Members of Foundation Lodge No 5394 were originally to receive grand officer Andrew Barton as the Representative of the Provincial Grand Master Mark Matthews at their recent installation meeting. However, he succumbed to illness and was ably deputized by Sylvester During to see Jeffrey Newbrook installed as master for the ensuing year.
The meeting, held at Urmston Masonic Hall, was well attended and Sylvester was joined by fellow Trafford Group officers, Andrew Lane and Ian Wood and various visiting brethren. Lodge member and grand officer David Durling was also in residence, but was heavily involved in the running of the ceremony.
After opening the lodge, the initial business conducted quickly and efficiently by David as outgoing master Noel Grubb was unavailable due to illness. David then handed over to DC Terry Howard, who carried out the installation ceremony in a smooth and sympathetic manner with the assistance of John Newall as installing senior warden, Alan Tuft as installing junior warden and John Ludlow as installing inner guard.
Excellent presentations of the working tools in the third, second and first degrees were given by Murray Worsdell, Lee Rudd and Phil Rampling respectively followed by a superb address to the master given by David Durling. There was on this occasion, no address given to the wardens, but Sylvester more than made up for that with a polished address to the brethren of the lodge.
The business of the installation ceremony having come to a close, Sylvester rose at the customary moment in the proceedings to convey the best wishes of the Provincial Grand Master Mark Matthews to Jeffrey on his being installed as WM for the fourth time, wishing him and the lodge good health to enjoy a happy and busy year ahead.
Sylvester continued, saying that had Mark himself been present, he would have also had great pleasure in congratulating the installing master, Terry for the excellent work that he had put into the ceremony both as installing master and DC excellently administering the whole affair, and also to the officers and brethren of the lodge for the high standard of the ceremony and of the excellent friendly manner in which it had been conducted.
Jeffery then responded to Sylvester, thanking him for him passing on the good wishes of the ProvGM and had much pleasure in presenting him with a truly extraordinary series of charitable donations, namely; £1,000 to the WLFC, £500 to each of Mind, Alzheimer’s Relief and Zoe’s Place and £250 each to Sands and Hope Hospitals. All of which would have amounted to a magnificent amount except that the lodge was far from finished there! To round things off, the lodge members were each given £2,000 from the lodge Relief Chest to donate to a charity of their own choice!
Sylvester, obviously impressed by the scale of the donations said that this was a most generous contribution and clearly had much pleasure in congratulating and thanking the lodge brethren on behalf of all those eventual recipients, we may never know, for their most kind, charitable giving. The meeting was concluded with Sylvester presenting Grand Lodge certificates to lodge members Murray Worsdell and Lee Rudd.
The evening continued with an enjoyable, friendly and jovial festive board where Sylvester, in his response to his toast, made reference to the fact that the venerable lodge was approaching its 100th anniversary, and then mentioned recruitment to Royal Arch Masonry and the importance of ‘finishing’ one’s Masonry. Sylvester went on to say he had experienced an immensely enjoyable evening and again, on his own behalf, thanked the lodge for their kind charitable generosity demonstrated earlier in the evening and of the hospitality which they had extended to him throughout the evening.