Pictured left to right are: Barry Kirkham, David Randerson, Ian Robertson and Bernard Hopkinson.
Blackpool Group of Lodges
Saturnian Lodge crosses borders
Saturnian Lodge No 7563 held their installation meeting at the Masonic hall, Adelaide Street in Blackpool in what turned out to be a very cosmopolitan meeting with Masons from a number of different Provinces attending. The members of the lodge were honoured by the presence of David Randerson, Group Chairman of neighbouring South Fylde Group, who, on this occasion was representing the Provincial Grand Master. Accompanying him was his fellow chairman Ian Robertson of the Blackpool Group.
Bernard Hopkinson, a very active member in Saturnian Lodge though only a member since 2003, was installed in the chair of the lodge for a second time following on from his previous tenure as WM in 2009. On the day, Bernard also found himself in the unusual position of standing in for the lodge’s WM Richard Glover, who was unable to be present due to ill health, prior to his installation then re-assuming the chair immediately afterwards as WM.
Pictured left
to right are: Barry Kirkham, David Randerson, Ian Robertson and Bernard
Hopkinson.
Lodge DC Barry Kirkham, who has acting rank in the
Province, very ably stood in for the WM as installing master, showed just why he
was chosen as DC by carrying out his duties faultlessly. Barry, who received a
special mention from David Randerson for the quality of his work, was assisted
by Paul Durant who presented the WM elect, John Selcoe who addressed the wardens
and Kenneth Wesley who addressed the WM. Coming in for particular praise
by David and Ian Robertson in their addresses to the lodge at the completion of
the ceremony were the brethren who carried out the presentations of the working
tools. Charity steward Dryden Hyde who was to go on to become SD gave the third
degree presentation, Mark Dugdale, later to be made JD, gave the second degree
presentation of the tools and new member Kenneth Winstanley who became IG
presented the first degree tools.
Pictured left to right are: Mark Dugdale, Dryden Hyde, David Randerson, Bernard
Hopkinson, Kenneth Winstanley, Richard Ward and Ian Robertson.
Making a second visit to the lodge was a contingent of eight Masons from Yorkshire led by their WM Stephen Gill. All members of Iuventutis Lodge No 9338 the visitors came from the Province of West Yorkshire and West Riding, an area that covers 2350 square miles, from as far north as Rippon to Sheffield in the south. Also attending from even further north were three past masters of Murdostoun Castle Lodge No 1096, Danny Farquhar, John Cathcart and Robert Accorn from Scotland’s Middle Ward, Lanarkshire.
Pictured are:
Saturnian Lodge’s guests and friends from across the borders.
At festive board principal guest David made the comment that he felt at home among the “Yorkshire supporters’ Club,” quietly letting it be known that he himself was a “Yorkshire lad.” At the close of the evening both the Yorkshire and Scottish brethren (against the background of the tunes ‘Ilkley Moor baht aht’ and ‘I belong to Glasgow’ played by organist George Holden) praised the fantastic hospitality and warm welcome they had received at Blackpool, adding that they were planning to return again in the not too distant future.