News

At the regular meeting of Kynaston Lodge No.5810 on the 23rd March, the Lodge was delighted to welcome W.Bro. Paul Gillingwater PAGDC, the 2023 Festival Chairman.
At a previous meeting, the Lodge was able to present a further contribution to the Festival Appeal taking its total donations to the Gold Honorific Award level and W.Bro. Paul was in attendance to make that presentation on behalf of the Province in the presence of members and guests at the March meeting to the Worshipful Master, W.Bro. Richard Brindle. Assisted by the Lodge Charity Steward, W.Bro. Mark Upex PPGSwdB, he said how pleased he was to be able to undertake such a pleasant task and thanked everyone for their support and commitment to their Festival.
W.Bro. Mark had been instrumental in arranging a number of fund raising initiatives within the Lodge including an on-line Fortnum & Mason Christmas Hamper Raffle and sponsorship in running the Cambridge Half Marathon.
Master, W.Bro. Richard Brindle said that he would be proud to wear the Gold Honorific on behalf of the Members at all Festive Boards from now until the conclusion of the Festival.

Bro. Raymond Christofides has been a driving instructor for 43 years, 30 of those in Cambridge which is where he joined Kynaston Lodge. The past couple of years during the pandemic has been the worst time he has ever known being forced to take a lot of time off work and reliant on his wife for support.

Ray had got involved in 2017 with the 102 year old Pentacle Magic Club in Cambridge. He slowly started to learn a little bit of magic and practiced on his long suffering wife, pupils and Brethren during festive boards and Masonic events.

During the pandemic Ray needed something else to do and decided to give himself another goal to achieve. He joined the World Famous Magic Circle as an Apprentice. Considering that many magicians started in The Magic Circles’ Young Magicians Club as children and Ray was starting as a 64 year old newbie, he had a lot of catching up to do!

During this time world famous magicians similarly had very little to do. Zoom came into play and suddenly the world of magic opened up to all aspiring magicians with lectures and talks from those magicians.

Monday evenings became The Magic Circle Apprentice Network and Tuesday evenings were The Pentacle Magic Club here in Cambridge. Ray says “We spoke to people like Dynamo (Steven Frayne), Andy Nyman, Jeff McBride, Lance Burton, Martin Daniels (Paul’s son) and were inspired by their work”.

In the mean-time Ray felt he’d been progressing too slowly with his magic. He asked Cambridge based, Three Times Magic Champion, Matthew Le Mottée, for help. Matthew thankfully agreed. Ray added “This is when my plan came together and since I’ve been working with Matthew my magic started to improve significantly”. Eventually, Matthew
felt it was good enough to take The Magic Circle Audition for Full Membership. Ray added “I am very pleased to say it was, and I passed!”

Ray concluded “My act, took a lot of time and effort to get to an acceptable standard and I’ve enjoyed every moment of learning with Matthew. I have asked him if I can stay on as his student”
Ray still finds a spell or two whilst attending Lodge meetings with his fellow Brethren. He recently proposed for membership his good friend Jeremy Bond, an entertainer and magician, and who is now also a member of Kynaston Lodge.

For 29 years Kynaston Lodge has had an association with Maid’s Head Lodge No.8558. We have welcomed its members under the guise of the Province of Norfolk’s Demonstration Team to its April meeting to receive one of their play presentations. COVID restrictions in 2020 did not allow this to proceed so it was a particular pleasure to invite them to the regular Lodge meeting on the 28^th April 2022 to present their latest and 49^th production, “A Tale of Two Battles”

The play, which was written by W.Bro. Stuart Offord of Maid’s Head Lodge, is based on the original play “The French Freemason Who Shot Nelson” by W.Bro. Peter Racey P.G.D, who founded the original team in 1968 from a group of 1962 Masters to ‘perform Masonic plays to raise money for charitable purposes’.

The latest play details the involvement of members of General Napoleon Bonaparte’s French Navy, who took part in naval battles with the British Royal Navy, during the period from the Battle of the Nile (1798) up and to including the death of Sir Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar 1805.

Depicting the story of those events and the outcomes of the French characters in the subsequent years thereafter was well received by over 40 members and guests.  At the Festive Board following, Kynaston Lodge’s Worshipful Master, W.Bro. Richard Brindle, was delighted to be able to present on behalf of the Lodge a cheque for £700 toward Maid’s Head continuing charitable fundraising.

At Kynaston Lodge’s regular January meeting held at Bateman Street on the 27th January 2022, the Worshipful Master was delighted on behalf of the members of the Lodge to be able to present to the Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro Bill Dastur, a further Lodge donation of £2500 toward the 2023 Festival.
Earlier in the evening the Provincial Grand Master had presented to the WM the Lodge’s Silver Award Festival collaret which the WM proudly wore at the Festive Board.
The Meeting was to undertake the Ceremony of Raising for Bro. Dale Roberts who, but for the first lockdown due to the COVID pandemic, would have received his 3rd Degree in March 2020. Despite an absence of nearly 2 years the Lodge Officers made sure that Bro. Dale had a ceremony to remember with some superb work.

Thursday 22^nd October would normally have seen members of Kynaston Lodge assemble for their Installation meeting at Freemasons’ Hall Cambridge.  This year because of the COVID-19 pandemic everyone one of us has had to adapt and do things a little differently.  On that evening and with the approval of the Officers and Past Masters in a previous video meeting, six brethren met at the home of Worshipful Master, W.Bro. John Creek in St.Neots under a Dispensation issued by the Provincial Grand Master.

Commencing at 6:30pm in a spacious kitchen-diner and suitably robed and protected for such an occasion in these times, the essential business of the Installation was completed in 40 minutes including the DC proclaiming the WM for a further year in office, the appointment of W.Bro. John Bailey as Lodge Treasurer and the re-appointment of all Officers with the exception of the Secretary and one Steward.  The WM was delighted to appoint W.Bro. Ted Ridgway Watt succeeding Andrew Fordham as Secretary.

Following the short meeting the brethren departed in peace and harmony to their respective homes.

A long lost solid silver Officer collar jewel was recently recovered from an eBay vendor and returned to its rightful home.

The jewel was the original Lodge Steward Jewel presented by Bro. A.S. Barker following the Lodge Consecration in 1939 and which had been missing for some years.

W.Bro. Brian Elliott was tipped off about the find by fellow “eBay hunter”, W.Bro Danny Ellis of St. Andrew Lodge and following help in valuation from W.Bro. Jonathan Lambert, a successful bid was made has now been received and ready for re-use by the current Lodge Steward, W.Bro. Lee Wilson.

Following the generous contributions from a number of members of the Lodge toward the purchase, a surplus of £140 is being made available to the 2023 Festival.

Traditionally at its Christmas meeting, Kynaston Lodge holds a raffle with members of the Lodge contributing festive food and drinks into a hamper all under the direction of the Lodge’s Charity Steward.

This year, for obvious reasons, members were unable to undertake this important fund-raising project in the usual way.  However some inspired thinking by W.Bro. Mark Upex, the Lodge Charity Steward, ably assisted by one of the Lodge’s IT elves, Bro. George Kontakos and on-line raffle was set up on the Lodge website. (https://kynastonlodge.org.uk/) The single prize was a donated Fortnum and Mason Festive hamper.

Promoting within the Lodge and across other Lodges in the Province, the draw took place via a ZOOM virtual meeting on the evening of the 22^nd December when Bro. Mark’s daughter, Catherine, drew the winning ticket from the 192 tickets sold.  The winner was W.Bro. Bob Wordsworth, the Lodge Almoner, and his hamper was safely delivered on the 23^rd in time for Christmas.

Bro. Mark was delighted to announce to the ZOOM gathering that after a small expenditure, a grand total of £963 had been generated toward the Festival 2023 fund. A truly superb effort, well done.

Brethren attending Kynaston Lodge N^o.5810 Installation meeting of the 28^th October probably witnessed an event that is not that common.  Bro. Richard Brindle was Installed into the Chair of King Solomon by his father, W.Bro. Peter Brindle DepGSwdB, and which was witnessed, amongst others, by his other son, W.Bro Nic Brindle of Innsworth Lodge N^o.8751 in the Province of Gloucestershire.  Less than a month earlier, Bro. Peter had similarly undertaken Installing Nic into Innsworth Chair.

The Worshipful Master, W.Bro. John Creek, vacated the Chair of King Solomon to Bro. Peter for him to undertake the work which included a very poignant Address to the Master.

On completion of the ceremony Bro. Richard was welcomed as an Installed Master by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, V.W.Bro. Pat Kilby, before proceeding to invest his Officers in a most comprehensive and competent manner.

V.W.Bro. Kilby then kindly agreed to present the retiring Master, W.Bro. John Creek, with his personal Past Masters’ jewel together with one of the original founders jewels which he is entitled to wear for his term as IPM before passing on to his successor.  Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bro. John had occupied the Masters’ Chair since October 2019 and had been instrumental in guiding the Lodge and its members over this most difficult period with a number of innovative fund-raising and social initiatives.

The use of the virtual world is ever increasing due to the pandemic crisis that prevails everyone at the moment.  Keen to keep junior brethren in touch, Kynaston Lodge has developed a LoI that combines not only a much needed social get together but also has the aim of providing some “daily advancement” in masonic knowledge.

On the 17^th November, nineteen members of the Lodge joined together to hear two presentations from junior brethren.  The first, entitled “The Meaning Behind Common Masonic Symbols” was researched, written and presented by the Lodge Senior Deacon, Bro. Nigel Chapman.  The second was an item taken from UGLE’s Solomon resource on the meaning behind the ceremonial use of the hoodwink and was presented by Bro. Will Wilson, one of the Lodge Stewards and Secretary of the Cambridgeshire Light Blues Club.

The meeting, hosted by W.Bro. Brian Elliott, was chaired by the LoI Preceptor, W.Bro. David Parker, and included a range of members from senior Past Master, W.Bro. Derek Osborne, PPSGW, the Worshipful Master W.Bro. John Creek, “the Wilson twins”, James and Will and the Lodge’s most recent joining member, Bro. Andy Nicholson.

In closing, David Parker confirmed that it was hoped that future virtual meetings will have similar presentations until such time real LoI’s can resume.

Brethren of Kynaston and Nourse Lodges jointly presented the annual Chris Godden Memorial Lecture in a slightly different way than has been the tradition since its inception in 2011 and now celebrating its 10^th Anniversary.

Because of the present COVID-19 restrictions the Memorial Lecture this year was held as a virtual meeting using ZOOM conferencing facilities on the evening of 22^nd April. A total of 41 brethren, which included visitors from other Lodges of Cambridgeshire Province including the Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Bill Dastur and one brother visiting the UK from Australia. The Lecture this year was a presentation entitled “A Selection of Short Papers on Masonic History” which was researched and developed by Kynaston Lodge DC and LoI Preceptor, W.Bro. David Parker assisted by ADC’s W.Bro Brian Williams of Kynaston and W.Bro. David Smith of Nourse Lodge.

The presentation, divided into 10 sections, was given by Bro’s Gary Carre-Skinner, Ian Carruthers, Ben Sandle-Brownlie, Jamie Donnelly and W.Bro. David Smith of Nourse Lodge and Bro’s Nigel Chapman, James Wilson, Will Wilson, James Cox and W.Bro. Brian Williams of Kynaston Lodge.  The whole event was under the Chairmanship of W.Bro. John Creek, Worshipful Master of this year’s host Lodge, Kynaston.

An on-line collection raised funds of £180 for the Cambridge University Cancer Research Project and will be donated, as previously, in memory of V.W.Bro. Chris Godden.

The Chris Godden Memorial Lecture was set up in 2011 in memory of V.W.Bro. Chris Godden, PGSwdB, who was an active member of both Lodges and a source of inspiration for young members.  It has been running annually since that date alternatively hosted by each Lodge.