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RNLI donations
My husband, Peter Cocks, has been a
Freemason for many years and was Master
of Ashley Hill Lodge No. 7861, Berkshire,
in the 1980s and has recently completed his
Mastership of Selsey Lodge No. 3571 in
Sussex. Freemasons are great supporters
of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
(RNLI) and I am making a £12,000
donation to the RNLI Selsey branch when
I have sold the last copies of my book, Voices
From The Sea (www.voicesfromthesea.net
or email: ruth@selseybill.plus.com).
I am taking no money for myself from the
sales and have already raised £4,000 for the
Coastguard Association and £4,000 for the
Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society from its sales.
I am now raising money only for the
RNLI Selsey branch, as they are having
a replacement lifeboat, probably later this
year or early next year, which could be a
reconditioned one.
Ruth Cocks,
Selsey, Sussex
Missing Masonic jewels
A number of Masonic jewels have gone
missing from display cabinets at the Masonic
Hall, Saul Street, Preston, and this has
been reported to the police and insurers.
Those missing are as follows:
Founders: Commercial Travellers 3493,
Winckley 5438, Jubilee 5555, Shuttleworth
6098, Olympia 4461, North Meols 5828,
Mwanza (Tanzania) 7485, Winckley
Chapter 5438, St Anne’s Chapter 2457.
Centenary: Silent Temple 126, Peace
& Unity 314, Royal Preston 333, Candour
337, Unanimity 113, Concord 343, Plains
of Tabor KT 110.
Other jewels: Preston RAM 143, Lodge
of Loyalty 86, Lodge Dalhousie 720 SC,
Lodge of St George 333 SC 150th
anniversary, Quatuor Coronati
Correspondence Circle.
A number of American Mark tokens are
also missing.
P J Walker,
Preston Masonic Study Circle
Cruise trip generosity
As a result of the generosity of brethren and
their ladies travelling on the P&O ship MV
Oceana, a £250 donation has been made to
the New Masonic Samaritan Fund.
This money was raised at an enjoyable
drinks part held on 2 June. An equal
contribution was made to the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution at the request of Captain
Alistair Clark. The cash was presented to
Mike Testoni, who gave a series of lectures
on aboard about the work of the RNLI.
The announcement of this donation
received a spontaneous round of applause
from the other cruisers in the lecture theatre,
and a grateful acknowledgement has been
received from the Aldeburgh branch of
the RNLI.
Rodney Burris,
Newport, Monmouthshire
Hunt for gavel
I am interested in finding the present
location and travel history of a Festive
Board travelling gavel made by W Bro
Ron Gibbs, treasurer of Goffs Oak Lodge
No. 7169, Province of Hertfordshire.
It left the festive board on our 50th
anniversary in 2002 and made its first visits
in travels with me to the Installation at Old
Actonians Lodge No. 4094 in London in
June that year, then was reported passed on
after nine other visits and presented at the
Installation at Coventrian Lodge No. 5982
and Old Vesegan Lodge No. 7924 in
October 2003.
It then travelled to Germany, and since
then we have lost track of it. I would be
interested in a copy of its visit log that was
included in the wooden box with gavel.
Its return home for our 75th anniversary
would be a nice touch.
Robert Landragin,
Enfield, Middlesex
Head: Floating Masons
In June, 18 Masons aboard P&O’s Arcadia
Top of the World cruise to Norway and the
North Cape held a Masonic charity party.
Their ladies, Masonic widows, guests and
senior members of the ship’s crew attended.
A total of £418.31 was raised and has
been donated to the Royal National Lifeboat
Institution. Masons frequently hold similar
events within the P&O fleet, making
charitable donations to the Captain’s
nominated charity and/or marine charities.
Malcolm MacDonald,
Sidmouth, Devon
Fees and Study Lodges
With reference to the proposal to give special
treatment to Past Masters Lodges, one can
understand the reasoning, but wonder why
it does not include subsidising the ‘Study’
Lodges such as Quatuor Coronati, whose
need and value is surely greater.
My understanding is that one joins the
PM Lodges because one has the necessary
financial backing to support them. It is a
conscious desire to expand one’s Masonic
knowledge and acquaintances.
By subsidising them, it seems reasonable
that those costs have to be born by ‘Degree’
Lodges that in my experience are already
suffering to various degrees. I also wonder
if younger/newer Master Masons would
understand and appreciate the decision.
I may be biased, not having joined a PM
Lodge. I accept I may have missed the raison
d’être for their existence, in which case
I plead age, infirmity and the loss of vital
functions from the cranium southerly,
I can therefore, thankfully, leave it to
more distinguished Masons to decide.
Michael F. Robins,
Aylesford, Kent
Reading RA Obligations
At a recent meeting I attended the subject
was recruitment into the Royal Arch
together with maintaining members’
interest and participation in their Chapters.
I suggested that to make the Royal Arch
more accessible and in line with the policy
of splitting up ceremonies – as is now
recommended – that the Obligations
of the three principals should be read.
Indeed, I suggested that most Obligations
in Freemasonry should be read.
A “read” Obligation gives a seamless
and accurate delivery of one of the most
important parts of the ritual, the very
same reason why prayers are now read.
These observations are made as a Royal
Arch Preceptor, a task which I approach
in the most traditional manner. These
suggestions may be considered radical,
but I look forward to any comments.
J R Salisbury,
Solihull
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Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
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