Five Mark lodges join in at Wyre Lodge
 
With several officers of Wyre Mark Lodge No. 754 absent through business, holiday commitments, illness,
or the simply the time constraints of the festive season, visitors from five different Mark lodges willingly
pitched in to lend a hand, so that Wyre’s newest member Graham Young could have a memorable
advancement ceremony.
 
For the second meeting in a row at the Fleetwood based lodge, Giles Berkley of Bispham with Norbreck
Lodge No 866 took over from WM Steve Wilson so that he could advance one of his good friends into the
ranks of Wyre Mark Lodge. Giles conducted the ceremony with his accustomed aplomb in faultless fashion,
setting the candidate greatly at ease.
 
He was ably assisted in the ceremony by the regular officers of the lodge and by several of the visitors who
filled in the gaps in missing personnel according, that is, to lodge secretary Jimmy Rogers, neither having
been coaxed nor cajoled nor even bullied into doing so, but had done so freely and willingly into giving of
their services and expertise.
 
Tony Farrar of Semper Fidelis Mark Lodge No 880 took post as JW, Derek Abbott of Scorton Mark Lodge No
1103 stood in as SO and Terry Murtagh of Cleveleys Mark Lodge No 1176 was pro temps JD.  Mike Shaw
Pr GJW of the Province of East Lancashire responded magnificently on behalf of the Provincial officers –
despite being preceded by the oratory of Captain Walter Porter PGJO who fondly imagined he had pinched
all of Mike’s lines in his response on behalf of the grand officers.
   
   
Pictured above: Giles Berkley, recruiter extraordinaire Joe O’Brian, Duncan Brereton, WM Steve Wilson
and the newest member of Wyre Lodge of Mark Master Masons Graham Young.
 
Seemingly one man recruiting sergeant, lodge junior overseer Joe O’Brian, who was the candidate’s
proposer and, who had at the previous meeting seen another of his candidates, Duncan Brereton, also like
Graham and Joe himself, from Royal Oak Lodge in the Craft, delivered the working tools in meaningful
manner. Jimmy Rogers too showed that he had lost none of his skills by emerging from behind the
secretary’s desk to act as senior deacon for the evening.
 
At the end of the evening’s events Mike Shaw commented that he had been privileged to witness a
“wonderful ceremony conducted with fantastic ritual” and that he had been impressed by the atmosphere of
friendliness so evident in the lodge. Eric Bridge, WM of Cleveleys Mark Lodge, echoed Mike’s sentiments
when he brought his congratulations on a job well done on behalf of the visitors.
 
Thereafter, the lodge retired to continue the evening at an extremely festive, festive board featuring turkey
and all the trimmings with a raffled bottle of gin bringing £70 for good causes.
 

Article and Photographs courtesy of Bob Boal.