Royal Cumberland’s Season ends on a high
The final meeting for Royal Cumberland this season was a busy one!
Brother Klaus Krzok was Raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason; the Worshipful Master, and various officers were elected for the coming year; a joining member was successfully balloted for and welcomed into the lodge; two new potential candidates for the coming year were balloted; and Worshipful Brother Robert Hughes presented the travelling trowel.
It has been a good year for the lodge. It now has four new Master Masons, Mitch Godwin, Ryan Real, Iain Kirkwood, and Klaus Krzok. These, and the joining member, Hugo Labat, means the lodge has five relatively new Master Masons who can embark on their journey through the offices of the Lodge to the chair of King Solomon. These new members also change the age profile of the lodge, all of them being under 50, and most being under 40. This, when coupled with the already younger members extant, gives the membership of one of the oldest Lodges in the country a much younger feel.
Vincent Baughan, Worshipful Master of the lodge, said, “when I was initiated, I was the third youngest member of the lodge, and I was well into my 50s. Now, to my dismay, I am rapidly becoming a lodge elder, with the influx of younger members. That aside, it is good to see a younger membership. And who knows, in a few years’ time, we could have a Worshipful Master under 30 years of age!”
A welcome addition to the meeting was Worshipful Brother Robert Hughes, who presented the Travelling Trowel as it embarked on its journey around The Province in the coming year. The Worshipful Master received the trowel with pleasure, saying, “I am fully behind the Travelling Trowel Scheme. Anything that fosters closes relations between lodges around the province, and encourages members, especially newer members, to visit other lodges should be encouraged.” He explained that he himself had benefited greatly from visiting other lodges. It increased his understanding of Freemasonry and helped him in his rapid rise from Master Mason to Worshipful Master. He added that, “Royal Cumberland workings are very different from the more broadly used workings in the country, and it is good to see how other lodges do things, and how, even lodges that have common workings have adapted them to suit themselves. Freemasons have a common goal and common ethos, and we achieve them in different ways. “I look forward to taking a party to Keynsham to present the Travelling Trowel to Lodge Une Corde No 5763 on Saturday 1st June.”
Picture : Middle back : VB holding the travelling trowel, to the left W.Bro. Robert Hughes. Back, far left : Bro. Matthew Martin, Master Elect Front : 4th from left, newly raised Bro. Klaus Kzrok
