Of course a special mention to all poor and distressed Masons.
Should any Brother be aware of any circumstance where a Brother is in difficulty in need of bereavement support or assistance from the Lodge please contact Bro Almoner at earliest opportuntiy.
Good morning, James,
I said I would send you a contribution and I am !
Such a lot of water has passed under the bridge since we last met in Munster that it is hard to know where to start. When I retired I moved to the South of France which is a wonderful place to live as John Mitchell will tell you. The enjoyment was marred about three years later when my wife decided she wanted to go back to the UK which she did. Some time later I met an American lady with whom I have had a wonderful relationship ever since. The time came when her family demanded that she should return to the States to be, as they put it, " a proper grandmother" to her seven grandchildren. I was to accompany her but when we found out that the medical bills or insurance at my age (79) would be far, far too expensive we had to abandon that idea and settle for long visits to each other.
So, I ended up in Cyprus ! I had lived here before in the 80's, loved the island and still had a few friends there. Like France, it is a wonderful place to live. Very beautiful but perhaps a little too hot at this time of the year. It has recently been as high as 42 degrees. And, of course, my Mother Lodge, Apollo Lodge, is here !
There are some members of the Keys living out here. Brother Brian Brown has been here for years and is a member of Apollo and he was (maybe still is) a member of Beaver Lodge and a Past Grand Officer of GLBFG.
I never really got into Masonry in France. The local Lodges were of the constitution not recognised by the UGLE and so out of bounds to me. I found the others quite difficult as, although I was welcomed there, my French was not good enough to understand the Masonic rituals properly. The only English speaking Lodges were so far away that it would involve an overnight stay to attend them and were horrendously expensive to join for the privilege of meeting only four times a year. So, it is great to be somewhere where there are about twelve English speaking Lodges on a small island and a great choice for visiting.
During the past few years I have been able to attend several Lodges in England, Wales and several in America where the rituals and formalities are so different to those in Europe. More Scottish Rite than Emulation but very interesting to see and compare. If any brother is in the vicinity of Philadelphia I would STRONGLY advise him to make the effort to visit the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania . Their building is magnificent, it has several temples of different styles and the Museum is one in which anyone interested in Freemasonry could not fail to enjoy and be impressed. After my visit there I sent a copy of the Guide Book to the Keys for their Library - I wonder if it is still around ? Anyway, look them up on the Internet, they have a very interesting web site. Just "google" Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania"
It goes without saying, Jim, that, should any member of Keys (or any other Lodge in GLBFG) be in Cyprus I would be pleased to meet them for a beer or two or three and have a chinwag over old times and put the world to rights as we Masons usually do. We've done it Brother Jim - you and I - but I don't think we made much difference to the world.
I have visited many, many Masonic Lodge web sites over the years but I can think of none better than yours, Jim. It is a great achievement on your part to add to the pleasures of Curry Lunches, Barbecues, Ladies Nights, Raffles and so many other functions you have organised. And, how many years have you done so caringly and with such good humour as Lodge Almoner. Keep it up, Jim !
I send my fraternal greetings to all in GLBFG and to the members of the Keys in particular,
Bill Smith
Dear jimmy S.
In the past year I have attended 34 various masonic meetings. Craft lodges. RE lodge Aldershot. Castle lodge Farnham. Absit in vidia lodge portsmouth Hanslip Ward lodge Harwich. Portsmouth Lodge. Toowoomba Lodge(aus) GL of Queensland, Brisbane (aus). PGL (Surrey) Gt Queens st.
The remaining meetings were for KT,KTP , Malta degree, and MMM. In all cases, and where appropriate , I have given greetings on behalf of the keys. Occasionally I have been asked to explain all about BFG, at the festive boards, and was once congratulated on my command of English.
I have not joined any other constitution, I find it unnecessary as I come to Germany six times a year to attend side degrees.
Unfortunately, my visits do not match up with Keys craft meetings, so I cannot, sad to say, get to see you as often as I would wish.
Wish we had a nice web page like the keys has or even a web page would be nice any way you ask for my Masonic life after The Keys.
On leaving Muster as I had finished in the army and returned to England and live in Long Eaton in Derbyshire and worked as a sales man selling screws nails ext to the building trade and visited the local Long Eaton lodges from time to time. Then moved into the public house trade and move to Nuneaton were we ran a pub for 4 years and I visited the local lodge. then came the move to Ilkeston in Derbyshire to run another public house and have been here ever since but not in the pub trade any more.
I joined the Rutland Lodge No 1179 in the prov of Derbyshire some 10 years ago and was well received after a while I was working on the lodge floor then became inner guard even did 2 years as Tyler or was it 3 JD,SD, Jw,SW, and last year in march I was put in the Chair and my year is almost over as on the Wed 19th march I become I. P.M.
We are only 40 strong
and they always ask about the keys when I give greetings but have not meet any one from the keys as yet there is one guy from Beaver he's in Derby must get his name.
If any one from the Keys is this way they are welcome to visit us and come as my guest we hold our meeting on the 3rd wed sep to April its held in a old church converted by the members they built the inside with there own hands and made it 2 floors.
Give my greeting to all and wish them all a long Masonic life and it was good to see a picture of you and Mitch take care .
Many thanks for putting me back on the Keys map, so to speak. I am very grateful to you.
I was a District Manager with NAAFI running the Herford and Minden areas when I was made redundant at the end of October 1991.
As I was due to take the chair of Keys in February 1993 I tried to stay on in Germany, and hung in through 1992 but couldn't find gainful employment, so returned to the UK.
In my attempts to find employment in the UK I met a chap who introduced me to his Lodge, The Hertfordshire Imperial Yeomanry Lodge, number 3192, in the Province of Hertfordshire. At the time they were going through a difficult patch and needed support. I joined at the December 1992 meeting, and at the installation in February was invested as JW. In 1994 I moved up to SW and in February 1995 was installed into the chair.
Much to my surprise, as it was completely unbeknown to me, a deputation of brethren from Keys came to my installation. It was a great pleasure to see W.Bro Ian Harris and the others there. The Keys plaque they presented to the Lodge takes pride of place in our lodge rooms.
Since then as we have struggled with initiates moving up the offices I have taken the chair for a second year in 2003, and spent the last three years as SW, until junior members were ready to take their place.
We held our Centenary meeting on 2nd January 2007 having been consecrated on 12th December 1906.
As an ex Army man it is very enjoyable to me to be part of one of the few remaining military lodges.
We only meet four times a year on the first Tuesday in February (Installation), April, October and December, tyling at 5.00 pm.
Please pass my contact details on to anyone who may be coming over to blighty and may wish to visit with us.
Especially pass on my best regards to David Thorne who took the chair at Keys instead of me back in 1993, and to Ian Harris and Jan Ijgosse.
I'll keep in touch,
Yours S & F,
Arthur
*Contact telephone numbers have been given by WBro Arthur and are held with the Lodge
Funny thing happened yesterday. I was sitting having a coffee at the Maritime Museum in Sydney when who should appear but the secretary of Apollo Lodge in Cyprus and his wife. And, tomorrow I am having lunch with Bert Anderson and Mike Wickens here in Sydney. I think we could have formed a Lodge here !
Bill, Its that old Keys magic.JS.
Please note these Brothers are on separate visits Bill lives in Cyprus,
Bert in England, London (occasionally) Mike south England. JS.
