Page 15 - EssexMason (Issue 86) Online Version
P. 15

Special Feature

         Lodge of XV
         A Fine Effort


              nyone who has been lucky enough to visit a Lodge of XV ‘fi xture’ over the past two years will know that whilst the
              work inside the Temple is typical of the majority of Lodges, the Festive Board, on the other hand, is a different matter
         Aaltogether.
         As the Rugby Lodge of Essex, the Brethren have adopted many of the customs and practices usually enjoyed at your local Rugby
         Club on a Saturday afternoon with a little more singing than usual – though not to Suffolk standards – and the levying of fi nes for a
         series of misdemeanours all expertly handed down by the Lodge ADC and Fines Master, Chris Lee.
         “We have standard fi nes for things like which tie you wear – it has to match the style adopted by the Master (i.e. Provincial, Black, Rugby Club or International) –
         and as a Lodge Member you are awarded a Cap which you must wear at Festive Board and you have to be careful not to wear it during Grace or any other prayer
         or remove it at an inappropriate moment. Mistakes in the Temple can result in a fi ne and social media, especially Facebook, provide a fairly steady stream of
         income as photos of meals and inane or ancient humour can incur a penalty. You also have to remember that ‘ratting’ is allowed so if we are short of a source of
         fi nes a couple of Members will always remind me of something I’ve forgotten. Visitors come away relatively unscathed, unless of course, they are silly enough to
         infringe by say leaving their mobile on in the Temple or dropping a sweet down a fl ight of stairs which rolls to the middle of the carpet during open Lodge! The
         average fi ne per head at each meeting is approx. £3 and the reports I have heard of fi nes as high as £50 are completely inaccurate. What I would say, however,
         is that no-one is safe; visiting APGMs, Grand Offi cers and the PGM when he next visits will be subject to the same rules and be expected to join the party!”

                                               Since it’s Consecration in July 2017 the Lodge has raised over £2000 in fi nes across
                                               its 12 meetings. Every penny raised is ploughed back into rugby development with
                                               donations being sanctioned by the Worshipful Master at the suggestion of the
                                               Brethren or in response to a minor crisis.

                                               Lodge Secretary Mike Hall explains “Whilst we try and give kit and equipment to the Youth and Female
                                               sections of Essex clubs who might not have the same level of sponsorship as the main sections of the
                                   Bancroft
                                               clubs, we do respond if a club suffers misfortune or is in need of urgent funds. Chelmsford RFC suffered
                                               a clubhouse fi re which destroyed a large amount of matchday kit so we quickly despatched a cheque
                                               to assist the club to buy replacements and keep functioning.”
                                                                                            Westcliff
         So  far  donations  have  been  made  to  Westcliff  Youth,  Braintree  Youth,  Basildon  Girls  &  Ladies,  Bancroft  Youth,
         Chelmsford RFC and donations have been agreed to Westcliff Girls & Ladies and Ongar Youth and will be with them in
         time for the new rugby season. Additionally cheques totalling in excess of £3000 have been passed to Jason Leonard’s
         Atlas Foundation, The Wooden Spoon Charity and the My Name’s Doddie Foundation with funds raised by raffl es and
         a very successful Ladies Night.











                                         Basildon Girls
                                                       Chelmsford RFC
                                                                                          Braintree Youth
         If you are interested in visiting Lodge of XV or, better still, have an interest in Rugby and would like to join please
         contact Mike Hall – lodgexv@gmail.com
                                            A Stisted Huzzah!


                                            T Team  XV!  Lodge  of  XV  at  Stisted  this  year.  Well  done eam  XV!  Lodge  of  XV  at  Stisted  this  year.  Well  done
                                            everybody
                                            everybody, sterling effort from all concerned and tons of , sterling effort from all concerned and tons of
                                            money raised.
                                                                                      Great to see the Widows Sons at Stisted eat to see the Widows Sons at Stisted
                                            Another successful day all round and congratulations to
                                            Another successful day all round and congratulations to   Gr
                                            Dennis May, Steve Yates and all the other organisers and   this year. Thanks for your support for the
                                            willing slaves. Nice to see The Boss out and about!
                                            willing slaves. Nice to see The Boss out and about!  XV Rugby Challenge.




















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