Page 38 - Essex Mason (Issue 87) Online Version

Online Supplement

Wykeham Celebrates

ll that is good about Freemasonry was evident at the
its History November meeting of Wykeham No. 4925 in a full capacity
AConstellation Temple at The Square at Upminster, which
was attended by the Provincial Grand Master, Rodney Lister Bass
OBE. After the Lodge was opened by the Master W.Bro. David
Macnaghten and the Provincial Grand Master had entered, the
special proceedings commenced.
The first item was a delightful presentation of a Grand Lodge
Certificate to Bro. Jason Goodman by APGM W.Bro. Clive Rees, on
his first visit to Wykeham.
This was followed by a lecture by W.Bro. John Davies, PAPGM and
W.Bro. Keith Brown OBE, PAGDC. They presented a vivid picture
of the 92 years of the Wykeham Lodge from its foundation, in the
growing years of Freemasonry in the 1920’s, to the present day. It
covered the early challenges of the formation and how the Lodge
survived the Second World War, sometimes with bombs dropped
nearby. Then the rebuilding after the war and a Golden Era in the
1960’s and 1970’s when there were regular ceremonies, sometimes
doubles with entertaining Festive Boards. At the same time the
Ladies Nights at the Heybridge were the great social occasions of
the year.
The lecture paid tribute to members who had sustained the Lodge
in recent years sometimes taking office as Master more than once,
summed up in the famous words of the Gang Show song that
Wykeham had always ‘Ridden Along on the Crest of a Wave.’
The lecture was followed a reading of the Lodge minutes of 1969.
Then the presentation of a 50th Certificate to W.Bro. Keith Brown
The Pr
The Provincial Grand Master presents the 50th ovincial Grand Master presents the 50th by the Provincial Grand Master who highlighted W.Bro. Keith
Certificate to W.Bro. Keith Brown OBEificate to W.Bro. Keith Brown OBE
Cert
Brown’s progress in Masonry and his charitable activities in Essex.
In reply W.Bro. Keith Brown thanked the Provincial Grand Master for coming to Wykeham, a promise he had made a year before and
still honoured despite the traumatic period in his health. He had been initiated by his Father in November 1969 at the White Hart
Hotel in Romford which was its meeting place at the time. At that meeting there were four other brethren all of whom have since
received their 50th Certificates and all of whom were in attendance at this special meeting in 2019 – a possible unique achievement
and a reflection of the family of freemasonry that had supported the Lodge over the years.
The meeting concluded with notice of a motion from the Charity Steward to donate £5,000 to Festival 2022 in addition to the
contribution to date with Wykeham at Grand Patron Status.
Seventy eight brethren including twenty Grand Officers
sat down to the Festive Board and the Provincial Grand
Master addressed the meeting and guests on the positive
progress being made in Essex Masonry. He thanked
W.Bro. Keith Brown for his donation from his family
charity Fryerning Foundation which he would donate to
Cancer Research UK.
The speech to the guests was given by W.Bro. Keith and
replied to by W.Bro. Chris Williams a long-standing friend
of Keith. Then a toast to the Founders by W.Bro. John Five half centuries at Wykeham with the PGM, f centuries at Wykeham with the PGM,
Five hal
Davies and lastly an enthusiastic Tyler’s Toast by W. Bro. W
W.Bro’s Beck, Brown, Heffer, Davies and Murray.Bro’s Beck, Brown, Heffer, Davies and Murray
Evans, the brethren retired - happy to meet, happy to
part, happy to meet again!

Wykeham members with the
Provincial Grand Master, Clive Rees
APGM and Provincial Secretary
Philip Lovelock

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