The Brethren of L7805 have agreed to support the WM in his chosen charity, the Harbour Cancer Trust. As such it was agreed to donate £1000 to the trust. There is the possibility of getting match funding from the MCF and doubling this amount to £2000 and I’m awaiting confirmation of that.
About Harbour Cancer Support
Harbour Cancer Support is an independent charity that offers practical and emotional support to anyone affected by any cancer across South East Hampshire.
The centre based in Gosport opened in 2001 and offers a safe haven for cancer patients, their families, carers and friends to come and spend time in a warm and welcoming environment, in which they can receive much needed support throughout their cancer journey.
All our services are offered free of charge and are not limited to a set time scale, meaning people can access the vital support for as long as they need.
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Message from the Worshipful Master
Musings from King Solomon’s Chair
Anno Domini 1953, October. I am Initiated into Freemasonry in Thameside-by-Tower Lodge
No.5423, meeting at The Charing Cross Hotel, London; my proposer is my father. Advance to the
year 1969 and I am Installed into the Chair of my Mother Lodge. Forward a year to 1970, now I am
in the Chair of Alwarestoch Lodge No.7805, which I joined in 1964. Forward 50 years, 2020, and I
am again to have the privilege of serving as Master of Alwarestoch. But as “the pestilence”( my
name for Covid-19) has suspended all Masonic activities, the celebration of this uncommon event
is postponed for a year; this coincides with me having attained the age of 90, another cause for
celebration. I am very humble and proud that the Brethren of Alwarestoch have afforded me this
Honour. I pray that I will not disappoint them and be worthy of their choice.
In my 68 years in Freemasonry I have witnessed many changes, from secrecy in the 50’s & 60’s to
the openness of today, exemplified by “ Freemasonry in the Community” and the TV programmes
which accompanied the celebrations of the 300 years of Freemasonry. A welcome change from the
adverse publicity and other difficulties that the Craft experienced in the 80’s & 90’s. There is
nothing of which we should be ashamed; broadcast and be proud of our achievements, we are
second only to the National Lottery in our Charitable Donations both here in the UK and abroad.
The Lodge is now 59 years old and a brief history of its first 50 years can be found on the web site
We are now looking with confidence to the next 41.
Sydney Aynsworth P.P.J.G.W
How I became a Freemason
My first acquaintance with Freemasonry goes back to the end of the second World War in 1945. My elder brother and I were choristers in our local church choir, and we were both asked by one of the senior members of our choir to attend a hall in Woolston to sing carols to some men who were meeting there. I recall all these years later how we were fed well with sausage rolls and other goodies, a real treat in those austere times. We were aware that a meal was going ahead in the nearby hall, and when this was over, we were taken in and duly sang carols to those assembled. It was only later that we realised that these gentlemen were Freemasons.
I suppose that it was this event that sparked my interest in Freemasonry, but as our current Worshipful Master relates in his article on this website, Freemasonry was kept very secret, no one knew for sure who was a member, and one had to receive an invitation to join.
It was around 1980 when I was working in the Bitterne area of Southampton, that the subject of Freemasonry came up in a conversation with a colleague. He asked whether I was interested in joining, and when I replied in the affirmative, he stated ‘I may be able to help you’.
The following day, my colleague came into my office with a list of names, and enquired whether I knew anyone on that list. There were three or four names who were people familiar to me, and I pointed them out. We then chose one that he felt would be most suitable, and together we went to see this gentleman. As a result, my colleague became my proposer into Freemasonry and the other gentleman kindly seconded my application.
So it was that I became a Freemason, and incidentally became a member of the same Lodge that my brother and I entertained with our carol singing all of those years previously.
I enjoyed many very happy years at that Lodge, and became its Worshipful Master in 1994, the same year that I took early retirement. It was only in 2015 that, with advancing age, I found the numerous journeys that I needed to make from my home in Gosport to my Lodge in Woolston were becoming a strain. It was for this reason that I made the decision to transfer my membership to a Lodge in Gosport. To this end I became a joining member of Alwarestoch Lodge, a decision that I am very pleased that I made and I really appreciate the manner in which I have been welcomed by the members of my new Lodge.
You may wonder what I have gained from Freemasonry. I can honestly tell you now that if that is in respect of advancement at work or any pecuniary advantage, then the answer is ‘nothing’. But if I look at the many excellent people that I have met through Masonic meetings and events, and also to some extent my outlook on life, the answer is an immeasurable amount.
It used to be a cliché that Freemasons looked after their own. This is correct, but they also donate to numerous non-Masonic charities, often local, but also national. One only has to check the World Wide Web to discover just how much support Freemasonry gives to charity.
I trust that you have enjoyed reading the ‘potted history’ of my Masonic career. Can I say to anyone who may be interested in joining, don’t be put off by the thought that you may be required to learn ritual to take part in the ceremony, there is no pressure on anyone to do so. You may be put off by the thought of having to donate more than you can afford to charity, this is never the case. Freemasonry is a fraternity of like-minded men, and it is rightly said that in a Freemason’s Lodge you will never see a stranger, there will only be a friend you have yet to meet.
Gerry Mansell
