Adair Club Initiation
The Adair Club’s latest Light Blue Takeover proved to be a fantastic evening, with a packed Lodge, a large number of Light Blues taking part in the ceremony and a very lively Festive Board to finish the night.
Scroll to bottom for the photos👇
The evening was hosted by Love & Honour Lodge No. 285, whose members very generously handed over their Lodge for the occasion and gave the Adair Club the opportunity to put together a First Degree ceremony involving Light Blues from Lodges across Somerset.
For Tom Beasley, Chairman of the Adair Club, it was also a particularly special evening. It was his first ceremony as Worshipful Master, and he had the privilege of initiating his son, Freddie, into Freemasonry.
But this was never intended to be a ceremony delivered by just a handful of people. In total, 16 Somerset Lodges were represented amongst the officers and ritualists taking part on the night. One of the aims of the takeover was to involve as many newer Freemasons as possible, giving Brethren the opportunity to take an active part in ritual alongside people from other Lodges.
The principal offices reflected that approach. Tom was joined by Adair Secretary Chris Cooke as Senior Warden, and Adair Membership Secretary Sam Sheasby as Junior Warden, Ric Francis as Senior Deacon, Adair North East Rep Shay Aziz as Junior Deacon, Dec Branagan as Inner Guard, and Callum Bavin as Tyler, with Adair Central Rep Michael Beasley acting as Director of Ceremonies.
A huge amount of work had gone on behind the scenes to make the evening possible, and particular thanks must go to Michael Beasley. Michael helped organise the event, coordinate the large number of ritualists, arrange and attend rehearsals and bring all of the different parts of the ceremony together. On the night he then took on the not inconsiderable task of acting as DC for the first time, keeping a ceremony involving so many different people running smoothly. He also delivered part of the Charge After Initiation himself.
A special thank you must also go to Steve Ruddock, Secretary of Love & Honour No. 285, whose support throughout was invaluable. Steve helped make the whole evening possible, organising the dispensation and summons, attending four rehearsals and providing a huge amount of help and support throughout the preparations. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and both the Adair Club and everyone involved in the ceremony are extremely grateful for everything he did.
The scale of participation was probably the most memorable feature of the evening. The ritualists came from a number of different Lodges, with some taking another opportunity to practise their ritual and others stepping forward to try something new.
The First Degree Tracing Board, which is not often delivered in Lodge, was a particular highlight. Although Love & Honour has its own wall-mounted Tracing Board, with 16 Brethren taking part we needed one that could be placed in the centre of the Lodge. Royal Clarence Lodge No. 976 kindly lent us theirs, and the explanation was divided between the 16 Brethren and delivered as a carousel, with one Brother presenting, another waiting to take his place and the previous ritualist returning to his seat.
Royal Clarence was particularly well represented on the evening, with five members taking part – Steve Hearn, Phil Hearn, John Stokes, Will Vint and Jamie Cullen. Steve, Phil and John are also brothers, adding another family connection to an evening that already had several.
The Charge After Initiation was shared between five Brethren, while Mark Besley and David Gardner divided the Working Tools between them.
Even the communication of the Secrets was turned into a team effort, with Tom Beasley, Mark Ambrosini and Adrian Ambrosini each delivering a section. It made the moment particularly special that Mark and Adrian have known Freddie for around 16 years. Henry West gave the Apron Address.
Another particularly special element had been planned for the North East Corner, with three generations of the Adams family due to deliver the Charge together. Unfortunately, grandson James was unwell and unable to attend, leaving Michael Adams and Tim Adams to deliver the Charge on the evening. Although it was a shame that all three generations couldn’t take part as planned, it was still a particularly special moment in the ceremony.
With so many people involved in the ceremony, there were understandably plenty of nerves in the Lodge room beforehand. Almost everyone seemed to be quietly going through their own last-minute preparations, rehearsing lines and waiting for their particular moment. As each part was completed there was an obvious sense of relief, until everyone seemed to make the transition together from work to play – and headed for the bar!
Freddie was an excellent candidate, the ritualists rose to the occasion and Michael kept the whole ceremony moving superbly as DC.
The Festive Board was every bit as enjoyable as the ceremony. It was lively from the outset, with plenty of laughter and a very good time had by all. The toast to the Candidate was followed by an excellent response from Freddie, who spoke confidently and added his own contribution to what had already been a very special evening.
Most importantly, the takeover demonstrated exactly what the Adair Club is there to encourage – Light Blues meeting one another, visiting different Lodges, getting involved, learning ritual, building confidence and enjoying their Freemasonry together.
Finally, our thanks go to all the members of Love & Honour No. 285, not only for allowing the Adair Club to take over their Lodge, but for the enormous amount of support and encouragement they gave before and during the evening. A huge thank you also goes to all the Adair Club members who travelled from across Somerset, many of them on several occasions for rehearsals as well as for the evening itself. The commitment everyone gave to making the takeover a success was very much appreciated, as was the support of the Light and Dark Blues who came along simply to enjoy the evening and support those taking part.
With a Lodge full of Light Blues, more people involved in the ceremony than not, and a Festive Board full of noise and laughter afterwards, it was a memorable evening and a brilliant example of what Light Blue Freemasonry can be. 🩵
Keep scrolling for the photos👇
Officers
- Worshipful Master: Tom Beasley – Love & Honour
- Senior Warden: Chris Cooke – St Kew, Ollie Mann – Love & Honour
- Junior Warden: Sam Sheasby – Quantock
- Senior Deacon: Ric Francis – Love & Honour
- Junior Deacon: Shay Aziz – Priory, Troy Wetherall – Love & Honour
- Inner Guard: Dec Branagan – Priory
- Tyler: Callum Bavin – Love & Honour
- Director of Ceremonies: Michael Beasley – St Dunstan’s, & Andy Johns, Love & Honour
- Immediate Past Master: Brad Smith, Love & Honour
- Secretary: Steve Ruddock – Love & Honour
- Chaplain: Sam Mayer – Founder of The Adair Club and Royal Sussex. Michael Adams, Love & Honour
- Mentor: Dave Gardner – Quantock, and Tim Adams, Love & Honour
- Prompter: Mike Norton – Past Chairman and Portcullis
- Organist: Tony Guidi – Love & Honour
Ritualists
Lesser Lights / Secrets
Tom Beasley, Mark Ambrosini and Adrian Ambrosini
Apron Address:
Henry West
North East Corner
Michael Adams and Tim Adams
Working Tools
Mark Besley and David Gardner
Charge After Initiation
Lee Hart, Clive Ellesmere, Michael Beasley, Jamie Cullen and Stuart Talbot
First Degree Tracing Board
Steve Hearn, Phil Hearn, John Stokes, Will Vint, Jack Lowe, Robert Thomas, Ben Parfitt, Damian Salter,
Tony Macy, Mike Norton (2 pieces), Ollie Mann, Ric Francis, Michael Adams, and Clive Ellesmere
Group Photo
First Degree Tracing Board in 16 Parts: Ric Francis, Michael Adams, Clive Ellesmere, Ben Parfitt, Robert Thomas, Jack Lowe, Tony Macy, Ollie Mann, John Stokes, Phil Hearn, Steve Hearn, Will Vint, Mike Norton (2 pieces) and Damian Salter.
Charge After Initiation: Michael Beasley, Jamie Cullen, Clive Ellesmere, Lee Hart, and Stuart Talbot
Working Tools: Mark Besley and David Gardner
Lesser Lights / Secrets: Tom Beasley, Mark Ambrosini and Adrian Ambrosini
With Enormous Thanks: to Royal Clarence Lodge for the Tracing Board
Officers for the Evening: Dec Branagan, Ollie Mann, Michael Beasley, Chris Cooke, Freddie Beasley, Tom Beasley, Sam Sheasby, Ric Francis, Shay Aziz, Callum Bavin
First Degree Tracing Board in 16 Parts: Ric Francis, Michael Adams, Clive Ellesmere, Ben Parfitt, Robert Thomas, Jack Lowe, Tony Macy, Ollie Mann, John Stokes, Phil Hearn, Steve Hearn, Will Vint, Mike Norton (2 pieces) and Damian Salter.
North East Corner: Michael Adams and Tim Adams
Getting Ready: for the Toasts
All Set
Tom & Freddie
Michael Beasley, Chris Cooke, Tom Beasley, Sam Sheasby and Mike Norton
