Amos Millington celebrated his 50 years in Freemasonry at Andrew Lodge No 3328 at Eccles Masonic Hall. Assistant Provincial Grand Master Stuart Boyd was on hand to give the lodge and guests a brief look into the history, both personally and Masonically of Amos. Stuart was also accompanied by Trafford Group Chairman Patrick Walsh, together with Provincial Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies Peter Littlehales and other grand and Provincial grand officers.
After the initial business was taken care of, the lodge was pleased to receive Stuart, who was presented to the master, Stephen Dyson. After the salutations to Stuart, Stephen then offered Stuart the gavel of the lodge and on this occasion, he was delighted to accept it, even if only for a brief time.
The Provincial Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies then made preparations to collect Amos and place him on a chair in front of Stuart. Having previously spent time with Amos, Stuart set about informing everyone in the lodge about Amos’s life, work, and Masonic career.
Amos was born in 1940 at home in Walkden, the second of three children. His father, John was a miner, and his mother, Catherine worked at the local bakers and was one of five sisters and two brothers. Amos and his birth coincided with one of these uncles, who was serving in the forces overseas, being killed in action whilst his mother was in labour, and he was called Amos after him. It is a reminder to us all, that for his generation early life included the war years.
Amos was not evacuated, but stayed in Walkden throughout the war and remembers not only the sirens calling his family to run to their Anderson Shelter at the bottom of the garden during the air raids but, on one occasion, watching a dog fight taking place in the air over Walkden Moors.
His flair and skills in engineering, technical and planning areas helped him secure a five-year apprenticeship at De Haviland in Lostock. His career continued there, however, when rumours of site closure became loud and regular he saw an advert in the Manchester Evening News for a Deputy Group Engineer at Salford Hospitals. After first getting a ‘No thank you’ reply to his application, he then received an invitation to an interview at which he proved successful and accepted the post. This began a 35-year career in NHS Estates during which he led, managed, and facilitated tremendous changes.
This 35-year shift included posts such as Area Engineer on the Hospital Management Committee covering hospital sites including Hope, Manchester Royal, Peel Hall, Ladywell, Swinton Children’s Hospital, Salford Royal and the Manchester and Salford Hospital for Skin Diseases. During this time Amos made many a positive difference not only to the health but to the landscape of our community.
These included a Diamonds are Forever ‘James Bond’ moment when as part of the team at the commissioning of a new bed lift at the Manchester and Salford Hospital, he and a lift engineer had to squat on top of the lift car whilst it ascended to its limit of high travel
On another project, the original brick chimney at Salford Royal Hospital needed replacing and he chose to replace it with three steel flues encased in a shiny aluminium outer casing. He recalled how he was rather proud of his chimney which somewhat altered the skyline on Chapel Street, until unfortunately the hospital closed to be redeveloped as private flats losing his skyline amendment forever.
On another occasion Amos remembered how he was requested to design a staff restaurant and kitchen area on the whole of the 14th floor for the Salford Area Health Authority Building, Peel House in Eccles. He said it was a challenge to put the restaurant and services in so high up but he ‘didn’t make a meal of it.’
More recently in the early 80’s, the hospital did not have a chapel, and he was commissioned in 1996 to convert a theatre suite into a chapel, and he designed the conversion including all the liturgical furniture and the altar table. The chapel was dedicated to St Luke and was opened by the Archdeacon of Bolton. The Chair of the Hospital Trust asked Amos to design a stained-glass window for the chapel to celebrate the millennium and even though he had retired after the windows installation, he was invited back to lead a service of the windows dedication.
During his conversation with Amos, Stuart discovered that hospital theatres were not the only theatres or performance areas that he had been involved with. Amos spoke of his love for, and enjoyment of singing and we have all shared that enjoyment in hearing Amos singing the Master’s Song at installations and The Roses Song at Ladies evenings. On, a wider stage, prior to COVID, he sang tenor in the Provincial Quartet which toured West Lancashire singing anthems at banner dedications, lodge consecrations and other special ceremonies and he was a tenor in the Manchester Cathedral Voluntary Choir from 1982 until April 2010. He also mentioned that he remains grateful for the privilege of having sung the tenor solos in numerous recitals of Stainer’s Crucifixion and in a performance of Handel’s Messiah.
Handel’s Messiah being an oratorio, with oratorio’s being defined as: “A musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble.” Amos’s singing career also involved another ensemble, as in 1995 he sang in the backing group for Take That’s 10 nights in Manchester when their tour was visiting the then Nynex Arena. His other great artistic hobby is painting. In addition to the hospital chapel millennium window, whilst acting as a senior tour guide at Manchester Cathedral from 2011 until COVID, he was commissioned by the Cathedral to illustrate the Cathedral Christmas cards in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Sharing this journey with him was his wife Carol, whom he met at St Paul’s Church, Walkden Youth Fellowship, meeting in 1957. He and Carol were married on the 7 August 1965 and have two children, his daughter Catherine, who lives in Didsbury, and his son Christopher who lives in Spain, two grandchildren and two great grandchildren. We heard how one memorable highlight for him and Carol was attending the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in 1981 and how they welcomed in the millennium sitting together at work in case the Y2K ‘bug’ affected his NHS computer systems.
Masonically, he was initiated into Derby Lodge No 1055 in the Province of East Lancashire on 10 October 1974, becoming WM from 1984 to 1986 and again in 1992. He then joined Arthur Sullivan Lodge No 2156 in East Lancashire on the 16 October 2002 and was WM of that Lodge in 2006 and from 2012 to 2014. Unfortunately, Arthur Sullivan Lodge handed in its warrant in 2018, however East Lancashire’s loss was West Lancashire’s gain and on 5 December 2018, he joined Andrew Lodge, who were proud to host this celebration evening.
His sterling work was recognised by the Province of East Lancashire, and he received his first appointment in their Provincial Grand Lodge as PProvAGDC in 1991, being promoted in 1993 to PPGSuptWks in lodge by the Provincial Grand Master who was attending Derby Lodge on the occasion of its centenary. He received a third Promotion in East Lancashire in 2009 to PProvGSwdB.
Stuart then went on to say that the Provincial Grand Master Mark Matthews had produced and signed a celebratory certificate to commemorate the evening, which was then read out by Patrick Walsh and presented to Amos by Stuart followed by a well-deserved applause from all present. At this point Stuart invited Stephen to retake his rightful place as WM and handed him back the gavel. When it was time for Stuart to retire from the lodge, he invited the nights celebrant Amos to retire with him and he other officers.
The social board afterwards, as customary in Andrew Lodge, was quite a joyous and lively event. John Hindle was most pleased to give a toast to Amos, who John had known for may years especially their time together in the Provincial choir. In Amos’s response he thanked the lodge for being there for him and bringing him back into Masonry and making him feel so welcome.