Once again, January bring us a fresh new year and the first meeting with our newly installed officers, and also once again, we started the year with an initiation. There's nothing like putting them immediately to the test!

Due to work, we had a stand-in Junior Deacon, but, thankfully, it was an old-hand that put in a fine performance, depite being one of our regular visitors rather than one of our own - his ritual is different!  Our candidate also put in a very good show with an air of confidence about his responses.  It certainly bodes well for his future journey with us.

We were fortunate to be performing another initiation this month, the fourth this year, and the first monthly back-to-back initiation in recent memory.

Our candidate was the second one fully recruited through our website, so we are finally reaping the rewards of a little hard work and effort keeping the site up to date.  If you're reading this and you're not a Freemason, get in touch - it could be you!  

The first meeting back for us after recess, and as usual for September, a lower than average turn-out, with a number of brethren still being in holiday mode.

Looking back over a lot of the articles I have written, I find that I am forever mentioning that we had a whole host of absentees. I think I'm going to stop doing so, as it is becoming clear that, what was once an irregularity, is fast becoming the norm. I cannot remember the last time the full complement of officers turned up, and if it wasn't for our regular visitors, we'd often struggle to get through. It was never the case when I joined, a mere 8 years ago.

It was the first night for our newly installed officers and we kicked off in style. We had a candidate for initiation, so they were all going to be put to immediate test!

As is more often than not the case these days, we again had several absentees due to work, holiday, and sickness. The missing officers were more than adequately covered by their stand-ins.

On the 12th of January 2017 we had the good fortune of being able to celebrate our 260th anniversary, having been consecrated on the 14th January 1757.

The main business of the evening was the initiation of a new brother, a Mr Paul Wallace. Someone that I have known, a rather scary, 29 years and counting! We’re old school pals.