr-lawcosts.co.uk posted 23 Feb 2010
A Very Special Installation Meeting
W Bro Hosey Davoudian, Provincial Grand Steward, had long cherished the idea of forming some sort of link between all the St John's Lodges in England and Wales and realised that the ideal opportunity presented itself on the occasion of his installation as Master of his mother Lodge, St John's 2811 in the Province of Warwickshire.
He contacted Provincial Offices, Lodge Secretaries and Worshipful Masters and had his patience and diligence rewarded when no less than 41 ruling Masters or members of St John's Lodges from around the Country (representing a total of twenty eight St John's Lodges registered in the United Grand Lodge of England) attended. In addition to the Provincial Grand Master, RW Bro Michael J Price, CBE, and other distinguished guests from Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire, eleven ruling Masters or representatives of other Coventry Lodges attended the installation in Coventry Masonic Hall in December last year.
Amongst the attendees were representatives from the three most senior St John's Lodges on the roll of the United Grand Lodge of England, being St John the Baptist 39 (Exeter), St John's 70 (Plymouth) and St John's 90 (London). Other Worshipful Masters and their representatives came from places as far afield as Abergavenny, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Salford and Grays.
A light lunch was provided in Coventry Masonic Hall to give brethren the chance to mingle and get to know each other over a pint and a sandwich before finding themselves seats in the light and spacious Temple.
Before the Installation Ceremony, the Provincial Grand Master of Warwickshire joked that he would be grateful not to hear visitors saying "we don’t do it that way!" and, of course, his wish was granted. However it must be said that the ceremony was conducted to the highest possible standard according to Warwickshire’s working and enabled the visitors to make the enjoined 'daily advancement in Masonic knowledge', for which they were all most grateful.
At the end of the meeting several Lodges made presentations of documents detailing the history of their own St John's Lodge to the newly installed Master.
The Festive Board was held in the 'large dining room', which was filled to capacity, and new friends were made, links forged and moderate (!) quantities of wine and port washed down an excellent meal. The newly installed Master expressed the hope that the brethren of the various St John's Lodges would keep in touch with each other and floated the idea of forming either a travelling St John's Lodge to meet in the various Temples around the country, or an Association of St John's Lodges. His hope was to meet 2 or 3 times a year to work demonstration ceremonies, receive talks and, more particularly, to promote the "happy means of creating friendship among those who must otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance".
A 28 page commemorative booklet was produced by W Bro Hosey to provide attendees with a brief history of all St John's Lodges from the earliest, St John the Baptist 39 (11th July 1723), to the most recently formed, St John's 8817 (8th April 1978).
There was much genuine enthusiasm to build upon the foundations laid at Coventry and it is only fitting to end this report with a quote from that history booklet:
"May the spirit of Brotherhood in St John's Lodges ever enrich each and every one of us as well as those Brethren who are yet to be born". So mote it be.
So mote it be. posted 20 Jan 2010
W Bro Steve Cox accompanied by his wife, Lis, both dental surgeons, travelled to the Peruvian Amazon to once again work for two weeks with the Christian charity The Vine Trust www.vinetrust.org
Steve and Lis in action
They worked on a specially converted former Royal Naval fleet diving tender, Amazon hope 2, which is equipped with basic medical and dental treatment facilities, and brings medical and dental care to the people of the Peruvian Amazon who have little or no access to basic facilities.
The Vine Trust has orphanages and street boy projects in various parts of Peru and since 2001 has run the medical project with 2 converted boats, Amazon Hope 1 and Amazon Hope 2, 
along with their partners in Peru, Union Biblica Peru. (The Scripture Union in Peru).
One of the converted host boats
The medical project visits almost 200 communities in the Amazon basin complex on a quarterly basis to provide medical and dental care to the needy people of the jungle region.
The work for the doctors is mainly dealing with chest and intestinal problems caused by poor diet, lack of clean drinking water and parasites such as tape worm. The dental work is mostly extracting teeth for the relief of pain, the tooth decay rate is very high.
A typical Peruvian community visited
The eventual aim is that the project be run by the Peruvian people themselves, at the moment it relies heavily on volunteer doctors, dentists and nurses to provide the care.
This is the second successive year that Steve has worked with The Vine Trust Medical Project and he and Lis intend to go again in the Autumn of 2010.
They pay all their own expenses for the trip, of approximately £2000 each and will be happy to receive any donations towards these. They would also like to thank the brethren who have already supported their work in Peru. posted 11 Jan 2010
In its 133 year history, the St Michael's Lodge 1630 has seen the Initiation of its first Lewis, Dr Paul John Dimitri, by a ruling Master. He was initiated in a delightful manner by his father W Bro Dr Wade R Dimitri. The Lodge has likewise witnessed, for the first time, the long presentation, full explanation and exhortation of the Masonic Apron, given by W Bro Dr Joseph F K Marzouk, on behalf of the Worcestershire Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge 9142. Joseph is a Thoracic Surgeon colleague of the WM, a Cardiac Surgeon at the University Hospital in Coventry. Paul is a Consultant Paediatrician in Sheffield.
The newly initiated Brother was very well prepared in his response to his Toast at a very jovial Festive Board, comparing the vision of himself when ‘properly prepared' with what was undoubtedly an almost daily spectacle in the Surgeons changing room. posted 11 Jan 2010
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