On a chilly Thursday in December, the brethren and their guests of Triumph Lodge No 1061 warmed their hands and with warm hearts, gathered in the bar area at St Anne’s Palace. What a pleasure to see familiar faces gathering and conversing, with each person clearly looking forward to the merry meeting that was about to unfold. With WM Mike Boxall clearly in the driving seat, the brethren left their loved ones in the bar whilst they opened the meeting. The formalities of the evening were efficiently dispensed with and David Eastwood read out the minutes from the meeting which took place on the same evening in 1925, where a total of 43 members and guests enjoyed their very own merry meeting.
As the brethren returned to their guests, the evening was in full flow. Laughter could be heard from the hall and everyone could be seen to be enjoying themselves. Alan Barlow ushered everyone into the large hall to be welcomed with the sight of the inimitable Chorley Silver Band. Edward Rhodes commented how the band is so popular, they have to be booked months in advance. Everyone was seated and the festive feast was served. With starters ranging from brie and caramelised onion tart, smoked salmon and prawn terrine and trio of melon; mains included traditional turkey dinner, mulled wine, confit of duck and sweet potato butternut squash and spinach strudel. These were followed by dessert choices which included traditional Christmas pudding and brandy sauce, coffee Renoir profiteroles with dark chocolate sauce and this was topped off with a brandy-filled mince pie. The catering by Lee Munro and team is truly second-to-none. Seeing and tasting truly is believing.
As the band played festive favourites such as “Ding Dong Merrily on High” and “Good King Wenceslas”, the atmosphere was one filled with joy and laughter, A more merry meeting I have yet to see; each table filled with cheer as the top-quality crackers were pulled. Christmas hats were aplenty and the conversation starters inside ensured there was never a dull moment and there was absolutely no chance of a silent night. They included questions such as; would you rather have super strength or super intelligence? and for those who love a touch of trivia; name the dog in the traditional Punch and Judy show, too mention but a few.
With all meetings and as poignant as ever, the thoughts of helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves, often through no fault of their own is never far from the minds of Masons. With this in mind, it wasn’t long before Peter Grihault was on with the mission of selling raffle tickets to the brethren and their guests. He clearly revels in this opportunity to bring a smile to everyone’s faces. With an array of envelopes to choose from, he allows each person to pick their own and often gives them an opportunity to change their minds and swap for a different envelope. So many choices! With Jack Todd, his sidekick in tow, the money collected from the raffle alone was a healthy £255 for Masonic charities. With an array of prizes to be won, the raffle began and the prizes were evenly distributed amongst the tables, with the final prize of an extra-large bottle of whisky going to Joe Shaw’s wife, Caz.
The merriment did not end there. The conductor of the band, Alaistair, handed out hymn sheets, which themselves are worth a mention as the quality of these were exceptional quality, organised by John Topping. Each table was assigned a number. The task at hand was to act out the parts “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Some tables were given more than one of the days to act out and the task was to stand on your day, sit when it wasn’t your day and put on your best theatrical performance. Most notable was Roger Weston and his wife Barbara, along with guest Barbara Parkinson and Alan Barlow. They were exceptional and extremely realistic as ‘French hens’. This act was closely followed by Ian Stirling, his wife Carolyn, Joe Shaw and his wife, Caz, their daughter Lois and her partner Liam who collectively entertained as ‘partridge in the pear tree’. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining evening was had by all and it was with a sad sigh that the evening started to come to an end.
Mike Boxall, as enigmatic as ever, gave a thoughtful speech. He began by thanking everyone for attending and then went on to give special thanks to Edward Rhodes for organising the event. Edward was quick to respond, building on Mike’s wishes and asked the band if he could book for next year. As everyone laughed, Edward insisted that he wasn’t joking. They were so good, Edward said, that he would not want to miss the opportunity to have them play for Triumph Lodge again next year. This was met with a hearty applause and murmurings of “hear, hear.” As a final event of the year in office for WM Mike Boxall, It can honestly be said that he has led from the front, given support to those who need it and in true Masonic style, has been a friend and a brother to all. Speaking with those who know Mike, they said that he is a true gentleman, a master of his Craft and as nice and thoughtful a person as one could ever hope to meet. A true testament to a fantastic WM.
As the evening drew to a close, It was noticed that John Topping, the acting Provincial Grand Scribe Nehemiah of the Province, was wearing a tie not seen before. He was proudly standing with Ian Stirling, who is Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principals in the Royal Arch and also a former Provincial Grand Scribe Nehemiah of the Province. Grand Officer Benjamin Gorry, who is the South Fylde Group Chairman and former acting junior warden of the Province and David Barr, who is the Deputy Grand Superintendent of the Province and a former Provincial grand scribe Nehemiah.
Upon enquiring about the tie in question, it was explained that the tie is to replace the current grand lodge tie as part of the new ‘Building Together’ initiative, which has historical links to stonemasons. The tie symbolises the idea that Masonry is ‘One Journey, One Organisation’. It is undoubtedly a great honour for the Lodge of Triumph to have such distinguished brethren amongst its members.
As Masonry continues to evolve, and with it continue the drive for recruitment and retention, it is clear that evenings like these are essential in introducing new potential members to our lodges and are a key part in breaking down barriers that may be associated with the idea of joining a lodge. Indeed, it was good to see guests of all ages having their eyes opened to the sense of brotherhood and benevolence that comes from a truly friendly lodge. As the year draws to a close, the brethren at Triumph Lodge were keen to ensure that I wish everyone lots of Christmas cheer and a wonderful New Year.
