Palatine Lodge No. 97

We've had a very busy year so far. January's First Degree was accompanied by another First Degree in February, a Second Degree in March, a double Second Degree in April and another double Second Degree in May.  We're taking a break from ritual in June - you'll see why next month - and will be busy once more after our recess.

We started our year with yet another First Degree last night. We welcomed Bro Ian to the Lodge and to Freemasonry in general. He's pictured in the Lodge room with our WM, left, and SD, right, who were his Seconder and Proposer respectively, and have known him a combined total of over 70 years (yes, we hear you ask, why did they all wait so long!?)

As it was our Installation meeting last month, this was the first time the officers have performed their duties in their new offices. A few nerves on display but our longstanding reputation of great ritual continues.

James [Jim] Edward Harker was born in Middlesbrough on 29th August 1933 into a long line of Fairground Folk [and other Jim Harkers!]:

After leaving his National Service in the RAF in November 1954, during which he worked on Spitfires as a Senior Air craftsman, Jim returned to his life in ‘Civvy’ Street and worked both at the family fairground attractions as well as pursuing a career in the automotive parts supply business.

Masonically, 2022 has now come to a close for us and, as December is our Installation meeting, it also means passing from one Worshipful Master to the next.  WBro Paul Staines, albeit assisted / hampered by COVID, has become the first Worshipful Master since WBro Robert Hutton (1812-1815) to serve three consecutive years in the Master's Chair.  He has served the Office, and this Lodge, well, during his years.

One of our own, Prof. Denny Wilson, who had already achieved so much in Freemasonry - Past Deputy Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham, and at time of writing, current Provincial Grand Master of Durham for the Mark Degree, and Past Master of this Lodge, has now been appointed Assistant Grand Master of the Grand Mark Lodge of England and Wales and its Districts and Lodges Overseas.

A very proud moment for this Lodge, and we wish Denny every success in his new role.

As we head into our summer recess we decided to go out with a bang, performing the first double-initiation undertaken by the Lodge in over twenty years, and certainly the first ever undertaken by the current Officers of the Lodge.  Given we only had one Lodge of Instruction to rehearse the double, all of those that took part can be immensely proud of the ritual on display, once again upholding the high standards we place upon ourselves.

As part of the Sunderland History Fair 2022, we once again opened our doors to the public on Saturday, 21st May.

Once again appreciating not everyone would be able to attend, a fly-by tour video was recorded.

We held an Open Day at Wearside Masonic Temple on Saturday, 19th March.
Appreciating not everyone would be able to attend, a fly-by tour video was recorded.

We'll be holding another Open Day on Saturday, 21st May, and all are welcome.

We had another great meeting on Thursday, 10th March.  For the third month running we performed a First Degree ceremony and welcomed a new member to our Lodge.  Pictured with the Worshipful Master, we have Mick (February), Anth (March), Paul (the Worshipful Master), and Jon (January).  

The enthusiasm shown by all three is really promising, and we look forward to many years of friendship to come.  

We're fortunate to still have a number of potential candidates and we're now scratching our heads to create a plan to get them in; some have been waiting a while.

We have very much picked up where we left off pre-pandemic, and have been fortunate to welcome two new members to the Lodge via Initiations at our January and February meetings.  We have a third Initiation to look forward to at our March meeting and we then switch our attention to Raising some of our current Fellow Craft members.

We still have quite the list of potential members that have been patiently waiting, and we thank them for that.  A plan is in the making as to how we might get them in to the Lodge without asking them to wait too much longer.

December is always our Installation Meeting, and was once more on this occasion.  However, this year was different in that our current Worshipful Master, WBro Paul Staines, has remained in place for a third year (two being the usual limit these days).

The past two years have been stilted, for obvious reasons, and so all involved with the Lodge felt it correct that we should ask Paul to continue, which he was glad to do.

I am minded of what I wrote back in December 2019 when he was first installed.

I thought it was time I posted once again about our meetings!

Samuel Peter Austin, Junior (1842 -1925)

One of the River Wear’s most famous shipbuilders, Samuel Peter Austin, was initiated into Palatine Lodge, No 97, on March 27th, 1868. He played an active role in the Lodge, becoming Worshipful Master in 1873, Treasurer in 1875 and received the honour of Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden (PProvJGW).

The entry for Samuel Peter Austin in Palatine’s Membership Record

Peter Riddle Grey Phorson was initiated into Freemasonry on the 14th of February 1901 and became Worshipful Master of Palatine Lodge in 1906.

Palatine Membership Record