Derek Adams celebrated his diamond jubilee as a Freemason at Hawkshead Lodge No 4354, geographically the ‘top of the Province’. In the company of 60 brethren, Assistant Provincial Grand Master Peter Schofield led the celebration. Peter was joined by the Furness and South Lakeland Group Chairman Chris Gray, group secretary Tony Jackson, John Fielding, Assistant Provincial Grand Master of our neighbouring Province of Cumberland and Westmorland, Dave Kellet and Barry Fitzgerald. Seven acting Provincial grand lodge officers led by Provincial Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies Ryan Modlin added to the splendour of the occasion.
At the start of Peter Schofield’s presentation of Derek’s history, peter said: “In celebrating Derek’s 60 years as a Freemason, we look here in retrospect at his personal, working and Masonic lives. Derek Adams was born in September 1939 in Broughty Ferry, Dundee in Scotland. He lived with his father Stanley and mother Doris, along with his younger brother David, in the family home at 507 Brook Street in the Town.”
Stanley was a production manager with Keiller’s, a food manufacturer whose factory was in the centre of Dundee. Mum Doris was a busy housewife looking after the family home and caring for her family. When Derek was seven years of age, his father Stanley had a change in career and was successful in securing employment with the company White Hudson’s who made the cough sweets Hacks and produced over 80% of all the rock sold in holiday resorts around the country. Their manufacturing base was situated in Shakespeare Street in the town of Southport and involved the whole family relocating to that area.
His family home was then on Liverpool Road, Birkdale, Southport where he would remain until he married in October 1963. His education continued at Farnborough Road School, Birkdale where he remained to the age of 11. On completion of his primary education, he was successful in securing a place at the King George V Grammar School in Southport where he remained until he was 16 years of age. During his education at King George V, he became a member of the school choir, helped to form the school photographic society, swam and played rugby for the house and school teams. When he eventually started work and earning a living, he became a member of The Royal Birkdale Golf Club and remained a playing member up to the age of 30.
Derek left King George V Grammar School with six ‘O’ levels which was sufficient to give him exemption from the preliminary exam for the Institute of Chartered Accountants. This enabled him to obtain Articles with a Chartered Accountants firm in Liverpool. Following his qualification as a chartered accountant, Derek spent three years employed by various accounting firms in Liverpool to gain further experience and then spent four years with a firm of shipping agents in the city called Bahr Behrend, who were a very old established company which used old outdated manual processes and he was responsible for computerising all their systems.
It was at this time he set up his own private practice becoming a self-employed chartered accountant and contracting for many blue-chip companies including ICI. From there he joined Martins Bank Company in Liverpool who became his largest client. He very quickly moved to London to help with the establishment of Barclays Trust Company where he remained up to the age of 54 involved heavily in taxation investment trusts.
During his working career Derek, moved home several times including locations in Scarisbrick, Woking and Colchester before finally moving to Coniston in 2007 where he remains to this day. Derek remains a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, a member of the Compliance and Securities Institute and a member of the Expert Witness Company.
It was back in the days of his involvement with Birkdale Congregational Church that a certain young lady caught his eye, this was of course the love of his life, a Miss Hilary Bruce. A friendship developed between them both, which then blossomed into a romance and following a suitable courtship they were married on 19 October 1963 at Birkdale Church and moved into their first marital home in Jacksmere Lane, Scarisbrick where they remained up to 1970. Further moves followed to Woking and Colchester before his final move to Devonshire Terrace in Coniston.
Derek and Hilary were blessed with two children, Emma Jane who was born in March 1970 and Mark Frazer Bruce who was born in June 1973. Emma lives with her family in Lenham, Kent and Mark lives in Ipswich. Emma has two children, Benjamin and Molly, both of whom live with Emma in Kent. Sadly, Hilary passed in December 2010. From the stories Derek tells, she must have been a very special lady and is deeply missed by Derek and all the family.
Over recent years in Coniston, Derek has been involved in the organisation of over 50 fundraising events including Lancashire Day celebrations and Burns Night dinners helping to raise money for local charities and worthy causes.
As Derek was growing up, Freemasonry was no stranger to him and the family, with his father Stanley and grandfather being members of the Craft. He also had a close uncle who was a grand lodge officer in London and his wife was a past master of a lady Masons lodge. So, it therefore came as no real surprise that when he was approached to join Tudor Lodge No 6477 in Southport, which he had no hesitation in accepting. His proposer was Jim Green who was a close friend from the congregation at Birkdale Congregational Church. His seconder was Howard Crump, who was the assistant director of ceremonies at the time.
Derek’s Masonic journey began on 14 January 1965 when poor and penniless he was initiated into Tudor Lodge, meeting at the Masonic Hall in Southport, Lancashire. He was passed to the degree of a fellow craft on 11 November 1965, before being raised to the sublime degree of a master Mason on 10 March 1966. At this point, lodge secretary Andrew Thompson read an extract from the minutes of Derek’s initiation.
Obviously, having read of his very demanding and busy professional career, spare time was very scarce to say the least and it was very difficult for Derek to attend meetings on a regular basis. However, he did progress to the office of inner guard before relocating to London and moving away from Southport and this made attendance at meetings impossible.
During his 27 years working in London, he found it very difficult to commit and practice Freemasonry although he did, on occasion, visit lodges of close friends and work colleagues who were members in the city. Even this proved problematic as these visits would often take up a whole day due to travelling in London and early lodge start times proved impractical. So, for this period of time Derek became an unattached Freemason, although his interest and attachment remained in his thoughts and he always intended to return to practising Freemasonry when time and circumstances would permit.
Following his retirement, both Hilary and Derek decided to relocate to the Lake District and in October 2007 they moved into their new home in Devonshire Terrace in Coniston. Certain renovation work was required in his new home including the installation of a new heating system. This installation was carried out by a local heating engineer by the name of Roley Shuttleworth, who of course was well known to many in Hawkshead Lodge with him being a well-respected member for many years.
During a conversation one day with Roley, he mentioned that he was in fact an unattached Freemason. Those who know Roley will not be surprised to learn that he wasted no time in realising and fulfilling the potential for a new member for Hawkshead Lodge. The friendship between them both and indeed other members of this lodge grew and on 17 January 2008 he became a joining member of Hawkshead Lodge. His proposer was Roley Shuttleworth and his seconder was David Kellett.
At this point lodge, secretary Andrew Thompson read a further portion of the minutes of that evening. A full transcription of Peter Schofield’s celebration tribute can be found by clicking here.