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The first time this year’s Prestonian Lecture was heard outside London was at a meeting of Lincolnshire’s Stewards Lodge in Grimsby, during the Lodge’s 25th anniversary year.
It had been Bryan Skinner’s ambition for two years to secure the Lecture and have it delivered during the anniversary year. The result was that 110 Lodge members and visitors were able to hear Simon Medland, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Cheshire, talk about the origins of Provincial Grand Lodges in a presentation entitled ‘Our Friends in the North’.
Cheshire is the oldest Provincial Grand Lodge, and is celebrating its Tercentenary this year. With an of ease of presentation and dry wit, Simon was able to describe the way Grand lodges had formed, the kind of people who were Freemasons at the time, and how not all formations had been successful.
At the Festive Board Lodge Master Bryan presented Simon with two highball glasses (“I call them sherry glasses,” said Simon) and a bottle of Tyler’s Toast gin created by Matt Felgate from St Hugh Lodge in Lincoln (“You can run a sports car on this stuff,” said Simon), a Provincial tie and lapel pin, and £100 donation towards the Cheshire Provincial charity.
Said Bryan: “It was my ambition that we should host the lecture here, and I am delighted that it has come to pass after such a lot of hard work. I’d like to say a huge thank you to Simon; the presentation was informative, entertaining, and interesting.
The raffle raised £650, which will be given to the Festival through Jez Hyland’s Three Peaks Challenge, members of which team were present on the night.
The Stewards Lodge will formally celebrate its 25th birthday in September, when the Consecrating Officer Gordon Walkerley-Smith and other members of his team from that night will be present.
Dave Wheeler and Prestonian Lecturer Simon Medland
Provincial DC Andy Ham
Provincial Mentor Jason Fitzgerald and Deputy PGM John Crutchley
Terry Little
Simon Medland and Sword Bearer Chris Jones
Stewards Lodge ADC Steve Siddle.
Provincial Membership Officer Mike Clay and Communications Officer Stuart Pearcey
Noel Fisher and Provincial Secretary Tony Miller, who isn’t as grumpy as this unless he’s having his picture taken
