Oddfellows International Membership
Celebrity interview: George Clooney In this issue: • Claire’s tales from the Clipper boat • Setting up a new Branch • Branch profile: Cleveland and Durham • George in the garden • … and much more since 1810
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | November 2011 | Edition 11
Oddfellows International Membership Welcome to the November edition of the monthly online magazine for Oddfellows members This month we talk to one of our youngest Branches to find out what it takes to set up a new Branch. Hollywood heartthrob George Clooney takes time out from promoting his latest directorial offering to talk about his plans for the future and his thoughts on the next generation’s rising stars. We travel to the North East as our Cleveland and Durham Branch members tell us what they’ve been up to.
Young Bradford member bakes his way onto Blue Peter
And we have our usual selection of stories and features – including a review of our first online meeting, tips from our resident gardener George Hill and the latest from Claire’s 5,000-mile yacht race. We hope you enjoy reading.
If you have a story to tell then why not share it with us: Email: editorial@oddfellows.co.uk YouTube: www.youtube.com/theOddfellows Or call 0161 832 9361
Oddfellows Rose wins national acclaim
A cooking-mad young Oddfellow has appeared on a prime-time BBC TV programme. 10-year-old Nathan Howcroft from Bury was asked to join the presenters of Blue Peter – the world’s longest running children’s TV show – to help them film a guide to running your own bake sale. The feature encourages young people to hone their baking skills, as well as their entrepreneurial spirit, to earn money for the BBC’s Bake a Difference Appeal. You can view the clip here http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/clips/p00kq3xv A member of Bradford District, Nathan was quite relaxed about the appearance. He’s no stranger to the spotlight, having appeared on two other BBC shows – Songs of Praise and The Politics Show. Congratulations, Nathan; make sure you save us all a bit of cake.
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Inside: AMC 2011 update Meet the new Grand Master Care - Future living in retirement Our prize-winning young Oddfellows N e w s • A c t i v e Tr a v e l C l u b • C a r e • Yo u n g e r O d d f e l l o w s • B o o k C l u b
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Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | November 2011 | Edition 11
The first Branch meeting online To celebrate the 201st birthday of the Oddfellows, members met with staff from Unity Office in Manchester to take part in the first online meeting of the Abercrombie Lodge. This Lodge is part of the wider Virtual World created for Oddfellows members to meet and interact with each other. Various Directors were there to oversee and guide visitors through the proceedings and the current Chairman of the Board (Grand Master) Charles Vaughan chaired the meeting. All those taking part adopted an avatar (online character) appropriate for their role. They had great fun familiarising themselves with the landscape and how to move their characters.
The meeting in progress
Members agreed to meet every other Monday evening at 7.30pm. The next meetings will take place on 21 November, 5 December, 19 December, 2 January 2012, 16 January and 30 January. Anyone wishing to join these meetings or just visit the Virtual World to discover its many delights should contact the IT Department via email at IT@oddfellows.co.uk The Virtual Lodge is intended to complement local Lodge meetings rather than replace them. It will also provide an additional point of contact for any members unable to attend Lodge meetings. Grand Master Charles Vaughan in his ‘Avatar’
Tax needn’t be taxing…. The Government has set up an Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) to examine taxation and make recommendations for simplifying the system. The OTS would welcome thoughts and contributions from you to assist their deliberations. So now is your chance to make a positive contribution to making tax less taxing. You can e-mail your ideas direct to them on ots@ots.gsi.gov.uk or if you prefer, you can send them to us at Pineapple Business Park, Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset DT6 5DB and we will forward them to OTS. The Office is currently looking at pensioner issues so now is the time for a bit of Grey Power. Go on, put quill to parchment. This article is by TaxHelp for Older People (TOP) registered charity no 1102276, offering free tax advice to older people on incomes below £17,000 a year. The Helpline number is 0845 601 3321 or 01308 488066
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | November 2011 | Edition 11
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Events newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership
| March 2011 | Edition 03
Oddfellows International Membership Setting up a new social Branch London’s new local Branches in Harrow, Clapham, and most recently in Enfield have been steered by District Social Organiser Paul Fitton. Here he reveals the rewards and challenges he faced: “Setting up a Branch requires three key ingredients – a venue, some members and plenty of teamwork. After searching for four months we finally found the right venue in St Andrew’s Church. It’s in the centre of Enfield – easily accessible by car, bus and on foot. As Kirstie and Phil say, it’s all about ‘location, location, location’! Next we needed to let people know we were here. So we paid for adverts in our local press and handed out flyers on the local market day. One in eight people who took a flyer ended up coming to our first event. We also wrote to 350 local members to invite them along too – after clearing it with our neighbouring Branches first.
Paul Fitton during a recent event
And teamwork has been important right from the start. Whether it’s help from Unity Office and District Officers in organising welcome events or the time given by members who’ve volunteered to help out, we couldn’t have done it without them. So with everything in place, the Enfield social group opened for business in September. And so far it’s been a big success. The location of St Andrew’s and the wordof-mouth interest we’ve generated has seen 65 people attend the last 3 sessions. We’ve been featured twice in the local paper; and everyone who’s attended now receives a monthly email or letter from me telling them what’s happened and what’s coming up. This will hopefully encourage them to carry on attending in future. My advice to anyone thinking of doing what we’ve done in Enfield would be to communicate well and get a strong team who’ll help out with the mundane tasks as well as the glamorous ones! Also, try to use the contacts that your members have to organise guest speakers. Not only is it a good way of hiring speakers on a budget, but you’ll be amazed at the variety of subject-experts other members know if you just ask.
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Laurence Manning and Jean Allen with Paul at their new venue in Enfield
It’s proved more difficult than I expected, mostly because of how popular the Branch has been. It’s a good problem to have, I suppose, but we’ve found that catering for so many guests has been a real challenge. However, it’s really rewarding for me to see the fruits of our labour. If the situation is right for a member to think about setting up a new Branch then I would definitely recommend it.” If you want more information about setting up a new Branch in your area you can call the events team on 0161 832 9361. Or you can always email events@oddfellows.co.uk
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | November 2011 | Edition 11
Claire’s tales from the Clipper Oddfellows members Peter and Claire Needham recently completed a phenomenal challenge. The father and daughter from the Vale of York District took part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht race for charity. The race is split into 10 legs. Peter completed the gruelling 3,390-mile second leg from Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town, while Claire set off on the third leg – all 4,750 miles of it – from Cape Town to Western Australia on 5 October and arrived safely on 2 November. In between battling the waves with her 17 fellow sailors, Claire has been writing regular blogs for the Oddfellows’ website. Here is her final entry. Friday 4 October – the finish line! “So we finally arrived! Approaching land was very strange – you don’t truly appreciate its sights and smells until you haven't seen it for a month. The light it gives off – even this remote part of Oz – was really strange, and the smell hits you as if you’ve stepped off a plane in a hot country. It feels surreal to be back on terra firma – like it was all a dream. However the bruises and the cough are evidence that it was all real. I also feel slightly dizzy every so often, which may be due to land sickness or perhaps the alcohol – who knows? Geraldton gave us a great welcome when we arrived at midnight. Members of the Yacht Club had stayed up to cook us an authentic aussie Barbie of prawns, steak and sausages. There was some beer going around too and we all drank a bit too much. We had to be up at 7am the next morning to give the boat a deep-clean, but we finished in time to take part in the mass crew photo and parade. When I say ‘parade’ it was more of an amble down the seafront to be welcomed by the town. The people here have been fantastic hosts. There is really only one pub here, so with over 200 thirsty Clipper crew and hangers on arriving it’s doing a roaring trade. And our team won the accolade of the Yacht Club’s favourite team – which, given there is actually a Geraldton team, is pretty impressive! My uncle arrives later tonight so I’m looking forward to showing him the boat. Then tomorrow it’s back to work on the boat as the crew start on the final preparations before leaving on Sunday. I’m getting quite emotional just thinking about them leaving without me – I think someone might need to hold me back to stop me jumping on at the last moment and going with them to New Zealand.”
The calm before the storm
Battling the elements
The jubilant Clipper crew
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Events newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership
| March 2011 | Edition 03
Oddfellows International Membership
Clooney’s Campaign Trail Watching George Clooney work a room is a lot like observing a charismatic politician at work. At a press gathering in Cancun, Mexico, he enters the lion’s den of reporters with a disarmingly warm grin, taking his time to greet everyone. As befitting the balmy climate, the salt-and-pepper-haired 50year-old is wearing cream trousers and a short-sleeved top; looking tanned and healthy despite his self-proclaimed hangover. “I gave some of my soul to the Tequila god last night,” he grins. When we meet, Clooney is about to embark on months of promotion for his latest film, political thriller The Ides of March, which will take him to New York, Paris, Venice and London. With such a campaign trail ahead of him and with his innate ability for diplomacy, you’d assume it couldn’t have taken much of a leap for him to play the politician Governor Morris. “I couldn’t even get voted class president,” he quips, having found a quiet spot away from the media maelstrom later. “Though I was president of the Science Club,” he adds. The Ides of March is a classy drama that focuses on the backroom politics and manipulations of an election campaign. It’s based on Farragut North, a play written by a former intern on the staff of presidential hopeful Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign.
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“I know it sounds silly but it really isn’t a political film. It’s a universal tale about power and corruption,” says Clooney, who also directed, produced and co-wrote the film. Rejecting the notion that Hollywood and politics are one and the same, he says: “People love to say LA is like Washington, just with prettier people, but I find them to be very different businesses.” “Hollywood is more forgiving because people don’t really expect us to be saints,” adds the eternal bachelor, who’s currently dating former WWE wrestler Stacey Keibler. Clooney had originally planned to shoot the movie in 2008 but ironically politics came into play and Barack Obama was elected. “There was such hope and everyone was so happy, it didn’t seem the right time to make the movie. We needed people to be cynical,” says Clooney. So he and Grant Heslov, with whom he runs the production company Smokehouse Pictures, waited patiently for a year until the inevitable cynicism crept back in. “Then I looked over at Grant and said, ‘I think we can make that movie now’,” Clooney says with a laugh. It says something of Clooney’s reputation that he could gather a cast that’s received a combined 13 Oscar and 23 Golden Globe nominations. There’s Philip Seymour Hoffman as Morris’s campaign manager, Paul Giamatti as Hoffman’s rival, Marisa Tomei as a reporter for The New York Times and Evan Rachel Wood as the intern whose actions have dramatic repercussions.
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | November 2011 | Edition 11
How many scene-stealing actors did he want to surround himself with? “Oh, I know, I was sort of p***ed off being in scenes with those guys,” he jokes. And don’t get him started on the film’s charismatic 30-year-old lead, Ryan Gosling, who plays Morris’s press spokesman. “I don’t like that man – Mr Tall and Handsome – but I’m told he’ll grow out of it,” says Clooney. “I was an actor at the same age he is, but I couldn’t do any of things he can. I mean, I had a mullet and was in a bad sitcom.” Clooney did indeed spend years trying to make it as an actor before his big break as ER’s Dr Doug Ross in 1994. While he admits it’s fun to work with younger actors, he accepts there are drawbacks too. “I’ll think I’m hip until I get on set and they’re like ‘Stop listening to that music, you’re an idiot’,” he says. Clooney was born in Kentucky. His mother was a former beauty pageant queen and his father a news anchorman. The young Clooney would often hang around the TV set and later gained an insight into the political world when his father ran for Congress. “My dad’s a really honourable guy and I watched him struggle with the things he was asked to do, like go to fundraisers for things he didn’t necessarily want to support,” Clooney says when we catch up again at the London Film Festival. He has no intention of forging a path to the White House. “I think it’d be very hard not to lose your soul in politics. I have no interest at all, I never have. I have a very good life and if I want to dip my toe into issues that involve politics, I’m happy to do it – and I don’t have to compromise myself as a politician would,” he says. On the occasions he’s met Obama, Clooney has discussed the situation in Sudan. His interest in drought-stricken Darfur was ignited after he and his father filmed a documentary there in 2006. He has since addressed the United Nations Security Council on the issue and in 2007 was honoured with the Peace Summit Award at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. “In terms of doing things for others, I’ve had a lot of luck in my life. There were equally good, if not better, actors in acting class than me. Luck is only good if you spread it around,” he says. “I don’t think of that as a great thing to do; I think that’s what you’re supposed to do.” He mentions luck again when talking about his directing style. “We [actors] live in a very lucky world and I like to make sure everybody has a good time while we do it,” he says. Directing is where he sees himself focusing his future: “The older you get the fewer roles there are to play, and I want to be part of this business for a long time.” The Ides of March marks his fourth directorial feature.
His most successful to date was the Oscar-nominated Good Night and Good Luck in 2005. “Nobody wanted to see a black-and-white film about Senator Joseph McCarthy [the story looks at how a broadcast journalist sought to bring him down]. We had to do all kinds of things to get that film made,” recalls Clooney. That’s why he isn’t going to shy away from using his current influence to make films “that keep pushing the envelope.” “When they give you the keys to the toy box, you want to use it as much as you possibly can until they take them away. And they will, eventually,” he says. The smile fades and he suddenly seems serious – but it’s only for a moment. Asked what lessons there are to be learned from The Ides of March – and without missing a beat – he says: “Don’t sleep with the interns.” – And there’s a final flash of the Clooney grin before he’s gone.
EXTRA TIME THE IDES OF MARCH :: The title was inspired by the line ‘Beware the Ides of March’ in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, in which the great leader is killed by his best friend and his enemy. :: Some of the speeches are based on those made by Clooney’s father, who ran for Congress. :: As part of their research, Clooney encouraged his actors to watch campaign documentaries on John F Kennedy, Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama. :: The Ides of March is on general release now.
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Events newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | March 2011 | Edition 11 03
Oddfellows International Membership Branch profile:
Cleveland and Durham This month we head to the North East to meet Ron Wrigglesworth, District Secretary of Cleveland and Durham District: “Oddfellows in my area have been helping each other since the earliest days of the Society. The original Hartlepool Branch was part of the Stockton District, and used to meet in a public house in old Middleton – now part of the marine area. The Society purchased a house in Whitby Street around the 1890s and this remained the meeting place of the District until its sale in 2008. Since then we meet at the Hart Village Hall. An Oddfellows Hall was also built in York Road in 1895. This was sold in the early 1900s and became the Northern cinema, but the Oddfellows name remained – carved in stone above the entrance – until it was demolished in the 1960s.
Ron Wrigglesworth (left with members of the Cleveland and Durham District celebrating the Society’s Bicentenary)
By the time I joined in 1948 the District was several selfgoverning bodies in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Darlington, Durham and Corbridge. In the 1980s these were all amalgamated into what we now know as the Cleveland and Durham District. For our 200th anniversary I traced at least 104 towns and villages in our area that had Oddfellows Lodges at one time. Some of the larger towns had more than one Lodge. Hartlepool once had more than seven different Lodges and the Hutton Rudgy District alone had approximately 3,000 members. Although I joined at 16, I only started taking an active part in the early 1960s when I was invited by the District Secretary to become the Lodge Secretary for the Good Intent Lodge. The Branch is still very well supported socially and we have more than 700 members. An active social calendar is a priority, with monthly meetings of lunch clubs and ten-pin bowling, together with outings and guest speakers at meetings. A number of large events are held – like band concerts and race nights – and all the profits and donations go to a chosen charity. Our District donates as much as £2,000 each year for good causes such as the Air Ambulance, Hartlepool Lifeboat, Zoe’s Place – a children’s hospice – and the Guide-dogs for 8
Members on a recent outing
the deaf. We’ve also arranged for the purchase of two defibrillators for the Macmillan Nurses at our local hospital and assisted in a concert dinner for a soldiers’ charity. The Society’s H A Andrews donation to the Bubble Foundation came about after our District first donated £1,000 to the research centre. As a District we like to feel that we’re doing something positive for people in our area, rather than just putting the money into a big pot.” For more information about events in the Cleveland and Durham area please email events@oddfellows.co.uk or david.smith@oddfellows.co.uk.
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | November 2011 | Edition 11
Local Recipes Teesside Parmo This dish is renowned in Teesside, particulary Middlesbrough, having originated from escalope Parmesan, by a chef in the American army in 1958, at 'The American Grill' restaurant he owned on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough. Ready in 1 hour 45 mins Serves 1 Ingredients 1 chicken breast or pork fillet 2- 4 ozs butter 1-3 tablespoons plain flour 1/2 to 3/4 pint semi-skimmed milk Grated 1/2 oz Parmesan cheese Grated(enought to coat fillet) Cheddar cheese
1-4 cardamom pods 4 whole cloves 1/2 medium onion 1 teaspoon peppercorns 1 bay leaf Breadcrumbs 1 egg
Preparation method 1. Take the chicken breast/pork fillet and butterfly by cutting it horizontally and opening it out like a book, if necessary flatten the meat further by pounding with a rolling pin or meat tenderiser mallet, take care not to go too thin to split the meat 2. Beat the egg in a bowl, dip the meat and then coat with breadcrumbs. Cover and place in fridge whilst preparing the sauce. 3. Put the milk in a heat resistant jug, add the cardamoms, cloves, peppercorns and onion. Place in microwave and heat at full power for 1 - 3 mins, be careful for it not to over boil. 4. Melt the butter in a pan, take care not to burn it, add the flour until a roux is made, remove from heat. Take the heated milk and sieve into another jug to remove the spices and onion. 5. Place the roux mix back on heat and then slowly add the hot milk stirring rapidly to prevent lumps, if the sauce is too thick add more milk but keep the mix on the move. Add the parmesan cheese, the mix will thicken slightly. Remove from heat, as it cools it will become very gelatinous. 6. Take the prepared meat and place under a hot grill to cook, turn over once one side is done. Now take the sauce and smother one side of the meat with it and then place the grated cheddar on top of the sauce covered meat. Return to grill and grill until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted 7. Serve with chips and salad or peas.
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Oddfellows International Membership George in the garden Top tips from our resident gardener
At this time of year most of the leaves have fallen and we can see the base of the garden’s design. There are plenty of jobs we can be doing to tidy up before winter sets in and we can also be busy planting the last of the spring bulbs. My favourite plant for November Garrya elliptica looks wonderful right now. It’s got lovely dark foliage and has clusters of catkins that hang down like braces of hazelnuts. Once planted and established, it hardly has any problems at all. It tolerates any conditions and you can plant things like Hellebores – the Christmas rose – underneath it. Flower garden Finish off planting your tulips, shrubs and bare-rooted trees. Make sure they’re planted firmly so they stand up to the winter gales. A pair of secateurs – the surgeon of the garden, as I call them – will come in handy for pruning. Start with any autumn shrubs that have finished flowering. To shape your shrubs remove any growth from the lower parts of the plant. If you want your shrubs to spread then prune the tops to create a rounded effect. Cut back your roses just a little bit more than de-heading. This is important because if winter gales rock then around and make holes in the stem, water will get in and freeze with the frosts. This risks cracking the stems and potentially damaging the whole bush.
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Spend some time looking after your rockery beds – plant a few late bulbs to offer colour and make sure they don’t get covered by falling leaves. Blue genesis is one variety that will still be defying the weather and making an effort well into November. Try to keep the crown open, and sprinkle some gravel around them to keep them dry. And don’t forget to protect your Christmas roses from any severe frosts should they arrive early. Odd jobs Far from being a quiet time of year in the garden – there are plenty of things to do. You can lay turf, clean your lawnmower and dig through your heavy soils so that the frost gets in and helps break it down in the spring. Rake up all the fallen leaves and protect tender shrubs. It’s also the ideal time to plant hedges like copper beech and hawthorn. Vegetable garden Lift your Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips and horseradishes this month, and hoe between your autumn-planted onions. And if you like, you can sow your broad beans to give them a head start if we have a mild winter. Fruit garden Plant your raspberries, blackberries and loganberries this month, as well as your fruit trees and your red or white currants. It’s also the perfect time to take a root of rhubarb and plant it in a greenhouse to give you fruit that’s ready to eat much earlier than anything outside. And continue to check your picked fruit for signs of decay – removing any rotting ones to protect those around them. Secrets to improve your patch • Bring potted bulbs like your hyacinth and your daffodils into the light so they flower at Christmas time. • To give your hedges greater effect and interest, plant a tall tree nearby. • Pot lily of the valley plants now in a cold greenhouse. They give a lovely scent if kept indoors and they’ll flower much earlier next spring than they would outdoors.
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | November 2011 | Edition 11
Ten top tips to avoid a Christmas debt hangover 1 Plan early for Christmas Be realistic and budget accordingly. Work out how much you are going to spend on each person – and stick to it. Manage expectations as to what you or Santa can give.
2 Don’t forget the everyday bills Remember that rent, the mortgage, utility bills, food bills and other existing debts still have to be paid – and the consequences can be severe if they’re not. Even though it’s Christmas, get your priorities right.
3 Don’t bank on an overdraft If you do need more money, don’t just run up an overdraft without talking to your bank first – it will work out much more expensive. Information supplied by the Citizens Advice Bureau, supported by Barclaycard
4 Keep things simple If you can afford to pay for your goods outright by cash, cheque, or debit card, don’t be persuaded to take out extended credit agreements unless they really do work out cheaper.
5 Shop around Try as many different places as possible to find the best price. Buy what you want and not what other people say you need. Be wary of extended warranties; the cost of a repair could be less than the cost of the warranty. Christmas is a time of giving, but you don’t want to give yourself a headache in the New Year with bills and debts you can’t afford. It’s all too easy to overspend – there are tempting offers and pressures to buy, but you must decide how much you can afford before you start spending. If you have debt problems please call our Advice Line 0845 6062 620
Oddfellows Christmas Carol Service Keep your diaries free Although it’s still autumn right now, Christmas trees and mistletoe will be here sooner than you think. So we’re letting you know about this year’s Oddfellows Carol Service now to give you time to keep your diary free for this fantastic night. This year’s service will be held at Wakefield Cathedral on Saturday 3 December at 7pm. 500 people are expected to attend, including the Mayor of Wakefield. It’s set to be an evening of traditional festive carols and hymns for you to share and enjoy with fellow Oddfellows members. Yorkshire Fellowship Band will be accompanying our singing, as well as the Cathedral’s choir. There will be Christmas cards on sale and the café will also be open serving mulled wine and mince pies before the service. It’s free to attend, but it would be helpful if Branches could let us know rough numbers before the night. We look forward to seeing you there. Please contact the Events Team with any queries on 0161 832 9361 or email events.team@oddfellows.co.uk.
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | November 2011 | Edition 11
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