Two plumbers arriving at the same time? What were the chances?
Bill gets 50-year certificate after half a century as a Barton Lodge member
March 19, 2026
Roger takes the chair at the Lodge of Old Clee
March 20, 2026
It was no surprise at all when two plumbers arrived at Vermuyden Lodge in Crowle – they were father and son working in the family business.
Dad Gary Johnson was Junior Deacon at the initiation of his son Ashley at a ceremony attended by almost sixty people.
That makes Ashley a Lewis, as Andy Pascoe explained in his response on behalf of the visitors. He said to Gary: “One of the things it means is that the cost of your Freemasonry will double. Two lots of subs, twice as many raffle tickets, two meals at every meeting…”
Paul Fox took the chair for the meeting in the absence of WM Tim Allen, with Dave Torn, only just out of the Chair, stepping in as ADC and delivering a fault-free rendition of the first degree charge – no mean feat with just 24 hours notice. Ron Oldfield, who insisted he’d been unable to sing when a school, proved he’d developed the ability at some point with his unaccompanied rendition of the Entered Apprentice Song
Dave Marshall delivered a moving rendition of the Masonic Chain, which was followed by a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday for Jeff Vollans, whose 86th birthday had been the day before.
