Such is the increasing interest among OWs in masonry that, for the first time since the 1960s, it was necessary to raise two brethren at the same time to the sublime degree of a master mason.
The WM, W. Bro. Jeremy Moss was generous in his approach to his year in the Chair of King Solomon and extended invitations to other brethren to complete the ceremonies. In a remarkable presentation W. Bro. Hew Dunn and W. Bro. Stephen Dudley elevated those present with their authority and command. The exposition of the tracing board, given by a Past-Master, was word perfect to an extent rarely heard in lodges and delivered at a pace that made the fine words both understandable and enjoyable in their reception.
Marking a return to the Kingsway Hall the brethren dined in some splendour with a wise choice of menu. The lodge has a rule that speeches at the festive board are generally frowned upon, a rule that goes back some 95+ years to a period before the First World War. But on a few occasions, a very few, exceptions are made. Such was the case when W. Bro. Hawley rose to record the Masonic career of Bro. Count Charles Goblet d’Alviella and his hopes for his future in the craft.