20th November 2015 - Light a Candle ...

Thought for the day: "Let the chickens out and watched as they followed my trail of corn up the path.. it was Poultry in Motion !!!"

Part of a busy week, four installations and a committee meeting. My waistline is beginning to suffer!
But today was a trip to Fishguard, and luckily, though it was my turn to drive, a colleague decided to make me an offer I could not refuse. Which was just as well as there was quite a lot of wine on the table, and we had bought  a bottle before we realised that some would be coming around.

But once again, the Ruling Masters from West Wales Province came out in force. Eleven of us travelled from all over the Province to help celebrate the installation of an old friend TBD "Dai" Rees into the Chair of his mother Lodge. Just 48 years after his initiation in that Lodge.

To be fair, as a serving Police Officer he moved around a lot, as did I, so he is a Past Master, of other lodges but in the end he became a rejoining member of his Mother Lodge and finally managed to take the step into the Chair, in a fine ceremony which was filled with emotion.

 

11 Rulers in the Craft - West Wales Province

Kemes Lodge No 3152

And at the Festive Board, at about the time when we would normally be thinking of Absent Brethren, a unique little ceremony was re-enacted using a fine piece of Silver Hardware - the Kemes Candlestick..   It is pure Silver, weighs a ton, and is a fine piece of table-ware.

The Candles are lit in Order - by the senior Past Master to represent the Past - the Immediate Past Master to represent the Immediate Past..   The Master to represent the present.. and the most junior officer to represent the future... It is named after one of the first secretary's of the Lodge. It seems that in the early days of the lodge, longevity was the name of the game for the secretaries.  There were only 4 secretaries in the first 100 years. The one that the candlestick was named after apparently served for over forty years ..As with many secretary's he ruled the lodge and in his case it became an appropriate acronym - for he was known as GOD - W Bro G O Davies. And the candlestick was presented by him as I understand as a Gift from G.O.D.

All in all - a good night for all ...