news AnD views
Left: intrepid mason Kevin johnson will venture to the South pole. below: johnson with the square-andcompasses flag Left to right: metropolitan Grand master russell race, Grand Secretary and president of the friends of the rmbi, nigel brown, assistant Grand master david williamson and rmbi president willie Shackell, together with Sue Shackell, margaret williamson and maria brown
rAce fOr pOsTeriTY TO The sOuTh pOle this november witnesses the Scott-amundsen Centenary race to the South pole. two teams, each with three serving members of hm forces, will retrace the legendary steps of Captain robert falcon Scott and roald amundsen.
photography: t-pool/Getty images, dan brown, herbert G. ponting/Corbis
Master Mason Kevin Johnson of Cantilupe Lodge, No. 4083, will follow Scott’s route from Cape Evans in Antarctica. Scott, Amundsen and Ernest Shackleton were all Freemasons. A square-and-compasses flag will be placed at the South Pole on the
expedition’s completion. To date, Herefordshire lodges, Cantilupe and Arrow, together with Pegasus Forces Lodge, Province of Hampshire and Isle of Wight, have donated £2,000 towards the race. The teams are supporting the Royal British Legion on its 90th anniversary. Each member will haul 140kg of supplies/equipment in a sled – against a wind chill of minus 50ºC. The race is estimated to take 60 to 65 days with an average weight loss of two stone. Follow Johnson’s journey at http://scottamundsenrace.org where you can also make donations.
good friends and neighbours The friends of the rMbi charity ball raised £35,000 for the royal Masonic benevolent institution’s The good neighbour fund.
With the ball held in June at the Grange Hotel in London, a cheque was presented to the president of the RMBI, Brigadier Willie Shackell, by Grand Secretary and President of the Friends of the RMBI, Nigel Brown. The Friends of the RMBI was formed in 1973 with an annual charity ball to provide extra funds for The Good Neighbour Fund. Over the years it has raised more than £550,000.
Left to right: janice dell (specialist cancer nurse sponsored by freemasons), reverend david bowen, pam healy and frankie devereux
hereford finds a charitable haven
A new english-speaking lodge of emulation, The black sea Anchor lodge, no. 57, has been consecrated in sofia, bulgaria.
pam healy, the recently appointed national chief executive of breast cancer haven, was welcomed to The hereford haven by manager frankie Devereux. guests included reverend David bowen, Deputy provincial grand Master for herefordshire.
Durham mason Michael Willis, who has lived in Bulgaria for six years, said, ‘I have visited numerous lodges in Bulgaria. However, while on a visit to a lodge in Romania with two Bulgarian brethren over two years ago, we discussed English Freemasonry and the idea of a new lodge was born. The list of founders rose steadily and early in 2010 we received permission.’ The new Grand Master of Bulgaria, Ivan Sariev, consecrated the lodge in Bulgarian, followed by a team from Hertfordshire, led by Deputy Provincial Grand Master Allan Atkinson, who consecrated the lodge in English.
Bowen took a special interest in the Haven’s ‘Guardian’ Programme – an invitation to individuals and corporate bodies to become Haven Guardians by donating £1,000 a year. Healy stated that the success of this challenging programme could result in The Hereford Haven becoming fully self-supporting. The Haven is entirely dependent on charitable donations.
bulgAriAn lODge cOnsecrATeD
freemasonrytoday.com
15