| News 2008 | |
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More Help from Royal Marines Plymouth Lodge On behalf of Help for Heroes Charity, Nick Vaux DSO (Major General Royal Marines Retired) receives a cheque for £1000.00 for the fund at Bickleigh Barracks home of 42 Commando Royal Marines , from the Royal Marines Plymouth Lodge. This money will be added to the amount already raised toward helping our injured soldiers on their return to the UK. Also pictured are WBro's Sandy Macleod BEM MSM (WM), Gerry Smout Lodge Mentor, Cliff Hartley Charity Steward, Tony Davison, Chris Dykes, Bros Martin Lambert-Gorwyn MBE (Lt Col RA Rtd), and Norman Coles. (Bottom Picture ) Also W.Bro Gerry Smout presented a cheque for £100 to Mrs Maureen McLean, Sunday School Leader of the St Mary's Church, Bickleigh. Also in the picture are Peter Kirkup who is the Church Server & Chorister and Kathy Dyer a Sunday School teacher. Gerry and Peter served together in 42 Commando Royal Marines in the early sixties. St Mary's Church Bickleigh, Nr Plymouth is has echoed to the marching boots of many a Royal Marine over many years as Bickleigh barracks is only a stones throw away and home to 42 Commando Royal Marines, currently serving in Afghanistan. The Church is desperately short of inner space for activities such as Sunday school and Royal Marines Plymouth Lodges contribution will go towards the purchase of a log cabin type building in the Church grounds which will house the Sunday School and also be used as a youth group meeting place for the teenagers of the village and surrounding area. |
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| 3 Peaks Mountain Challenge Wbro. John Pritchard | |
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Pictured right is W Bro John Pritchard presenting a cheque for
£3.002.05 to Provincial Grand Master, Michael .T. Penny on the 21st
October 2008.
The P.G.M. thanked John and his wife Ann for all their efforts in
raising such a magnificent sum of money in aid of the 2012 Festival.
John and Ann would like to thank all those who very kindly
sponsored their 3 Peaks Mountain Challenge and in particular the
members of Victory Lodge 4189.
Many thanks!!! For more details please read the article below |
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| Royal Arch Masons donate more ECG machines | |
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Devonshire Royal Arch Masons have made a generous donation which
will benif the people of Plymouth. To date Royal Arch Companions have donated a number of Schiller ECG machines in the Exeter, Torquay, East Devon and Barnstaple areas and have now donated two more for use in the Plymouth ambulances.Athough WCAST is fortunate enough to have these machines on most of their vehicles, the generosity of local Freemasons means that a further two vehicles will have the equipment on board. As a formal thank-you a group of Royal Arch Companions were invited to the Derriford Ambulance station to show them the equipment and also to tour the station and its facilities. Derriford based Operational Locality Manager Lindsey Collinge commented, "On behalf of the Trust I would sincerely like to thanks the Freemasons for their generosity, which will help in our quest to save lives. These fantastic pieces of equipment will defiantly benefit local people" |
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| Pictured Deputy Grand Superintendent Brian Meldon and Paramedic Supervisor Kevin McSherry with one of the machines. | |
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| Joint Operations aids Derriford Hospital | |
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"The St. George Lodge of Master Masons and Victory Lodge of Plymouth
were delighted to present cheques totalling £1200.00 to Sister
Flanaghan of Crownhill Ward, Derriford. The money is being used to purchase several much needed items which include a Criticare 506DN3 Observation Monitor, Weighing Scales and a Blood Pressure Monitor. The presentation took place at Crownhill Ward on 30/09/08 and was attended by the Worshipful Masters of both Lodges, W.Bro. Jeff Short and W.Bro. John Roberts together with support from officers and brethren from those lodges. The funds were raised by brethren’s donations". Graham Hooper / Jeff Gibson |
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Torbay Masonic Widows’ Association. On the 17th September the Torbay Branch of the Masonic Widows’ Association, entertained several Ladies from the Exeter and Teignbridge branches, to a beautifully prepared buffet lunch. Fifty four ladies were there to listen to a very interesting talk by John Williams, the Development Director of the Masonic Samaritan Fund, who was also on hand after lunch to conduct private interviews with any of the ladies who might need advice. During the Torbay Ladies meeting, W.Bro. Jim Jordan, the Liaison Officer gave a short guided tour of the Temple upstairs and explained some of the paintings. |
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| Presentation to the Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps | |
| Once again Royal Marines Plymouth Lodge 9528 has been successful in obtaining a donation in the sum of £600 from the WAKE Fund and have presented this amount to the Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps. The presentation took place at Stonehouse Barracks where the cadets hold their training nights and was received by C/Sgt Smith of the Cadet Corps. Lodge members present were, Bro Tom Barron (a former Royal Marine and former C.O. of the Cadets), WBro Cliff Hartley C.S.F.(a former WW2 veteran and our Charity Steward), Bro Martin Lambert Gorwyn MBE Lt Col RA Rtd (a former member of 29 Cdo RA and our Junior Warden) and WBro Jeff Gibson (a former Royal Marine and our Lodge Secretary). |
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| Prestonian Lecture 2008. | |
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On Tuesday 2nd September 2008, 125 Brethren assembled at the Riviera
International Conference Centre, Torquay, to receive the Official
Prestonian Lecture for 2008. One of only four Official presentations
in the World, this year, held under the banner of Torbay Masters
Lodge 8227. The audience consisted of over 30 Grand and Active Provincial Officers, including The Provincial Grand Master for Devonshire, Rt.W.Bro.M.T.Penny, all the Provincial Executive, the Past P.G.M. Rt.Wor.Bro.E.J.Holman, the Provincial Grand Master for Cornwall and several Past Deputy P.G.M’s , the M.E.Z of the Holy Royal Arch,V.Wor.Bro.C.Pengelly and visiting Assistant P.G.M’s from Cornwall and some 14 visiting Masters of Lodges. The Devonshire Grand and Provincial Grand Officers formed a Guard of Honour for the Provincial Grand Master, who was introduced to the Worshipful Master, W.Bro. Andrew Brandi. P.Pr.S.G.D. The visiting Grand and Provincial Grand Officers, then formed a Guard of Honour for the Prestonian Lecturer for 2008.,W.Bro.R.D.T.Sillett.P.J.G.D.who was also introduced to the Worshipful Master. The Lodge Director of Ceremonies then proceeded to give some 12 Salutations (a record?) W.Bro Sillett, was then introduced to all the assembled brethren and gave a most interesting lecture “The Language of the Ritual” which was received with much acclaim by all. The Brethren then made their way to the dining area where a lovely meal was served by the Riviera staff. During the lead-up to the meeting, it had been discovered that the Lecturer had been the inventor of the now popular “Woodworm” cricket bat, it had been suggested that as the proceeds of the raffle, that night, would be donated to the Lectures special Charity, “the Downs Syndrome” Educational Trust, he might like to bring a bat along, to be auctioned or raffled for our 2012 Festival at the forthcoming Ball. During the after- proceedings, The Provincial Grand Master, presented the Lecturer with a copy of the “History of Devonshire Freemasonry” Imagine everyone’s surprise, when W.Bro. Sillett produced a cricket bat, signed by the England Captain, for our 2012 Festival. A lovely meeting was enjoyed by all. Jim Jordan. P.Pr.J.G.W. |
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What a Swell Party it was. On Saturday 13th September 2008, 376 guests assembled at the Riviera International Conference Centre, Torquay, for a Black Tie Ball in aid of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys. This Charity needs to raise some 9million pounds each year to clothe, feed and educate 1800 orphan children. |
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Each year every county in England is given a goal, to raise money
for one of the Charities and 2012 has been allocated to Devon, so this
year sees the start of a dedicated series of fund raising events
such as this Ball, which was the first of its kind for several
years. The Ball was attended by the Provincial Grand Master for Devon, Michael .T. Penny and his wife Lynne, also the CEO of the Charity, Les Hutchinson and his wife Debbie. A splendid raffle had been organised by the “Festival Team” Keith Evans, Jim Jordan, David Froud and David Wilson with about a 160 prizes all donated by local businesses and friends, ranging from a 2 week cruise in the Caribbean (courtesy of Bath Travel) to a champagne buffet in Kents Cavern. A superb meal was provided by the Centre and entertainment by the “Stagedoor Johnnies” and AJ’s Big Band was enjoyed by all. The climax of the event, was a presentation of a cheque for £7000, raised on the evening, by Michael Penny to W.Bro. Les Hutchinson for the Charity. Jim Jordan P.Pr.J.G.W. |
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| Exmouth Masons helping good causes | |
| A presentation of cheques to the value of £1000 was made to Steve Dace, chief officer, and Graham Martin, chairman, of Age Concern, Exmouth at Langdon House, New Street, Exmouth on Thursday August 14th. | |
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The money donated by the Freemasons of Exmouth was to replace the kitchen fridge and dishwasher which had both decided to end their usefulness within a short time of one another, leaving the centre in a bit of a fix. It may not be too well known that the Lunch Club provides 40-60 meals every day for the elderly and this is really a great service deserving of help when needed. The attached picture shows the cheques being presented by David Bassett (Sun Lodge Charity Steward) to Steve Dace (Age Concern Chief Officer) with Graham Martin (Age Concern Chairman), Mike Cane (Per Mare Per Terram Lodge Charity Steward), Dave Greenaway (Sun Chapter Charity Steward and Bishop Surtees Chapter Rose Croix Treasurer) and Nigel Bradford (Rolle Lodge Charity Steward) also present. |
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| All change at Cadogan Court | |
| Katharine Fender who has worked tirelessly as the Manager of Cadogan Court for the last five years is to retire on August 29th 2008. During this time she has overseen dramatic improvements in the care of the residents of the home and all are sure she will be greatly missed. She will be succeeded by Helen Mitchell, who has been senior nurse for 4 years and Assistant Manager for the last 9 months. She has the additional experience of having been Ward sister of a 30 bed dementia unit, this experience will be invaluable as the plans for the new 16 bed dementia unit come into effect in the next 2-3 years. | |
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| I am sure that all Freemasons across the South West will want to wish both these ladies well for the future. Katherine will not be disappearing completely from the Masonic movement however, as she has been asked to be the Devon Ambassador for the Masonic Samaritan fund, which she is greatly looking forward to. | |
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Freemasons and Royal British Legion raise nearly £1000 in joint
fund-raising event Okehampton Freemasons’ and Royal British Legion members were overjoyed with the success of their first joint fund-raising venture held on Saturday 9th August in the Freemasons’ Hall Okehampton. £930 was the final figure raised thanks to the 120 people, who came along to have a full-English breakfast. All the ingredients were generously donated by local businesses, including Waitrose, Somerfield, Lidl, Endacott Bakers, Martin’s Butchers, Macro Exeter, Dunn’s Dairy Exbourne and Fox and Hounds Bridestowe. |
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In addition to the breakfast cooked by Lance Corporal Gareth Jones of the Royal Logistic Corps and served by RAF Corporal Simon Read, back from his second tour in Afghanistan, a raffle was held with very attractive prizes provided by Ashbury Golf Club, Land Rover 4U (Honiton), Brown’s Chocolates (Okehampton), Spangles Hairdressers (North Tawton) and D&S Stores, Winkleigh. The money will be divided evenly between the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal and local charities. Okehampton Freemason Kevin Jones was particularly pleased with the outcome of this first attempt at raising money for both organizations. “Not a bad day’s work,” he commented, adding that this was a good way of raising the public profile of the men and women in the Armed Forces. Both his son Gareth and Bro. Simon Read (W.Bro. Stephen Leahy’s son-in-law) are due to go to Afghanistan in the next few months. |
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| 3 Peaks Challenge – 2012 Festival | |
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W.Bro. John Pritchard and his wife Ann successfully completed the
Three Peaks challenge which included Ben Nevis (4409ft),
Snowdon(3560ft) and then
Scafell (3,210ft) in aid of the 2012 Festival. As can be seen from the photos the weather was at times not pleasant, on this gruelling trek which made the going much tougher than it out to be. It also spoilt the chance of seeing the stunning views. |
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John and Ann would like to thank all those who support them in this
challenge and gave generously to the Festival 2012, in particularly
to Chris Treeby for his generous sponsorship. John will present a
final cheque to the R.W. P.G.M. when all monies (most of which
were raised by the Victory Lodge No. 4189) have been
collected. JP |
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| Royal Marines Plymouth Lodge 9528 support Help for Heroes once more | |
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Members of Royal Marines Plymouth Lodge 9528 present a cheque for
£1000 to the Commanding Officer of 29 Commando Royal Artillery
towards the Help for Heroes fund. This is in addition to the cheque
for £1000 presented earlier this year to the Commanding Officer of
RMB Stonehouse, Plymouth. Our next objective is to raise a further
£1000, the cheque for this is to be presented to the Commanding
Officer of 42 Commando RM. Those shown in the photograph are: |
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| Lands End to John O'Groats Masonic cycle ride | |
| W.Bro. Steve Robertson of St. Thomas, Exeter No. 4198 and Bro. Jeff Cooke (of Hertfordshire), have been friends since they were 12 years old and following their mammoth treck from Lands End to John O'Groats they are happy to report they still are!! (friends that is) | |
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Their route included DAY 1 JOG to Helmsdale DAY 2 Helmsdale to Alness via Invergordon DAY 3 ALNESS to Fort Augustus DAY 4 Fort Augustus to Just North of OBAN DAY 5 OBAN to TARBERT DAY 6 TARBERT to LARNE via Isle of Arran - Ardrossan and a ferry from TROON DAY 7 LARNE to Loch Neagh south of LURGAN N.I. DAY 8 LURGAN to Annagassan south of DUNDALK DAY 9 ANNAGASSEN to DUBLIN and about 6 pints of the black stuff !! |
NIGHT FERRY crossing Dublin to Birkenhead DAY 10 Birkenhead to Church Stretton DAY 11 Church Stretton to Monmouth DAY 12 Monmouth to Highbridge, Somerset DAY 13 Highbridge to Exeter - helped by a fantastic welcome at Pinhoe from Family, PGM and many friends DAY 14 Exeter to Camelford DAY 15 Camelford to Lands End, arrived at about 6 p.m. |
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They travelled on a total of 4 ferries: Cloanaig to Lochranza (Arran), Brodick (Arran)to Ardrossan Scotland, Troon to Larne Northern Ireland, and Dublin back to Birkenhead (Liverpool). Note all the ferries were East / West and NOT North / South so we did cycle the entire length of the UK. Visiting Scotland, Northern Ireland, Eire, Wales, England along the way! They carried all their camping equipment, cooking equipment, spare clothes etc. with them and were not followed by a safety/support vehicle, although they did have some get pretty close on the busy roads !! Talk about doing it the hard way! The trip was in support of two charities - Steve was collecting for The Children's Hospice South West at Little Bridge House and Jeff's was to raise money for St. Elizabeth's epilepsy centre in Much Haddam, Hertfordshire. To ensure that they kept their "vital fluids up" on the journey you can see from the photos that they did have a stop or two along the way ! |
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| Torbay Half Marathon | |
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The Torbay Half Marathon was recently run with some 1600 athletes
taking part. Among the runners were three Ambulance Paramedics from
the Brixham station, all running on behalf of the Macmillan Cancer
Care Nurses. They are Andrew Worden, Andrew Williams and Peter
Jordan. They received some sponsorship from: Courtland Lodge 6706,
Torbay Masters Lodge 8227 and Sanctuary Mark Lodge 1370. This,
together with money collected from friends and family should enable
them to present a cheque in the region of £750 to Macmillan Cancer
Care. There was also a "Fun Run" of a mile around Paignton Green in
which some 400 young athletes and Mums took part.
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| Earl of Mount Edgcumbe Lodge 3924 sees triple! | |
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The Provincial Grand Master, who presided at the Earl of Mount
Edgcumbe Lodge 3924, Installation Ceremony recently, saw WBro. John
Baldry installed into the Masters Chair,by his brother, WBro P
Baldry, who had been installed by his brother, WBro I Baldry. All three brothers are dedicated Masons, which was demonstrated on the night, with an attendance of one hundred and twelve brethren. I would warn all lodges to be prepared for some hilarious evenings, once W Bro John starts visting, (with the brothers Grim)( buy one get two free) and responding for the visitors, he always has a tale to tell and will warm your hearts. The officers and Brethren of EOMEL 3924 wish him a happy and successful year.
Vaughan Harris |
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| Lodge of Harmony No. 372 - Budleigh Salterton | |
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On the 16th February eighteen members of the Lodge of Harmony No.372
held an extra meeting for the benefit of the Residents at Cadogan
Court under the direction of Worshipful Master Graham Snell and a
total of eleven residents were able to attended the meeting. The Worshipful Master introduced a talk on Grand Lodge and " The Great Doors ". A collection was taken at the meeting which will be for the benefit of the residents. After the meeting the Brethren were treated to tea and cakes in the home. Shortly after at a very successful Ladies Night held at East Devon Golf Course, Budleigh Salterton, the Worshipful Master and his wife Caroline were pleased to announce that as a result of the raffle, they had raised just over £1000.00 to donate to BLESMA (The British Limbless Ex Service Mens Association ). |
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| Torbay Hospitals' A & E Department is helped by Courtland Lodge No.6706 | |
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Torbay Hospitals' A & E Dep't is supported by Courtland Lodge
No.6706. At a recent presentation, W.Bro.Ivan Ridgewell,
the 2007 Worshipful Master of the Lodge presented a cheque for £1127
to Mr Andy Mortimore, the Manager of the A & E Department of Torbay
Hospital. This sum, was the proceeds of W.Bro. Ivan and Mrs. Dawn
Ridgewells' Ladies night and a Race Night held during his year as
Master in 2007. Mr. Mortimore said that this money would enable him to purchase much needed equipment that was badly needed by the department. Torbay Roving Reporter Jim Jordan |
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| Torbay Lodge helps South African Children | |
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Before Torbay Lodge's 29th April meeting, Aaron Lavin, a grandson
of W Bro. Alan Kennett was presented with a cheque for £300. Bob Brewis Paignton Correspondent |
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| WBro Lou Layman Celebrated 60 years in Freemasonry | |
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On Monday 14th April 2008 W Bro Lewis Leyman celebrated 60 years in
Masonry. To mark the occasion W Bro Leyman was presented with
a Certificate by W Bro Colin Turner Assistant Provincial Grand
Master. Due to recent ill health W Bro Leyman has been unable to
attend Lodge so the presentation took place at his home in Exeter;
also present was the Worshipful Master of St John the Baptist Lodge
No. 39 W Bro Maurice Jeffreys. W Bro Leyman was initiated at the age of 21 years and 12 days into De La Pole Lodge No. 1181 on 14th April 1948 and in the same year became a joining member of St Margaret’s Lodge No. 6129. He was WM of St Margaret’s in 1968 and also served as DC, Treasurer and Secretary. He was MEZ of St John the Baptist Chapter No. 39 in 1990 and 1995. In 1995 he joined St John the Baptist Lodge No. 39. W Bro Leyman also holds the Provincial Grand Master’s Certificate of Service and the Grand Superintendent’s Certificate of Merit. |
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| 9th Annual Tresco Marathon – Sunday 13th April 2008 | |
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The Tresco Marathon is a unique annual event that is held on the
same day and time as the London Marathon. All of the proceeds of the
Marathon go towards gene therapy research for the Cystic Fibrosis
Trust. This year W.Bro. Richard Selby of Rolle Lodge No. 2759 decided to take part in the event. Once he received the confirmation of entry Richard started in earnest with his training, which included the infamous “Grizzly” multi-terrain race in East Devon. It has been over twenty years since he had run the last of his seven marathons although he has continued to compete in road races at much short distances. Richard got off to a good start as the field of 136 runners set off at 09:30. He was keeping pace with the top five runners over the first few laps and then settled into a good rhythm with his wife Jayne and friends Valerie and Steven providing support from the sidelines and the odd handful of jelly babies. There are no cars allowed on Tresco only golf buggy type vehicles. So the course is a circular concrete path that mainly |
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follows the coastline. At the halfway point Richard was well within
his predicted time and looked very comfortable. The course was
described as undulating but it had two steep hills that got longer
as the race progressed. Although Richard did not walk at any point,
the hills at the latter part of the race were challenging. As you can image it took a lot of careful monitoring when the course is run over seven laps. As a spectator it was difficult to follow the runners’ positions. The finish was at the exclusive Tresco Island hotel and Richard managed a very creditable time of 3:26:21 in tenth position overall this is an excellent finish for a athlete of Richard’s maturity! Richard would like to give a hearty and fraternal thanks to all those who sponsored him for the event and he has raised well over £600 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Bro Steven Sugden Rolle Lodge No 2759 |
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| A busy time at Paignton | |
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| Wednesday 16th April, 37 members of the Torbay Masonic Widows' Association, (out of 41!) attended a Spring Lunch, at Courtland Road, Paignton, expertly cooked by Bro.Basil Ashling, now Master Elect of Seven Hills. Our New Chairman, Mrs. Margaret Stafford, had asked for a Yellow Spring theme, so we had Yellow table cloths and pot plants for raffle prizes and Basil produced Yellow Melon starters, Spring Lamb and Chocolate Profiteroles for dessert. Everyone agreed that it had been a lovely meeting. They have already decided to have a buffet lunch in September and have invited other Branches to attend. They have also booked seats for the theatre to see South Pacific in May and are planning future coach trips. | |
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On Thursday, 17th April, the Teignbridge Branch, invited Lodge
Almoners and Liaison Officers, to their Spring lunch, where a choice
of menu was offered, with a glass of wine. Mike Turner gave a talk on the Cavitron Fund, which was most interesting and informative and I'm sure that none of the listeners had any idea that Plymouth was now leading the world in Neurosurgery & Research and that there were now some eight top surgeons based there. Another interesting fact that came out was that our late, Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W.Bro.Frank Prout had been a very keensupporter and had been on the Executive of the Charity. On Friday 18th of April, the" Square Friends" of the late W.Bro.John Dodwell, met at the Torquay United football ground, to present sports equipment, worth £1000 i.e. balls and goal nets, to the Torquay United Youth Development scheme. |
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This money had been raised
by a sponsored football match (the 5th) by Freemasons of Torbay. The
Youth Club trainer, Matt Williams, received the equipment from W.Bro.J.L.Attwood ,the Past Assistant Provincial Grand Master, and several members of Courtland Lodge 6706 together with their wives, who all enjoyed a buffet lunch provided by the Club. Torbay Roving Reporter Jim Jordan. |
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| The Ricky Grant Day Care Unit Presentation | |
 *Sue sadly died recently after her very long battle with Cancer and her wish was that we should all continue to raise money to provide more of the equipment that the unit needs. |
The Worshipful Master of The Dart Lodge 2641, W.Bro Stephen Reading
presents an envelope containing a number of cheques totalling £1,800
to Mr Lee Merry of The Ricky Grant Day Care Unit at Torbay Hospital
on Tuesday 8 April 2008. This princely sum has been raised through
the generosity of the membership of The Dart Lodge 2641, The Lodge
of The Seven Hills 6857, Tormohun Lodge 6449, Jordan Lodge 1402, The
Lodge of St Mary 5148, Churston Ferrers Lodge 8779 and The True Love
and Unity Lodge 248. Also pictured is Mrs Sue Langman* who is a long
term cancer sufferer and who regards the Ricky Grant Day Care Unit
as her `second home`. Sue was the inspiration behind the donations.
She approached her good friends, W.Bro Harry Escott (of The Dart
Lodge 2641) and his wife Jo who then raised the matter with the
Lodge Charity Steward, W.Bro. Chris Tucker. Chris did `the Donkey
Work` - approaching the other donor lodges for contributions.
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The donation is to go towards a piece of very specialised equipment which scans a route through the renal system to the chest cavity and the feed to deliver specialised cancer drugs with minimal risk and discomfort to the patient. This equipment costs in the region of £12,000 and is sorely needed by the unit.The presentation was attended by Andrew Land ofThe Lodge of The Seven Hills, Neil Price of Tormohun Lodge, George Tricker and Chris Wood of Jordan Lodge (in the picture). Also in attendance was Harry Escott and his wife Jo, Chris Tucker and Mrs Jean Reading. |
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"Help For Heroes" donation from
Plymouth Lodges Members of the charity Help for Heroes received a cheque for
£1010.00 for the fund at the Royal Marines Barracks, Stonehouse,
Plymouth from the Royal Marines Plymouth Lodge, St Georges Mark
Lodge and others. This amount was raised from social events such as
the version of Horse Racing as played by the Royal Navy and Royal
Marines. This money will be added to the amount already raised
toward the target of £5 million to build a swimming pool at Headley
Court Tri-Service Rehabilitation Centre near Leatherhead Surrey. The charity Help for Heroes was set up by members of the public and ex-servicemen wishing to help those injured soldiers on their return to the UK. Supporters include Jeremy Clarkson and the Princes William and Harry and has already reached in excess of £3.3 million. |
| Liz Gedrych of "Help for Heroes" received the cheque: also pictured are Carole Dinham, Doug Taylor, WBro Cliff Hartley, WBro Tony Davison, WBro Mel Bettell, Bro Sandy Macleod, Lt Col Martin Taylor RM, Capt Chris Hill RM, and Lt. Keiran Ashcroft RM. A former Colour Sergeant, Sandy MacLeod BEM MSM, a member of Royal Marines Lodge Plymouth, said that the swimming pool will give much-needed help to the wounded returning from such places as Iraq and Afghanistan as they currently have to be bussed to a public swimming pool where they have been subjected to abuse by some of the civilian customers. Mr MacLeod and the members of Royal Marines Plymouth Lodge are intending to raise more money for Help for Heroes by holding other events in the future. | |
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Courtland Lodge does it again! |
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Once again Courtland Lodge has made an official presentation to the
Province of £1000. This took place on Thursday 13 March at Courtland
Road, PAIGNTON. The cheque was presented by W.Bro.Peter Carrick to W.Bro.Derek Webber, Assistant Provincial Grand Master and was for the 2012 Festival, bringing Courtlands donation up to some £18000 so far. The money was raised in part (£500) by a sponsored football match at Torquay United. This was the fifth such match, all in memory of the late W.Bro. John Dodwell who sadly passed away in Lodge in March 2003. John had been an avid supporter of United since 1948. At every one of these five matches Torquay has won and we expect approaches now from other teams who could do with a win, Yeovil and Chelsea to name but two. (Ha Ha). This year 40 members and friends, from seven local lodges including Jordan, Torbay and Courtland enjoyed an evening meal, wine and a fine match. These "Square Friends" of John Dodwell, have so far raised over £8000 and have made donations to such worthy causes as Cheshire Home Brixham, Loop System for Courtland Road, Loop system for blind fans at Torquay United, Torquay United Youth development programme, Torquay United football in the Community project, The Trevor Ward foundation, The Dame Hannah Rogers School, The Kevin Hill Trust and of course the R.M.T.G.B. The Brethren who have taken the time and effort to organise these occasions should be mentioned and our thanks go to W.Bro.T.A.Dodwell, W.Bro.D.Froud and W.Bro.A.M.Dewis. Report by our Paignton reporter Jim Jordan |
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| North Devon Masters Lodge Banner Dedication | |
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“This Banner highlights the spirit of adventure that this Lodge shows today”. These were the words used to describe the new Banner of North Devon Masters Lodge No: 9316 at their meeting on Tuesday 19th February 2008. The Lodge was honoured by the presence of The Provincial Grand Master and a veritable bevy of Provincial Officers at the commemoration meeting in Barnstaple and Rt.W.Bro, Penny gave a most memorable explanation of the emblems on the new Banner of which the most predominant feature is a Puffin, a bird which is native to the North Devon Island of Lundy, and he thanked W.Bro. Eddie Dymond who had donated the Banner. The Deputy Provincial Grand Chaplain, W. Bro. Raymond Bray then gave a superb Oration on the history of Banners in general together with a brief history of North Devon Masters Lodge. |
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It was in this history that W.Bro. Bray referred to the
adventurous spirit of the Lodge who have held their meeting in
numerous venues around the division and have included with those
meetings excursions to such places as The North Somerset Railway,
Lundy Island and Tiverton Canal. At the Festive Buffet following the meeting the W.M., W.Bro.Peter Goffin referred to the evening as “ A very special night in the history of our Lodge” and proposed the toast to the P.G.M who responded with what must have been the shortest response ever heard, just the words “Thank You”!
Alan Cockman
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St. Margaret's Lodge No. 6128Ladies Night At a very successful Ladies Night held at the Devon Hotel Exeter, the Master of the Lodge, W.Bro. Geoff Pring and his Lady were able to donate the total proceedings from the event to Exeter Hospice and Branch House.
Pictured left is Geoff and Sandra and the boys - making it a true family affair!
Martin Heskins
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| Presentation by Torbay Lodge No 1358 | |
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The Worshipful Master of Torbay Lodge No 1358, W Bro Roger Sheldon,
presents a cheque for £700 to Mr Jim Delves the local area Chairman
of the Alzheimer Society. The money was raised at the Installation
meeting in November and Mr Delves asked if the presentation could be
made at the Lodge.
This is another fine example of Lodges connecting with the
Community.
Prior to the formal opening of the Lodge, Mr Delves was invited into
the
Temple and, to a capacity gathering of 78 brethren, recounted the
tragic circumstances which surrounds this terrible illness. A startling fact is that around 2,600 people in Torbay alone suffer from the disease. WBro. Bob Brewis |
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W.Bro. Frank Rowe’s 60 years in Freemasonry
Brotherly love, was the order of the night on the 17th Jan, at
Davy Masonic Hall, when the Brethren of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
Lodge 3924, and Distinguished Guests, gathered to celebrate W.Bro.
Frank Rowe’s 60 years in Freemasonry. |
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Frank received Provincial recognition in 1969 being appointed to
Assistant Prov. Grand Pursuivant. In 1971 further honours followed
when Frank was made Past Prov Dep Grand Registrar, and again in
1979, promoted to Past Prov Junior Grand Warden. Having trained a suitable successor as DC in the lodge, Frank then became our Chaplain from 1977 until 2003. Frank has introduced many distinguished Members into Masonry, including one of the current Assistant Provincial Grand Master, W.Bro. Eglinton, who had the pleasure of presenting Frank with a Certificate of Service on the night. Many words of praise by several people were given on the night along with some embarrassing tales, which made for a wonderful evening, and on behalf of all there we wish Frank many more happy years in Freemasonry. (possibly seeing the next generation of Rowes, join!) Vaughan Harris |
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| Ambulance Chief welcomes lifesaving equipment from local Freemasons | |
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On behalf of the Devonian Chapter of First Principals No. 9249, the Second Provincial Grand Principal E. Comp. Terry Downe has presented a cheque for more than £3,000.00, for the purchase of two further Schiller ECG machines one to be used in a fast response vehicle in Plymouth, the other in the Torquay area. This adds to similar equipment already given to the Ambulance Trust with money so kindly donated to the M.E. Grand Superintendents fund, received from the various Chapters throughout the Province. |
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E.Comps Terry Downe, said, “We are delighted to be assisting the
South Western Ambulance Service by providing potentially life saving
equipment which will benefit local people across the region. It is
also beneficial to members of operational staff working at the front
line, in terms of diagnosis and we look forward to continue pledging
our support in the future.” The Trust’s Chief Executive Ken Wenman was extremely grateful to the Order in general and the Chapter in particular for their ongoing generosity and said, “I would like to sincerely thank Terry, Bob and all the Royal Arch Masons of Devon who have given to the Trust so generously and continue to pledge support to both our staff and to people living in the local communities. |
| Pictured above, E.Comps Terry Downe & Bob Munroe with the WCAS’s
Chief Executive, Ken Wenman presenting him with the cheque to fund a
further two ECG machines. Pictured right: From left to right – Alan Green, Clinical Support Officer based in Paignton, Maurice Smith, A Provincial Officer, Terry Downe, Second Provincial Grand Principle, Alex Willcocks, Clinical Support Officer based at Torquay and Bob Munroe, Provincial Officer. Any current First Principal or Past First Principals who would like more information about joining The Devonian Chapter of First Principals No. 9249, who meet at venues across the Province, should contact E.Comp. Fred Coombs on 01395 263903 |
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Sea Scouts and Sports Clubs benefit from Paignton Masons
A most unusual presentation took place at the recent Christmas
meeting of Courtland Lodge.
Jim Jordan |
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