From Diamond to the Nineties
On the 10th of December 1983. Bro. Iain M. V. Gray followed Bro. Frank McElhinney to the Chair of the Lodge, the Installing Masters on this occasion being, Past Masters Bros. Alexander H. King and James C. Buddo. Bro. Gray's year was to have an unhappy beginning with the death of his father Bro. William Gray. Willie had been seriously ill for some time and had come from his sickbed to attend his sons Installation. However, he had to be taken home during the Ceremony in a state of great distress and died a few short weeks later in February 1984. During his year Bro. Gray had the sad duty of informing the Brethren that eight of our members had Passed On to Higher Service. Among them were Bros. Hugh A. S. Gunn and Thomas McL. Mowatt, both Past Masters of the Lodge. Hugh Gunn, who passed away on the 25th of February, had been Master for the term 1972/73 was an excellent Ceremonial worker, a strong supporter of the Lodge and had been very much involved in the work parties of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Bro. Thomas McL. Mowatt who passed on some seven months later on the 14th of September, had been Master for the term 1938/39 and was in the Chair when the World War II broke out. Tommy was not only a good friend and supporter of our Lodge, but in the everyday world of business there are many people who can testify to his kindness and generosity. In December 1981 Tommy took part in the Installation of his son, Bro. J. D. Mowatt, who is keeping the family connection with the Lodge ongoing whose support for this Lodge, and for Freemasonry in general, is well known both within the Province of Glasgow and beyond. During the year the Brethren continued to work hard in upholding and indeed enhancing our enviable reputation for Ceremonial Work and keeping Freemasonry alive and well in our part of the Province. To this end we continued to visit and receive visitations from /Sister Lodge/s from both within and outwith the Glasgow Province. In particular, we had a Deputation from Lodge Innellan and Toward who Conferred a First Degree on the 27th of April and who were without doubt the farthest travelled visitors we had that year.
It was also very heartening that during the year, we had the honour of Initiating eleven Candidates into the Craft. As well as the usual social and sporting events, organised by Provincial, the Lodge also took part in a fund raising fare where, along with Lodge Castlemilk, we ran a stall which raised the sum of £107.66 and later that year we also donated £250.00 to Provincial's Common Good Fund.
The year 1984 of course was very special in the history of our Lodge, as on the 6th of November we would be celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the granting of our Charter. To mark the Anniversary Bro. George Grace presented to the Lodge a magnificently decorated cake, which measured some 24 inches by 18 inches by 4 inches, which we subsequently donated to the Masonic Homes at Dunblane where it was very much appreciated by the residents and staff. So, the year that had begun so tragically for Bro. Gray, ended widi a sense of achievement and in a celebratory mood. On December the 15th. Bro. John K. G. McDonald was Installed as RWM. by Past Masters Hugh T. Kennedy and John McPherson for the term for the term 1984/85.
As anticipated Bro. McDonald (Jake) was to prove a very popular Master. Under his leadership the Lodge continued to prosper with the Brethren giving their wholehearted support in all the activities of the Lodge. On the night of Installation the top table was ornamented with an embroidered tablecloth showing the Lodge name and number, the dates 1924/1984 and the Working Tools. The cloth had been made and presented to the Lodge, to mark its Diamond Jubilee, by Mrs. Betty McPherson wife of Bro. John McPherson P.M., which at the time of compiling this history, still takes pride of place. Later in the year Betty and John were presented with a beautiful decanter and glasses by the Brethren, to mark their 25th.Wedding Anniversary, and to say thank you for compiling and typing the History for the years 1974/1983 and for other work they had carried out on the Lodges behalf. There were a number of other unique events that took place during Bro McDonald's year. Frank McElhinney PM. conferred the Mark Ceremonial for the first time in his Mother Lodge and an excellent job he made of it. Bro. Henry Jeffrey Depute PGM. who was soon to hold that High Office himself, was made an Honorary Member of the Lodge on the 23rd of May. By coincidence on the same night, his son Graeme's application form was read out.
The highlight of the year, was that one of our members, Bro. David Blunn, celebrated his 100th birthday. His Mother Lodge was St. Johns Operative No.347and he affiliated to our Lodge in 1955 when his son in law Bro. Robert E.Gunnell was in the Chair. By any standards Bro. Blunn was a remarkable man. Despite the fact that he had one leg amputated in his late seventies and the other a few years later, he never lost his cheerfulness or his zest for life and at the age of one hundred, was as bright as a button. On the 24th of October he attended a Lodge meeting where he received presentations from, his Mother Lodge and from Lodge Possilpark. Bro. Henry Jeffrey WDPGM, who had been made an Honorary Member of the Lodge on the 23rd of May, read a letter from the Most Worshipful Grand Master Mason, Bro. Marcus Humphrey, congratulating Bro Blunn on attaining his Centenary. Bro. Blunn with his usual aplomb and sincerity thanked the Brethren for their kind thoughts and' good wishes. That evening was a very remarkable occasion, the like of which we may never see again and will live in the memory of those who were fortunate enough to be there.
During the year we had ten Initiates, five of whom, were Initiated on the same night by Bro. Richard M. Jackson P.M. Whilst putting through this number of Candidates had been commonplace at one time, these days it was a rare event. Unfortunately, during the year, a further eight of our members Passed On to Higher Service. One of them being Bro. Kenneth J. Skeggs P.M. who died on the 4th of January. Kenny had been Master of the Lodge for the year 1964/1965. Although originally from England he and his family had lived for many years here in Scotland. He was a manager with the Turner Asbestos Company, and as he died from cancer one can only wonder if there was a connection. After his retirement both he and his wife returned to England where he joined a Lodge in his locality and. as far as we are led to believe, remained very active in Freemasonry. After his death, Mrs Skeggs returned his Past Masters Jewel to the Lodge and would not accept any remuneration for it. With her agreement and to show our appreciation of her kind gesture, we made a donation of £150 to the Marie Curie Foundation in his name.
So ended another eventful year for the Lodge and the Brethren. On December 14th Bro Frank C. Knox was Installed as Right Worshipful Master for the year 1985/86 by Past Masters David H Agnew, who is his half-brother, and Frank McElhinney. The inter-family ties once again emphasised our tradition of being a family Lodge and another year in our history was about to unfold.
Bro Knox's year was also the year that The Grand Lodge of Scotland celebrated the 250th Anniversary of its foundation in 1736. By a happy coincidence in February 1986 he had the pleasant duty of congratulating Bro. Robert Gemmel on being granted the Honorary Rank of Grand Bible Bearer in recognition of his dedication and service to Freemasonry. Although he was a member of Lodge Possilpark he was better known as a Founder Member and Past Master of Lodge Milton. The Brethren considered Bobby as one of our own and were delighted for him. Unfortunately, he was not destined to enjoy his new Rank for very long being taken from us the following month. In his Passing, Freemasonry lost a good and faithful servant.
As it was the Anniversary Year of Grand Lodge there were a great many special events planned to mark the occasion but unfortunately, due to work commitments etc., the Brethren found it impossible to attend them all but they did contribute generously to The Grand Masters Appeal Fund.
Nearer home we had an Anniversary to celebrate of our own. In December 1986, Bro. Daniel R. Munro P.M., known to us all as Ronnie, was fifty years a Past Master having occupied the Chair for the year 1935/36. This is a magnificent achievement by any standards and we trust that we will be able to enjoy his company for many years to come. Unfortunately Bro. Knox had the sad duty of informing the Brethren of the death of another Past Master in the person of Bro Wm. Strachan who had been Master in the year 1950/51. Although Willie had not been a regular attendee at our meetings in recent times he had, for many years, been a stalwart of the Lodge and had been Right Worshipful Mark Master for about ten years or so. He was a member of many other Orders connected with Freemasonry. Aside from his Masonic career he was a well known figure in the Possilpark area where he had been the local milkman for many years. Willie was a good Freemason and a good friend to this Lodge and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.
During the year the Brethren continued to get involved in the sporting and social events embracing both domestic and those organised by Provincial. The highlight being that we won the Masonic Knowledge Quiz for the third time when we defeated Lodge Anima in the final. The team consisted of the following Brethren, D. H. Agnew PM., G. N. Brown, SW G. Gilfillan, JD and W. Ballantyne. At the meeting of May 8th the team presented the Trophy to the RWM.The highlight of the social year was a weekend trip to Blackpool which was a great success and enjoyed by all.
The Ritual Work carried out by the Brethren continued to be of the highest standard and we had the privilege of Initiating eleven Candidates into the Craft. Sad to say this was to be the last time that the Mark Ceremonial would be conferred by Bro. J. McPherson P.M. as Right Worshipful Mark Master of the Lodge. Bro. McPherson had informed the Lodge of his intention of retiring from this position some time previously but would always be available as a backup and proposed to the Lodge, that Bro F. W. McElhinney PM., who had made an excellent job of conferring the Mark Ceremonial last year, now take over this duty. This was readily accepted by the Brethren and Bro. McElhinney was confirmed as the Lodge RWMM. As a matter of record, over the last thirty-five years he is only the fourth Brother to hold this position in the Lodge, the others being Past Masters David Gordon, Wm. Strachan and John McPherson. The Brethren had no doubt that Frank will uphold the high standards set by these Brethren and wished him every success for the future.
One item of note on the every day running of the Lodge was that the Masters Chain needed more bars to accommodate the names of the Lodge RWM's. The Lodge agreed to have ten fitted at a cost of £550 concluding another eventful year which saw the Lodge prosper under the leadership of Bro. Knox. On the 13th of December Bro. George N. Brown was Installed as Right Worshipful Master for the session 1986/87, by Past Masters Bro. F. McElhinney and Bro. J. ti. Mowatt.
At the first meeting after his Installation, Bro Brown had the sad task of informing the Brethren of the death of Bro. David Blunn who had, as recorded earlier in this History, celebrated his 100th birthday in 1985, a sad note with which to start the year. In a happier vein Bro. Brown welcomed back into the Lodge Bro. James R. Sinclair PM. who was on holiday from Canada. It was good to see him once again. Jimmy who had had been the driving force behind the work parties of the I960's and '70s, which had refurbished our Halls was very impressed with the alterations that we had since carried out. On this same evening a Second Degree was conferred by Bro. A. H. King PM. Sanny of course had conferred many such Degrees throughout the years but, what made this occasion unique, was that he was congratulated by his son David, who was RWM of Lodge Milton that year.
At the meeting of March 12th the Brethren were shocked to hear of the sudden death of Bro. Robert Weir on the 28th of February. Bro. Weir, who was a cousin of Bro. J. R. Sinclair, had affiliated to Possilpark from his Mother Lodge Ulster No. 1486. By a strange coincidence, his number in our Roll Book was 1690, which as many will know has strong associations with the Province of Ulster itself. Bobby, who had been our Club Steward since June 1972, had carried out his duties in an even handed manner and stood no nonsense from anyone. This of course did not make him very popular at times but he took it all in his stride and although he had a reputation for being dour, he did have a good sense of humour and sometimes was even known to smile. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him. For a number of weeks after the death of Bro. Weir, his job was carried out by the Brethren on voluntary basis, but all concerned agreed that this was not a satisfactory situation. Around April of that year Bro. Frank McElhinney was appointed as Steward and the Brethren wished him well in his new position.
During the year we had the privilege of Initiating ten Candidates, one of whom was Bro. Thomas Rushford who subsequently became Master for the session 1992/93. Under the leadership of Bro. Brown the Brethren continued to be actively involved in all the usual events, both domestically as well as those organised by Provincial. Although we didn't win any trophies this year, we had one winner in the person of Bro. J. D. Mowatt PM. who was Commissioned as a Substitute Provincial Grand Master. It was unanimously agreed by the Brethren, in recognition of the high esteem in which Dougie was held and the honour he had brought to Possilpark, that the Lodge purchase and present to him the Regalia required for his Office. This was subsequently presented to him in the Lodge on the 27th of August by a Deputation from the Provincial Grand Lodge, headed by the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master Bro. William C. Shepherdson. Bro. G. N. Brown RWM then added his congratulations to those of Bro. Shepherdson, and had no doubt that Bro Mowatt would be a great asset to Provincial Grand Lodge, which indeed proved to be the case over the coming years.
On the financial front several transactions are worthy of note. £100 was given to Possilpark Parish Church towards the cost of the new Church. This was being built on the site of the old Rockville Church where our Lodge held its first meetings. It was also agreed to fit five new shields to the Masters Chain at a cost of £225. A letter was received from Bro. Wm. C. Shepherdson, Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, thanking the Lodge for our contribution to the Immediate Past Provincal Grand Master, Bro. Brian Browns Retiral Appeal, which raised the magnificent sum of £2256.50. In the closing weeks of Bro. Brown's year, the Brethren had a serious problem to resolve. The problem was, that the Brethren who presently held the Offices of Senior and Junior Deacon had intimated earlier in the year, that due to pressure of work, they would be unable to take up Office in the coming year. As the Brethren concerned had given us plenty of notice of their intentions it gave us time to give this issue some serious thought. It was felt that because of the seniority of the Offices concerned it would be unwise to fill them with inexperienced Brethren. Two Past Masters volunteered their services in the persons of Bro. J. K. G. McDonald as WJW and Bro. T. M. Lamb as Sen. Deacon. It is also worthy of note that Bro. W. S. Smith agreed to take the Office of Jun. Deacon on the understanding that he did not want to go any further. Our sincere thanks are due to these Brethren for volunteering their services. With this situation resolved, Bro. Brown's year drew to a close and on December 12th Bro Charles J. McK. Thompson was Installed for the term 1987/88, by Past Masters Bro. J. K. G. McDonald and Bro. F. McElhinney.
Just a few weeks after the Installation the Lodge received another blow when Bro. Robert Ayres, Inner Guard, informed us that he had been offered promotion at work, which meant moving to England. The Brethren fully understood his situation and wished him every success for the future. However, with his agreement, it was decided to let his resignation lay on the table until the next Election and his Office was filled by various Brethren throughout the year. After this early glitch, Bro. Thomson's year continued in the usual smooth manner that we have come to expect in Possilpark, with the Brethren giving him their whole hearted support.
In the primary work of advancing the cause of Freemasonry we had the honour of Initiating nine Candidates, one of whom was Bro. Stuart Grierson, who became Master for the year 1996/97. Another Candidate that year was James Stevenson who subsequently went on to become our Senior Steward for many years. On the night he received his Third from Lodge Cadder Freestone, his brother, Bro. A. Stevenson, who was the Reigning Master of Lodge Bearsden was present. The Conferring Master on that occasion was Bro. James McDougall, the son in law of Bro. A. H. King, PM.' On a more sombre note Bro. Thompson had the sad task of informing the Lodge of the deaths of two of our members Bro. Mathew Frew and Bro. George Buchanan, PM. Bro. Frew had been a member for forty-six years and was a well known figure in the locality. Bro. Buchanan had been Master for the session 1980/81. George, brother of Dick Buchanan, was a very popular member who along with his wife Betty, who had unfortunately passed on a few short months earlier, had enjoyed all the social activities of the Lodge and Club to the full. He was a well respected member of the Lodge who took his duties as a Freemason very seriously, but would always oblige with a song or two at our harmonies and will be sadly missed.
Regarding the Ceremonial work of the Lodge, another item of interest was that on the 12th of May, Bro. W. S. Smith, who had stepped in as Jun Deacon, carried out the duties of Conductor. It was the first time that he had carried out any floor work in his twenty- seven years as a member of the Lodge and an excellent job he made of it.
On the social and sporting side of things we participated in all the events run by Provincial, and won the John Adams Whist Competition. As next year would be the 250th Anniversary of the founding of The Provincial Grand Lodge of Glasgow, various events were planned to take place. PG.L had let it be known that those Brethren who had purchased the Commemorative Jewell could wear it as from the 31st of January 1989.