MARCH 2013 LODGE ABERNETHY ROUND TOWER 1429

My name is Colin Hewlett, and once again this year, I am the Master of the Lodge in Abernethy. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the community members that supported our various fund raising activities last year, and hope to see you again this year. Unfortunately at the time of submitting this article, our diaries of events is not completed, but please keep a look out for our posters in the usual places in the village. Doctors Surgery, The Shop, On the Lodge door etc. Plans are in the making for possibly 2 donkey derby’s this year, (both with a different format), some quizzes, dance nights, and possibly a Magic night. All our events are great fun, open to all, and help us to raise funds so that we can continue to donate to charities, both local and national.

Also to let you know, the Lodge is available for hire, for the smaller parties, clubs and meetings, with or without the bar, at very reasonable rates. For further information I can be contacted on my mobile 07830 353496 or you can contact Dave Morris on 850533

OCTOBER 2014 LODGE ABERNETHY ROUND TOWER 1429

The organisation of the Lodge requires an annual election of office bearers.  Brother Roy Sutherland has been elected as the Right Worshipful Master for the ensuing year (2014 - 2015). The  Secretary is Bro. George Alexander ('phone number 07768 654557) and the Treasurer is Bro. Dave Morris ('phone number 01738 850533). These two members can be contacted for any discussion concerning the Lodge.

Unfortunately at the time of submitting this article, our diaries of events is not completed, but please keep a look out for our posters in the usual places in the village. Doctors Surgery, The Shop, On the Lodge door etc. All our events are great fun, open to all, and help us to raise funds so that we can continue to donate to charities, both local and national.

Also to let you know, the Lodge is available for hire, for the smaller parties, clubs and meetings, with or without the bar, at very reasonable rates.  

DECEMBER 2014 LODGE ABERNETHY ROUND TOWER 1429

50 YEARS IN FREEMASONRY

In November John Hutchison, Den Park, Abernethy was presented with a long service certificate for 50 years of dedicated service to Freemasonry.

John joined Lodge Abernethy 1429 in December 1964 under the watchful eye of the then Right Worshipful Master, Bill Steadman. John served in most of the offices in the Abernethy Lodge reaching the office of RWM in 1972 until 1974.

In 1997 John became Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master of Perthshire East. The Provincial Lodge for Perthshire East oversees the 18 lodges of East Perthshire.

The presentation was made by Ronnie Forbes the present RWPGM of Perthshire East.

THE MASONS   SEPTEMBER 2020

With regard to our last piece in the Crier, unfortunately all our events had to be cancelled due to COVID –19 this wasn’t just for us, sadly many other local events had to be cancelled, from business and club events, down to family and individual events, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, holidays etc. The COVID-19 virus has affected everyone, and still is. Rightfully the saying “We’re all in this together” has been and still is very paramount everywhere. As the pandemic took hold in the UK we took the decision to close our meetings early for our usual summer recess. Within a week, as the virus took hold, the Grand Lodge of Scotland sent out an instruction for all Lodges to close until further notice.

I missed out on one event above, that being bereavement. This is a very difficult time for anyone, at any other time, but just now, even more so, the rules have changed!  With access to loved ones limited, limits on numbers for gatherings, no church service, travel restrictions, lack of flowers etc. it is an extremely different and difficult experience. Our thoughts go out to all who have lost anyone at this time, and I personally fully sympathise with anyone who has, having done so myself. Lodge Abernethy Round Tower at the time of writing (29/07/20) has said farewell to three of its members.

William Steedman  – Joined in 1955 - Became Master of the Lodge in 1964
George Brown        – Joined in 1972
Jimmy Russell        – From Lodge Lindores in Newburgh – Was made an Honorary Life member of Abernethy Round Tower in 1997

Usually during our closed season, we would maybe do a bit of final planning on any events, and then have the  events, and most possibly do some maintenance work on the building itself. Nothing like this has been possible so far this year, and we have no idea yet as to when we can resume, but we seem to have been just as busy, mainly with correspondence re COVID-19.  The 640 Lodges in Scotland under The Grand Lodge of Scotland are grouped into Provinces, each Province having a Provincial Grand Lodge. These Provincial Lodges (made up from Masons in the province) then represent their Lodges at The Grand Lodge of Scotland. Our Lodge and 17 others are governed by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Perthshire East. Our Provincial Grand Lodge, immediately upon lockdown, looked to helping those in need in the province. Very quickly a source of visors meeting NHS spec was found in the area, and a price agreed. These visors were to be distributed to local nursing homes, hospices etc. within the Province. Lodges in the province were then asked if they would like to join our Provincial Lodge in their venture, by making a donation to them, to assist in the purchase of these visors. Abernethy Round Tower made an immediate sizeable donation towards the cost of the visors required, as did many of the other Lodges in the province, so much so, that the first ordered amount was able to be doubled. Over 1,000 visors were delivered to the 15 care homes in the province that required them, plus Upper Springlands, the District Nurses in Auchterarder and the Macmillan Nurses in Perth.

The Grand Lodge of Scotland opened up a media page at the beginning of lockdown for all its Lodges to be able to show what they had been doing during lockdown. These lodges were not just those in Scotland; Grand Lodge is the heart of many overseas lodges as well. This has turned out to be a great meeting point for Masons, and with many countries represented, has shown the effects of COVID-19. In the past week alone Masons from Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Botswana, East Africa, Far East, Fiji, Jamaica, Malawi, Middle East, North Island New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Western Province of the Cape of Good Hope and Zambia joined the group, telling stories, some with pictures, of their charity acts in their neighbourhoods during the pandemic. The monetary support alone, given by the Lodges on this page, value to date,  is £214,170.

Back to Scotland, and the Lodges here have been busy too, sourcing and delivering PPE of all types to every possible person they could find. Also money and produce to food banks. Masons have also volunteered their time in many ways to help out. I know of one, who was driving an ambulance in London for about a month. I don’t know if we will ever know the total amount donated by the individual Lodges and their brethren.

I looked to see if Abernethy Round Tower could assist anything local in the village. I had heard and seen the work that the Abernethy Angels were doing for locals. I contacted them, to see if we could help support them, and was thanked for the offer, but told they were well funded at that time. I was then told of some locals making face masks for anyone who required them in the village, and also how the Abernethy In Bloom members were trying their best, to add some colour to the village during these difficult times;  it was suggested that we supported these groups to help with the cost of materials or PPE that they required. Both recommendations were approved by the Lodge members. As these two recommendations were being considered by the members of our Lodge, the Grand Lodge of Scotland announced a COVID-19 funding scheme, whereby if any Lodge was making a COVID-19 based donation, it could be considered to be matched from the Grand Lodge fund. I put forward the details of the two donations we were making, and was pleased to tell both groups that our donation to them had been matched by Grand Lodge, thus doubling the donation amount to them. 70 projects throughout Scotland have benefitted by £103,394 under this scheme.

Can I please take this chance to thank all those who have helped out over the lockdown months, The Abernethy Angels, Members of Abernethy in Bloom, Sue Swan - who singly carried on the making of masks, and anyone else who “done their bit.”

Colin Hewlett RWM 1429

The Handover of funds from Lodge 1429 Abernethy Round Tower

Margaret Donaldson (AiB) - Dave Morris (Treasurer 1429) – Sue Swan (Masks) – Colin Hewlett (RWM 1429) Sonia Simmers (Chair AiB) – Ian Lamond (Secretary AiB)