I think it’s safe to say that everyone enjoyed the Kirkliston Maitland 482 Burns Supper. I have to admit to being a bit nervous about delivering my first ever ‘Toast To The Lassies’ but, if I felt any twinges of guilt about some of my rhyming remarks, these were quickly dispelled when Helen Yeoman gave her reply!!

When do I ever visit the Gyle, have a coffee in Costa, gibber in Facebook or tweet in Twitter!!

This was the first time we held this event in Kirkliston Bowling Club and in another first, Bro. Tom Gray, a Past Master of Lodge Polkemmet 927, gave the address to the haggis. Well done Tom.

The haggis was expertly piped in by our very own Bro. Stewart Robertson, who had earlier piped in the Top Table – and many thanks for such important contributions Stewart.

A big thanks also to Bro. Brian McNeill for The Immortal Memory. As well as being a Past Master of Lodge Scotia Regia 1345, Brian is also an Honorary Member of Lodge Kirkliston Maitland.

In my book, reciting Tam O’ Shanter, perhaps Rabbie’s most famous poem, takes some doing. But when you’re over 80 it’s even more remarkable!! But Bill Duff, another Past Master of 1345, proved you’re never too old and he delivered the famous prose with never a pause.

And in his usual style, Bro. Gordon Yeoman Past Master gave an excellent toast to our visitors. As Bro. Gordon said, we may be a small Lodge, but we do OK.

In what was a ‘condensed’ version of a Burns Supper, vocal contributions were delightfully added by Bro. Les Duff Past Master and by Sarah Yeoman – who is no stranger to 482 events.

As the official part of the evening came to an end, Les and Sarah switched to ‘modern’ mode and their singing was truly superb, well enjoyed by all present. Thanks again guys and a big personal thanks from me.

Of course, no masonic event would be complete without a raffle and there were 22 prizes in the draw. Thanks to everyone who handed in a prize and to Bro. Jimmy Stewart Past Master and Bro. Glen Brown for once again running the show.

The date of our Annual Installation is fast approaching and with this being the first meeting we’ll hold in Kirkliston Bowling Club, we’re working hard to get all our plans into place.

We took a step forward  yesterday when we collected our Lodge furniture which had been kept in storage by Bro. Ian Stewart since we sold our Temple in the village.

This has now been delivered to Kirkliston Bowling Club and it will be a good feeling to see all our own artefacts being  used again. Many thanks to Bro. Ian – and thanks also to the brethren who came along to help with the move.

On Monday we’ll be taking photographs for the Installation cards and with all the toasts and replies in place, we can arrange to get these printed.

In order to enhance the atmosphere,  we’re also trying to arrange some suitable Masonic graphics and we also hope to progress these in the coming week.

In the short term, we’ll need to borrow a carpet and sincere thanks to our friends at Lodge Kirknewton & Ratho for their help with this.

There’s no doubt that the move to Kirkliston Bowling Club will be ‘challenging’ but, with the brethren 100% behind the move, I’m sure we’ll soon be able to get things running smoothly.

Before then, there is our Burns Supper on January 27th – also at Kirkliston Bowling Club – and it’s great that the ladies will be joining us this year. Tickets sales are going well and I really hope the brethren of the Lodge will support this event.

In the meantime, there will be a good turnout of 482 brethren for the Installation of Bro. Hugh Paterson later today at Lodge Hopetoun St. John 1232.

Bro. Hugh is a member of Lodge Kirkliston Maitland, having joined in 1967 and he went on to affiliate to 1232 in 2000.

Bro. Peter Ritchie P.M. is one of the Installing Masters and I have the privilege of proposing the toast to the Lodge. I have to say, I have found the thought of this quite daunting and I really  hope it goes well!!

Looking back over the month, I have already attended two Installations; Bro. Kit Locke at Lodge Colinton & Currie and Bro. Tom Wood at Lodge Solomon.

Well, 2011 is all but over and we now look forward to what is sure to be a very exiting 2012!!

Looking back quickly to the last couple of weeks, our final meeting of the year went very well and was also well attended.

As they meet the same night us ourselves, it was particularly pleasing to see Bro. Douglas Hoy R.W.M. of Lodge St. John Fisherrow 112 at the meeting. They had no meeting that night and it was great that Bro. Douglas made the trip.

As mentioned in my previous post, I attended the installation of Bro. Tom Drummond at Lodge Roslin St. Clair 606 and the re-installation of Bro. Bob Potter as R.W.M. of Lodge Kirknewton and Ratho No. 85.

I once again wish both brethren all the very best during their terms of office and thank all the 482 brethren who joined me on these visits.

Looking forward, our first meeting of the year is on January 18th and this will be a 1st Degree. Before then we have a committee meeting on January 4th at Kirkliston Bowling Club.  The next night,  I’ll be attending Bro. Jim Burnett’s greetin’ meetin’ at Lodge St. Leonard Loanhead & Lasswade No. 580.

On Saturday 6th, I’ll be making the short trip to Lodge Colinton & Currie No. 1029 to see Bro. Kit Locke being re-installed into the Chair of King Solomon.

However, the biggest challenge will be getting everything organised for our move back to Kirkliston. The first meeting in our new home will be the Installation ceremony on February 11th (a week later than usual) and in making this decision, we have set ourselves a huge task.

The event in itself needs a fair bit of organisation, but in deciding to stage it in Kirkliston, we certainly have raised the stakes!!

However,  the unanimous support of the brethren has made this task much more ‘do-able’ and I’m certainly up for the challenge.

On the logistics side, we have to order a new carpet and the Lodge have given their permission to proceed with this, and also to acquire any other items we need.

We have already visited the club to consider how the Lodge might be set up and my sincere thanks to Bro. David Swan I.P.M, Bro. Gordon Yeoman P.M. and Bro. William Reddington P.M. for all their help with this.

Lots of ideas and suggestions were put forward and I really feel we made good progress during our visit. I’ll be ordering our new carpet as soon as possible and keep things on the move from there. We will need help from the brethren though and I’m sure we can rely on their support.

The festive holidays will hold as back for a few days but things will get moving again during the coming week.

I’ll keep everyone posted on how we’re progressing and if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, please let me know.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their help and support during 2011 and wish the brethren of 482 and their families – and indeed brethren everywhere – all the very best in 2012.

I have the feeling it will be an exciting experience!!

This past week was indeed an important one for the Lodge.

After a fairly long discussion at our ‘members only’ meeting, the brethren voted unanimously in favour of a move back to Kirkliston, with our meetings being held in Kirkliston Bowling Club.

There are a few details still to tidy up, but I’m confident these can be resolved and our plan is to make the move early in the New Year.

It’s fair to say that there will also be issues to resolve in the way we lay out the Lodge and work our degrees etc., but with the will of the brethren 100% behind the move, I’m equally confident we’ll be able to get everything running smoothly in a short space of time.

This certainly is an exiting time for 482, and it’s great that the Bowling Club are equally enthusiastic about the decision we have made.

In various individual conversations with members of Lodge St. John Corstorphine, they too wish us well in our decision to move back to the village. We all agree that, in order to welcome back existing members and to have the opportunity of attracting new candidates, it’s really the only way to go.

Hopefully, we can make further progress very soon.

The same meeting saw our nomination and election of Office Bearers for 2012 – 2013 and I’m delighted to have been elected for another year as R.W.M. My sincere thanks to all the brethren for putting their faith in me once again.

It’s an honour and a privilege to be R.W.M. of Lodge Kirkliston Maitland and I will continue to do my very best for the Lodge during my time in the Chair of King Solomon.

I would  like to congratulate all the brethren elected into office and look forward to us all working together for the benefit of 482.

Looking back, the Installation of Bro. Craig Gordon as R.W.M. of Lodge Dalhousie Bonnyrigg 720 for his 3rd successive year went very well indeed.

As could almost certainly be expected, it was a full house and it was also an excellent evening. As was the toast to 720, proposed by Bro. Gordon Yeoman P.M. Full marks to Bro. Gordon and all the best to Bro. Craig as he continues his term of office.

As we all know, the Installation season is in full swing and on Friday I attended the Installation of Bro. Ian Millar as R.W.M. of the Loretto Centenary Lodge 1373, which was held in the premises of No.10 in Dalkeith.

With Bro. Bill Reid P.P.G.M. as Installing Master, it certainly was an ‘Installation with a difference’!! An enjoyable – and memorable – experience!!

Bro. Ian is the Provincial Webmaster and I’d like to again wish him well in his term of office and I’m sure we’ll continue to see him as he visits Lodges throughout the Province.

On Saturday, it was off to Lodge St. John Fisherrow 112 where Bro. Douglas Hoy was again Installed as R.W.M.

With 90 brethren signing the book, it was busy indeed and, on the night, I was given the honour of representing the Reigning Masters of the Province.

As we meet the same night as 112, this is really the only opportunity anyone from 482 has to make the trip to Musselburgh and, for me, this made it extra special.

Again, all the best to Bro. Douglas and I look forward to seeing him on his regular visits around the Province.

This coming weekend, I’ll be at two more Installations, one within the Province and one outwith.

It begins on Friday when we continue our long relationship with Lodge Kirknewton & Ratho No. 85. Bro. Bob Potter is being Installed as R.W.M. for a second year and I’m sure there will be a few brethren from 482 in attendance.

On Saturday, it’s back to the Province of Midlothian for the Installation Ceremony at Roslin St. Clair 606.

Everything calms down a bit the following week. We have a meeting on the 21st and I hope to attend 720 the night before.

After that, there is a ‘festive shutdown’ of sorts until January 5th, which sees Bro. Jim Burnett’s greetin’ meetin’ at St. Leonard Loanhead & Lasswade No. 580 and the following Saturday sees the Installation at Lodge Colinton & Currie 1029.

That’s it for now, but I’ll be back.

It’s been a week or more of mixed emotions, with a series of ups and downs.

Looking back, there was a good turnout of brethren at the Armistice Day Service and parade and it was quite an experience to lay a wreath at the War Memorial in Kirkliston on behalf of the Lodge.

It also highlighted the number of Lodge members who attended the event but do not presently attend the Lodge.

The experienced eye of Bro. Bill Blain P.M. said there were about 20  Kirkliston Maitland brethren in that category.

We can only hope that, if our proposed move back to the village goes ahead, we can encourage them back.

I can only imagine the effect that would have on everyone at 482. Let’s hope we can make it happen.

On the down side, I was back at Kirkliston Parish Church for the funeral service of Mrs Helen Smith. Helen was the wife of Bro. Jimmy Smith P.M. and sincere sympathies again to Bro. Jimmy and all other family and friends.

Bro. Jimmy was RWM in 1973-74 and years around this time surely was a ‘golden era’ for the Lodge – and indeed for most Lodges.

I can clearly remember the Temple being full at almost every meeting. There was an official harmony after every 1st Degree and the monthly socials were indeed legendary!!

It would be difficult indeed to return to these times, but we can – and must – seek to encourage members back into the Lodge, to actively seek new members and to reach out to members of the craft who have perhaps moved into the village from outwith the area.

I really feel that moving back to Kirkliston will re-energize 482 and demonstrate that we are still ‘alive and kicking’!!

Sad to say, I’ll be attending another funeral service this Tuesday, this time for Tommy Thomson, father of our Bible Bearer Bro. Gordon Thomson. Our sincere sympathies go out to Bro. Gordon and all other family and friends. The funeral service takes place at Warriston Crematorium at 10.30am on Tuesday 6th.

On a more upbeat note, our joint Annual Ball with Lodge St. John Corstorphine went well. It would have been good to seen a few more in attendance but it was a great night, with a good meal and  an excellent band.

Thanks again to everyone who came along and to those who helped in any way, both before and during the event. Thanks also to the staff at Kirkliston Bowling Club.

This time of year sees the Masonic Installation season in full swing and I was sorry to have to miss Bro. Jamie Durrant’s Installation into the Chair of King Solomon at Lodge Gorebridge Dundas 1039. I’m sure Bro. Jamie will do a great job as RWM.

On the same note, I’ll be attending Bro. Craig Gordon’s Installation tonight at Lodge Dalhousie Bonnyrigg 720. This will be Bro. Craig’s third successive year as RWM. A mighty commitment indeed!!

Lodge Kirkliston Maitland will be well represented, as Bro. Gordon Yeoman P.M. is proposing the toast to the Lodge and I look forward to that.

Next Friday is Installation day the Loretto Centenary Lodge and on the Saturday it’s St. John Fisherrow 112. The weekend after shows the same momentum,  with Lodge Kirknewton & Ratho No. 85 on the Friday and Lodge Roslin St. Clair 606 on the Saturday.

After that, things calm down for a bit with our meeting on Wednesday 21st. We then have a ‘festive’ break until Lodge Colinton & Currie’s Installation on Saturday January 7th.

Getting back to the immediate future, our next meeting on Wednesday 7th is – as previously mentioned – for 482 members only. On the night, the Lodge will decide on our move back to Kirkliston and it will also be our nomination and election of Office Bearers for 2011-2012.

It will be very interesting to see what the evening brings!!

I’ve been a bit remiss ‘blog wise’ lately as it’s been longer than normal since my last post. With this in mind, it’s time to catch up.

Have been trying to visit other Lodges as often as possible and keeping a promise I made several months ago, I also travelled down to London for the Installation of Bro. Nick Millings as Worshipful Master of the Lodge of Freedom.

Me with Bro. Nick

Being part of the ‘Ostrea Lodge Visit’, Bro. Nick has been to 482 on many occasions and he also attends when we travel down to Colchester.

I travelled down to London on the Friday and Nick collected me at Kings Cross and drove me to my hotel. This was the first time I experienced London’s rush hour traffic and I was really glad not to be driving!!

Nick certainly made the Saturday a full Masonic event as he joined the Royal Arch in the morning, before being Installed into the Chair of King Solomon in the afternoon.

This made for a 9.30 start in the morning, travelling to Mark Masons Hall by car and tube. Then off by tube again to Freemasons Hall for the Installation.

And Nick was installed by his Dad Len, another regular ‘Ostrea Lodge’ visitor.

All in all it was a long – but very enjoyable day and I was completely overwhelmed by the warmth of the welcome I received, not to mention the generous hospitality.

All a bit different from how it’s done here in Scotland, but this makes it all the more interesting and I’m really glad to have made the trip.

On the subject of the Ostrea Lodge, plans are already well advanced for our trip down South in March next year. Hard to believe it’s come round so quickly!!

In terms of visits with the Province, the Installation season is upon us. Attended the Installation of Bro. Tom Hendry at Newbattle St. Mary 1063 and tonight (Saturday 12th) it’s off to the Thistle Lodge 270 in West Calder for Bro. David Topping’s Installation.

Of course, prior to the Installation ceremony, there are always the reigning master’s ‘greetin’ meetin’ and like all RWM’s, I will try to attend as many of these as possible.

With Janet, I also attended the annual Ladies Night at Lodge Dalhousie Bonnyrigg 720 where we had a really great time. This had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that I won five prizes in the tombola!!

Thanks to the RWM Bro. Craig Gordon and all the brethren of 720 for the warm welcome and generous hospitality.

On the same note, our Annual Ball will be held on Friday November 18th in Kirkliston Bowling Club. This will again be a joint event with Lodge St. John Corstorphine 788 and I look forward to another great night.

Tomorrow of course is a very important day when I’ll be attending the Armistice Day Service at Kirkliston Parish Church and, on behalf of the brethren of 482, will afterwards have the honour and privilege of laying a wreath at the War Memorial in the village.

But of course, in Lodge terms, the biggest event on the horizon is our proposed move back to Kirkliston – our ‘spiritual home’.

There has been a groundswell of desire within the Lodge for some time to make such a move and there is a proposal that we hold our meetings in Kirkliston Bowling Club.

There have been a couple of meetings with officials from the club and the proposal has been well received.

This of course will be a decision for the brethren of the Lodge to make and we plan to discuss this in full at our regular meeting on December 7th, when we will also nominate and elect our office bearers for 2012/2013.

With this in mind, there will be no visitors on the night.

That’s it for now – and it looks as though exciting times lie ahead!!

Masonic normality has now returned, with the second half of the season now more or less in full swing.

I was involved in a personal ‘masonic first’ when I took part in the installation ceremony which saw Bro. Norman Dall P.M. again installed into the Chair of King Solomon at the Celtic Lodge.

I was only a small cog in the wheel, with three Past Masters from 482 involved; Bro. Gordon Yeoman was Right Worshipful Installing Master, Bro. David Swan was Installing Senior Warden, I was installing Junior Warden and Bro. William Reddington Installing Inner Guard.

I really enjoyed taking part but when listening to Bro. Gordon ‘doing his stuff’, there surely is a lot to learn if you ever want to contemplate the role of Installing Master!! Something for the future – well maybe …….

The following Tuesday I visited Lodge Newbattle St. Mary 1063 for an excellent second degree and listening to their candidate answering all these questions always an amazes me!!

There was a also a deputation from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Midlothian and, after the degree, Bro. Brian Kerley R.W.P.G.M. presented the Lodge Treasurer, Bro. Jim Beveridge with his 50 year diploma.

The evening was also tinged with great sadness when we found out that the son-in-law of their Master Elect, Bro. Tom Hendry, had been tragically killed in a road accident  and sincere condolences again to all his family and friends on their sad loss.

I was more than a bit disappointed on having to miss the first Provincial Grand Committee meeting of the season but I was working and just couldn’t make it along. These meetings are an excellent way of keeping in touch with all that’s going on in the Province and a great opportunity to add your own thoughts and opinions to any discussion!!

On the Friday of that week, Janet and I attended the 250th Anniversary Ball of Lodge Kirknewton and Ratho No. 85 held at the Hilcroft Hotel in Whitburn.

It was a really enjoyable night and Kirkliston Maitland were well represented, a demonstration that our long relationship with the Lodge is still alive and well.

This past week, I had intended to take in a Lodge visit on Tuesday but, as our usual Monday rehearsal night wasn’t possible, we had to put this off until Tuesday.

Wednesday was a big night for 482 as it was our annual Provincial visit and this year the reporting officer was Right Worshipful Past Provincial Grand Master, Bro. Bill Reid.

And it was great – although a bit daunting – to see Bro. Bill at the head of a deputation of around 28 members of Provincial.

For the 12 months in question, I had been secretary, Bro. David Swan the RWM and Bro. William Reddington P.M. the Lodge Treasurer.

Pleased to say the report was most favourable and I would like to again express my thanks to Bro. Bill again for his kind words about Lodge Kirkliston Maitland.

I should add that we worked a 1st Degree on the night which also went very well and my thanks again to all the Office Bearers for their help, especially those who stood in at the last minute – including Bro. Stewart Robertson I.G. who made another appearance as our candidate!!

And on the night, it was great to be able to present the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, Bro. Brian Kerley, with a cheque for £1600 in aid of the CCLASP Appeal. Most of the cash was raised at our ‘Stars In Your Eyes’ night, with additional donations from the Lodge and from the Danish brethren during their visit to 482.

The next night I visited The Portobello Lodge 226 on what was also their Provincial visit – and was able this time to just sit back and relax!! Well done to Bro. William Wilson and his team on an excellent 2nd degree.

Looking ahead to next week, I’ll be at Roslin on Monday for the Provincial Quarterly Communication and I’ll have to miss out a visit on Tuesday as I’m working. I’ll be out at a Lodge in the Province on Wednesday and on Thursday we’re taking a deputation to Lodge St. John Corstorphine 788 on what is their first meeting of the season.

I can’t finish without yet another comment on social networking. The number of brethren on facebook still seems to be growing and it will be interesting to see how this develops over the coming months.

You can of course follow 482 using the ‘Blogroll’ links in the right hand column.

The visit by 26 brethren from the ‘The Golden Chain’ Lodge in Denmark lived up to all our expectations and proved to be a truly memorable occasion.

Adding in the 482 brethren and all our other visitors, the Lodge was packed almost to capacity and I think I’m safe in saying a good night was had by all.

We were also delighted to receive a deputation from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Midlothian, headed by the Right Worshipful Depute Provincial Grand Master, Bro. Tom Smith.

The Master Mason degree went really well and thanks again to Bro. George Veal from St. John Corstorphine 788 for standing in as our candidate.

And my thanks is extended to all our visitors,  who joined us from both inside and outside the Province.

The meeting was followed by a semi-official harmony during which the  Immediate Past Master of the Golden Chain Lodge, Bro. Jan Beck Eriksson, presented us with an engraved mirror as a momento of the occasion.

The Golden Chain Lodge is very young, being formed in January 2010 as merger of two older Lodges. One of the reasons for their visit to Scotland was to seek inspiration and I hope, in some small way, we were able to help them.

It was very unfortunate that the Worhipful Master of the Lodge, Bro. Eric Roding had been unable to make the trip as he is quite unwell and having to attend hospital on a regular basis. We wish him well and hope he is able to make a recovery back to full health.

Bro. Gordon Yeoman P.M. and myself met our Danish friends earlier in the day when we visited them at their hotel.

They were as pleased to see us as we were to see them and it was good to make early contact. It was also a mighty relief to find that their English was somewhat better than our Danish!!!

I would again like to record my thanks to all the Office Bearers for doing such a great job and also to thank the brethren for their contribution during the harmony.

Everyone just seems to know what has to be done and, as R.W.M., I assure you this kind of help and support is greatly appreciated.

Well, our ‘Stars In Your Eyes’ fundraiser for CCLASP lived up to the hype!! It was a fabulous night and a good time was had by all.

Although the final amount raised has still to be finalised, it seems we’ve realised around £1100 –  a truly amazing achievement.

My thanks go to everyone who attended – and to those who contributed  to the event  - and a big thanks also to all the artistes who gave so freely of their time.

And let’s not forget Bro. Les Duff P.M. who put all the acts together. Well done Les!!

Thanks also to the staff at Kirkliston Bowling Club for doing such a good job.

Kirkliston Maitland may not be a big Lodge but, when it comes to events like this, I think we really do a great job!!

Of course, the Masonic season is just about in full swing again. We had our AGM on September 7th and got through lots of important items.

This being the AGM, treasurer Bro. William Reddington presented our annual accounts and thanks to Bro. William, not only for his work in preparing the figures, but for all his time and effort over the whole year.

I attended a few meetings over the summer recess, the most memorable being the 250th re-dedication ceremony at Lodge Kirknewton & Ratho No. 85.

This is a milestone occasion for any Lodge and it was great to see so many 482 brethren present. It was an honour and a privilege for me to reply to the visitors toast.

Kirkliston Maitland have a long-standing relationship with No. 85 and I’m sure it can only go from strength to strength.

Looking forward to our next meeting. This is a 3rd Degree and included in our visitors will be 30 brethren from Denmark.

We’ll be working a 3rd Degree and will tyle the Lodge at 7pm.

Some would be a bit surprised if I didn’t mention social networking in this my first post of the new season.

Over the recess, there has been a kind of ‘mini explosion’ of masonic activity on Facebook and it will be interesting to see how this develops over the coming months.

You can follow 482 using the links in the ‘Blogroll’ column on the right.

Well, I think that’s it for now so, until the next time …..

I was delighted to hear from our secretary Bro. Gordon Yeoman P.M. that all 120 tickets for our ‘Stars In Your Eyes’ social night on September 9th had been sold.

At a time of economic turmoil  this is fantastic news – and shows that most people still want to do what they can to help others.

We now look forward to raising even more cash for CCLASP and – at the same time – enjoy a great night’s entertainment!!

There is a waiting list for tickets so if you’d like to apply for any that may become available, please get in touch with the secretary. Bro. Gordon’s contact details are on the Lodge website.

The event, which is being held at Kirkliston Bowling Club, takes place a couple of days after our first meeting of the new season on 7th September.

This is our AGM and I hope to see as many members present as possible as Treasurer, Bro. William Reddington P.M., presents the Lodge Annual accounts.

Before then, this coming Saturday, I’ll be at the 250th re-dedication ceremony at Lodge Kirknewton & Ratho No. 85. Really looking forward to attending such a milestone event.