Fenwick Lodge No. 1389 celebrated the second half of the 150 th anniversary or sesquicentennial meetings at the Wearside Masonic Temple, Burdon Road, Sunderland on Friday 21 st October 2022.
The lodge was opened by Dr Ian Cubbin Worshipful Master, with approximately sixty Masons present.
The Assistant Provincial Grand Master, WBro Clinton Leeks, OBE, PSGD was welcomed into the lodge and took the Chair of King Solomon.
After fraternal salutations were given to Clinton, relinquished the chair and returned it to the Worshipful Master.
Ian stated that the lodge had been very privileged to have as their Visiting Support Officer, Bernard Hope who as Past Provincial Grand Orator had been great support to the lodge. He then invited Bernard to present a history of the lodge.
Bernard’s presentation was accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation of about 120 slides which ran behind him as he spoke.
He started by saying that the history of the lodge would not be lists of long dead Past Masters or extracts from dusty minutes but would record the lodge’s journey running alongside that of the city of Sunderland.
He covered the origin of the lodge’s name and its travels the latter part of the 19 th century, through the whole of the 20 th century into the present century linking the lodge with events such as the laying of Sunderland Museum’s foundation stone, the Victoria Hall Disaster, the coronations of various monarchs and even Sunderland Football club’s two successful cup final of 1937 and 1973.
He mentioned the loss of a Brother in the First World War and that the lodge lost no-one in the war that followed.
He also mentioned that the lodge although currently small had managed to gain a Platinum Award in the recent festival and that the lodge’s support for the Province was not just financial but that it had provided three Provincial Grand Secretaries, three Assistant Provincial Grand Masters and one Deputy Provincial Grand Master who had subsequently became Provincial Grand Master.
He brought the history up to date with the previous month’s special meeting at Beamish Masonic Hall at Beamish Museum.
To read full Lodge history Click Here:
Clinton then presented the lodge with their Festival Platinum Award.
The lodge was then closed and after photographs those present enjoyed a particularly satisfying meal at the Festive Board.
He concluded by saying that many present at the meeting might not see the 200 th anniversary, but he felt the lodge would still exist.
