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The Fruits of One’s Labours

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If you would have asked me a year ago “How’s the Lodge Doing?” my reply would have probably been “OK thanks”. That was before the telephone started ringing and the emails started arriving.Then before I knew it we had enquiries from another eighteen candidates wanting to join Freemasonry.
Now its Wow !! how are we going to manage this lot !!!

After a little thought. The answer was (almost) simple… if we can’t take them in the near future…Let’s .introduce them to other Lodges that are in need of candidates. Then, produce a spreadsheet  to monitor their development and to make sure they are mentored into what is expected of them.

Now!!! a few months down the line ….Wealdstone Lodge is the first to initiate one of these candidates at their meeting tomorrow, at which a few of North Harrow Lodge members will attend to support him, as part of our initiative, at the start of his masonic career. This is followed by Harrow Progress Lodge on the 28th November, Elizabethan Lodge on the 14th December, Gauntlet Lodge on the 20th December, Wembley Lodge and Middx St. Davids Lodge in January.
Let’s hope that these candidates will breath a little life into their respective Lodges to the benefit of the Province of Middlesex in general and their Lodge in particular.
Over the last twelve months, we are also grateful to the other 10 Lodges for agreeing to carry out Ceremonies for our new North Harrow Lodge members to enable them to progress through their various degrees more quickly.

They Shall Not Grow Old

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Hundreds of people gathered this morning at the top of Pinner High Street to commemorate the fallen Service Men and Women who have given their lives in conflicts all over the world.
Yes!! Today is Remembrance Sunday!!

Our ProPGM, R.W.Bro Roger Croome QPM, had the honour of placing a wreath on behalf of Middlesex Freemasons at the Pinner War Memorial.

Then just before 11am the bell at Pinner church and a lone trumpeter sounded the last post which  signalled the start of the 2 minutes silence at 11 am on the 11th Day of the 11th Month.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.



Then more than 30 organisations placed their individual wreaths against the memorial. A fitting tribute!!

And as quickly as the crowds had gathered, they had dispersed in a buss of chatter 

Dark Blues Galore

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It had been a while since I had attended the Middlesex Provincial Grand Officers (PGO) Club meeting, so on Thursday 1st November, I made the effort and went along with our Worshipful Master, Terry Clayfield.. I was amazed at the turnout, some 170 members packed the venue at the BA Concorde Club near Heathrow and what a most enjoyable evening it was!! Full of banter and chatter!!

A great meal of roast beef and yorkshire pudding was on the menu after which the evening was highlighted by an address by our ProProvincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro.Roger Croome which was most informative and entertaining. If you would like to read the transcript of what he said :  ProPGM’s Address

W.Bro Simpson at an earlier event

Next came a talk entitled “Freemasons in Captivity” about Masonry in the POW Camps during the last war. This was delivered by W.Bro Ian Simpson, who had travelled from the outer reaches and badlands of Essex, the stories and enactments , I also found amazing.
It was a great opportunity to catch up with old and new friends and cant wait until the next one.
I’ve already put the date in my diary!

No Growing Pains Here

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Are statistics important ? Well, if anything they could throw up very interesting information. Recently my SW, Bro.Vaughan, did an extensive study of our membership levels over the last 5 years and the results were quite revealing.

Some of our New Brethren

The data was retrieved from our recent Grand Lodge Membership returns and shows that in the 5 years from 2007 to 2012 our active membership has increased by 70% from 17 to today’s figure of 29 and the average age has dropped by 10% from 58 to 53 . Quite impressive you may well say!!


However, statistics aren’t everything, retaining the membership level is though!!! We have found that our new Freemasons are eager to help in any way they can.
We now have an experienced Senior Steward in charge, who oversees our faithful band of new stewards and at each meeting gives them a task of setting the dining table names and/or serving wine during the festive board ( A great way for them to get to know us).
Recently, I was so surprised to get an email from one of our initiates who asked if he could be the personal steward at the FB for the APGM on his impending visit  . (Nice thought).But I had to inform him that it doesn’t work that way.
Another,eager newly made MM asked if he could do something at the next meeting. Yes,! I replied, so at our next meeting on the 18th January he is presenting the charge in the NE Corner and a fellowcraft will be presenting the 1st degree working tools. That’s at our 1st ever  BURNS’ Night Festive Board and we already have 50 booked in… So, No pressure then !!!
How nice it is to have enthusiastic new members !! but most importantly, how nice to have enough work to hand out to keep the enthusiasm alive !! We can do that at North Harrow……..

Masonic Burns’ Night

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North Harrow Lodge no.6557

Presents
BURNS NIGHT DINNER
On

FRIDAY 18th JANUARY 2013
To be Held at Harrow District Masonic Centre, Kenton, Middlesex, after Our Lodge Meeting starting at 4.15pm, 
where we are Performing a Double Initiation Ceremony
and
Presenting 3 Grand Lodge Certificates
The Piper is Booked
The Address to the Haggis is arranged
With a wee dram o’ whisky
Dining Fee £25
For Further Details & to Book in with :
Nigel Harris-Cooksley (Secretary)
020 8866 8721 Or E-Mail :

Secretary@NorthHarrowLodge.org

A Secretary’s Lot is a Happy One

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When I took over as Secretary of  6557 a year ago, I  acknowledged from my predecessor of 18 years that it was not going to be easy. That was an understatement. No one tells you about the copious amounts paperwork and form filling involved sometimes on a day to day basis.
However, it is a job that gives satisfaction, especially when best laid plans come together as it has done in North Harrow Lodge over the last year !!

I have had amazing support from the Lodge members, from giving apologies when not being able to attend meeting ( as booking correct numbers at FBs are so important ), attending numerous meetings to interview the many prospective candidates, joining me in visits to other Lodges who had agreed to perform ceremonies on our behalf, to a fantastic turnout from our members at the Middlesex Provincial Family Fete where we donated £1000 being the proceeds of our BBQ stall and enabled the total raised on the event to exceed a staggering £21,500 this year.
Our Newest Initiate
and his good Lady

Another event high in the Middlesex Province’s calendar is the Service of Thanksgiving, which was at Guildford Cathedral. This event is one of the only times that the public are able to see Freemasons paraded in their full dress regalia. This year 6 of us including our partners and our Newest Initiate and his good lady had the pleasure of attending the event, where hundreds of Masons packed the Cathedral to the gunnels.
More Photos are available at the Province’s Website
The next venture of North Harrow Lodge is at our next meeting at which we are performing ANOTHER Double initiation, presenting 3 Grand Lodge Cerificates and a Burn’s Night on the 18th January 2013. The candidates are ready,The Certificates should be, The Piper is booked!! The Address to the Haggis is organised, the Drams of whiskey are ordered and most importantly the projected numbers are increasing daily and are exceeding 50 to date.
To book in contact me through the website of North Harrow Lodge

Best Laid Plans of Mice & Masons

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Isn’t it great when a plan comes together !!! Well almost.

To perform an initiation at our installation meeting last Friday was a little ambitious to say the least, even if we only were to Proclaim that the Master remained in the chair for a further year. The time flew and even though we started at 4.15 we didn’t finish until 7.30pm !! what a marathon. (dinner was booked for 7.15pm) oopps!! Fail !!
However, to be proud of the new members that took the offices is an understatement. Both the Junior & Senior Deacons are still Fellowcrafts (one conducted the initiate and the other delivered an excellent explanation of the 1st degree working tools) and our Inner Guard was only Raised to a MM last month, but they performed their duties absolutely fantastically.
I then had the pleasure of presenting, not one , but two Grand Lodge Certificates to our latest Master Masons, who were excellently  raised over the summer recess by 2 other Lodges (Syon 7394 & Wealdstone 5236) who didn’t have any work scheduled.(part of our work sharing initiative)
W.Bro Terry Clayfield then appointed and invested a full list of officers included 6 stewards another first for the Lodge.
Then to finish off,  I had the pleasure of reading Registration Form “P”s for 2 more candidates to be initiated next year, that’s on top of the 3 we already have. 
Ask any Lodge Secretary what the most difficult and frustrating part of his job is and the reply will almost certainly be “getting the numbers right at the festive board.” In the short period of time as Secretary I haven’t succeeded ! yet !! With all good intentions I had booked in 28 at the last meeting and ended up with 24. oopps!! Fail again !!Still a pretty good number as far as I was concerned .
What a great evening, even to the point when our SW and one of our new Stewards did a short rendition of Gangnam style dancing to the delight of all present at the festive board.
Now we look forward to an Emergency Meeting on Monday 5th November ( it’ll be a cracker) :)) sorry!!!
When we will be performing a double 3rd Degree Cerenony and have the pleasure of an official visit by another APGM (second this year) and an escort of 5 PGOs . Why not come along and see how we do it ? How nice it is to be popular, but more importantly, how nice it is to see smiling faces at every meeting.
Onward and upward Together .. That’s the way forward for North Harrow
Finally ..As Robert Burns wrote :
But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane [you aren’t alone]
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft a-gley, [often go awry]
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promised joy.

50 years How we’ve Changed

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North Harrow Lodge
Ladies’ Night 1971

A pictorial view of almost Fifty Years of North Harrow Lodge’s Ladies Festivals….Gone in a Blink of an eye… especially when you’re enjoying yourselves.

Greetings From H.M Queen 1971

North Harrow Lodge
Ladies’ Night 1991
North Harrow Lodge
Ladies’ Night 1971
North Harrow Lodge
Ladies’ Night 2001
North Harrow Lodge
Ladies’ Night 2009

Bro ProGReg (Yorks & E.Riding)
& his squeeze 2009
North Harrow Lodge
Ladies’ Night 2009
Bro JW  2011
Bro DC & squeeze 2012
Bro Secretary &
She who must be obeyed 2011
W.M & Family 2012
Bro Sec 2012

Pushing the boundaries

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Proof that some things weren’t checked!!

As our first regular meeting of the new 2012/13 season is rapidly approaching on Friday the 12th October, it falls  upon yours truly as Lodge Secretary to try and get things right before the meeting and then pass on the reigns to our Director of Ceremonies to make sure the meeting runs like clockwork.

Only after the summons were sent out did I realise that this year time permitted us, for the first time since the Lodge was formed back in the dark days of 1948, to do something extraordinary,
that of performing an Initiation before the installation (proclamation) of the Master, which is not normally done.

But in North Harrow we like to push the boundaries of Freemasonry. Why not?? Because we can ! And there is nothing in the rules to say we can’t.!!

Firstly, out of the numerous eligible candidates we have waiting to join us, who would be available at such short notice to step forward and be initiated into North Harrow.
It was not long before Leonardo replied to my request and accepted my offer.

Secondly, I altered the summons to add the initiation to the agenda and resent it to all our members, who luckily are all on email.

Thirdly, who is going to do the work? Our W.M, Terry Clayfield has agreed to do the ceremony of initiation, and another four brethren have offered to do separate pieces.
I do like it when a plan comes together, however, this would not be possible without the help and support of the great and willing brethren of the North Harrow Lodge, especially when almost a third of our membership haven’t seen an installation.

That shows how we have moved forward in the last year !!

After the initiation I have the pleasure in presenting Grand Lodge Certificates to two brethren who completed their respective 3rd Degrees over the summer recess ( many thanks must go to Syon and Wealdstone Lodges who carried out the ceremonies in an excellent manner on our behalf). This will be the first time certificates have been presented in North Harrow since 2009.

W.Bro Terry Clayfield (centre) with
some of our new officers

And lastly, on with the installation, and investiture of the Officers for the forthcoming year.
This year we are able to fill every office in the Lodge and every junior office is taken by lay brethren including 5 stewards..

Another busy, informative and  most enjoyable meeting is forecast !! Why not come along and see how we do it, just give me a call . Contact me through the Lodge Website to book in by Tuesday 9th October

Sharing our Success

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As an update on one of my previous blogs a couple of months ago entitled “Our New Initiative”.
North Harrow Lodge 6557 is still experiencing an unprecedented surge of quality members.
70% have been secured through the interest in our website and the others from the increased enthusiasm of existing and new members who have brought in friends and colleagues over the last couple of months.
Last year we were fortunate to have initiated 4 members.
For most Lodges this would have been a great achievement.
However, it didn’t end there, this year we have initiated another 8 and have so far another 7 prospective candidates for next year, which will boost our numbers to about 36, which is almost double our previous membership.

Bro. Khan (L) Bro. Romero (R)
after their 2nd Degree

The question has been asked by many is :
 “ Now you’ve got them. How are you going to retain them?”
The Answer is not simple . Freemasonry is not for everyone and it is inevitable that there are some who will fall by the wayside. Mentoring and communication play an important part in retention and keeping their interest in Freemasonry is paramount.
Because we are now busy in the Lodge, we are able to give them work at the earliest opportunity without them feeling under any pressure to advance before they really want.
There is also a chance that the candidates interest may be lost in waiting to progress through their respective degrees, so standing still for us is not an option.
With almost 30 outstanding ceremonies projected at the start of the year, this could have been an issue.
We have been fortunate to have the support from a number of other Lodges in Middlesex who have had no scheduled work and have been able to “farm out” most of our Second & Third degrees.
This satisfies a number of issues.

  1. Our candidates can progress as quickly as they want.
  2. It boosts the numbers at the meetings of the other Lodges because we will support our Candidates
  3. It gives enthusiasm to the other Lodges as they have work to perform.
  4. Most importantly, visiting enables friendships to be made between the Lodges.

Because of our success, we initially interview interested candidates to make sure of their eligibility to join the Craft and if successful, give them the option to be initiated into another Lodge in Middlesex to suit their availability.
We have over the last couple of months introduced 4 candidates for initiation to 4 Lodges and will as part of our initiative, continue to monitor their progression and attend their meetings, just to make sure all parties are happy.
Why not visit us and see how we do things !! Our next meeting is on Friday 12th October at Harrow Masonic Centre, starting at 4.15pm when we will perform another Initiation, followed by the presentation of 2 Grand  Lodge Certificates and then the Proclamation of our W.M , just email me for a Summons.

Success is Great , Sharing our Success with failing Lodges is Greater!!