Meet Our Team
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John Penpraze (Deputy District Grand Prefect) is pictured here with Angus Herdman They are both members of Cornwall Masonic Car Club and are shown here with John's 1972 V12 Cobra at a Masonic Garden Party last year.
John is also Provincial Prior of St Thomas of Acon and Angus is the Deputy District Grand Master of Royal and Select Masters for Devon and Cornwall. |
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Another of John's car projects is shown on the right.
He also enjoys boat building and being on the water (left) - sometimes even when it's cold and wet! |
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Our previous District Treasurer, Derek Mills is also Provincial Grand Master of the Cornwall Province of The Royal Order of Scotland and Provincial Preceptor of the Westcountry Province of The commemorative Order of St Thomas of Acon.
He is a keen biker and has been riding since 1966. He has owned Harley-Davidson's since 2002 and is now riding his 8th bike, as you can see from the picture it is a touring model.
He says, Judith and I have now toured many countries on our bikes; France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Luxemburg, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Corsica. Owning a Harley is very rewarding as wherever you go there is always complete strangers who come and talk to you and admire the bike!
As well as belonging to the Harley Owners Group we belong to two Harley Chapters, Plymouth Chapter UK and Cornouaille Chapter Quimper France.
We attend Harley Rallies all over Europe usually three or four a year. The Harley family is very special, no borders, always a friendly welcome and new friends wherever you go.
This year obviously has been challenging, a new bike on January 1st with less than 5000 miles on the clock, thankfully we did get a whistle stop tour in the Cognac region of France this summer. You will all probably know that in March Judith and I got caught in the first French lockdown, a weeks stay at our French house turned into three and a half months! We are both looking forward to next season with Rallies booked in Brittany, Paris and Liege and a ten day tour of the Alps visiting eight countries and riding all the passes. One of our mottos is “ Keep the rubber on the road and the shiny side up”
He is a keen biker and has been riding since 1966. He has owned Harley-Davidson's since 2002 and is now riding his 8th bike, as you can see from the picture it is a touring model.
He says, Judith and I have now toured many countries on our bikes; France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Luxemburg, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Corsica. Owning a Harley is very rewarding as wherever you go there is always complete strangers who come and talk to you and admire the bike!
As well as belonging to the Harley Owners Group we belong to two Harley Chapters, Plymouth Chapter UK and Cornouaille Chapter Quimper France.
We attend Harley Rallies all over Europe usually three or four a year. The Harley family is very special, no borders, always a friendly welcome and new friends wherever you go.
This year obviously has been challenging, a new bike on January 1st with less than 5000 miles on the clock, thankfully we did get a whistle stop tour in the Cognac region of France this summer. You will all probably know that in March Judith and I got caught in the first French lockdown, a weeks stay at our French house turned into three and a half months! We are both looking forward to next season with Rallies booked in Brittany, Paris and Liege and a ten day tour of the Alps visiting eight countries and riding all the passes. One of our mottos is “ Keep the rubber on the road and the shiny side up”
Our District Grand Senior Warden this year is Geoffrey Isaac. He is a very well known Mason locally and amongst his other high positions was Provincial Grand Master for the Mark Degree in Cornwall from 2004 to 2014 as shown in the photograph on the right.
A Past Master of Carew Lodge, Geoffrey has been a holder of Craft Grand Rank for 14 years and is also a member of several other Masonic Degrees.
Outside of Masonry, he worked in a local firm of Solicitors for many years, ending up as a Senior partner and retiring at the age of 70. His interests include being a Governor of 2 local schools and Chairman of Governors of one. This duty led to a meeting with Princess Diana. He is also a keen member of the
Rame Peninsula Male Voice Choir which has received the Queens Award for voluntary service.
In June Geoffrey celebrated his golden wedding anniversary with Christine and has 2 daughters and 6 grandchildren.
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Our District Treasurer is Mike Daniels. Mike had a successful career with various financial posts in Schweppes Foods, Co-op Bakery Division, various ceramics manufacturers and eventually with 30 years at Wedgwood China and Waterford Crystal group where he had a global financial role, regularly visiting France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Australia as well as the home bases of England and Ireland.
Outside of work his 2 hobbies were cycling and freemasonry. He started cycling at 13 years old with the Cycle Touring Club (CTC), and started to take an interest in racing. He progressed through the ranks, eventually taking a year off work to try the European racing circuits, during which he earned twelve times what he had earnt in England as a young accountant, and was covering around 30.000 miles per year. Mike says that It certainly taught him single minded focus and dedication to purpose. Mike was admitted into the Craft in Staffordshire in October 1974 and was appointed the Provincial Grand Treasurer from 1998 to 2004, followed by being appointed to Grand Rank as PAGDC and Provincial Grand Secretary in Staffordshire & Shropshire Mark. In 2009 Mike and his Wife Joan moved to Devon where his Masonic ranks have included:-. Secretary/Treasurer of the DMCA, Provincial Grand Charity Steward, Grand Senior Deacon and Grand Senior Overseer. In 2016 in the Mark Degree. He oversaw the Provincial Festival in aid of the MBF. In the Allied Masonic Degrees, Mike was Junior Warden in 2019. In 2020 he was appointed Past Grand Standard Bearer. Mike is currently a member of seventeen different Orders of Freemasonry and holds Grand Rank in eight of them. 
V.W. Bro. Jim Evans arriving with his latest Candidate!. |
Hello, I’m W. Bro Andy Chapman of Red Cross council 34TI . This photo is about 2 years old and is of my and my brothers pet dog. Her name was Domino. I became a Devon mason in 2016, having been a London mason since 1993. I’m the District Grand Standard Bearer for 2020 and this is my first Devon and Cornwall District Grand Rank. I look forward to visiting as many councils as is possible when we are able to. Keep well and safe, Andy |
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William Brockman Allied Masonic Degree Jewel This Jewel, now in the Hayle Museum collection in Cornwall, was presented to the Edgecumbe Council No.35 TI. The jewel is engraved “Edgecumbe Council 1907. Presented by Lt William Brockman RN. First Ill Som May 1907” Edgecumbe Council 35 TI is an Allied Masonic Degrees Council which used to meet at Plymouth from 1910. It now meets in Tiverton. The Jewel is unusual and quite rare. There are only 3 councils that can award it, these are the Plymouth councils (33TI, 34TI and 35TI ). William was born in about 1856. He served in the Royal Navy and was listed as a Lieutenant serving at Plymouth on board HMS Talbot which was an Eclipse Class protected Cruiser (see photo on left). William was Initiated on 4 Oct 1888 into Lodge of Fidelity No 230 (Devonport) aged 32. At the time he was listed as a Warrant Officer. He became a FC on 1 Nov 1888 and a MM on 6 Dec 1888. Other Lodges he appears to have been involved with are:- United Brethren Lodge No 1923 at Malta in 1896, Philammon Lodge No 3226 at Devonport in 1907, Royal Naval Lodge No 3337 at Devonport in Nov 1908 and Royal Navy Lodge No 191 at Deal. The apron, which is also part of the museum collection, can only be earned by being the Candidate or the Master working the Knights of Constantinople degree, additionally this apron can only be worn in one of the three Plymouth councils. It cannot be worn in any other council. William died at the Royal Cornwall Sailors Hospital, Falmouth on 11 September 1914 and is buried in Ford Park Cemetery, Plymouth. |
MEMBERS UPDATE
Bob Longmore is now home after his recent visit to Bart's in London. He remains cheerful but is bored and would welcome a phone call and chat from anyone Tel. 07778336000.
Jan Olszewski is still in hospital. He has lost weight and is feeling weak. His recovery is expected to take some time. Jan needs rest and relaxation, so please do not phone, all enquiries should be made through our District Secretary.
Nidrel Walsh remains cheerful, though some days are better than others..
Mervyn Collings. Mervyn was in Derriford for a while, after suffering a minor stroke.
He now walks with a zimmer frame. Carers come in 4 times a day to look after him.
Brian Martin has suffered with back pains recently and is finding regular exercise painful.
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A personal summary of the Allied Masonic Degrees from V.W. Bro. Jim Evans
In years gone by, many Masonic Orders were independent, indeed many were not recognized by any central body, and as such not regulated by any major governing bodies, to remedy this problem the then Grand Secretaries of the Craft, Mark, and Rose Croix established a Grand Council of the Allied Masonic Degrees. Originally Councils were warranted to work five Orders, namely the Order of the Secret Monitor, Grand High Priest, St. Lawrence the Martyr, Red Cross of Babylon, and the Knights of Constantinople. In 1893 the Order of the Grand Tylers of Solomon was added, however in 1931 the degree of Secret Monitor, with the blessing of the Grand Council agreed to break away and become a separate Order in its own right. The other five degrees are still worked to the present day. The five degrees as worked to this present day are indeed most interesting:- First we have the St. Lawrence the Martyr degree. In this degree all the administrative work is carried out, candidates admitted, and also the Installation of the new Worshipful Master, the actual ceremony of introducing a candidate into the St. Lawrence degree, is in self quite short, but most interesting. A comprehensive lecture given at the end of the ceremony is quite revealing, it gives an insight to Lawrence himself, and his relationship with the people of Rome We then have The Grand Tylers of Solomon which was originally known as Select Masters of Twenty Seven when it was founded in America in 1893. This degree relates to the story of the accidental intrusion of a craftsman into an underground vault occupied by the three Grand Masters, who then decided his fate, again concluded by a comprehensive lecture of much interest. The next degree is the Red Cross of Babylon, not to be confused with the Red Cross of Constantine, this degree is indeed most old; it has a close affinity with the Holy Royal Arch and the rebuilding of the second temple of Jerusalem with the candidate representing Zerubbabel the High Priest. It is performed in three parts, a new innovation to the ritual is the introduction of a very comprehensive explanation of the degree in the form of a lecture, part of which teaches us that our Masonic secrets are to be kept under all circumstance’s well within the compass of the teaching of this degree, quite a short lecture but most interesting. Next we have the Grand High Priest, this degree is an amalgamation of two degrees originating from France and Germany over 200 years ago. It was worked in America very extensively, and it then made its way to England around the late 19th Century. It is thought to be one of the first orders to be introduced into the fold of the Allied Order, it is a most beautiful degree, the principal officer, the High Priest has a most decorative breast plate on his chest. As a matter of interest, behind the Worshipful Masters chair at the Dartmouth Lodge is a portrait of the High Priest with his Breast plate, - look for it next time you visit the Lodge. Knights of Constantinople, our next degree, in itself a most absorbing order, if we go back in time, it was quite customary for one Brother who had already taken this degree, especially in the USA where it had been worked since 1831, to take a Brother to one side, give him the token, grip and word, and there and then he was a qualified Knight of Constantinople. As such he was then himself empowered to make further Knights. The Order teaches equality and humility, the lecture in this degree is very explanatory of both these fine qualities. The 3 Councils at Plymouth Nos 33, 34, and 35 all with Time Immemorial status, work a special form of the degree of Knights of Constantinople which they bought with them when they joined the Allied Masonic Degree (AMD) in 1910. These Councils were originally formed at Plymouth in 1865 as Councils of Knights of Constantinople and they were under a Grand Council which issued a Certificate, they can therefore claim over 100 years of continuous existence. When that Grand Council ceased to function in 1910, they applied to join Grand Council A.M.D. When they were accepted they were given special permission to work their version of the Degree and to wear their own special apron. Their ceremony, which is only worked by the 3 Plymouth Councils, is unique and quite different from that used by all other Councils. The ceremony sets out to teach the same lessons as those in the other version as worked in all other Councils the world over. As a footnote to the degree of Knights of Constantinople, in April 2010 a very special meeting was held in Plymouth to commemorate the admission into the Grand Council of the Order of the Allied Masonic Degree, a most momentous occasion, attended by the Grand Master M. W.Brother Michael Edward Herbert, accompanied by many distinguished guests. To mark this landmark of history a team of dedicated masons from the 3 Plymouth Councils performed a most excellent ceremony of the Knights of Constantinople Plymouth working. The Regalia of the Order consists of, on completion of the five Degrees, a set of miniature jewels, in the form of a bar from which are suspended the five individual jewels. However due to the cost of this miniature jewel bar, it is now more usual for Brethren to wear a composite jewel, it is gold in colour, pentangle in shape, with symbols of the five degrees incorporated on the face suspended from a green ribbon. The apron for the Plymouth Councils comprises of a composite apron of green complete with triangular flap and bordered with ribbon. Woven in the ribbon are the colours of the degree of St Lawrence the Martyr, Grand Tylers of Solomon, and Secret Monitor. The flap bears a silver gridiron, the St Lawrence emblem and in the centre of the apron is a St Andrews Cross (Red Cross of Babylon), superimposed on a passion cross (Knight of Constantinople), both embroidered in red silk and charged with a Jewish Mitre (Grand High Priest). The qualification to join this most wonderful degree is membership of the Holy Royal Arch, and also to be a Mark Master Mason. |
And Finally - some thoughts from one of our more senior members "Bro. Pat Olds".
Can anyone guess the identity of Pat Olds ?
Church Quips: Found in Church Magazines...
The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals;
The sermon this morning; Jesus Walks on the water; the sermon tonight; Searching for Jesus!
The peace-making meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict;
Don’t let worry kill you off-let the Church help.
Miss Charlene Mason sang ‘I will not pass this way again@ giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
Next Thursday there will be try outs for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
The Rector will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing ‘Break forth into joy’’
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘’ What is Hell’’ Come early and listen to our choir practice.
Low self esteem support group will meet Thursday at 7.00pm. please use the back door.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the church basement Friday at 7.00pm; the congregation is invited to attend this tragedy;
Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house, Bring your Husbands.
For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Pat Childs and Jessie Carter were married on October 24th. In the Church. So ends a friendship that began in their school.
Law Court Transcripts.
Q; What is your date of birth? A; July 15th. Q. What Year? A; Every Year.
Q. What gear were you in at the moment of impact? A; Gucci sweater and reeboks:
Q. Were you present when your picture was taken?
Q. She had three children, right? A; Yes Q. How many were boys? A.None,
Q Were there any girls?
Q. The youngest son, the twenty-year old, how old is he?
The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals;
The sermon this morning; Jesus Walks on the water; the sermon tonight; Searching for Jesus!
The peace-making meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict;
Don’t let worry kill you off-let the Church help.
Miss Charlene Mason sang ‘I will not pass this way again@ giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
Next Thursday there will be try outs for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
The Rector will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing ‘Break forth into joy’’
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘’ What is Hell’’ Come early and listen to our choir practice.
Low self esteem support group will meet Thursday at 7.00pm. please use the back door.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the church basement Friday at 7.00pm; the congregation is invited to attend this tragedy;
Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house, Bring your Husbands.
For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Pat Childs and Jessie Carter were married on October 24th. In the Church. So ends a friendship that began in their school.
Law Court Transcripts.
Q; What is your date of birth? A; July 15th. Q. What Year? A; Every Year.
Q. What gear were you in at the moment of impact? A; Gucci sweater and reeboks:
Q. Were you present when your picture was taken?
Q. She had three children, right? A; Yes Q. How many were boys? A.None,
Q Were there any girls?
Q. The youngest son, the twenty-year old, how old is he?
From V.W. Bro. Jim Evans - DART RIVER TRIP SUNDAY Mid or late 2021/2022
How about joining all your Brethren and Friends on this wonderful day out in sunny Devon, we start by meeting at the massive car park at Steamer Quay in Totnes, situated on the beautiful River Dart at 9.30am, we meet, we chat, then we embark on the Dart Venturer at 10.0am, cruising in a most leisurely manner, viewing The quaint cottages of Duncannon, Village of Stoke Gabriel, Villages of Dittisham, Higher Dittisham and Galmpton, the Agatha Christies estate, passing the Britannia Royal Naval Collage, and believe it or not we arrive at Dartmouth Quay at 11.15am. All being in a festive mood proceed to the Dartmouth Town Centre to spend, spend, and more spend, completely broke, at 1.00pm, assemble at the Dartmouth Masonic Hall to partake of a gigantic!!! Glass of ice-cold beverage, then to a massive Masonic Buffet. (A bar will be open and available to all) and of course if you still feel like it, pop out and do some more shopping, a beautiful town for those gifts that are something different.
At around 4.30pm make your way back to the Quay for the return trip to Totnes, (departing at 4.45pm) arriving about 6.00pm, then if you want to replenish your appetite and fill the body with ale, wine. Brandy etc. plenty of Pubs to duck into, a day to remember.
This is only a brief summery of this trip, dates and cost (£25.00P aprox.) to be confirmed, if interested please contact:-
James Albert Evans, 4 Home Meadow, Totnes, Devon.
TQ9 5 XY 01803 865128
How about joining all your Brethren and Friends on this wonderful day out in sunny Devon, we start by meeting at the massive car park at Steamer Quay in Totnes, situated on the beautiful River Dart at 9.30am, we meet, we chat, then we embark on the Dart Venturer at 10.0am, cruising in a most leisurely manner, viewing The quaint cottages of Duncannon, Village of Stoke Gabriel, Villages of Dittisham, Higher Dittisham and Galmpton, the Agatha Christies estate, passing the Britannia Royal Naval Collage, and believe it or not we arrive at Dartmouth Quay at 11.15am. All being in a festive mood proceed to the Dartmouth Town Centre to spend, spend, and more spend, completely broke, at 1.00pm, assemble at the Dartmouth Masonic Hall to partake of a gigantic!!! Glass of ice-cold beverage, then to a massive Masonic Buffet. (A bar will be open and available to all) and of course if you still feel like it, pop out and do some more shopping, a beautiful town for those gifts that are something different.
At around 4.30pm make your way back to the Quay for the return trip to Totnes, (departing at 4.45pm) arriving about 6.00pm, then if you want to replenish your appetite and fill the body with ale, wine. Brandy etc. plenty of Pubs to duck into, a day to remember.
This is only a brief summery of this trip, dates and cost (£25.00P aprox.) to be confirmed, if interested please contact:-
James Albert Evans, 4 Home Meadow, Totnes, Devon.
TQ9 5 XY 01803 865128