Title: Avon Lodge Centenary Spring Ball
Location: Masonic Rooms Rainbow Hill Worcester
Description: Champagne Reception followed by a wonderful banquet and then dancing to the Derek Bruce Band.

Price £35 per person inclusive of Table Wines with the meal.

Start Time: 6 for 6.30pm
Date: Saturday 5th May 2012
End Time: 11.45pm

For booking details contact: Graham Hobby,  The Nest, Pershore Road, Little Comberton, Evesham WR10 3EW

    At the Annual Convocation of Provincial Grand Chapter held at Birmingham University on Saturday 14th April Excellent Companion Tony King received the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent’s Certificate of Merit in recognition of his loyalty and service to Royal Arch Masonry.  This is the first certificate of merit awarded to an Evesham Mason/Companion.

Certificates of merit are few and far between so the honour that Most Excellent Companion Colin Brown has bestowed upon Tony should never be understated. Well done and warm congratulations from all at Elmley Castle.

Article by Mike Dykes.

Wednesday 21st March 2012 marked the start of a new year and the installation of a new Master.

In front of a packed house of more than 70 the outgoing Master, W Bro David Broadbent  confidently and sincerely installed W Bro Ian Crowder.

It was a fitting end to Davids year during which he has grown both in confidence and ability in his performance within the lodge room and in his addresses to the brethren at the festive board.

The manner in which the new Master invested his officers indicates that we are likely to enjoy another good year.

This being a second time for Ian after his having been Master of the   Lodge situated at Mark Masons Hall London.

His year is mapped out and we anticipate either a ceremony or an interesting presentation on each of our meeting nights.

One of the high lights in every Masonic Year is the Ladies Night, and this year was no exception.

Almost 130 brethren, wives, partners and guests were treated to a lovely night of fine food and wine at the Dormy House Hotel in Broadway.

A warm welcome was received by everyone on arrival by our Worshipful Master David Broadbent and his Lady Lisa.

Time for a quick aperitif before the evenings Director of Ceremonies, WBro Mike Bruton,  took charge and ushered everyone into the banqueting room.

There was plenty of good humour and banter coming from around the tables as everyone enjoyed a delicious meal.

A wandering caricaturist mingled around the tables drawing cartoon pictures to everyone’s amusement.

Then WBro John Icke had the honour of proposing the main toast of the night to ‘The Ladies’ after which The Elmley Castle

Brethren assembled to sing the ladies song.

The main lady of the night, Lisa, responded in fine form bringing warm applause.

As the Worshipful Master and Lisa has chosen two charities for the evening they decided to ask two brethren to explain about them, WBro Mike Gage and WBro Bob Major did just that and as the evening raised £1200, guess they did a good job.

With the formal parts of the evening over, the Worshipful Master  and Lisa left the room for a short while, at which time the Dormy

 House Hotel resident DJ started, immediately filling the dance floor and kept everyone happy until the end of the evening.

Mike Dykes.

Picture gallery from Ladies Night.

February and the current Master finds his year is over and him thinking “I’m getting used to the job and know I can make a good job of it”.

W Bro David “make a good job of it”  you certainly did and we are all proud to stand at your side and say that’s David Broadbent the Master of our Lodge.

We have had another cracking year under W Bro Davids leadership and the planning and hard work that he put into his year really paid  dividends in the quality of the ceremonies we have enjoyed.

The whole year being rounded off very nicely with a wonderful Ladies night at the Dormy House Hotel Broadway on Saturday 3rd March.

Lisa’s choice of Charities, Breast Cancer and Testicular Cancer proved popular with £1,200 raised to be split evenly between the two.

David and Lisa’s popularity was evident by the attendance of so many to the ladies night function.

He can now concentrate on the work involved in getting his successor into office.

The Avon Lodge No 3569 consecrated in 1912 has recently held its Centennial Celebrations at Rainbow Hill, Worcester.

Originally housed in Pershore the lodge moved into Evesham some years ago and now has its roots firmly fixed into the Masonic Center at Swan Lane.

Unfortunately the accommodation at Evesham is not sufficiently large enough to have housed the number of Masons who wanted to attend the celebrations and so the decision was taken to move the event to a larger venue.

Those attending witnessed a fine ceremony not often seen which was followed by a very fine festive board.

The group photo is of the lodge members and the other shows the two wardens W Bro Tommy Emmerson and W Bro Paul Sealey.

St Andrews Church Hampton was near full to capacity on Wednesday when friends of W Bro David Barnet gathered to say farewell.

People who knew David through his many interests in life such as Masonry, the Camera Club, the former BBC Social Club, The Unitarian Chapel in Oat Street, work colleagues and those associated with his Musical interests all met up with his near neighbours to say a last and fond farewell.

Many of the older brethren from our lodge will remember his dad, Barney, who tiled the lodge rooms at Evesham for many years.

W Bro Bernard Hardy knew Davids dad and perhaps David, better than most of us and was best placed to deliver a fitting tribute by recalling much of Davids life, in particular his Masonic life. David was a keen and busy Freemason in the early years. Following a change of  circumstances resulting from the death of both his Father and then his Mother , David was forced to work longer hours and had to travel many miles in connection with his work. This left him little time to pursue his Masonry and his attendance in our lodge became less frequent.

Davids failing health gave rise to frequent and varied requests for assistance which were always answered in true Masonic nature by our Almoner and others.

David followed his father in his early employment when he became a messenger for Lloyds Bank.  A post that many today will never have heard of. I suppose one could say that the commercial courier service put an end to the office of Bank Messenger just as the World Wide Web is now shrinking the roll of the commercial courier.

David played the organ both in lodge and at the Unitarian Chapel in Oat Street.

Eighteen members of our lodge were able to attend the memorial service on Wednesday. David was cremated privately and his ashes were buried in the grave of his mother and father in the cemetery behind the church at Hampton.

W Bro Norman Hodgetts  celebrated 50 years in Masonry on Wednesday 21st December 2011 and was presented with a certificate to mark the occasion.

Norman followed in his fathers footsteps in becoming a Mason in Elmley Castle Lodge. Sadly Normans father died suddenly and most unexpectedly and Norman found himself the family representative in the legal practice of Cross Son and Hodgetts Solicitors in Queens Road Evesham.

 Norman practised as a solicitor and partner of the company until his retirement a few years ago.

Norman has  served the Masonic Movement well during his fifty years, in particular the Evesham Masonic Hall in Swan Lane where he was for many years a director of the Hall Management Committee.

W Bro John Bernard Hardy presented the certificate to Norman a close and valued friend for many years.

Our Picture shows W Bro Norman seated Centre with W Bro Bernard on his right and W Bro Ron Tarry on his left. Standing are Left to right W Bro Mike Bruton the lodge DC, W Bro David Broadbent, Worshipful Master and W Bro Tony King.