Provincial Team visit to Lodge Marine 232 and some teapot antics!
The first meeting back from the summer break, early on a Saturday morning for the members of Marine is always met with a little apprehension, but the members were in for a treat as the Provincial Team descended to deliver an exemplary third degree ceremony for George Waggett.
After a much needed bacon butty, tea & coffee, the team were fuelled with enthusiasm and the ceremony got underway with gusto – with our exemplar V.W.Bro Ben Batley thanking the team and W.Bro Tony Guthrie taking the chair and installing his officers. The WM for Marine, W.Bro Chris Harris was delighted to hand over the reigns – popcorn at the ready!
The Provincial Team are all made up of past masters from various lodges throughput the province and are very familiar with all aspects of the ceremony. Each member has a specific role and this ensures there is clarity and order throughout. Precision and momentum was the order of the day. Bro George Waggett, and ex-Royal Naval Seaman and one of our youngest members at Marine, was the candidate to be raised to the sublime degree of a master mason. George was on top form and demonstrated his proficiency to a very high standard. Our organist, WBro Matt Westley, brought the ceremony to life and WBro Garry Sharp led the ceremony with precision.
After the ceremony we all went downstairs for a quick chat before moving into the dining room for the festive board – lunch, some formal toasts, and a few brief speeches. The food and service at the Nailsea Masonic Hall is extremely good and the guests always comment on the quality.
Lodge Marine’s history goes back a long way in Park Street, Calcutta, India (now known as Kolkata) in 1801. Although some members do believe it started a few years before that but there are no records, so 1801 it is for now. Originally set up for seafarers overseas, the membership enjoyed years of healthy membership until the 1970s, where it declined to a point where the members decided to move the lodge to England. It landed at Portishead ‘by the sea’, and later moved to Nailsea where it is today. The lodge retains minute books, jewels, and some antique silverware which it puts on display during its meetings. Another historical part of Marine is the ringing of a ships bell during the watch. Another additional is our very own crooner, WBro Dave Reid, and ex-Royal Bandsman who is familiar with putting on a sing song and some musical performance to raise the mood.
As we stepped through the various toasts we moved on to another highlight which is true story and about VWBro Ben Batley who worked with WBro Jerry Lander many years ago. It turns out Ben accidentally knocked over a broke a pink flamingo teapot which belonged to Jerry, and managed to get one of the team to glue it all back together. It was many years before Jerry eventually found out and as a token of appreciation, Jerry presented Ben with the pink flamingo tea pot. Laughs were all around the room and it was all well received.
Thanks again to the Provincial Team for putting on a first class third degree ceremony for our brother, George Waggett, and a very enjoyable morning and afternoon as Nailsea.
Images provided by Les Pickersgill.
