A grand occasion was arranged to honour Malcolm Parr who was celebrating 50 years of being a Freemason. Members and distinguished visitors alike of Lodge of Truth No 6235 were delighted to receive Malcom Bell, Assistant Provincial Grand Master.
Malcolm was accompanied by the Leigh Group Chairman Jonathan Heaton, acting as Provincial grand deacons where Ray Booth and David Smith. The whole ceremony was conducted in a very impressive manor under the watchful eye of Provincial Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies Peter Littlehales. The WM was Bill Jay and the lodge DC was Nigel Isherwood, who is Malcom’s son-in-law.
The lodge business being efficiently dealt with by WM Bill Jay, the special part of the evening arrived as Malcolm Bell entered the lodge room in ceremonial form and was presented to Bill. Bill, having welcomed Malcolm and his attending officers, hopefully offered him the gavel of the lodge, which on this occasion, to Bill’s relief, Malcolm accepted, also taking the master’s chair. Malcolm then addressed the brethren by thanking them for their very kind welcome and explaining what a great pleasure it was to be with the members and visitors of the lodge to share this very unique and auspicious occasion.
Having ensured that the celebrant, Malcolm Parr, was comfortably seated in prime position, Malcolm Bell began his presentation stating that his office of Assistant Provincial Grand Master carried a number of onerous responsibilities and duties, but also a number of great privileges, and the prospect of being able to officiate at a 50th celebration was, without doubt amongst the better ones.
Malcolm Bell began, Malcolm Parr was born in January 1940, to Frida and Arthur Parr, their first child. He would have in time both a younger brother, Thomas and sister, Dorothy. He started school at Butts Infants and Leigh C of E Infants, then Leigh C of E Juniors before heading off to Leigh Boys Grammar school.
He spent a good deal of his childhood involved in scouting. He was in the cubs, the scouts and senior scouts and achieved the highest award for a scout when he was made a Queen’s Scout. He was also a cub leader, and this will come of no surprise, the secretary of the district scout association.
When he left the grammar school in 1956, he started an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering at De Havilland at Lostock. He got his HND in mechanical engineering and carried on working at De Havilland which in turn became Hawker Sidley then British Aerospace, finishing up as a Chief Systems Analyst in late 1991.
In 1992 he went to work for the late Norman Howcroft, formerly of Tyldesley Lodge No 2572, at Tronic Gravure. He went for 10 weeks but ended up staying for 10 years, until 2002 before a short spell at Key Computers in Leigh. Since 2004 he has been happily retired, spending his time with his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Many Masons will know his wife, Pat, as well as they know Malcolm. She has been his rock for the 50 years of his Masonic life, always by his side, literally and figuratively, and a well-known fixture of the Lodge of Truth, the secretary behind the scenes!
He met Eileen Patricia Bromilow in the late 1950s at the Leigh Institute dances, and it turns out they lived across the road from one another in Leigh. They got engaged on Pat’s 19th birthday in 1961 and in September 1963, they got married and have celebrated over 60 happy years together. They welcomed their first daughter, Diane, in 1965, son Ian in 1967, second daughter, Gillian in 1970, then finally his third daughter, Elaine, in 1978.
His family has been a big part of his Masonry journey, they’ve passed along a few stories from over the years. They say it’s something they’ve all grown up with, and one of the things they most associate with their dad. From walking into the lounge and seeing him lying on the sofa with his little book in front of his face, muttering to himself; the white gloves drying on the radiator; helping him with his cuff links before seeing him and Pat off on many a night out at the Masonic hall.
For his approach to the ‘Parr ritual”, just not necessarily in the right order, the support Pat gave him; the clipboard at the side of the phone, the typing of the letters and name place tags for ladies’ evenings and other functions on the typewriter. His family recall the pride they both felt when he was firstly asked to be group vice-chairman by Tony Bent, then chairman following Tony. And, even more so, when he received his grand lodge honours, the arrival of the letter in the post was communicated far and wide.
His family is incredibly proud of him and the positions he’s held and support he’s given to Masons young and old over the years. They’ve attended ladies’ evenings and ladies’ meals, worked behind the bar and waited tables at the Masonic hall, and most recently, his granddaughter Helen accompanied him to Ladies to Dine, causing quite a stir!
As well as his four children, Malcolm has six grandchildren; Andrew, Matthew, Helen, Patrick, Ben and Oliver. And in just the last couple of years, has welcomed a great grandson, Percy, and great granddaughter, Amelia, he is a wonderful grandad and great granddad.
On top of all this, Malcolm has also been the secretary of Leigh Conservative Club for over 50 years, a member of Lancashire Parish Register Society for 10 years, a Magistrate for almost 40 years and a Town Councillor for five years.
Malcolm started his Masonic career on 7 Jan 1975 when he joined the Lodge of Truth No 6235, since that date he has had a vast array of Provincial Grand Lodge appointments starting at PPrDGSupt, PrGSwdB, PrJGW to his Grand Lodge office PAGDC in 2008. His Royal Arch career started when he joined Chapter of Truth 6235 in 1978, he also joined the Atherton Chapter No 4488 in 1991, he was awarded his Provincial Grand Chapter Appointment as PPrGSN in 2006, finally appointed PGStdB in Supreme Grand Chapter in 201., Malcolm was also secretary of the Lodge of Truth in 1988, the office he held until 2003, he took on the role of Group Vice Chairman in 2003, eventually became Group Chairman 2011, he eventually retired from that role in 2015.
The reading was done in a very compelling manor, eventually Malcolm Bell presented the certificate to Malcolm Parr in a lovely frame, there was a nice emotion between the two Malcolm’s. The lodge finally closed in peace and harmony from what was a wonderful ceremony from start to finish.
The social board was a particularly lively occasion with plenty of laughter and banter during the three-course meal, thankfully Peter Littlehales kept things moving at a very efficient pace. During the speeches Jonathan Heaton, the group chairman, was delighted by the number of visiting brethren in attendance. Malcom Bell was, as is usually the case, with his relaxed manor gave some very genuine comments concerning the WM Peter and the celebrant. Malcolm Parr responded to the very sincere comments to all the brethren in helping make the whole occasion a long-lasting memory.
