Dec 2004

November has traditionally been a busy month in our Masonic Calendar and the last month has been no exception. 

Lodge Robert Burns No. 440 carried out an excellent exemplification of the E.A. Degree at the Regular Meeting on 10^th. Nov. and despite the attractions of live football on the TV, the meeting was well attended. 

At the Regular Meeting on 24^th. Nov. Lodge St. Enoch No. 1288 were the visitors   carrying out an exemplification of a F.C.  This meeting was also well attended and we were delighted to welcome two visitors from Virginia, Bro. Wayne Price and Raymond Steele into our Lodge. 

Wayne and Raymond are both P.M.`s of Spurmont Lodge No. 98 and both Past Deputy District Grand Masters (equivalent of our Past Provincial Grand Master). Wayne fulfilled a long standing ambition to join a Scottish Lodge by Affiliating to Lodge St. Bryde. 

His Obligation was conferred by Bro. James L. Jack, P.M. who also presented Wayne with a Lodge St. Bryde No. 579 dress apron on behalf of the Jack family. He was also presented with an original framed front page of The London News newspaper dated 30^th. November 1861. This reported the Civil War action on that day when the C.S.S. Nashville destroyed a Federal merchantman.

Bro. Price made suitable reply to the presentations and was obviously delighted to be back among his Scottish friends. During their week long stay in Scotland the Virginian Brethren were treated to a full programme of events including attending the Grand Lodge Installation and our own Installation.

Death

NEWMAN McGEEHAN

The R.W.M. and Brethren of the Lodge were sad to learn of the death in early November of Bro. Newman McGeechan. Bro. Newman was a stonemason to trade and was Initiated into the Lodge on 28th. December 1983. His Proposer and Seconder were the late Bros. Tom Weir and Jim Mason, P.M.

Newman was a quiet man who would talk at length about his beloved accordion music. He also loved his craft and brought to the Lodge many stories of his work in Bothwell Castle. In the Lodge he provided the Rough and Smooth ashlars either side of the Masters dais, cut from Bothwell sandstone and fittingly bearing his Mark - a capital “N”.    

Nov 2004 

Installation of Office Bearers

Saturday 27th. November 2004 at 4 pm.

Installing Masters

 Bro. David R. Dawson, P.M. and Bro. James Vasey, P.M.

Note. Tickets will be limited, make sure that you get yours from the Lodge Secretary prior to the Installation date.   

Office Bearers 2004/05. Although the balance of offices were filled by Past Masters it was reassuring to see that the Brethren who genuinely want to support the Lodge by taking up office were quick to take up the challenge. The following Office Bearers were elected at the A.G.M. on Wednesday 13th. October. RWM Alex Hamilton, WSW Robert Abercrombie, WJW James Vasey, SD Gerry Sharman, JD David Shaw, IG Duncan Mulholland, Sec. Andrew McAlpine, Treasurer Bruce Reidford, Almoner Pat Clarke, D.of C. Alasdair Dunlop, Chaplain Gordon Reidford,  Bible Bearer Bal Sharma, Organist John Robinson, Architect       Andrew Jack, Marsh. Stuart Jack, Jeweller Nirmal Bophal     D.of M. Scott Moore, S.S. Ronald McCarney. 

With the addition of Bro. Norrie Telfer, the Enquiry Committee was re - elected for the new term.

A.G.M. Bro. James L. Jack, P.M. Treasurer gave a report on the Lodge accounts for the last twelve months. The    financial position of the Lodge was extremely healthy in all Funds and this was a direct result of the efforts that the Brethren had made. The Fund raising had been tremendous, especially the 50/50 Club organised by Bro. Norrie Telfer. Bro. Jack thanked Bro. Bruce Reidford, P.M. for his preparation of the accounts and hoped that the finances would continue to flourish in future years.  

Oct 2004 

The Right Worshipful Master and Brethren of Lodge St. Bryde are delighted that Rev. Norman McKee has agreed to conduct the Lodge Annual Divine Service again this year.

The Service will take place on Sunday 31st. October 2004 at 6 for 6.30pm. in Uddingston Old Parish Church.

Tea and Coffee will be served after the Service .

Members of Lodge St. Bryde No. 579 are requested to support the R.W.M. by attending this Service.

Regalia will be worn.  

Gettysburg Lecture. 

The presentation of the Powerpoint lecture Freemasons

at Gettysburg at the Regular Meeting on 26th. May was a tremendous success. The attendance at the meeting was over 80 and around 25 Lodges were represented for as far away as Annan. Bro. James Jack, P.M. had constructed an interesting backdrop to the battle by highlighting the prominent officers who were Freemasons and received many interesting questions after his presentation. 

An exhibition of Civil War paraphernalia was also on display and an enjoyable evening was rounded off with an excellent buffet provided by Bruce Reidford, P.M.. 

Bro. James Jack, P.M. has been invited to present the Lecture at Lodge St. Andrew No. 1587, Livingston on Friday 27th. August. Anyone wishing to attend and support Bro. Jack will be made most welcome. 

Fantastic Effort ! During the recess the Lodge 50/50 Club organised by Bro. Norrie

Telfer passed the fantastic sum of £10, 000 raised in just under two years. 

This means that the Lodge has benefited by the sum of £5,000.

A truly remarkable achievement and a credit to all who support the Lodge. Bro. Bob Edgar, R.W.M. was full of praise for Norrie who has worked so hard in maintaining the momentum over nearly two years. 

If you would like to contribute to the Lodge Funds in this way and perhaps win a cash prize - contact Norrie Telfer for weekly tickets. 

Work Party. The Annual Lodge work party were hard at work during the recess preparing the Temple to look its best in this 80th. Anniversary year. The overgrown trees in the front garden were removed and the frontage of the historic village building can now be seen at its best. The entrance and foyer were completely redecorated and a new carpet fitted. The lounge was decorated and the colour scheme changed to freshen it up. Other work included the cleaning of gutters

and downpipes, the removal of a skipload of various unused items from the dunny and above the ladies toilet. Bro. Andrew Reidford, Senior again gave the main hall and committee room the benefit of his expert skills in repairing and cleaning the floors. The work party also cleaned out the bar area, which was re varnished.

The ancient cooker was removed (with great difficulty) and a new cooker installed. Head chef Bruce Reidford can`t wait to get cooking. A new air cleaner was installed in the lounge ceiling and this will generally help the atmosphere in removing excess smoke. 

Anticipated new regulations will also require some kind of air conditioner to assist in cleaning the smoke from bar and lounge areas.        

Adelphi Bluebell Lodge No. 4.

The Worthy Master and Members of Adelphi Bluebell Lodge No. 4 would like to take this opportunity to thank The Right Worshipful Master and Brethren of Lodge St. Bryde No. 579 for the loft space provided for the storage of their paraphernalia. This gesture is greatly appreciated. 

Next Meeting. The next meeting of ABL No.4 will be on Tuesday 23rd. November 2004 at 7.30pm. in the Masonic Temple, Gardenside Street.

Lodge Aprons (price £10) and Free Gardeners ties (price £10) will be available at this meeting. 

Many thanks.

Bro. Joe Baird, P.M. Lodge Thistle No. 127, Stewarton sent a copy of recent newspaper articles and a letter of thanks from Rev. Pat Atkinson thanking everyone who had contributed to the Fund Raising on behalf of street children in India.

Bro. Joe was able to present an initial cheque for £1,500 to the Fund mainly from the publication of his book of Poems, Chiefly in a Stewarton dialect. The news paper article mentions "The Uddingston Edition" and the fact that we were able to raise £200 (mainly at the Gettysburg Lecture night). This was a great effort and I feel sure that the Uddingston Edition will become a  collectors item in the future. 

Homepage. The Lodge Homepage continues to be popular with over 8,500

visitors since it started. A recent feature has been the introduction of Alelphi Bluebell Lodge No. 4 of Free Gardeners sub page. David Dawson (webmaster) has installed a counter on several pages and it looks as if the Free Gardeners page will be a success. 

Board of Grand Stewards.

At the September meeting of Grand Committee, Bro. James L. Jack, Past Master received a great honour by    being recommended and accepted to the Board of Grand Stewards of The Grand Lodge of Scotland.

1924 - 2004

Eightieth Anniversary of

Our Temple.

It seems like only a few years ago since Bro. Andrew McAlpine the Lodge Secretary asked me to write “a few paragraphs” for our Temple Diamond Jubilee programme, but twenty years have since passed. This casual request proved to be most difficult as information on the Temple and indeed the Lodge prior to the Second World War was impossible to obtain. 

The Diamond Dinner date was drawing near and still no further forward, then a moment of inspiration ! I wanted to research back as far as I could and thought that the title deeds of the building may give vital information into how our Temple came to be in Gardenside St. I asked Bro. Joe Polson, P.M. one of our most respected Past Masters and long serving Lodge Treasurers if he had any knowledge of where the Title Deeds of the building were. 

Joe said that he remembered a box being deposited in the bank just as the War broke out. The trail led to the Uddingston Cross Branch of Bank of Scotland and an assurance from the manager that he would try to find our box.  

A few weeks passed and then came the phone call that we had been waiting for, the Bank had found the box. I can clearly remember the look on Andrew McAlpine`s face when the manager said that he would get two of his staff to bring in the box. The lead lined box was a treasure of our Lodge history, it contained minute books of the very first meetings of the Committee which was established in 1875 to form the Lodge. A complete set of minute books from 1876 to 1939 were also contained in the box. This “find” enabled a suitable Diamond Jubilee programme to be produced but more importantly, for the first time, a complete history of our Lodge was produced (after a year of research). 

The Lodge history book is sadly out of print and the 200 copies which were produced are much sought after, however it can be viewed and printed from our Lodge Homepage at http://www.stbryde.co.uk 

After meeting in various locations and despite the disappointments of the failed schemes in Bellshill Rd. and Old Mill Rd. the Lodge decided on a fund raising campaign to build a new Temple on a new site.  On 7^th. July 1922 the Lodge purchased from Bro. Thomas Latta a site of approximately 1,000 sq. yards for the sum of £285.  Wm. Baird, Architect of Bellshill was appointed by the Lodge to draw up necessary plans for the Temple and seek approval of the Building Inspector. Approval was granted and the plans were also sent to Provincial Grand Lodge for approval, the reply stunned the Lodge building committee. 

Provincial Grand Secretary informed the Lodge that, “the lesser hall, if it was to be used as a Lodge Room, should have no more than two doors, the ante room should be larger and the Temple itself should be one story up. Further, as far as the Lodge Room is concerned, I am afraid the same will not be passed or consecrated by Provincial Grand Lodge, there are too many doors to the same from different parts of the Hall.”  Immediate discussions took place with the Architect and an amended plan was sent to P.G.L. who replied, “ The P.G. Secretary will be pleased to report to P.G. Committee that it`s suggestions are being carried out.” The P.G. Secretary was obviously more persuasive than the present P.G. Secretary or perhaps the Lodge Brethren may have been skilful in the art of discussion, P.G.L. were satisfied that their recommendations were being carried out yet to-day there are seven doors in the main hall and we do not have a two story building !  

As work progressed the Lodge appointed a Master of Works, the legendary Bro. James Patrick, P.M. His first duty was to convene a meeting between the Architect, Wm. Baird, the builders, Munro & Junor (who were both members of the Lodge). The building work was well advanced when the Lodge decided on a major alteration. 

The main Hall was originally divided into two, with a large room situated in the west. The Lodge decided to delete the large committee room in the west and carry the main hall ceiling through at the same level as the main hall. If the reader looks at the main hall ceiling, he will see that in the west there are no windows in the ceiling, this being originally in the large committee room.

As the building neared completion relations between the Lodge and Architect became strained. The building had been wired in non-association cable instead of association cable as specified. The mistake was made by the foreman and a rebate of £2 17/- was offered or the job rewired to comply with the main cable run by the Clyde Valley Power Company.

The decision was that the Hall would be rewired. Remarkable, even more so, when you consider that this took place two weeks before the consecration ceremony on 9^th. September 1924. Since 1924 our Temple has remained as perhaps one of the most impressive in the country, generations of our Brethren have worked hard to maintain the standards which our forefathers set in this village. This year the tradition was continued and our Brethren gave generously of their time to carry out a refurbishment of the lounge, corridor and foyer areas. This month The Grand Lodge of Scotland will hold their Annual Dinner in our Temple and we can all be proud that our Temple was chosen for this event

Cambuslang Royal Arch Lodge         No. 114

Friday, September 3^rd. was a historic day for both Cambuslang Royal Arch Lodge and Lodge St. Bryde No. 579. Cambuslang Royal Arch celebrated the Centenary of their Temple in Tabernacle Lane in style with a full programme of events. A Deputation from P.G.L. headed by Bro. Kenneth D. Kennedy, P.G.M. conducted a ceremony of re-dedication. Bro. Rev. Peter O. Price, Senior P.G. Chaplain and Bro. Tom Davidson, Junior P.G. Chaplain conducted their duties in an excellent manner. A packed Temple then witnessed a F.C. degree by the Right Worshipful Masters of seven Sister Lodges. Bro. Bob     Edgar, R.W.M. took part in this historic degree and presented the working tools. This is believed to have been the first time that seven R.W.M.`s have worked a degree in 114. The evening was concluded with a Dinner at which the principal speaker was Bro. Adam Cunningham, Past Provincial Grand Master of Ayrshire.

Stop Press.............. Just as we were about to go to press news broke that the Scimitar, the flying blade had been sold ! Sensation

! The futuristic all plastic car has finally gone. But to who? Is the buyer local ? How did he uplift it? where did it go? Too many questions .... not enough answers ........ beware it may still be out there !

May 2004 

A Poem from our RWM

Our Yearly Sojourn

Our yearly sojourn in Two Thousand and Four

With fifty five on the bus it could hold no more

Ronnie locks up the Lodges door

Bus must be in Ardrossan an hour before

Cal Mac ferry duly arrives at Ardrossan

Doing the best that it can

Now bus and brethren board heading for Isle of Arran

Well we got there

After paying our fare

It was nice and breezy

Nae thoughts on the boat of anybody getting queezy

Well theres the hotel

Named after oor secretary Andy

Theres nae doot aboot it

The McAlpine Hotel was exceedingly handy

Then after lunch we split as a bunch

Some went for a walk

Some jist had a talk

But some seeing their goal

Decided to hit the ball into a wee hole

Well times getting oan nae time to dodge

Its quarter past seven at the Lodge

Then while I was there

I got a look at that white hair             

For there in the East

Sitting there at peace no smartin

Was the smiling figure of PM big Andy Martin

Well the brethren awe did their best

And carried oot a second degree at St. Molios request

So ontae the flair went Big Jerry, Alex Hamilton, Alasdair Dunlop

Andy Martin and wee Boabee with great glee

Oh and no forgettin PM Bro. Jim Vasey

The meeting ower awe too soon

The LOdge reset in a hurry

Then michty me we aw sit doon

Tae a splendid plate of Curry

Well it wisnae long

Harry gave us a song

Followed by many a brither

The Star O Rabbie Burns is sung

With gusto and pride

Oor adulation to the Bard nae brither did indeed hide

Well that`s it aw` ower for anither year

Nae point in shedding a tear

For the good news is it would appear

Wre aft tae Kingussie next year.

                                                   Bob Edgar, R.W.M.

Fund Raising.

Nearly two years ago at this time the Lodge embarked on a Fund Raising campaign which we hoped would save our Temple from being sold. This campaign was a tremendous success and it still continues to raise money for the Lodge. The 50/50 draw has been an outstanding scheme run by Norrie Telfer total so far £9,000, the Twenty`s plenty raised over £3,000 in 20`s in two years.

But did you know that nine Brethren of the Lodge have raised over £1,100 without any effort at all. How did they do that and is there an easy way to raise Funds for the Lodge without all the hassle?, I can hear you asking! Well there is a dead easy way - no effort needed. All you do is fill out a Standing Order Form which the Secretary has available and its as easy as that.

How much do I need to contribute? Anything ! £5 a week, £10 a month its

up to you, but remember there`s no hassle and the Lodge get a regular source of income. We only need 30 Brethren giving £10 a month and the Lodge income will increase by £3,600. If we did this our problems would be well on the way to being solved.

Interested? speak to Andrew McAlpine, Secretary. 

Poems. 

At the Regular Meeting on 14th. April. Jim Jack, P.M. asked the Brethren present to support a friend of our Province who has been busy writing a book of Poems.

Bro. Joe Baird, P.M. Lodge Thistle, Stewarton has produced the booklet of his poems (chiefly in a Stewarton dialect) to raise funds for his local Church who in turn are sending the proceeds to a refuge for street children in India. "The Uddingston Edition" of his poems are printed in a blue cover and has "Uddingston Edition" printed on the reverse. This will one day be a collectors item as the Ayrshire cover is white.

They will be on sale at the Gettysburg Lecture night on 26th. May and are available for a donation of not less than £1. Please support this worthy cause. It would be great if we could give £200 to Joe for his cause. 

April 2004

Lecture. The news that John Dykes our Candidate for the M.M. Degree on 10th. March was seriously ill and would not be able to attend the meeting meant that the schedule had to be changed. Bro. Bob Edgar, R.W.M. informed the Brethren that he had prepared a lecture on Famous Freemasons and would be delighted to present it at the meeting.  He proceeded to outline the involvement of Famous Freemasons in every aspect of our life, inventors, statesmen, researchers, war leaders, sportsmen etc. , the list was endless. It was indeed a well thought out lecture and every much appreciated by the Brethren present.

Education. Bro. Jim Jack, P.M. attended the P.G.L. of Renfrewshire West Seminar in Greenock on Sat. 6th. March. Bro. George Kelly, I.P.P.G.M. was invited to present his Masonic Education Programme to the Masters and Wardens of that Province. Bro. Kelly gave an excellent account of the programme and a lively discussion followed. Dunblane.

Another Education evening was held in Dunblane on Fri. 12th. March. The guest speaker was Bro. Chris Knight of Knight and Lomas fame, authors of many books on masonic topics, such as The Hiram Key, The Second Messiah and Urals Machine. The evening was a Charity event and the ticket price was £10. The evening started with a "fashion show" of Brethren wearing the Regalia of the various Orders of Freemasonry and was every interesting. 

Bro. Knight spoke of a new book that he was writing and was due to be published next year. He outlined the linkage between the ancient standing stones and the development of building knowledge which he was sure travelled from the ancient peoples of Scotland to the Middle East and not the other way round.

At the conclusion a good discussion took place. The event was a great success and the funds raised were considerable and were donated to local Hospitals.

Arran Visit. Bro. Bob Edgar, R.W.M. led a Deputation of sixty Brethren to our Sister, Lodge St. Molios No.774 in Lamlash, Isle of Arran on 27th. March 2004. The Lodge was well received by the Arran Brethren and the Lodge room was full to capacity. Our Lodge worked an excellent exemplification of the F.C. Degree led by Bro. Alex Hamilton, W.S.W.. The Degree Team was augmented by our Bro. Andrew Martin, P.M. who now resides in Arran is the Chaplain of Lodge St. Molios. Andrew instructed the candidate in the Tracing Board Lecture and brought back fond memories of his degree work in our Lodge. After the meeting the Lodge provided an excellent dinner and Harmony. Bro. Bob Edgar, R.W.M. presented Lodge St. Molios with a donation to their Funds of £300 which was added to the raffle sum of £250.

Bro. Jim Vasey, P.M. won the gallon bottle of whisky which was the top raffle prize. The night was concluded with The Star O Rabbie Burns before the Brethren retired to the Hotel for continued celebrations.    

H.M.S. Dasher. During the ferry crossing from Ardrossan to Brodick on Saturday 27th. March a small Service of Remembrance was held by the H.M.S. Dasher Association. The ferry stopped and two minutes silence was observed over the exact spot where the aircraft carrier sank. Survivors and relatives of the 379 who died dropped wreaths and flowers into the sea as a piper played a lament exactly sixty one years to the day of disaster, 27th. March 1943. Bro. Andrew Nisbet and I had the privilege to have a chat with George Lovegrove a survivor who had been a radio operator on board the ship. He told this brief story, H.M.S. Dasher was built as a merchant ship in Chester, Pennsylvania and converted to an escort carrier in 1941 and commissioned in the Royal Navy on 1st. July 1942.

She supported the North African landings in Nov. 1942, served in the Atlantic 1942 and the Arctic 1943 on convoy escort duty. In March 1943 she was preparing for another escort duty to Russia and was practising take off and landing with her compliment of 816 squadron Swordfish when she exploded off Brodick.

George told the remarkable story of how he survived by jumping 80 feet into the water from the bow as the ship sank stern first. A strong swimmer he had swam a few hundred yards away before the ship sank.

He was in the water for three and a half hours before being picked up and taken to Ardrossan. At the naval hospital he was brought back to life by Barbara Kay who was an eighteen year old nurse at the time. She tells of how George came round in the hospital thinking that he was dead and "seeing angels". She went on to explain that as he slipped in and out of unconsciousness he thought the Navy nurses were angels in their white uniforms and hats. Both have been good friends since, sharing a tragic experience which we can not even start to imagine.

The members of our Lodge took part in the Service which was graciously conducted by the Association Members. 

Dublin Visit. Saturday 20th. March was a special day in the history of Lodge Whifflet St. John No. 963. The Lodge intervisit with Crossle Lodge No. 132, Belfast and this year the Lodge was due to visit the Emerald Isle. Crossle Lodge had arranged a special treat for the sixty or so Brethren from Scotland who supported 963. They arranged that the Lodge work an exemplification in the Grand Lodge of Ireland Temple in Dublin.

The visiting Brethren were taken on a tour of the building by the curator of the Museum Bro. Jack Daley who delighted the Brethren with his great knowledge of the building and Freemasonry in general.  Bro. Hugh Rankin, R.W.M. of 963 then led a tremendous Deputation headed by three pipers into Grand Lodge and supported by Brethren from Sister Lodges from our Province worked an E.A. Degree. At the conclusion of the meeting the Brethren returned to Belfast for a social evening.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland Website can be found at www.irish-freemasons.org

Civil War Research Lodge No. 1865. I recently received the Winter 2004 Lodge Newsletter. The Civil War Research Lodge are due to hold their next meeting on 17th. April 2004 in Charleston. The reason for the meeting is to support Mobile Lodge No. 40, Grand Lodge of Alabama.

In 2002 the Lodge met in Charleston to view the recently raised CSS Hunley. The Hunley was an early submarine which took part in an attack on Federal ships in Charleston harbour. During its escape it floundered and sank. The Confederate sailors who died are due to be interred on 17th. April 2004 and one of them Bro. Lt. George E. Dixon was a member of Mobile Lodge.

The members of CWRL No.1865 will be marching to the cemetery in period uniform with white aprons and white gloves. Other masons will be marching in formal dress (black tuxedo, apron and gloves). The overall event is being organised by Sons of Confederate Veterans and it is expected that 50, 000 will attend the funeral of Bro. Lt. Dixon. If you are interested in CSS Hunley check out further information on http:www.hunleyfuneral.com

The Civil War Lodge Web site can be found at http://www.bessel.org/cwlr/      

March 2004

Meeting Report.

The Grand Lodge Quarterly Communication which was held on 5th. February was well attended by Brethren from Lodge St. Bryde. The meeting was perhaps one of the shortest on record. The entire meeting lasted no more than thirty minutes. Opportunity lost? Those who were there present from our Lodge thought that it was.

Why did the Grand Master or Grand Secretary not take the opportunity to speak to the Brethren, some of whom had literally travelled the length of the country to be present. It seemed that this would have been a great chance to perhaps inform the Brethren of what has been going on in Grand Lodge, overseas visits, points of interest - just anything!

But no, as soon as the preprinted business has been concluded, Grand Lodge closes! Opportunity lost!

Recess Project.

Bro. Bob Edgar, R.W.M. has been active making plans for the recess work party. Bro. Norrie Telfer has involved the services of an interior designer to advise on colour schemes for the renovation of the lounge, corridor and foyer areas. This will be a major project and will involve a great deal of planning as well as hard work by our Members if the tight summer recess schedule is to be achieved. Bro. Bruce Reidford, P.M. is hopeful that funds may be sufficient to replace the lounge carpet and re-cover/replace the seating. Further details will be announced in The Right Angle. 

Degrees

The Regular Meeting of the Lodge on 11th. February was poorly attended, however Bro. Robert Abercrombie, W.J.W. led an excellent Degree Team in a E.A. Degree. It is most important that the Lodge continues to work during these difficult times. A lack of Candidates can have a profound effect on a Lodge, but the excellent Degree work of our Lodge must be maintained. This was confirmed when on Thursday 19th. February, Bro. Bob Edgar, R.W.M. led a Deputation of 15 to Lodge Livingston Stonefield No. 599 where Bro. Alex Hamilton, W.S.W. and a Team conferred the F.C. Degree.                   

Deaths

The Lodge was represented at both Henk and Andrew`s funerals.   

February 2004

Presentation.

As is the custom in our Lodge, Bro. Robert Edgar, Right Worshipful Master presented Bro. James L. Jack with an Honorary Grand Senior Deacon`s jewel which had been suitably engraved.

Full Report GLoS News

An important Seminar will be held in our Temple on 28th. February as part of a programme of events relating to Masonic Education. Speakers will be George R. Kelly, I.P.P.G.M., Peter Price, P.G. Chaplain, James L. Jack, P.G. Secretary and J. Stewart Wood, Depute P.G.M. A buffet lunch will be provided free of charge. Brethren wishing to attend must contact their Lodge Secretary so that numbers may be returned for catering arrangements.     

Death - George Greenshields 

It was with great sadness that the Brethren of the Lodge heard of the death of Bro. George Greenshields on 2nd. December 2003. 

George joined the Lodge on 27th. September 1944 and was a regular attender for many years and he was an ever present member of the Friday night card school. 

George was presented with his 50 year Diploma in 1995, a year late due to his ill health. His outlook on life was an inspiration to others as he bore his illness with great dignity and as we all know his wry sense of humour would bring a smile to everyone's face as he told his latest story.

He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by all who had the privilege to sit with him in his Mother Lodge.    

New Members.

Bro. Robert Edgar, R.W.M. and members are delighted to welcome two new members into Lodge St. Bryde. At the Regular Meeting on 26th. Nov. 2003 Bro. Colin Robb affiliated to our Lodge from Lodge St. Duthus No. 82 in Tain. Our Lodge has a long association with Lodge St. Duthus, older members will remember our visit to the Lodge with Colin Robb`s brother Jim Robb who at that time was a regular attender at 579. Colin has been a regular visitor to our Lodge since joining the Craft and we are delighted that he has chosen to join our Lodge. 

At the last Regular Meeting of 2003, Bro. Robert Abercrombie, W.J.W., led a Team who conferred the E.A. Degree on one Candidate, John Dykes. 

John is a blacksmith by trade and lives in Whitburn. He is a lifelong friend of Bob Edgar, R.W.M. and was proposed by Bro. Alasdair Dunlop and seconded by Bro. Robert Abercrombie, W.J.W.

The Lodge Mark Degree. The Lodge held a Mark Degree on 26th. November 2003 under the co - ordination of Bro. James Vasey, R.W.M.M. It is an encouraging fact that the Lodge St. Bryde Mark Degrees are becoming recognised as "must see" Degrees. Bro. Jim and his Team have worked very hard to perfect a Degree that in the not too distant past was almost an after thought in most Lodges. Two Candidates were advanced on the night Bros. Andrew Jack and Stuart Jack Members of the Lodge wish them well on their preferment.            

Christmas Draw. Bro. Bob Edgar and his wife organised a special Turkey and Tinsel night on Saturday 20th. December to form part of the Christmas Draw and it was great just to meet old friends at this time of year in the Lounge The Draw was again organised by Alasdair Dunlop who is becoming a bit of an expert at choosing unusual prizes for the Draw. The Draw raised £661 for Lodge Funds and we are extremely thankful to all those who contributed in any way to the success of this event.

Best Wishes. Bro. Bobby Gibb, P.M. attended the Regular Meeting on Wednesday 14th. January, just prior to emigrating to America. Bobby was R.W.M. of Lodge St. Bryde in 1977 and although has not been a regular attender recently, was very active in the Lodge. He has family in California and is going to live with them. The R.W.M. extended the best wishes of the Lodge to Bobby and hopes that he keeps in touch.

Members of Lodge St. Bryde take great pride in the history of the Lodge. The unbroken minutes date from 1875 and not only record the history of our Lodge but also the history of our Village. The name,Tunnock is not only synonymous with the Village but also with our Lodge. 

One Hundred years ago a baker by the name of Thomas Tunnock joined our Lodge. During these difficult times it is recorded that he helped organise purveys for Lodge functions. This early association continued and many other members of the Tunnock family joined our Lodge, including his son Archie and grandson Boyd. The family business grew from the small bakers shop (pictured) in Lorne Place to the state of the art modern factory which now stands across the road from the original

shop.

The Family have throughout the past hundred years have practised the tenants of our Craft by extending help where needed to many worthy causes. Generous in their giving they have never sought publicity for their actions, but in a rather quite unassuming way have helped others.

100 years of association is indeed worthy of note and we in Lodge St. Bryde extend our congratulations.      

Fund Raising - We must keep going.

The turn round in fortunes of the Lodge finances in the last few years have been tremendous. Everyone connected with the Lodge has been working hard to either raise funds or contribute to existing fund raising events. We must maintain these efforts to safeguard the future of our Lodge. 

On 13th. January our Lodge visited our Sister Lodge St. Kentigern No. 429 in Penicuik to confer a Degree in their Temple.  It will also be the last time that our Lodge will work in this beautiful Temple ! Some of our members were present at the laying of the Foundation Stone and our Lodge Mark Token is under the stone. The reason is that due to the difficult financial position that St. Kentigern are in they must sell their Temple. How close were we in our Lodge to the same position ? There is no doubt that we in Lodge St. Bryde have made great strides forward but we must maintain this momentum - all of us, not just a few - all of us must work hard to maintain this great start to our recovery. 

Homepage. It seems like only a few months ago that we reported a great milestone in our Homepage. 5,000 visitors since the start up which meant an average of 1,000 visitors a year. In the last few months the figures seem to have gone through the roof, with the total now reaching nearly 7,000. There is no doubt that our site is one of the best in the country and Bro. David Dawson, P.M. continues to do a great job in keeping it updated. http://www.stbryde.co.uk

Iran Visit. Our Director of Overseas Travel, Bro. Ronnie McCarney reports that the trip to Lodge St. Molios No. 774 is fully booked. He would remind Brethren that deposits are now due and that there is a waiting list of Brethren wishing to go. So if you want to go, make sure that you pay your deposit.

Installation Report.

It seems a while since the Installation, but as we had a Winter issue of The Right Angle this is the first time that we have had the opportunity to report on what was an excellent Installation. Bro. Bob Edgar, R.W.M. is now well established in the Chair of our Lodge but if we reflect back for a few moments we will remember what a excellent event the whole day was. The attendance was the highest that we have had for many years and just over 100 sat down to an excellent meal and Harmony.

This gave the Secretary a bit of a flutter as he had not catered for such numbers.

The ceremonial working was of the highest standard, Bros. Bill Jackson, P.M. and Jim Vasey, P.M. Installing Masters were a delight to hear. 

The occasion was indeed historical in that Bro. Edgar, R.W.M. who had Affiliated from Lodge Livingstone No. 599 had chosen an Installing Master from his Mother Lodge. Bro. Jackson was the first Installing Master in over 40 years to receive that honour. 

The ladies of the Lodge joined the Brethren in the Lounge at the conclusion of the Harmony.

Future Lecture. Bro. James L. Jack, P.M. has completed work on a Power Point Lecture which is titled "Freemasons at Gettysburg". Gettysburg was the turning point in the American Civil War and Bro. Jack has combined an interest in Freemasonry and the Civil War to present this Lecture. It will be presented at the Lodge St. Bryde No. 579 Regular Meeting on Wednesday 26th. May 2004. So if you are interested in Freemasonry or the Civil War don`t miss this meeting.