Garston Masonic Hall, Island Road in Liverpool was the venue for Roger Arden to celebrate 50 years in Freemasonry at Old Lerpoolian Lodge No 9270. WM Guy Story opened the lodge in due course and confirmed the minutes of the last meeting. Assistant Provincial Grand Master John Murphy was then admitted into the lodge accompanied by David Atkinson, the Mersey Valley Group Chairman, and other distinguished brethren.
John Murphy was welcomed into the lodge by WM Guy Story who offered him the gavel of the lodge which he accepted. John then requested that Roger Arden was placed before him on a convenient seat in the lodge. John then began by explaining Roger’s history with some very famous people being born in the same year as Roger, in the persons of Bianca Pérez-Mora Macías, the model who is famous for marrying Mick Jagger, Randy Cain the soul singer, Bob Segar the singer and of course maybe the most famous of them all Roger Arden born in May 1945 in Liverpool to mother Mary and father Eric.
Continuing, John said: “The family name Arden is not a very common name, but what does the name Arden mean? In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Arden surname lived in Ardernin the county of Warwick. The interpretation of the name, however, varies depending on the county of origin. In Cheshire, Kent and Hampshire, the name assumes the local meaning of dwelling-house, and in Yorkshire, it has the curious meaning of eagle valley or gravel valley.
Roger’s father was an army officer, a colonel, and a distinguished lawyer. He served as a solicitor and Liverpool Diocesan Registrar. Roger has a younger sister, Mary, who followed Roger and her father in the legal profession, Mary having a very successful and eminent career in the law, rising to the position of a Supreme Court Justice and being appointed a Dame of the British Empire and now known as Baroness Mance or professionally as Lady Arden of Heswall.
Roger attended Liverpool College and enjoyed sports, especially sailing and being a member of the school combined cadet force. Such was Roger’s enthusiasm for sailing that on one occasion in 1966 he was sailing on the River Dee Estuary when, with another, he courageously engaged in the rescue of a young man in the water, and he was subsequently awarded the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Marine Medal Parchment. Roger followed his father and sister into the legal profession. He also became a solicitor and held the offices of Registrar of the Diocese and Legal Secretary to the Bishop of Liverpool.
Roger served on the Liverpool Law Society Committee and various sub committees for over 10 years becoming president in 1988. He also served on the Legal Advisory Commission of the Church of England. He was a governor for many years of two Liverpool schools. He was a trustee of numerous local charities and on the Board of two Housing Associations, one of which honored and amused him by calling a 44 unit sheltered housing development in the Bootle area of the city, Roger Arden Court.
Roger built a successful legal practice in Liverpool and became, as I have stated, actively involved in many community projects. Turning to his family life, Roger married his wife Glenys on 11 March 1978. That union has produced three children, Richard, Edward and Katherine. Roger is now the proud grandfather of India, Wilfred and Eric. Having been born, raised and lived in Liverpool, Roger has re-located to North Wales.
Let us now turn to your career in Freemasonry, you have a long familial connection to Freemasonry, your great grandfather, grandfather and father as well as your father-in-law were all members of the Craft and it was on the 23 October 1974 that you were initiated into Coronation Lodge No.2923 now known as Centurions of Merseyside Coronation Lodge No 2923, being passed on 27 November 1974 and raised on 22 January 1975. Roger served in the lodge progressive offices and was installed as WM on 19 September 1984. Roger, you resigned your membership of the lodge on 31 May 1985 and subsequently joined Old Lerpoolian Lodge on 17 October 2000.
As I have stated, your dedication to the community has been rightly recognized and it exemplifies the central tenet of Freemasonry’s philosophy regarding community engagement. I’m sure I speak on behalf of everybody present that we are absolutely delighted to see you here this evening to celebrate your 50th anniversary and even more so that you have allowed us to celebrate your special evening with you.
Roger, such is the importance of your own diamond jubilee that our Provincial Grand Master Mark Matthews has caused a certificate to be struck to mark this wonderful achievement which I now ask David Atkinson to read the contents of the certificate.” To read John’s full script, click here.
Story by John Murphy,
Assistant Provincial Grand Master