Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire
Archived News

Archived News from Audenshaw District

 

Gurkha Welfare Trust

For 150 years, the Victoria Cross has recognised fearless acts of battlefield bravery. Cast from the metal of two cannons captured from the Russians at Sevastopol, the VC has been awarded 1355 times. Gurkha soldiers have been awarded 13 VC's and their British officers holding another 13.

Few regiments in the British Army are more synonymous with this bravery award than the Gurkhas. There is scarcely a theatre of war that these Nepalese soldiers have not served the British Army with distinction including the present conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But critically, they had not served the 15 years required to qualify for a military pension. While cloaked in glory, the Gurkhas faced a new battle – the battle to survive.

The Gurkha Welfare Trust (www.gwt.org.uk) plays a large part in redressing the problem. They, at present, help to support 10,500 ex-servicemen who would otherwise be destitute, and assist in providing financial, medical and community aid. Rifleman Singe Bura, now 83, travels for three days in all weathers and over very difficult terrain to collect his Welfare Trust Pension as do many others including widows etc.

 

Freemasonry has done its little bit to help with this anomaly by donating to the Trust through Lodges and by private donations. In the words of Professor Sir Ralph Turner, MC, during WW1: “Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had a country more faithful friends than you.” There are at present 4,000 Gurkhas serving in the British Army.

WBro Arthur J Knight


The Queens Truncheon was awarded to the 2nd Gookhas to mark the sacrifice and distinguished service at Delhi. It is a revered symbol to the Regiment. (Note - The spelling “Gookhas” is as used in the official magazine)

CHILDRENS HOME AND COMMUNITY CENTRE

Having heard about a project set up by a friend of mine in India, I thought it would be appropriate to ask my Lodge and Chapter to help. The development referred to was the Ajit Kaur Building Project.

Ajit Kaur, a social worker in London, had set about helping the poor children within the Punjab area. She was left an area of land by her father in a village called Patiala where lots of children within the community were suffering extreme hardship through poverty, homelessness or abandonment from their homes.

After a meeting with Mother Teresa, just before she passed away, and helping for a few days at the Mother Teresa Institute, Ajit felt she had to do something for these unfortunate children. It was then she set about the idea of a school, community rooms and temple of the Sikh religion. This she would instigate with her own money eventually achieving her dream.

The final outcome was realised with the completion of houses, communal showers, rooms, school rooms and a community hall for women who have nowhere to go who can meet likeminded women. The school now has three teachers.

On the opening day, people and schools from miles around came to the consecration and celebrated for three days. The respect shown to Ajit for her sterling efforts was plainly in view.

Ajit I feel, has become a pioneer in this field as the only woman within the Sikh religion to ever have attempted this feat. In England, her name has become well know in the Sikh domain. She herself has converted to Catholicism but still provides some aid towards the feeding, education and welfare of the children.

The Masons who assisted in a small way were the Brethren of Parnassus Lodge, the Companions of Ashton District Chapter of Installed First Principals and several private donations. A picture of the finished project can be seen above.

WBro Denis McGlone

The Order of St John for Lee

Lee Marsh, a Freemason in Audenshaw Lodge at Stanley House and Old Masonians West Lancashire Chapter, was invested as a Serving Brother of the Order for St. John, by The Lord Prior Sir Brian Jenkins at St. John's Gate on the 29th March 2007. The admittance and investiture is approved by and then conducted in the name of Her Majesty the Queen.

He lives in Warrington and has been a member of St John Ambulance for almost 13 years and has been a Trainer/ Assessor for First Aid to Ambulance Aid and Trainer Training. For a short while he was a full time trainer for St. John Ambulance - Greater Manchester.

Lee commented "One of my greatest achievements in St. John Ambulance has been as a Duty Manager for St. John Ambulance at Manchester United (he is a big Red's fan), a role I still occasionally part take in and still develop the regular duty management team there. This is probably out done by the Commonwealth Games held in 2002, where I was the senior duty manager, coordinating many of the St. John Ambulance first aid teams across most events throughout the city and personally Managing both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for St. John Ambulance".

Until recently he was the Deputy Area Commissioner for South East Area (Stockport and Tameside) for St. John Ambulance, but with starting his own business he did not wanting to let the organisation down and stood aside and now currently sits on a County Pool helping where he can. One such case is the forthcoming Genesis Concert in Manchester  in the Summer, where he is already involved in planning the event for St. John Ambulance.

He also stated to the local press, "It is a great privilege for me to have been invested into the important Royal Order of Chivalry. The Order of St. John helps so many people around the world, but the growth and development it gives to the members themselves, the support it gives to the eye hospital and the medical services of many African Countries. It is truly an amazing Order".

Lee does a lot of motorcycling, and rides throughout the year. He has found it a great way to travel to many different UK and European destinations, and finds it a great way to meet local people, and engage with them. “The Motorcycle is a great ice breaker” he says. Since he got into this great way of travelling he has also got into photography and with the age of digital cameras, has become a bit of a photo-holic.

He is the Head of Business Services for his own business, "Real World - Risk, Safety, Training & Projects" and formally the Risk and Continuity Manager for ICI Paints based in Altrincham and Slough .

 

Sponsoring The Under 12's

Earlier this year, Audenshaw District was contacted by Mr Andy Morton on behalf of a local Tameside under twelve's foot ball team for some form of financial help. Audenshaw followed up this request and put it on the agenda for the next Central Area No 1 Executive Meeting. It was unanimously agreed that we should support them.

A sponsorship arrangement was soon agreed and Andy ordered a set of team shirts which would have a logo showing the square and compasses and the wording “Tameside Freemasons” on the front. There was also a sum allotted to their building programme.

The team, F.C. Stanley; it used to be F.C. Accrington Stanley until circumstances forced a change, are in the Tameside Sunday Junior league and as we go to print are sitting 5 points clear at the top of the division. Their home venue is All Saints Catholic College in Dukinfield, where they play on Sunday Afternoons, and from now on will be proudly wearing their new shirts.

Andy, in conjunction with Richard Kromoliciki, are dedicated to the training of these young people and are very worthy recipients of any support the Freemasons of Tameside were able to give. The picture shows the captain of the team, Reece McLaughlin, and he is well chosen according to their manager for both his leadership and playing qualities. Who knows, in the future we may see his name among the greats of football and the pleasure in knowing we helped in some small way.

To the right is a close-up of the logo. We would like to think that the Province of East Lancashire is the first to have the Square & Compass logo on a football shirt.
It can equally be said that the Freemasons of Audenshaw, Ashton-under-Lyne and Mossley are just as proud.

Peter Bibby, Audenshaw

 

TENDER LOVING CARE PROJECT

 

After a two week stay in Intensive Care at Pendlebury Children's Hospital, Holly Cavanagh was very pleased to receive a Tender Loving Care Masonic Bear from Deputy District Chairman Harry Rogers. This was in October 2004, and was the first of many bears to be given to children arriving at the A & E unit of Tameside Hospital, continuing where Central Area No. 1, in conjunction with the Province of Cheshire, started the Tender Loving Care project.

Since then the project has gone from strength to strength. We are, at the moment, delivering the teddy bears to Tameside Hospital and Blackburn Hospital, where it was launched on 20th April 2006 and who are now working through their first 500 bears.

WBro Harry Rogers will be having talks with Pendlebury Hospital and Booth Hall Hospital, with a view to early approval and launch within Booth Hall Hospital. It is intended that eventually the whole of the A & E hospitals within the Province of East Lancashire will be participating in the TLC project.

The project is expected to last for at least 12 months at each hospital, with an option for continuation within the respective districts. There is another District very keen to take up the project, and there are also other Provinces taking it on board.

The project is funded by the purchase of a small lapel badge, at a cost of £2.00 each, with the image of ‘Mason Bear' and the initials TLC. This allows two (2) teddy bears to be purchased. A label is sewn onto the bear stating that it has been ‘DONATED BY LOCAL FREEMASONS'. The project is part of the ‘Freemasonry in the Community' scheme.

The photograph, taken at the old Blackburn A & E unit at the time the TLC bear project was launched, shows hospital staff and patients.

 

Heart Start Training

 

WBro Tom Corbally receives instruction from WBro Stephen Dunks,
a Paramedic with Tameside Health Authority.

Audenshaw had just become affiliated to the Heartstart UK initiative, and called the Audenshaw Masonic Heartstart, which is supported and coordinated by the British Heart Foundation.

The first “test run” for the training team was completed on 1 st April. The Audenshaw District Committee were the students who, having watched the Heartstart Training DVD, received practical instruction using medical mannequins to administer mouth to mouth resuscitation.

The team consisted of WBros David Williamson, Stephen Dunks and Roy Ellis. WBro Dunks is a Paramedic working for the Tameside Health Authority. The professionalism of the demonstration could not be faulted.

Shortly, courses will be held to train other teams to pass on the skills of delivering emergency treatment where prompt action from a bystander could mean the difference between life and death. Initially the District are looking to present the course to the Freemasons at Stanley House , Audenshaw, by bringing four or five lodges together for one meeting.

When we have completed this training, we will then be looking at running the course to the Adult Community in the area.

 

WBro Peter Bibby,
Communications Officer,
Audenshaw District.