17 minute read
Lodge News
The Union of Rugby Lodge No.9989 had been waiting patiently for its consecration for some time. With the uncertainties in the world today, Daniel Quelch gave his thoughts on the current situation and the plans to bring the Lodge to life.
It would be difficult to find anyone in the Province who has not heard of the plans to consecrate a new speciality Lodge for Rugby enthusiasts, the Union of Rugby Lodge. The new lodge was due to be consecrated in April 2020, however, due to Covid19, this has been delayed until Saturday 11th September 2021. The sheer numbers of Brethren due to attend the consecration from all over the country has prompted the committee to agree to this delay in the hope things will have returned to some form of normality by the autumn of 2021.
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Undaunted by the necessity of a delay, the committee have held regular Zoom calls with the Petitioners to keep them informed of all developments. These calls have also included potential new candidates who take great pleasure from being associated with the Lodge, even though they are yet to join. The Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Peter Kinder, has taken a great interest in the Lodge, and together with members of his Provincial team have been regular attendees on our calls.
The first five candidates to join the Lodge will all come from various professional backgrounds, but as you would expect they all have one thing in common; they have all proudly put on a Light Blues RFC shirt over the last few years and become valued members of the team. In conjunction with John Knight, the Charity Steward designate, those who will be joining the Lodge offered to organise a very generous raffle with all proceeds going to the 2022 Festival. Special thanks must go to Robert Key, who along with the other candidates, collected prizes from across the Province and hosted the raffle draw on Zoom. The raffle was held in August and raised £1000.
Andrew ‘Jock’ Keenan, the Senior Warden designate said, “They have become a major asset to the new lodge, we have been stunned by the sheer determination and drive shown by them, their desire to be involved is an inspiration to us all, they will all make excellent Freemasons and indeed continue to represent the Light Blues”.
Although we are yet to be consecrated, the members continue to show their commitment and desire to see this project through. With continued hard work and a dose of patience the Union of Rugby Lodge will be kicking off very soon.
W.Bro. Daniel Quelch
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Morley Lodge Present £2,500 to LOROS
Members of the Morley Lodge No.8320 were on hand to present a fantastic £2,500 to the Leicestershire & Rutland care home LOROS.
Emma Jones from LOROS said,
On behalf of everyone at LOROS I would like to thank David and John and all the members of Morley Lodge for this fantastic donation.
LOROS, who provide free, high-quality, compassionate care and support to terminally ill adult patients, their family and carers throughout Leicestershire & Rutland, received a most welcome donation from members of the Morley Lodge of Freemasons in Leicester.
The donation from the Lodge totalled £2,500 and was presented by David Ayres and John Norton to Emma Jones, Supporter Engagement Co-ordinator at LOROS. Morley Lodge held raffles and collections with generous donations from its members and decided to provide the support to LOROS as one of the county’s key hospices and support organisations. David Ayres of the Morley Lodge said, “We are delighted to be able to help such a wonderful local charity, whose support is felt by many across the county.”
Tablet Computers Donated
The Rearsby Residential Care Home received a generous donation of tablet computers from the Lodge of the Argonauts No.8210 in Leicester to help residents keep in touch with loved ones during lockdown.
The Lodge joined a nationwide effort of Freemasons to help the local communities stay safe and connected during the current health crisis. Freemasons have been creating PPE equipment, delivering food parcels, and offering other essential services around the county.
The Lodge of the Argonauts decided to help those in the care home stay in contact with their families and loved ones by providing tablet computers. This initiative was started by Dr. Durairaj Jawahar, a member of the Lodge and partner in the care home, who was assisted by fellow Freemasons Dr. Thankasamy Sankur and Kalpesh Chauhan to secure the donation from the Lodge charity funds.
Dr. Thankasamy and Kalpesh visited the care home to hand over the devices, observing health guidelines and social distancing in doing so.
The Master of the Lodge of the Argonauts Dr. Thankasamy said, “We witnessed the isolation and struggle of some of the residents to stay in contact with loved ones, and decided that this is something the Lodge could and should do something about.”
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Ferrers & Ivanhoe Twinned with an American Lodge
Sir Walter’s Scott’s 1819 novel, “Ivanhoe”, a tale of one of the last Anglo-Saxon noble families, has particular significance to one Lodge in our Province. Ferrers and Ivanhoe Lodge No.779, based in Ashby de la Zouch is not the only Lodge to share a name with the famous novel.
On October 17th, 1901, in Kansas City, Missouri, the Ivanhoe Masonic Lodge No.446 was founded, yet another Lodge to bear the name “Ivanhoe”. It was through the true spirit of Freemasonry, which spread across the vast Atlantic Ocean, our American Brethren have agreed to a unique ‘twinning’ of Lodges with the Ferrers & Ivanhoe Lodge.
Contact was made earlier this year between the Master of Ferrers & Ivanhoe Lodge at the time, Adam James and the current Master, Matt Dowd, and the Grand Lodge of Missouri, who were instrumental in arranging this unique pairing. In the face of social restrictions, quarantines and travel issues, the Brethren of the two Lodges have proven that brotherly love, relief, and truth can endure, and that Freemasonry really is global. Both Lodges are now looking forward to visiting each other in the coming years and extending the hand of friendship over some 4,249 miles.
Cycling for Charity
The sun was shining brightly as three intrepid members of the East Goscote Lodge No.2865 took to the saddle to raise monies for the 2022 Festival. For Nathan Paddison, Shael Marshall, and Vijay Chouhan, months of training had finally come to this moment, when they set off on a journey from Syston, Leicestershire, to Skegness.
The support team of Pete Leatherland and Pete Leatherland Senior were on hand to ensure that the cyclists had everything they needed for the journey. They were given a rapturous send-off by the watching crowd, including the Provincial Grand Master, Peter Kinder, and the Chairman of the 2022 Festival, Dale Page. The route took the cyclists eastwards, through to Grantham for a well-earned rest before pushing on towards Skegness before the day was out. They were supported on the journey by local Freemasons of both the Provinces of Leicestershire & Rutland and Lincolnshire. They have raised over £2,000 for the Leicestershire & Rutland 2022 Festival, giving a well-earned boost to the Lodges target. On seeing the cyclists depart into the glorious sunshine, the Provincial Grand Master, Peter Kinder said, “What a tremendous effort by East Goscote Lodge and these lads in particular. I am very proud of everything they are doing to support this fantastic charity.”
The Chairman of the 2022
Festival Dale Page said,
The effort they have put into this is superb, this is exactly what Freemasonry is all about.
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Scrip, Purse and Caring Heart
The effects of Covid19 on one of our members and how his family, the NHS and Masonic Community helped to relieve his distress.
Kulvinder Sidki of the Sparkenhoe Lodge No.8063, together with a consortium of partners, acquired Leicester Sports Centre CIC in Freemans Common in 2014 with the aim of promoting grassroots indoor sports and working with local communities to tackle social and health issues. The venue is a regular location for Leicester City football and Leicester Tigers fans before and after home games. Many supporters have been drinking there for nearly 30 years and regularly come to enjoy their favorite tipple served by Kulvinder on match days. The venue has an excellent atmosphere and Kulvinder always welcomes his fellow Freemasons who come there to enjoy the games at the Tigers and King Power stadiums. Kulvinder is a keen academic with interest in corporate social responsibility in developing countries, which he studied for during his degree at the University of Leicester. One day he hopes to pursue this area of work professionally as part of his future career. Kulvinder is a family man, married with two children, Aryan 16 and Yuvraj 13. In March of this year, Kulvinder contracted Covid19 which immediately impacted him and his family. He will never forget the day when upon returning home from work on the last day before the nationwide lockdown, he collapsed at home and the paramedics were called. Since Kulvinder works for himself he was accustomed to working through any minor illnesses that he incurred. So he recalls when the paramedic checked him over and told him that he needed hospital treatment, his response was “let me have another week and if I collapse again I will walk into the hospital myself.” However he was persuaded to go to hospital as this appeared serious. Kulvinder bid goodbye to his wife and sons, and told them he would be back in the morning. Little did he know he was going to be gone for eight weeks.
Forty eight hours later he was confirmed to have contracted Covid19 and was suffering with advanced stages of pneumonia. The x-rays showed extensive areas of the lungs covered with white shadowing which indicated the presence of fluid within the organs. This was very shocking as at the time the virus only appeared to be affecting those of an older age group, which Kulvinder certainly did not fall into and neither did he have the typical symptoms of the disease. Due to rapid deterioration in health, Kulvinder was placed into an induced coma in intensive care and transferred from Leicester Royal Infirmary to Glenfield Hospital which was specialising in ventilation at the time.
Kulwinder’s’ wife Uma turned to help and advice from family members and Brethren in the healthcare profession to try and understand what was happening and how he could be helped. At the time, Covid19 was such a new condition there was limited information about the disease. Phil Russel, a member of Kulwinder’s Lodge and his wife Lucy, who are both medical doctors, gave immense support to Uma and Kulvinder’s sons during these dark and difficult days. Alan Frost, who introduced Kulvinder into Freemasonry, was also a pillar of support and kept in touch with the family throughout the ordeal.
The family suffered another blow, when Uma was cooking at home and the oil being used caught fire as she stood in the kitchen. Uma described the fire as ‘exploding’ and the pan seemed to be feeding the fire. Uma was badly burnt in the incident as she threw the pan out of the window and then battled to put out the flames around her as the kitchen units and other items stored above them caught fire. When asked why did she not leave the house, she said that she had to save the family dog, Cobra, who was trapped in the back of the house.
Uma was then taken to hospital for twelve days at the Nottingham City Hospital Burns Unit. Whilst there Uma could not have visitors due to Covid19, so the children could not see her during her hospital stay. The situation was awful for them all, especially Uma, who had never been apart from her children.
The children were now for the first time in their lives without both mother and father being at home. Both of
