What a pleasure it was to be part of the fantastic celebration of 50 years in Freemasonry for Raymond Arthur Firth, Ray to his friends and family, at Ansdell Lodge No 3607 at The Palace Masonic Hall, St Annes.
The lodge was duly opened with the usual gusto and panache of WM John Nicholls and after the customary proceedings of the evening were dispensed with, Assistant Provincial Grand Master David Barr, processed into the lodge accompanied by grand and Provincial grand officers. The WM offered David the gavel of the lodge, which he gratefully accepted and proceeded to occupy the chair of King Solomon, before asking for the celebrant to be placed before him. Ray made himself comfortable, as did the brethren. David, in his calm and reassuring manner, began to elaborate on Ray’s upbringing and key life events.
David began by welcoming the brethren and guests to this very special meeting at Ansdell Lodge, celebrating Ray’s magnificent achievement of 50 years as a Freemason. David began the presentation by saying that no matter what organisation, or what age you are when you join, nobody ever expects to achieve 50 years of service, but fortunately, many brethren are now living longer lives enabling them to reach that goal. Ray is an example of that and at the age of 81 he proudly joins that select band of brothers in the 50 Club.
Ray was born in May 1944, near Huddersfield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, eight days before D-Day. He was the youngest of two siblings, being two years younger than his sister. Born under the star sign Gemini and in the Chinese year of the Monkey. Apparently, Geminis are expressive and quick-witted and they represent two different personalities in one and you can never be sure which one you will face. They are sociable, communicative and ready for fun, with a tendency to suddenly get serious, thoughtful and restless. This makes their character inspiring and never boring. The brethren will decide how this description fits Ray’s personality.
Ray left school at 16 with three GCEs, excelling in maths but struggling with learning English as he had an undiagnosed dyslexia condition. After leaving school, he started a four-year apprenticeship as a motor mechanic at Mercedes-Benz in Brentford, London, working on unique cars like Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union DKW, including servicing three-cylinder two-strokes.
After finishing his apprenticeship at 20, Ray returned to Golcar in West Yorkshire and began working at Scar Lane Motors, the garage his father had built, selling Morris MG cars, with an offer from Mercedes for a franchise in Huddersfield. Supported by two co-directors and his ‘business-savvy’ sister, he set about running the garage. Later, his father purchased a derelict garage near the route of the M62 which was then under construction, naming it Huddersfield Garages and he moved there with the Mercedes franchise.
The local Ritz dance hall opened in 1966 and shortly afterwards, he met two girls who had come down from Barrow-in-Furness called the Lee Sisters. This was his first meeting with his wife Linda and they married in June 1970 at the Methodist church in Barrow-in-Furness. They have been blessed with three children and five grandchildren.
Ray was introduced to Freemasonry by his father, a member of Colne Valley Lodge No 1645, the only lodge located at the Masonic Hall in Slaithwaite. Ray had been involved with both the lodge and the hall for several years and he joined Freemasonry in 1975 at the second time of asking. His father proposed his membership into Colne Valley Lodge and conducted his initiation on 8 October 1975 during his second tenure as WM.
Ray was passed in April 1976 and raised to the third degree in October 1976, being installed into the chair of King Solomon in March 1984. In Provincial Grand Lodge, he was appointed to the rank of Provincial Grand Steward in May 1993, promoted to Past Provincial Deputy Grand Registrar in May 1994 and yet again promoted to the high rank of Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden in May 1998. He was also appointed to Grand rank as an Assistant Grand Standard Bearer in United Grand Lodge in April 1995, a highlight of his Masonic career.
Between his work career and Freemasonry, Ray has had a very busy, interesting and successful life and his service to Freemasonry is an example to us all. This evening, Ray has celebrated his golden jubilee in Freemasonry and the brethren wish him the very best of health and happiness for many years to come. Ray informed David that the Provincial Grand Master, Mark Matthews, had telephoned him during the day, which had cheered him up and given him a smile for the rest of the day. David then presented Ray with his 50 years certificate, which was read aloud by South Fylde Group Chairman, Ben Gorry.
As proceedings drew to a close, everyone moved to the bar for celebratory drinks and then into the large dining room for the festive board. In response to the toast to his health, Ray thanked everyone for attending and gave particular thanks to the brethren of Ansdell Lodge for being so warm and welcoming. He went on to say that he enjoys walks with his dog, Penny, but was adamant that there will be no more dogs following this one. He gave special thanks to David Barr for the presentation and to South Fylde Group Vice Chairman, Ian Park, for arranging a warm welcome to the visiting brethren from Yorkshire. One of the guests, Alan Elstone, of the Yorkshire and West Riding Province, had the brethren in stitches with his quick wit, his poses for the camera and his enlightening words as he said that he had been given an opportunity which he could not let pass by, being a member of the ‘eight visitors travelling from west to east to impart wisdom and light on the brethren of Lancashire’.
The festive board raffle raised £340, but there were some raised eyebrows as all the prizes were won by members of Ansdell Lodge. Before the evening ended, group chairman Ben Gorry congratulated the celebrant and Ray also took the opportunity to wish David Barr well as he begins the second year of his tenure as an assistant Provincial Grand Master, commenting that he is most definitely ‘here, there and everywhere’ also adding his best wishes to David’s daughter, who is due to get married soon. A truly enjoyable evening, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
