The final decade of the millenium
With Bro. Thomson's year coming to a close and the AGM, for the Election of Office Bearers for the next session fast approaching, the problem of the vacancy left by Bro. Ayres move to England earlier in the year now had to be addressed. As the Office he would have taken up was that of Senior Deacon it was a similar situation to the one we faced last year. The Brethren agreed, once again, that it would be unwise to ask an inexperienced Brother to fill the Office. In the event it was another Past Master namely Bro. James N. Johnsen, who volunteered his services, an offer which was gratefully accepted by the Brethren and Bro. W. S. Smith agreed to carry on as Junior Deacon. With this problem solved, Bro. Thomson's year drew quietly to a close. Big Charlie had proved to be a popular and capable Master and had upheld the traditions of our Lodge, of which we are so rightly proud and on the 10th of December Bro. George R. Black was Installed for the year 1988/89 by Past Masters Bro. F. McElhinney (who is Bro. Black's nephew) and Bro. D. H. Agnew. The Provincial Grand Lodge Deputation that evening was headed by our own Bro. J. D. Mowatt in his capacity as a Worshipful Substitute Provincial Grand Master.
As previously mentioned, 1989 was the 250th Anniversary of Provincial Grand Lodge and in his capacity as RWM Bro. Black was invited to the various Celebratory Events. These events were of course open to all the Brethren in the Province, but as tickets for them were only available on a first come first served basis, some got and some did not. The main events that took place were a Service of Thanksgiving in the Cathedral, a Celebratory Dinner and a Civic Reception in the City Chambers. There was also a Commemorative Jewel and a Souvenir Brochure. During the year we donated to the Grand Master Mason Appeal a total of £1585 and in addition to this we made a special donation of £100 to the Marcus Humphrey Home. By any standards it was a busy year but the Brethren continued to work for advancement of Possilpark in particular and Freemasonry in general. That year we Initiated seven Candidates, two of whom were to become Masters of the Lodge, namely, Bro. David W. Lamb, who was the nephew of Bro. T. M. Lamb, PM, and Bro .Brian Brown, brother of Bro. G. N. Brown, PM.
An event took place this year that was a first for the Lodge when, on the 27th of May, a Deputation of twenty Brethren had the great pleasure and privilege of visiting Lodge Endeavour Co Down, No.629 of the Irish Constitution. A team headed by Bro. G. N. Brown, PM. carried out an Exemplification of the Second Degree. All who attended had a marvellous time and the Secretary was asked to write to Lodge Endeavour to thank them for the hospitality extended to the Deputation.
Bro. Black sadly had to inform the Lodge of the death of eight of our Brethren, one of them being Bro. William McKay, PM. who died on May 30th . Big Willie, who was in the Chair for year 1967/68, was one of the finest men you could ever wish to meet and his enthusiasm for the Craft new no bounds. He was one of the Brethren who worked so hard to solve the financial problems that we faced in the 1960's and early 70's and helped greatly in the formation the Club. Due to ill health he had not been a able to attend our meetings for a number of years but his heart was always in Possil and we have lost another good friend and Brother.
This year was also to see the retirement, after nine years of faithful service, of Bro. Leonard McN. Miller PM. from the Office of Secretary. Bro. Miller had been an excellent Secretary and would be a hard act to follow but the Brethren had every confidence that his successor, Bro. G. N. Brown PM. would be more than capable of carrying out the duties of this most important Office, a confidence which indeed proved to be well founded.
On the 25th of November Bro. Henry Jeffrey, who is an Honorary Member of the Lodge and whose son is one of our members, was Installed as Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master and the Brethren wished him every success during his term of Office. When Bro. Black started his year as Master he had the pleasure of seeing before him WSW Bro. Jake McDonald PM., WJW Bro. "Big" Tommy Lamb PM., Senior. Deacon Bro. Jimmy Johnsen PM. and Junior Deacon, Bro. "Wee" Willie Smith. A sight that was enough to frighten the life out of anybody but four better men and Masons you would be hard put to find. The Brethren owe them a great debt of gratitude for offering their services to the Lodge in its time of need. As his reign drew to a close, 'Wee George' could look back on a busy and successful year in the knowledge of a job well done.
On December 16th Bro. J. K. G. McDonald PM. was Installed for the second time as RWM, his first time was for the year 1984/85 and now for the term 1989/90, his Installing Masters on this occasion being, Past Masters Bro. G. N. Brown and Bro. Charles J. McK. Thompson
When Bro. McDonald first held the Office some five years earlier, he had proved to be a popular and capable Master and the Brethren were justified in having every confidence that his second term would be just as successful. Under his leadership the Lodge continued to prosper and we were able to respond to an appeal from Provincial for funds to render assistance to Lodge Riddrie No. 1340 which had fallen on hard times. In response to this appeal the Lodge held a social night which raised £280 and, in addition to this, the Cork gave a further £325, making a total of £605. Needless to say our efforts were greatly appreciated by all at 1340. As well as asking the Lodges for support, Provincial themselves ran a Cabaret in the Ibrox Club with all proceeds going to the appeal. Other donations made during the year included, £100 to Erskine Hospital Building Fund, £210 in partnership with Lodges Thomtree and Union was given to the Special Games to be held that summer in Scotstoun Show-grounds. Although it was not enough to sponsor an athlete, it was never the less greatly appreciated by the promoters. Unfortunately other Lodges which had been asked to contribute had not responded. Never the less our heartfelt thanks go to the two who did.
The Brethren continued to take part in the usual sporting and social activities, with Bro's Edward Dickson and Wm. I. Smith reaching the final of the Captain Spiers Golf Competition. This of course was the partnership which won it a few years earlier but this time unfortunately it wasn't to be.
On the everyday life of the Lodge a serious problem arose with the floor in the Ladies toilet which appeared to be collapsing. On investigations taking place it was discovered that the outside wall to which the floor joists were attached was sinking, which was due to a collapsed drain. As the drain was the responsibility of Strathclyde Region, we were advised that we may be able to make a claim against them for the cost of the repairs that would be required. However as this could take some time to sort out, the Lodge agreed to go ahead with the repairs and pursue any claim in due course. Of the estimates that we received to undertake the work, the one of £4165 inc Vat, from R. Bell Builders wa& accepted. However, before they could carry out any work, the drain had to be repaired which meant waiting for the Region to do their part. In addition to the repair work it was agreed to accept an estimate of £400 from R. Bell to carry out some Roughcasting. It must be recorded that the advice and help that we received from Bro. Jake McDonald PM. in this matter was invaluable and we are very graceful to him for this.
During the year we Initiated eight Candidates but unfortunately three of or Brethren Passed On to Higher Service. As Bro. McDonald's second year drew to a close he could feel content that his second term was every bit as successful as his first and appreciate the satisfaction of a job well done. On December 15th Bro. Thomas M. Lamb PM. was Installed for his second term by Past Masters Bro. R. M. Jackson and Bro. J. McPherson.
Bro. Lamb, whose first served as Master some fifteen years earlier for the session 1975/76, was the second of the trio of Past Masters who had volunteered their services to the Lodge. In his first term Big Tommy had shown himself to be a popular and capable Master and his second 1990/91 was to be just as successful, and under his leadership the Lodge continued to prosper.
We had seven Candidates that year, three of whom went on to become Masters in their own right.. They were namely Bros. John B. Thomson 1998/99, Alfred A. Grimsey 1999/2000, and Andrew Dragsnes 2000/2001. There was also another Bro. namely John W. Wallis who, having retuned to the Lodge after an absence of some years, went on to become Master for the session 1997/98. You might say it was a good year for future RWM's.
Sadly a further three of our Brethren Passed On during the year, one of whom was Bro. Charles L. Hill PM. who was Master in 1962/63. Although he will be unknown to the younger Brethren before moving to Cumbemauld Charlie was a stalwart of the Lodge. His famous Whist Drives had raised a lot of much needed money which allowed us to decorate the Halls and replace the old cooker which was in a dangerous condition. He was a good Freemason in every sense of the word and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.
Although the Social Club has only been mentioned in the passing, it plays an important part in the everyday life of the Brethren and the Lodge. It is important therefore, that the events which took place in August through to October of that year should be set down, so that'everyone is aware of what actually happened. In June of that year our Certificate of Registration as a Club was due to be renewed. The Club Secretary who was Bro. A. H. King, PM. contacted our lawyers, Wright Johnston & McKenzie, in plenty of time to get this attended to and at the same time they were asked to check if our Gaming Machine Licence required to be renewed.
In due course we received a letter from them informing us that our Club Registration had been renewed and an enclosed invoice for the same. One Saturday in August, the Social Club had a visit from the Licensing Police who asked to see our Registration Certificate and as no Certificate could be found they were shown the letter from the lawyers stating that it had been renewed. The letter did not satisfy them and they gave us to Monday to revert to them but warned us, that we would have to close if the Registration Certificate couldn't be produced. When we contacted the lawyers on Monday it transpired that they had renewed the Gaming Machine Licence, which did not need to be done until the next year, and not the Club's Registration Certificate so it had to close. The lawyers then assured us that this would be rectified within a week or two. But, because they then went on to make another two mistakes, it wasn't until October that the Club was able to open again. This sad state of affairs was entirely due to the lawyers negligence and not in any way the fault of the Bar Committee who had carried out their part to the letter. Needless to say the closure of the Club for three months was a serious matter and the Committee took action against the lawyers for compensation. After several meetings with the lawyers representative, the Bar Committee agreed the sum of £16000, which they felt was a fair enough settlement. Despite the closure of the Club Bro. T. Rushford who was Social Convenor had ensured that the Lodge itself had a very successful year with several events taking place, one in particular raising the sum of £608.
Two of our Brethren in the persons of Bro. A. H. King PM. and Bro. G. N. Brown PM. received Honorary Membership of Lodge Milton and Lodge Anima respectively. Bro. Brown is in fact the third of our members to become an Honorary Member of Lodge Anima, the other two being Past Masters Bro. A. H. King and Bro. J. McPherson. Also this year, Bro. Leonard McN. Miller PM. was granted the Honorary Rank of Provincial Grand Lodge Senior Deacon in appreciation of his work for Freemasonry and the Brethren agreed to purchase the Jewel of his Office. Due to pressure of work this year was also to see the retirement of Bro. F. McElhinney as RWMM. As Club Steward he was finding it impossible to attend the various invitations we received to confer the Mark in other Lodges and he proposed that Bro. G. N. Brown PM. take over the duties of RWMM,- which was readily agreed by the Brethren. Bro. T Lamb RWM congratulated him on the manner he had carried out his duties as RWMM which had enhanced the reputation of the Lodge and that he had no doubt that Bro. Brown would uphold that reputation and wished him every success in the future.
So as an eventful year drew to a close 'Big Tommy' could be content, that under his leadership, the Lodge had gone from strength to strength and that his second term had been every bit as successful as his first. On December 14th he relinquished his Office in favour of Bro. James N. Johnsen PM. who was Installed for his second term as Master, by Past Masters Bro. J. K. G. McDonald and Bro. G. N. Brown.
Bro. Johnsen whose first term as Master had been some twenty-nine years earlier, for the year 1963/64 which meant that he was, with the exception of Bro. Hugh T. Kennedy, the longest serving Past Master attending the Lodge on a regular basis. Jimmy's second term was a very successful one but, due to a nervous complaint, he missed a few meetings. Needless to say the Brethren rallied round and gave him their unstinting support. It was during this year that a report from an Ad-Hoc Committee of Grand Lodge, which had been set up to look into every aspect of the Scottish Craft. Needless to say some of their proposals were controversial to say the least and special meetings were called to discuss its contents. In particular, one part of the Report dealing with Lodges with an attached Social Clubs caused us and other Lodges some concern. We therefore convened a meeting to which we invited all the Lodges with such Clubs. Representatives of Seven Lodges attended when the report and its effect on us if its recommendations were discussed. The meeting itself brought several anomalies to light and the feeling among those who attended was that it had been a worthwhile exercise and that we now had a better understanding of what the Report was actually proposing.
Another item that the Report highlighted was the falling number of men coming forward to join the Craft. In our own case, this was borne out by the fact that we only had five Candidates that year, which however, was still more than many other Lodges. Bro. Johnsen had the sad duty of informing the Brethren, that another six of or members had Passed On. Among them were Bro. Edward Hutchison, who was the brother-in-law of Bro. J. K. G. McDonald PM., Bro. Neil Brown who had worked in the Club for many years and David S. McLean who, along with his wife Martha, had been stalwarts of the Lodge in years gone by. Having lived in Ardoch St for many years, Bro. McLean was a well known figure in Possilpark. He also had a fruit & sweetie shop in Fossil Road next to the Astoria Cinema. If you look at our collection plates you will see that it was Bro. Davey who had presented them to the Lodge.
During the year, Provincial ran a charity night in the Kings Theatre which was well attended and raised a considerable amount of money for children's charities. Among the artistes taking part were, Christian, Mr Abie and Ronnie Carroll and an excellent night was had by all who had attended.
With his year drawing to a close, Bro. Johnsen, who was the last of the trio Past Masters who had stepped into the breech a few years earlier to whom we owe a hearty vote of thanks. He could look back content in the knowledge that, under his leadership, the lodge had continued to flourish and that he had carried out his duties as Master in the same able manner that he had demonstrated some twenty-nine years earlier. On December 12th Bro. Thomas Rushford was Installed as Master for the session 1992/93 by Past Masters Bro. J. McPherson and Bro. F. McElhinney.
Bro. Rushford's year saw the Brethren continue to promote the cause of Freemasonry with their usual enthusiasm and we had the privilege of Initiating five Candidates and one Affiliate. Two of the Candidates were Bros John Brown Snr and John Brown Jnr who are respectively the brother and nephew of Bro. G. N. Brown PM. and Bro. Brian Brown Snr Deacon who was to become RWM for 1995/96. Although both Johns were Initiated on different nights they received their Third on the same evening. It isn't very often that father and son receive a Degree together thus this event is unique in its own right.
On 27th-May that year a Deputation of Reigning Masters, headed by Bro. Ian McGregor RWM, Glasgow Kilwinning No.4, whose Mother Lodge is Possilpark, conferred a Third Degree. Worshipful Sub Provincial Grand Master Bro Wm. Gilmour, who was in attendance that evening, congratulated the Reigning Masters on a fine Degree and thanked the Lodge for the presentation of a cheque to the value of £350 for Marcus Humphrey House.
On the 9th February one of our members in the person of Bro. Joe Hammond, who had Affiliated to us from Lodge St Clair No.362, received his Jubilee Certificate to mark his fifty years in the Craft from his Mother Lodge. Needles to say he was accompanied on the night by a good number of Brethren from Possilpark.
During this year the Brethren decided to loan to the Provincial Grand Lodge Library, the Jewel which had been presented to Bro. John McCallum to mark his twenty-one years as Secretary. This in itself is a wonderful record of service. However, as recorded in an earlier Lodge History, Bro. John actually went on to complete thirty years in that Office which is an achievement that may never be equalled. It is worth noting that as the Jewel itself was specially designed by the Brethren of the Lodge and made for him by Toye Kenning. Being a one off it is therefore unique. The Jewel consists of Quill Pens Crossed with the Enamelled Crest the same as that on a Past Masters Jewel. The Lodge was also informed that, for his services to the Craft, Bro. John McPherson PM. was to receive the Honorary Rank of Provincial Grand Lodge Treasurer. The Brethren, in appreciation of his services, agreed to supply the appropriate Jewel for his Office.
On the more mundane everyday business of running the Lodge it was strongly suggested by Provincial Grand Lodge, that we should ask our lawyers to draw up a Minute of Agreement between me Lodge and the Club in order to define the responsibilities of both, so that there would be no dubiety on anyone's part, as to who was responsible for what. This action was agreed and carried out. The lawyer was also asked to approach the neighbouring YMCA to enquire if there was any possibility of purchasing some land from them to facilitate a planned extension to the Halls. In due course the lawyer informed us, that we would have to wait until the next meeting of their Board of Directors in Edinburgh before we would hear anything further on this matter.
On the second last meeting of his year Bro. Rushford had the sad duty to inform the Brethren of the death of Bro. Neil O'Neil. He hadn't been a regular attendee in recent times but had been a strong supporter of the Lodge in the past and was a fine man and Mason. As stated earlier, Bro. Rushford's year had been a busy one and Tommy had proved to be a competent and popular Master and could hand over his responsibilities to his successor in the knowledge that he had had a very successful year. On December llth Bro. John Knight was Installed as Master for the session 1993/94, by Past Masters Bro. G. N. Brown and Bro. Charles J. McK. Thomson. The Provincial Deputation that evening, was headed by our own Bro. J. D. Mowatt in his capacity as Worshipful Substitute Provincial Grand Master.