Geoff Westhead of Arrowhead Lodge of Freedom No 8500 celebrated the 50th anniversary of his initiation into the lodge, (then just called Arrowhead Lodge), on Monday 12 November, 1973, which was held at the Masonic Hall Tower Building, Wallgate Wigan.
Following all the formalities, Assistant Provincial Grand Master Malcolm Bell proceeded to help Geoff celebrate his 50 years in Masonry to the acclaim of all present. Malcolm began by say that Geoff was born in October 1946, at number 6 Buckley Street Wigan, Lancashire, to very proud and loving parents Robert and Edith, and grew up with his older brother Barry.
Being just a year after the Second World War ended, it was a time when the world was still coming to terms with what had happened and the consequences of that awful conflict. It was a time when the country was trying to get back onto its feet, a time of re-building. It was a time of rationing, with everyday goods in short supply. The average cost of a house was £620, which equates to £25,000 today. £310 for a car, and to fill it up cost 10p a gallon. The weekly shop came to roughly 45p, but most important, a pint of beer was just 5p, however, the average wage was only £11 a week.
King George the VI was on the throne and being a Freemason, he held the rank of Past Grand Master. The Prime Minister was Clement Attlee, the founder of the NHS. 1946 also saw the first international flight from Heathrow to Buenos Aires, the Bank of England was nationalised and Winston Churchill gave his famous Iron Curtain speech at Westminster College in Missouri, America. Closer to home, witnessed the Burnden Park football disaster in which 33 fans tragically lost their lives and 100s of others were injured following a surge in the crowd.
Other famous births were Steven Spielberg, Sylvester Stallone, Barry Gibb from the Bee Gee’s, the actress Hayley Mills and none other than Donald Trump.
Geoff attended Beech Hill Primary School before moving onto Gidlow Secondary Modern. Geoff met many new and lifelong friends and was quite a good sportsman, playing football to quite a good standard, being selected for both the school and the Wigan school’s side. This went hand in hand with being a good runner, winning the school cross country competition for which a cup was presented, unfortunately now lost!
On leaving school, Geoff joined the family business, Westhead’s Confectioners, a family run business that was started by grandad Robert, where he had a shop under the Wigan Little Theatre, with the family living above. The shop eventually moving to Gidlow Lane where they didn’t just sell sweets, they made them, into which Geoff wholeheartedly threw himself. Once his father retired, Geoff took on the running of the business, eventually moving to Stephens Way where a new factory was built.
One of Geoff’s many interests and hobbies was scouting. He joined St Annes pack as a cub, staying with the scouts until eventually becoming a leader, only leaving to concentrate on his own family and work.
Geoff was a school governor at New Springs, a role he held for 15 years, even interviewing and taking on a little-known Mason called Peter Lockett as one of the teachers. He was instrumental in re-naming the school to ‘The Canon John Sharples’ after a well-known brother and former AProvGM.
In 1967 Geoff’s life changed for ever and of course for the better, when he met Susan, tying the knot on 16 May 1970, at St Andrews Church, with the service overseen by Canon Beard, known as Pop Beard.
In 1971 daughter Nichola arrived, who is a teaching assistant in the Canon Sharples School, followed by Mark in 1974, who now works for the Home Office, and then in 1984 along came Matthew who works for the DWP. Several grandchildren resulted, Chloe, Samantha, Amy, Oliver and Joshua, to which Geoff is very proud of each and everyone them. Chloe is also working as a teaching assistant and Samantha excelling in swimming, even representing the county.
Over the years, many holidays and trips have been enjoyed, including cruises around the Mediterranean, Greece, the Canary Islands, the Baltics, where you visited St Petersburg. In addition, Australia was visited for a month, taking in Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmania, before heading off to New Zealand. Unfortunately, this was disrupted by a devastating earthquake resulting in three days in Sidney, followed by a stop off in Singapore on the way home.
Geoff was proposed by Arnold Singer and seconded by Tom Parkinson, both colleagues from scouting. He was passed on 11 February 1974 and raised to the sublime degree of a master Mason on 9 December 1974. Geoff was the lodge’s oldest initiate and was treasurer for a good number of years before taking on the roles of Director at Tower Buildings and subsequently Bryn, a spell as charity steward and being installed as WM on 10 March 1980.
Geoff’s Royal Arch career started with his exaltation into Standish Chapter No 4955, at the Globe in Standish on 16 September 1980, becoming the first principal in 1989. In 1990, Geoff’s service to his lodge was recognised as he received his first appointment to PPSGD, followed by promotion to PPGSuptWks in 2010. Geoff’s first appointment in Royal Arch chapter was to PPGSoj, followed by a promotion to PPGSwdB in 2017.
Group Chairman John Selley read Geoff’s certificate issued by the Provincial Grand Master Mark Matthews, which he then presented to him. Following the closure of the lodge, a lively festive board took place at which the lodge presented Geoff with a watch as a token of appreciation of his service.