Brethren of Lodge of Triumph No 1061 were pleased to be joined by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master Frank Umbers, to the passing ceremony of Joseph Shaw at St Annes Palace. This was an example of the modern policy of the senior officers of the Province being more visible and was well received by the Lodge of Triumph members.
The format for these visits places an importance on minimal formality, so there was no formal procession into the lodge, Frank and his supporting officers were in the lodge room from the start. The closest anyone got to the normal formalities was WM Will Buchanan when he offered Frank the gavel. Frank thanked him for this and for the kind welcome he had received and handed the gavel straight back. At this point Ryan Modlin, Provincial Deputy Director of Ceremonies, looked quite relaxed as he’d had nothing to do but look decorative. He did earn his crust at the festive board later in the evening, however.
Having dealt with the normal business, Will invited lodge secretary Brian Horrocks to occupy the master’s chair for the purpose of conducting the ceremony. Brian then proceeded to ask Joseph the usual questions leading to the second degree, which Joseph answered very well indeed and the retired to be prepared for the ceremony.
On his return, Joseph was passed to the second degree in fine style by Brian, who has a reputation for being a fine ritualist. Joseph, for his part, proved to be a capable candidate and the whole ceremony went well, with Alan Barlow presenting the working tools in a relaxed manner. At the conclusion, Frank gave some warm words of encouragement to Joseph and some equally warm words of congratulations to Brian for an excellent ceremony.
After this Will returned to his rightful place in the master’s chair and a comprehensive almoner’s report was given by Graham Smith, who is both the lodge almoner and the South Fylde Group Almoner. This was followed by the one item of real work that Frank was called upon to perform, which was to present a Grand Lodge Certificate to David Eastwood who had completed his raising to the third degree at a previous meeting.
Before the grand officers departed, Assistant Provincial Grand Master Duncan Smith congratulated the lodge officers who had taken part in the ceremony, along with praising Joseph for being an excellent candidate. These sentiments were reinforced by South Fylde Group Vice Chairman Ian Park on behalf of the Provincial grand officers, then on behalf of the visitors by Glenn O’ Brien WM of the Lodge of Fidelity No 1256. Glenn also noted that it was nice to see the lodge giving the group chairman Ben Gorry a bit of work to do as junior deacon. Ben was giving assistance to the very crisp and efficient work of senior deacon, Darren Collins, who excellently guided Joseph through the ceremony.
At the festive board, it was announced that a grand total of £413 had been raised during the evening for the lodge’s charity funds. £174 of this had been raised through the raffle and £90 of this through the new 100 Club Lottery, which grand officer Ted Rhodes had announced was doing very well. This was the first drawing of the lottery, which has been legally formed and is open for lodge members and guests to participate in. Ted advised that there were still numbers available to be purchased for the monthly payment of £5. Anyone interested in taking part or wanting further information should contact Ted on emr449@btinternet.com and he will give further guidance.
It was nice to see Ted Rhodes still as committed to charity organisation as ever. He has retired from the role of Regional Charity Steward for the Fylde Coast Groups after more than 20 years in that office. During his time, Ted has been involved in several festivals and in coordinating the charity work of all the lodges and groups at one point or another. His efforts have raised many £1,000’s for charities of all kinds. A hard act to follow indeed. The brother who has been appointed to that unenviable task is Blackpool’s Robert Marsden. In the Lodge of Triumph, Ted is giving his full support to lodge charity steward Noel Dentith and between them the lodge will continue to raise much needed funding for local charities.