Lodge member, W Bro Ali Osman and W Bro Tony Reffold of East Hertfordshire Chapter were delighted to pay a visit to the Herts Young Homeless charity in Hatfield on Thursday, 12 December to present a donation for £465.
The money was raised at our most recent Annual Charity Quiz and Supper (our sixth event and the second time we have partnered with East Hertfordshire Chapter) and continues our commitment to help out smaller, local charities wherever we can.
The cheque was presented to the charity's Chief Executive, Helen Elliott, who thanked the Brethren and Companions, and their family and friends, for their generosity.
To find out more about the amazing work the Herts Young Homeless do, please click here.
In what has become a firm favourite in the Lodge's social calendar, the members of the Lodge and their partners met for the Lodge of Instruction's Annual General Meeting and supper.
The evening started with the members attending a very brief Annual General Meeting in a room upstairs, whilst their partners relaxed in the bar with refreshments. Official business out of the way, everyone was then free to enjoy an evening of relaxed conversation, drinks and (most importantly) excellent fish and chips! Roll on next year!
At the end of March, members of the East Hertfordshire Lodge No 3748 were invited to travel to Prague, Czechia for the Centenary Meeting of Lóže Národ (Nation Lodge) No 1.
The Lodge, which is the oldest in the country, has survived persecution from the Nazis and supression during the Soviet regime, so to mark their 100th anniversary was all the more special.
The meeting took place (in Czech, of course) inside the incredible Chapel of Mirrors inside the Klementinum in central Prague. Whilst the Brethren enjoyed the formalities of the meeting, their partners were taken on a guided tour of the building and its surroundings. The Grand Lodge of the Czech Republic had also mounted an exhibition, covering the history of Freemasonry in the country and the many dramatic episodes which feature in its story.
The guests all retired to prepare themselves for the evening, where a sumptuous Festive Board of traditional Czech fare was provided in the stunning Municipal House. Unlimited beer and wine undoubtedly helped create an atmosphere of great celebration and cemented the evening in the memories of all who attended.
The members of the Lodge made some fantastic new friends and look forward to strengthening the brotherhood between the two Lodges in the future.
January saw us hosting a meeting with a difference; invited our friends and family to join us for an 'open' or 'white table' meeting and the chance to get a glimpse of what really happens behind closed doors.
Our guests enjoyed teas and coffees in the bar whilst the official work of the Lodge was conducted. We then threw open the doors and invited them to join us inside the Lodge Room where the officers and members of the Lodge, in full regalia, proceeded to deliver a series of short talks about various aspects of Freemasonry, including the roles of the officers, the meaning of the clothing we wear and, most importantly, why we do what we do.
At the end of the meeting, the first verse of the national anthem was sung, before the Worshipful Master and his officers left the Lodge Room in procession.
With the formalities taken care of, everyone enjoyed refreshments in the bar before sitting down to a sumptuous 'White Table' Festive Board, where the Worshipful Master warmly thanked all our guests for attending and invited them to join us again in the future.
In the run-up to Christmas, the East Hertfordshire Lodge was pleased to be able to make a series of charitable donations to local charities.
The first of these was a cheque for £500; presented at the end of November by our Worshipful Master, Stephen Bull and Charity Steward, Bob Cunneen, to the Herts Young Homeless in Hatfield. This was followed by further cheques, also for £500, to the Isabel Hospice in Welwyn Garden City (presented by our Immediate Past Master, Norman Hollands) and the Salvation Army in Ware (again, by our Worshipful Master, Stephen Bull).
Charity forms one of the core principles of Freemasonry and the East Hertfordshire Lodge is proud to be able to support the amazing work that charities, like those mentioned above, do in our communities. We look forward to doing what we can to help in 2019!
The members of the East Hertfordshire Lodge No 3748 and their family and friends once again travelled to The Bull Hotel in Gerrard's Cross for this year's Ladies' Festival. However, this year was an event with a difference due to our Worshipful Master and Festival President, W Bro Stephen Bull simultaneously being the Master of his Mother Lodge, St Andrews Stockwell Lodge No 6453. As such, the two Lodges joined forces for what would be a bumper 2018 Ladies' Festival!
The evening started in grand style with a drinks reception (with complimentary glasses of Prosecco for the ladies) before all sat down for a sumptuous three-course meal and wine.
After everyone had their fill, the toasts were conducted in excellent order with the Festival President toasting the very good health of all the ladies and partners present. The President's Lady, Janice Cheadle, responded on behalf of the ladies and thanked everyone for attending. A raffle was then held, which managed to raise the impressive sum of £1,000! The proceeds from this will be split evenly between both Lodges, for donations to local charities.
Formalities over, nothing remained but to dance the night away before those with enough staying power retired to the hotel bar for one or two (or more) night caps. All in all, it was an excellent evening and all are looking forward to the next event in 2019!
On Saturday, 6 October the East Hertfordshire Lodge and East Hertfordshire Chapter once again joined forces to host the Annual Charity Quiz and Supper, to raise money for the Provincial 2019 Festival in support of the Royal Masonic School for Girls and Boys (now part of the Masonic Charitable Foundation).
Now in it's fifth year, the quiz was held at Mayflower Place in Hertingfordbury and saw over 80 guests come together for a sumptuous buffet followed by a devilish quiz; hosted by W Bro Tony Reffold of the East Hertfordshire Chapter.
The evening was a great success and raised the impressive sum of £612! This was aided by the joint winning teams who, very graciously, donated their prize money back to charity!
The
Brethren of the East Hertfordshire Lodge No 3748 were excited to
learn, at a recent meeting, that they had been awarded a 'Platinum
Award' for reaching 175% of their Lodge fundraising target for the
2019 Festival.
During
the meeting, W Bro Robin Crozier PPGStwd offered the Brethren his
congratulations and thanks, on behalf of the Province, for their
continuing efforts and presented them with a special tablecloth, to
mark their impressive achievement.
Eulogy by W Bro Philip Casper PPDepGSuptWks
Wally
was born and brought up in Potters Bar. He
left school at 15 and worked as a butcher for a while. When he was young, Wally was involved in a bad
motorbike accident, when a lorry pulled out in front of him; resulting
in him being in a coma for nineteen days. He
was a keen real ale drinker and loved a glass of red wine. He
was married to Val, but sadly lost her about 10 or 12 years ago to
cancer.
He served as a member of HM Armed Forces (he was
in the Life Guards and Paras), but was invalided out after
being severely injured in Belfast. After that, he
worked in security for Hawker Siddeley and Roche before retiring and working as
a part-time driver.
Wally was a great animal lover - of dogs and
especially Black Labradors - and used to keep a great collection of carp. Sadly, however, he had to give them up when he needed to move home, due to
immobility.
Wally
was initiated into Freemasonry in Chipping Barnet Lodge No 5599, on 15
November 1990, where he remained a faithful member ever since.
From
that time Wally joined, and retained continuous membership of,
several Lodges; joining the East Hertfordshire Lodge No 3748 on 13
November 2008. In addition to this and his Mother Lodge, he was aalso a member of
the Michael
Batham Jones Lodge No 9675, the Stuart Lodge No 8578 (with a short
break and then re-joined), the Hertfordshire Masters Lodge No 4090, Bengeo Lodge No 6801 and a London Lodge; the Doneraile Lodge No 3558.
Wally
was awarded Provincial Honours with Acting Office, as Provincial Grand Standard Bearer,
three years before
going through the chair, due to his work for
charity; organising golf days etc. He was also a committed 'bucket-waver' for the RNLI, Help for Heroes and MacMillan; standing for many
hours in the cold and supermarket doorways.
He
was a member of two Hertfordshire Chapters; being Exalted into Ellenbrook
Chapter No 8155 in February 1993 and then joining Halsey Chapter No 1479 in
2010. He later joined a London Chapter, Facta Non Verba No 3409, in 2014.
Wally
was a long-time member of the East Hertfordshire Lodge and many
members, and no doubt many of our visitors, will recall his
Walking Charge and the garrulous jokes at the Festive Board whenever
proposing the Toast to Visiting Brethren. He was also a faithful
supporter of Bengeo Lodge No 6801; he always attended their
meetings and every LOI; eventually joining the Lodge in 2014.
Wally was always warm and welcoming, with entertaining stories to the
younger and new Brethren and anyone else who would listen. I can’t
speak about his time at other Lodges and Chapters but, knowing
Wally, I’m sure that he would have been well liked, well respected
and his passing will be greatly regretted by all who knew him.
Friday 6th April saw us host this year's supper for the members of the Lodge of Instruction and their wives and partners.
The evening was a fantastic opportunity for the members to take a night off from the ritual and relax with their partners and friends for strictly non-Masonic conversation. A delicious meal of fish and chips was served, followed by a 'Mayflower Place Sundae' (which contained a little surprise in each), tea and coffee and petits fours.
After dinner, all retired to the bar and enjoyed a drink and further conversation in front of a roaring open fire. All agreed it was a lovely evening and a much-needed chance to unwind and enjoy each other's company - exactly what Masonry should be all about.
The evening was a fantastic opportunity for the members to take a night off from the ritual and relax with their partners and friends for strictly non-Masonic conversation. A delicious meal of fish and chips was served, followed by a 'Mayflower Place Sundae' (which contained a little surprise in each), tea and coffee and petits fours.
After dinner, all retired to the bar and enjoyed a drink and further conversation in front of a roaring open fire. All agreed it was a lovely evening and a much-needed chance to unwind and enjoy each other's company - exactly what Masonry should be all about.