Chaplain Jumps; Claims Not Pushed

In August, the Rev. Andrew Davey, Past Assistant Grand Chaplain and Provincial Grand Chaplain for Hertfordshire, and for Norfolk, had a great downfall. He took off from Sibson airfield, was taken up to 13,500 feet, and then, strapped to an instructor, leapt out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft. He dropped in freefall to 6000 feet when his parachute was opened. The reason? His wife, Jackie, had given him the parachute jump for Christmas and he decided that if he were crazy enough to do it then he should raise money for charity. With sponsors, he raised £8,500 for various charities.

Comfortable in Carlisle

In a recent ceremony at Carlisle Cathedral, a cheque for £15,500 was presented to the Dean of Carlisle by the Mark Provincial Grand Master of Cumberland & Westmorland. This completes a total of £24,135 presented by the Mark Province and individual Mark lodges towards the Cathedral Millenium Chair Project to provide new oak chairs with rush seats. So much was raised that money will be available for a further project.

Essex Air Ambulance

The Master and Brethren of The Perfect Ashlar Lodge, together with their wives, visited the Essex Air Ambulance Centre at Boreham, near Chelmsford, where they had a tour of the facilities and saw a video of some recent operations undertaken by the ambulance. The helicopter ambulance costs £70,000 per month to run and is supported by charitable donations and funds raised by the public. The Master then presented the ambulance with a cheque for £1500 which Air Operations Manager, Bro. Lee Gillam, explained represented five people’s lives.
    Boreham served as an American air base during the Second World War and the original control tower is still used to control the operations of the Air Ambulance and the Essex Police Air Support Unit.

Support for Lifeboat

At the RNLI Headquarters, Poole, the Immediate Past Master of Old Cliftonian Lodge, James King, an RNLI Governor, Offshore member, and a keen yachtsman, presented a cheque for £1000 to David Brann, Fundraising and Marketing Director of the RNLI. Also present is the Master of Old Cliftonian Lodge, Roger Marjoribanks.

Canonbury Masonic Research Centre

The CMRC’s winter and spring 2002 public lecture programme at the Canonbury Tower, Islington, will be commencing in February. Lectures are held on the third Wednesday of each month, 7.00-9.00 pm.
20 February: Robert A. Gilbert, The Golden Dawn – A Revisionist View.
20 March: Dorothy Schumaker, Ecology and the Sacred. tbc.
17 April: The Rev. Neville Barker Cryer, The Philosopher’s Stone – The Search of Elias Ashmole.
22 May: Clive Hicks, The Green Man – The Foliate Figure of Folklore.
19 June: Prof. James Stevens Curl, Egyptomania – The Egyptian Revival, A Recurring Theme.
Contact Carole McGilvery, Manager, CMRC, on 020 7226 6256 or email mcgilvery@canonbury.ac.uk. Visit the website www.canonbury.ac.uk.

Centre for Research into Freemasonry
University of Sheffield

The Centre has produced a CD ROM edition of William Preston’s Illustrations of Masonry, one of the most influential descriptions of Freemasonry ever produced and a basic text for understanding the character and ideology of Freemasonry in the English-speaking world. Website www.shef.ac.uk/~crf

Quatuor Coronati Lodge Seminars

The Quatuor Coronati Lodge of Masonic Research, No.2076, is holding seminars of three linked sessions to help masons who might be interested in undertaking research into Freemasonry. Advice will be given on the use of library collections and original source documents, how to choose and investigate historical subjects, and how to present that research in papers or lectures. The first seminar, in November was massively over-subscribed; several more are planned. A second series begins on 8 April and a third on 9 September. Contact Co-ordinator, Yasha Beresiner, 020 8349 2207; email at yasha@compuserve.com

Masonic Exhibition in France

Rumours of a major masonic exhibition in France have been confirmed. The medieval castle in Tours, beside the Loire, in the heart of the famous `Châteaux’ country, will host the event from June 15th to September 8th. In partnership with the Association of Masonic Museums in Europe, the city of Tours is organising a display of over 400 items on the theme of "The Freemason in his Raiment of Light". Exhibits will include regalia and treasures from Grand Lodges and other collections all over the world.