After entering the Lodge, the Provincial Grand Master invested W.Bro. Gerry Targett with his Provincial collar of P.Prov.G.J.D. as due to ill health he was unable to attend the Provincial Meeting in the Summer.
There followed an excellent Advancement ceremony for Bro. Nicholas Isaac. The Worshipful Master, W.Bro. Archie Dickie carried out the ceremony and presented the Signs. W.Bro. Arthur Hawthorne presented the Working Tools, and the Provincial Grand Master ended the ceremony with the “In Conclusion”. The Provincial Grand Master welcomed the candidate to the Province of Hampshire and Isle of Wight and “to this unusual Lodge where they know how to have fun, and which holds an important place within Hampshire and Isle of Wight”.
The Provincial Grand Master presented an Affiliation Certificate from Mark Grand Lodge to Bro. Bill Campbell, a Scottish Mason who has joined the Lodge. He then presented Mark Benevolent Fund Collarettes to W.Bro. Les Ward and W.Bro. Terry Worrall.
The Provincial Grand Master commented that for the past 75 years the brethren have been very passionate about this Lodge, and he remembered many of the past members of the Lodge. He acknowledged that the Lodge had suffered some past trials and tribulations but with the brethren’s determination the Lodge was on the rise again.
At the Festive Board the Lodge presented a cheque to the Provincial Grand Master for the Mark Benevolent Fund and 2026 Festival. The Provincial Grand Master thanked the Lodge for this wonderful donation saying that it had been a super evening and it was good to be back. There had been great support from both the Lodge and the Provincial team.
