ISSUE No: 6 March 2006
Mrcestershflre
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Source
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The Mq, sletter of Worcestershire Freemdsans ,' .1
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Appeefr Rffig$" As announced by the Fr*vincial Grand Master in his address at Frovincial Grand
the Provis:ee of Worcestershire Iaunched a major appeal on lst January 2006 to raise funds for our next allotted Festival in 2CI11 in support of the Royal Masonie Trust for Girtrs & ffioys. Lodge,
The RMTGB exlsts
u'eCIRtinue
to relieve poverty and pnovide an edueation and tCI
preparation for life for the ehildren of the family of a Freemasonr and, wlrere funds permit, for any ehildren, as their fathers would have done, had they been able to do so,"
The Trurst, which !s one of the four rnain Grand Charities, provides vitally needed
financial assistanee ta the ehildren of Freemasons who have, sadly, died and it supports their ehildren thnoughout thelr young lives ln the way En whichr their
fathers wcLlld have done. \A/e have many examples In Woreestershire where the Trust has helBed beneaved farnllies and
many people have had cause
to
be
extremely grateful for the sr"lpport
CIf
the
An Appeal ecmrmiffiee Lras been fonmed ehaired by W ffiro John Gorton and they
will be
contacting cvery Erothen &
Ccmpanien in the Pnovinee im the near future asking for thein support.
With effeet frorn
Trust.
lst
January 2fi06, the to direet their
eharity Stewards in the Provir:ee wil! be fully bniefled CIn hCIw to take advantage of the gift aid sehfirrre.
F*n further informatior: *n Appeal 2011, please eontaet W ffino Gorton hy e-nna
I
!
at jch mgortorr
@
hteon nect" corn,
The Appeal will culminate in a special Festiva ! event in the Prmvince in 20 t I
fumd naising activities towards Appeal
the Seeretany to the Appeal, W Brc Justln Parkes' sn
2011 amd, im particular, to make rfiCIre use
justln"p&nker@rmfgsolieitors,coffiu
when the aecumulated results of oLlt" fund raising will be handed over to the Trust.
of the Sift aid rmethod to imenease the value of each gift, at no extna ecst. AII
Tremsu
CCIrnmittee ask everyone
PRESENTATION TO MARY STEVENS HOSPICE W Bro Stuart Edwards, Assistant Provincial
Grand Master, presented a cheque for f2000 to Stourbridge's Mary Stevens Hospice, on behalf of the Freemasons' Grand Charity. Hospice Chairman Terry
Powell and Events Organiser Ann
Isherwood were very pleased to accept
the donation which will go
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A MESSAGE FROM TI-IE RULERSThe Provincial Grand Maste4 R W Bro Riclrard G H Goddard, and the Grand Superintendent, H Coump R.ichard B W Price "earffiestly ask ali of you to support have respondeci sm Eenercusly tm past Appeals
the Appeal in the same way you andu
in doinE ss, help the Province of
towards helping patients receive the best quality of life in the final stages of their illness. The hospice needs to raise It.2 million every year to carry out its work.
Woncestenshine ciernonstrate lts fantastic
Four other hospices in Worcestershire are and nationwide 2L6 hospices and day care centres will also receive grants ranging
W Bro John Gorton, the Appeal Committee Chairman/ was delighted to inform the Editor that as at 17 February 2006 the
also benefiting from the Charity
from [500 to [9000.
generosity'" r
APPEAL 2011 UPDATE
Appeal stood
at L23,000,00, He
commented "this is a fantastic start to our efforts".
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A SPECIAL MEETING IN JANUARY
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The Nautical Services Lodge No 5629 452^o meeting will be remembered by both the
Section
of the First Lecture,
whom the
Provincial Grand Master congratulated.
members and visitors for a very long time,
Lodge, Masefield Lodge No 2034.
The PGM expressed his pleasure and delight in the presentation of this very special Jewel to W Bro Granville, further congratulating him on researching and the very hard work investigating over a very long time the subject of the Victoria Cross and Freemasonry, An exhibition of Victoria Cross's and Masonic
This special night was to mark the earliest
holders of the award will be on display at Freemasons Hall, Great Queen Street later
It
was on a cold January evening that the
warmth of the Lodge was further enhanced by
the presence of The Provincial Grand Maste; Right Worshipful Brother RGH Goddard along
with the Master and Wardens of the Mother
for the presentation of The Prestonian Lecturer Jewel for 2006 to W Bro. Granville S Angell PPGSwdB for his research/ investigation and presentations of the address possible date
'The Victoria Cross and Freemasonry' During the evening the Lodges were further
by the younger and newer members performing a piece of work from the Book of Lectures on this occasion The Sixth
entertained
rega Iia.
in
this year. R W Bro RGH Goddard expressed how proud and pleased both the Lodge and Province are
in having such a diligent and academic Brother
as a member, On the completion of the presentation the Provincial Grand Master promoted W Bro Granville to the Office of Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden and, having surprised all the Brethren of the Lodge, then
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Upon completion of these presentations the Worshipful Master W Bro. J T R Palmer then invited the Master and Wardens of the Mother Lodge Masefield to close the Lodge.
system practiced in the"Lodge of Antiquity".
William Preston {L742-1818) was born in Edinburgh on 7 August, the son of a writer, *high sehool" in
W Bro
D
J Silk PPJGW. both congratulated
and
thanked the Daughter Lodge for the privilege
With occasional intermissiCIns, lectures on
signet or solicitor, attended Edinburgh and among his curriculunr were Latin & Greek. Before the age of L2,
his method were accordingly delivered from
1820 until
1862. After 1862 the lecture
V C EXHIBITION VISIT
records appear to have been lost.
though, his father died and William was taken into the care of William Ruddiman and later became an apprentice t'0 hinn" At the age of 18 he found his way from Edinburgh to London and carrying a letter to the Kings printer gained employment. William had no
sooner come of age when he became a nnernber of the Craft and a Master of a Lodge by the age of 25. An active member of the Craft he developed an elaborate system of Masonic instruction, in the form of e atee hetie a ! lectu res, practiced in
trn 1924 it was revived, with modifications of the original scheme: the lecturer delivering a paper on a Masonic subject of his own
A day trip to London in support of the
selection.
organised by W Bro Mel J Broadhurst of
It is to this that Worshipful Brother Granville Angell PPSGW, has applied his diligent investigation and research to this Years (2006) title "The Victoria Cross and Freemasonry" The Prestonian Lecture is the only lecture
At his death in
held under the authority of the United Grand Lodge of England and, with the exception of
frorn whieh was to be applied to some well inforrmed Mason to deliver annually a Leetune on the First, Second orThird Degree of the Grder of Masonry according to the
the years 1940-46, regular appointments
1"8i"8, he bequeathed to Grand Lodge the sum of [300, the "interest"
sightseeing/shopping
being
The visit will take place on Thursday 4 May 2006 with return coach travel to Great
Queen Street, a tour of the exhibition in optional tour of Grand Temple. Partners are welcome and the cost will be [28.00 per person,
Details are being circulated
present
Secreta
day" The llst of
is
The Unity Lodge No 5812.
have been made annually since L924 to the
Brethren so
honoured and the titles of thelr leetures ,
Prestonian Lecturer with optional free time
for
the Library and Museum, lunch and an
ass*e iation with the "Lodge of Antiquity",
2
presented W Bro Granville with new "undress"
to all Group
ries, otherwise Mel
ca
n
be
contacted on 01905 351581
appear at the end of the Masonic Year Book. ISSUE No: 6
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MINSTER RACE NIGHT As one Appeal ends, so another begins. That's Freemasonry for you. But before we consign the Library & Museum Appeal to Masonic history, we should briefly
reflect upon what the Appeal
has
achieved, There has been a Library and Museum in the Province of Worcestershire for nearly L20 years and although it is widely regarded as being the finest Library & Museum outside of Great Queen Street it has endured a financially precarious existence. The aim of the Appeal was to raise enough money to create a sound financial structure which would secure the future of the Library & Museum for many years to come.
For the last three and a half years the Brethren of Worcestershire have been "encou
raged"
to
dressed masons
become the best in the country by
purchasing special edition shitts, ties, braces, hdnkies, badges and jewel holders from me and my team of ex car and double glazing salesmen ! In addition, the Library & Museum
representatives
in
each Lodge
future of our Library and Museum for
a
long, long time.
Some
of the money has already been
The result of this combined effort is that the Appeal has raised the magnificent sum of 82O4,O00, an achievement of which we can all be very proud and a sum of money that most certainly ensures the
in
Kidderminster, will be holding a Race Night to raise funds for the Appeal 2011 and Lodge charities at the Masonic Hall,
rport-on-Severn
on
rday
spent on the archive store at Bromsgrove
Stou
and the purchase
computer equipment for the Museum itself, Work is now wel! under way in
August 2006. Admission will be by race cards, at t1.00 each, between 7.30 and 8.00 pm. Family and friends will be made
refurbishing the extension into the old
most welcome.
caretaker's flat at Rainbow Hill which will create an extra 600/o of display area plus the provision of office and workshop space and disabled access. When
For further details contact the W M, Bro Arthur O Morris, on 01885 410308,
of new office and
completed, this will surely give us a facility of which we can be enormously
wM
proud and one which will finally do justice collection of exhibits
to the wondefful
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HAS TWTNS, NO'I KITTENS
19
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contained within the Provincial Grand Lodge of Worcestershire Library and Museum.
It is hoped that the work will be finished in time for the beginning of the new Masonic season in September. Perhaps a visit after that date to the Library and Museum coupled with Sunday lunch would make for a most enjoyable Lodge social event for you, your family and friends. Whilst Masters often have kittens around
have
worked tirelessly to raise money in many other ways to suppoft the Appeal.
Minster Lodge No 5581, meeting
Finally, a sincere thank you to all of the
Appea! Committee members and the Lodge Representatives for their hard work and to all of the Brethren who helped us achieve this tremendous result,
W Bro Howard Wilson, Library & Museum Appeal Committee Chairman
the time of a ceremony, one
Worshipful
Master has had twins.
Pennie, the wife of Bro Neil H Francis, the Worshipful Master of Royds Lodge No 1204
meeting in Malvern/ gave bifth to twin daughters Harriet and Madison on 25 January at Worcester Royal.
It was eventful night as it was the first time in the hospital's history that three sets of twins were being born on the same evening.
Tenbury Primary
School
t500
L200 MacMillan Nurses Fund L200 Tenbury Kemp Hospice f 100 Help the Aged Headway (North Worcestershire) f 100 [500 Tenbury Town Band f600 County Air Ambulance f 100 Caf6 27 (Tenbury Wells) f200 Tenbury Wells CAB Masonic Library & Museum Appeal f200 Royal National Lifeboat Institution L200 f 100 Royal British Legion Poppy Tenbury Town Christmas f 500 The Grand Charity Tsunami Appeal f200
Charity
I
am very grateful to W Bro John
W
Rawlings PPGReg for the list of charitable
donations made by the Lodge of St Michael No L097, the ninth oldest Lodge in the province, which meets at Tenbury Wells.
During the year 2002 the Lodge donated [3,005 to local charities and its donations for the period January 1 2003 to March 31 2005 are listed as follows: MARCH 2006
Fund Lights
TOTAL
E3,7OO
Most of these donations to local charities
were handed over at a reception and 'Cheese & Wine' evening held at the Lodge of St Michael on 4 February 2005, The event was captured in the adjacent photog raph.
For the technically minded, Pennie had no problems, was in labour for a minimum period and gave bifth naturally to the great relief of everybody. The girls are sister to James and are doing
well. The household
is
pretty busy with all three siblings under the age of three years.
This cannot happen often to the Master of a Lodge.
THANKYOU I
th is sixth issue of Source. As you can see,
hope you enjoy
Worcestershire
wherever possible
I have attributed
contributions and given the location of Lodges so that you can see the Newsletter is covering the whole of the Province. I am very grateful to everyone who has contacted me or sent me items, particularly with photographs. It is your Newsletter and you are answering my call for
news'
Editor 3
W @
REMARKABLE GENEROSITY FOR CHILDREN The Mark and Royal Ark Mariner Masons of Worcester again entered into the Christmas spirit and this was the foutth year they had donned Father Christmas outfits and entertained children at St Peters Garden Centre, Worcester. This was all made possible by the generosity of proprietor Worshipful Brother Tony Blake in providing the grotto facilities and presents and Worshipful Brother Bob Reid, chief motivator of 'Project Santa'. Some L7,000 has been donated to Children's Charities in Worcester. Acorns Children's Hospice Appeal was the beneficiary in the first two years and then the Noah's Ark Trust for Bereaved Children.
This year L2,500 was raised for Noah's Ark Trust over the four weekends in December. 1050 children passed through the grotto keeping the volunteer Masons busy and there was also a contribution from the Wishing Well. As usual there was the informal celebratory gathering at the close of business on the last Sunday before Christmas in the Garden Centre Restaurant when the'Santas'were joined by their ladies and several representatives of the Mark Province of Woreestershire led by RW Bro Francis C Spencer. Mr Mike Vial, Chief Executive of the Trust also attended.
A.B'IGff,'L
Back row L to R W Bro Bob Rice, W Bro Tony Blake, W Bro Mel Broadhurst, W Bro Terry Hewlett, W Bro David Brown, W Bro Ivor Evans and Mark Grand Treasurer, Stuart Edwards. Front row L to R W Bro Norman Yarnell, Bro Tony Bryan, W Bro Bob Reid, Father Christmas Bro Neil Francis, Provincial Grand Master, Frank Spencer; W Bro Les Mason.
C W Bro J H Bond PPSGW, better known as
Harry, has decided to stop pulling the organ stops at Masonic meetings. Bro Harry was initiated in Stechford Lodge No in March L957 and from 1958
3185
for Lodges meeting at Kings Heath, Stechford and Yenton
talents were recognised when he held the office of Provincial Grand Organist from 1972 to 1975. He also held the office of Provincial Grand Choir Master for a period during the time when R W Bro Edward F
provided music
Hanson was Provincial Grand Master.
Masonic rooms. He also played for Royal Arch and Rose Croix Chapters.
Bro Harry is an Honorary Member of Almacantar Lodge No 7023 and two
Although not a professional musician, Bro
Lodges in Warwickshire. We wish him a long and happy retirement to enjoy a rest whilst others entertain him.
Harry was also a church organist for a number of parishes and his musical
W Bro John R Gaston, the Provincial Grand Charity Steward, recently presented some TLC Teddies to Russells Hal I Emergency Department.
Gordon John T Pearce
The Matron wrote a very kind letter
Worshipful Brother Gordon John T Pearce PJGD passed away on Christmas Day in hospital on the Isle of Wight, having been in
thanking him saying'AII the children who have received them have been delighted and will now have a pleasant recollection
of their visit to the Department. The children's parents and my staff all agree is a wonderful idea and gesture."
that it
poor health for some time.
Brother Gordon was initiated into Coronation Lodge No. 5680 on lV January 1966, was Worshipful Master of the Lodge in L978. He was also an honorary member of Robin Hood Lodge No. 5877 from February L987.
On 1st March 2006, Lechmere Volunteer Lodge No 1874 celebrated this historic milestone in the company of the Provincial Grand Master. W Bro Spencer Fenn organised a presentation
on Masonic Regalia of all the degrees and orders in Worcestershire, modelled by members of the Lodge. Many visitors and their
ladies enjoyed sharing occasion.
in this very
special
Brother Gordon was appointed the Provincial Senior Grand Warden in 1983 and Provincial Grand Secretary in 1985, which office he held
until 1988, soon after which he retired to the Isle of Wight. He was appointed to Grand Rank (PAGDC) in 1986 and promoted to PJGD in 1995.
Gordon was exalted into Kings Heath R.A. Chapter No. 3863 on 19 November 7975, became MEZ in LgBz and was appointed Provincial Grand Scribe N in 1984, Appointed Assistant Provincial Scribe E in 1985, he was then promoted to Provincial Grand Scribe E in 1986, an office he held until 1988. He was appointed to PGSTB in Supreme Grand Chapter in 1987 and promoted to PAGSoj in 1996, He was a joining member of Needles R A Chapter No. 2B3B (Hants & I of W) in 1989.
,
Published hy,,The Provincial Grand Lodge of ,W6r.*utershire. i, Provincial OfFice, 94 Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, 861 ODF Articles may not be reproduced withbut written authority, Editor: Keith Blizzard would be pleased to receive articles, news and photographs for publication Challinors Blizzaf: 83 3EF Iff:floyr",.!?:2.?,Newhall,ltrg*!:.Birminsham Tel: 0121 233 8610 Email: keith.blizzard@challinors.co,uk
Don't forget to log on to our new website....,.. 'Worcestershirepgl.org.uk'
ISSUE No: 6