“St Mary Gillingham Green Lodge have taken on the sponsorship of a young boy at Step and Learn”

Not sure if this was a sign of commitment or madness but our Inner Guard, Junior Deacon, Senior Deacon and Treasurer all went for a festive swim today at St Andrews lake in Sunny Snodland. The water was a bracing 7.5 degrees above freezing hence the treasurer’s woolly hat in lieu of the more regular swim hat!

From left to right in the photo is Bro James Rowan our Junior Deacon, Bro Joe Gibson our Inner Guard, WBro Ian rowan out Treasurer Rand our Senior Deacon, Bro Jake Rowan

A good laugh was (eventually when the teeth stopped chattering) had by all and a New Year’s Day dip was also recommended. It’s evidently very good for one’s health and wellbeing but possibly not as welcoming as the warming mulled wine.

Happy Christmas and a prosperous new year from all at Rochester Castle Regards I Rowan Ppsgd Treasurer Rochester Castle 9260

Santa made his way thanks to a little help.

The Dover Fire and Rescue Service holds a long-standing tradition of spreading Christmas cheer to children annually. This year, however, the sleigh used for the Santa tours needed repairs and upgrades. In a heartwarming act of kindness, the Military Jubilee Lodge, a part of East Kent Freemasons, stepped up to generously donate £1000 towards the sleigh’s refurbishment and to support the Firefighters’ Benevolent charity.

Dave White and Lewis Woodward, representatives from the Dover Fire and Rescue Service, were invited to the lodge to receive the donation. During their visit, they were given a thorough explanation of the freemasonry community and were given a tour of the lodge’s fascinating facilities. They were then treated to a lavish four-course Christmas dinner, a gesture that truly exemplified the warmth and generosity of the East Kent Freemasons. 

Dave Prescott, the president of the Military Jubilee Lodge, had the honour of presenting the deserving firefighters with the donation. He expressed his unwavering support for the local firefighters and their commendable efforts within the community. Such support from organisations like the East Kent Freemasons is crucial in maintaining the well-being of the firefighters and ensuring they can continue their invaluable service.

Dave White, representing the Dover firefighters, expressed sincere gratitude for the incredibly generous gift. He emphasised the significance of the Firefighters’ Benevolent Fund and how it had personally impacted him. Dave shared his own experience with the fund after enduring an accident and recovering at Harcombe House in Devon.

This facility, funded by the Firefighters Benevolent Fund, offers essential resources such as a well-equipped gym, a sports hall, an indoor swimming pool, and specialised treatment rooms to aid injured firefighters in their recovery.

 Through the kind support of organisations like the Military Jubilee Lodge and the Firefighters’ Benevolent Fund, the physical and mental well-being of firefighters across the country is ensured. Their efforts are essential in providing critical support to those brave individuals who put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe. This heartwarming act of donation showcases the community’s recognition and appreciation for the sacrifices made by these noble firefighters.

Group 8 News
Covering Thanet in East Kent

IT’S THAT MAN AGAIN AT LIBERTAS SECUNDA!

Richard Eastwood writes:

Peter Eastwood (pictured, centre) is back in the ‘hot seat’ in Libertas Secunda Lodge No.6433 for the third time – forty-seven years after his first Installation!

Initiated into the Lodge in 1967, he was proposed by Dick Smith and seconded by Dick’s son Raymond, who is currently the Province’s Junior Grand Warden. Peter’s own son is now a member, having joined in 2006 when Peter had his second stint as Master.

Aged seventy-seven, Peter is the longest-serving member of the Lodge and has been a Preceptor for an amazing forty-four years. He remembers a slightly more regimented Lodge of Instruction, not to mention a far more clandestine system of recruitment. It’s all change now as the Lodge actively seeks new members.

Libertas Secunda (the Second Freedom) was Consecrated in the post-Second World War boom because its Mother Lodge, the Lodge of Freedom No.77, had become too big.  Nearly all its members worked on the river or allied trades, but the name of one of the other Founders can still be seen on his old shop in Windmill Street – ‘Munns’ Art Shop.

The two Lodges are the only ones to use a form of working known as the Freedom Ritual that dates back to 1751, when No.77 itself was Consecrated.  It has its own idiosyncrasies, which can make it a challenge, the Addresses and Working Tools certainly being ‘off the beaten track’.

The Lodge Banner depicts a man breaking free of his bonds: it is taken from Lodge 77’s Banner which celebrates the Abolition of Slavery.