Page 4 - Essex Mason (Issue 87) Online Version

Provincial

Provincial Grand Master
Installed as Worshipful Master

of Essex Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge

On Monday 28h October the Provincial Grand
Master, in and over the Province of Essex, became
the first Provincial Grand Master ever to be installed
as Worshipful Master of his own Stewards Lodge
RW.Bro Rodney Lister Base O.B.E. was installed as
WM of Essex Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge 8665

he Essex Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge 8665,
Tconsecrated 29th September 1975 has been honoured
by the first Essex Provincial Grand Master to be installed
as the Lodge Master.

Since its consecration, in contention to be deemed as the Premier Lodge of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex in contest with the
Essex Masters Lodge 3256, the largest Lodge in the English Constitution with over 900 members, the Stewards Lodge’s Red Aproned
members serve the needs of the Province under the direct guidance of the Provincial Grand Master of the time.

On Monday 28th October, the 19th Essex Provincial Grand Master since its founding in 1776, Right Worshipful Brother, Rodney Lister
Bass OBE was duly installed as the 45th Master of the Stewards Lodge by outgoing Master, Worshipful Brother Dennis Baum PJGD.
At the same meeting, the current acting Essex Provincial Grand Stewards presented the Provincial Grand Master with a cheque for
£9,500, their current fund raising total to go towards the Festival 2022 in support of the Masonic Charitable Foundation Trust.
A charity collection at the meeting raised £750 which was donated, at the Provincial Grand Master’s request, to Cancer Research UK.

Deputy Provincial Grand Master
Installed as Worshipful Master of Essex Masters Lodge

By VW.Bro Paul
George Reeves

was truly humbled to be
I Installed into the Chair
of Essex Masters’ Lodge
in October. I had been
surprised and delighted
when they asked me to
be the ADC in 2007-2009
and then DC 2009-2013
but nothing compares
with being the Master
of such an august lodge,
which also has the largest
membership of any lodge world-wide, and I have already had the pleasure of visiting other Installed Masters’ lodges representing
Essex.

When it was Consecrated in 1907 there were 56 lodges in the Province; now there are over 300! The Primus Master was Col. The
Rt.Hon. Aurelius Richard Mark Lockwood, PC, CVO, MP and ProvGM. He later went on to be Lord Lambourne and in 1926, while still
ProvGM, wrote “I wish to recommend to the Brethren of the Essex Masters Lodge how well worthy of their attention is the first printed
copy of the Transactions of the Lodge. There were originally many doubts expressed as to the advisability of starting this lodge, and
I myself had some fears. I was wrong so were many others, the subsequent history of the lodge and its present position show its
extreme usefulness both to the Craft and the Province.” It still does provide that important link with the Province, with the RW ProvGM
attending every meeting and announcing the latest developments and changes within the Province and Freemasonry generally.
We currently have 932 members and with no joining fee and subscriptions of only £20 per annum I would like to be able to hand over
to my successor a lodge with 1,000 members who will benefit from membership of a very special lodge.

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