THE DEAL MASONIC WIDOWS CLUB
The five Masonic Lodges at Deal; The Downs, George Hamilton, Globe & Laurel, Lord Warden and Wellington, have long supported the wives and partners of departed local Freemasons.
The club set up in 2000 by Michael Murphy, was inspired by a strawberry tea that had been organised by Keith Lee, who was Almoner at Lord Warden. (The Lodge Almoner is responsible for the care and welfare of Lodge members, their families, and dependants).
each lodge to entertain their widows as Christmas approached.
He felt it would be of greater benefit to all if we combined our efforts and put on something for all the widows who lived in and around Deal and whose husbands had been masons in Deal and the surrounding towns.
His idea became the reality that we still see today, almost 25 years later and as almoners from the various masonic groups that meet at Sondes Road joined in so the popularity grew. It was not just masons who were involved; there was valuable input from Michael’s wife, Pat and from Susan Kidd.
and every Deal Masonic widow would automatically be granted free membership and that the Club would be funded by regular
donations from the lodges that met at Sondes Road. Further donations and raffle prizes that were accumulated during the year helped make the end of season feast a memorable occasion.
The very first event was a strawberry tea on 9th July, 2000, with the Deal Masonic Widows dining free and any guests paying a fee to
cover the costs. The venue was of course Sondes Road and the event was very well-received. The almoners got together afterwards for a
debrief, listened to feedback, ironed out any wrinkles and all agreed it had been a great success. Plans were immediately made for future events.
Their proximity to the sea of course led to fish and chip suppers, as well as further strawberry teas and the Christmas lunches, with
carol singing, which was led by the ever-enthusiastic Robbie Adamson as Choirmaster – little did we know that he was using this
event to prime the collective voices for the traditional Burns’ Supper hosted by The Downs Lodge.
brooches. These were then handed to the lodge Almoners to be presented to each widow as a token of respect for her loss.
Since 2000 there have been a number of changes and from its very humble beginnings, the Deal Masonic Widows’ Club has grown to the point that we have had to rely upon outside catering to ensure that the larger numbers were adequately catered for.
Sadly Michael passed away in the spring of this year but his legacy lives on and once again the widows were able to meet up and enjoy a wonderful meal.
With the food finished and with their glasses charged, it was Derek who led the singing, accompanied by Graham on the
piano. A small but beautifully-formed raffle raised just under £200, which will be recycled back into the fund for future events and, with the first day of December drawing to a close, with a full belly and the warmth generated by a combination of sherry and good company,
the day was over.
The organisers thank everyone who helped out and of course, to all the lovely ladies who made the trip to Sondes Road. The next event will be in May for the Fish & Chip lunch and in July for a strawberry tea that will rival The Ritz.
