General Chat

Spoke to Mr Owl as he is a Scottish Freemason.

The ‘blue lodge’ is. Craft freemasonry is not restricted by colour. Indeed, his mother lodge whom he is a PM wears burgundy and dark blue regalia. The ‘mark’ degree is considered part of the blue lodge and shared by the royal arch, not a separate degree in its own right as in the English Constitution. He is a a member of the RAC and a PZ. With regard to provincial and Grand Lodge, Mr Owl is a Past Sword Bearer of provincial, and Mr Owl senior is a Past Senior Grand Warden, of the provincial grand lodge of Linlithgowshire. Both are members of the RAC, the Knight Templar, Red Cross of Constantine and ‘18th, although Mr Owl senior is about to get the 30th.

Differences yes, but brothers are brothers and Mr Owl sends warm and fraternal greetings from himself.

Thanks, Tawny.

His greetings are reciprocated.

I'm currently the Master of the Bunbury Koombana Day Lodge no 70 Western Australian Constitution, and am also a Past Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies in the Grand Lodge of WA

I was a member of the Rose, but let it slide when I became very busy at work. I may re-join now that I have retired :-)

I have just emailed you Allan with pics

Florence in the hebrides

Thanks, Florence. I have sent a PM :-)

I well remember OH's father who was very high up in Masonry in the UK being extremely snobbish about American Masons when they came here on their first visit, and OH offered to drive him over to the nearest Lodge.

He didn't go, and the topic was ignored ever after!

My brother was also a Mason, and I remember him telling me once, some time in the 1980s, that he had found some regalia being sold on a second-hand stall in Oldham Market. He bought it and returned it to his Lodge, because he didn't know where it had come from.

Sylvia, the comment regarding your brother reminded me of something that happened a year or so ago, before COVID hit our State.

Many years ago I was given three VSL’s (Volumes of the Sacred Law) or more commonly Bibles by a work colleague. His father had been a Mason and his son, who wasn’t, inherited these on his father’s passing. The son knew that I was a Freemason as, like on here, I’ve never made secret of the fact, so he gave them to me.

The VSL is a very personal object to a Mason as he makes the obligations required in each of the three degrees on it and it is presented to him on taking the Third, or Master Mason’s, Degree. The dates of his Initiation, Passing and Raising are recorded in the VSL.

Two were from Lodges defunct years ago, but one was from a still active Lodge. This particular VSL was unusual in that I found that it had also been signed by every Brother who was present at the time the VSL had been presented to the recipient. So four years ago I decided to return it to its place of origin

Three of us travelled to Perth to return the Book, which required an overnight stay. This was more than compensated for by the sheer joy from the Brethren of the Lodge in having the VSL return to the fold. In fact there were several members present who recognised their own signatures as well as others of those who were members of the Lodge at the time.

I have a nice pint glass that came from Mum's, she acquired it from another house of someone she knew. It's printed 'Silverdale Lodge. number 6926. Bro F Butcher WM.
Dec 2nd 1952'.
Silverdale is in Lancashire. Mum may have known the man, probably went to school with him. She always called him Fred, but I don't know for sure.

If anyone here can trace his descendants, I'd be happy to hand over the glass.

If it was me I'm not sure I would want it..

My grandfather was a mason and when they visited him when we were there we were told not to look them in the eye :-S When he died no one wanted his regalier

My late BIL was a dedicated mason. Member of both weatlhy and not so wealthy lodges. Such a shame that OH didn't realise the poorer lodge wanted his regalier. It was the snobby rich ones who took it, 'just to get it off our hands.'

We are still waiting for an acknowlegement of the bequest made to his main Lodge.

I do accept that they do good charitable work and are quite popular.

Unfortunately, Namelessone, Freemasons, both individually and collectively, re just the same as any other collection of men.

Many try to live by the principles of the Craft, some pay lip-service and others use it for what they perceive can be an advantageous position for them.

Lodges can be the same depending on the Master and Officers who exercise control.

Regalia is a funny thing as, except for the Master Masons apron, most can't be re-used. In WA the 'collars' usually belong to the Lodge anyway so those go back to be re-issued each year.

All you can do with most other Regalia is put it on display

Thank you Allan. I don’t think any of us knew that about regalia.

The wealthy Lodge came over as very entitled. I can’t tell you the other story as it could identify my BIL, but we almost wish we had just chucked some items that were precious to the Lodge. Ungrateful bunch.

I was creeped out by what happened in my childhood and one day must get around to asking why my OH didn’t follow his brother.

Namelessone, I forgot to mention about one 'jewel' or medal, which is known as a Past Masters Jewel and is usually presented to the Master of the Lodge when he hands over to his successor.

These can be very expensive and can be donated back to the Lodge after the recipient passes on. These can also be re-used but normally only within the Lodge that gave it in the first place.

In my case my IPM's Jewel was given tome by my Mother Lodge when I first went through the Chair. When I went through the second time a bar was added to it.

As I am now Master in a different Lodge, when I leave the Chair I will have to be presented with a different Jewel as my current one bears the name of my original Lodge, not my current one

I hope that that make sense.

Some of the very early Jewels were made of solid gold.

Oooo. I don’t think we came across anything like that. Sounds like if we had it would have been worth melting it down ;-)

There was a ‘gold’ medal but it was given by a sporting association - shame that wasn’t gold - as it is very big :-D

I wish I knew what my f-i-l had against the American Masons, he didn't say.

But he did give the impression that it was tied up with the Shriners, etc and their flamboyant (??) displays

I have no idea what happened to my brother's regalia after he died. He and his wife were separated, but still friendly, but she did tend to just get rid off his stuff after he died and she had to clear out the house.

I don't think there was anything special, he was never President of his Lodge, so far as I know.

Sylvia, it is sad when Regalia is just disposed but of course it may not mean as much to those who are left as it did to those who wore it. OH will probably just return mine to the Lodge after I kick the bucket. :-D