The Provincial Grand Master Stuart Hadler was at the regular meeting of Royal Albert Edward Lodge No 906 in Bath last night not only to witness an excellent initiation ceremony carried out by the Master, Roy Short and his team but also to present V.W.Bro Denis Calderly, PGSwd Bearer, Past Grand Superintendent in and over the Province of Somerset, with a certificate celebrating his 50 years in Masonry.
It was fifty years to the day, the 4th December 1963 that Denis was initiated into the Royal Albert Edward Lodge. The Provincial Grand Master gave the brethren a potted history of Denis’s life and work and of course his considerable Masonic CV! Denis had moved to Bath after qualifying as a teacher with his wife Muriel, also a teacher in 1960. Denis soon became involved in the local community and joined Royal Albert Edward in 1963 becoming Master in 1975, for eight of the twelve intervening years he was Lodge organist. Denis was also Master of Somerset Masters Lodge No 3746 in 1996 and again became Master of 906 in 2011 and 2012! He has also been the organist of Somerset Masters for many years in addition to playing for many other Lodges on an ad hoc basis.
In the Royal Arch he was exalted in to Royal Cumberland Chapter No 41 in 1966 and was MEZ in 1988 he was MEZ of Somerset First Principals Chapter No 3746 in 2004. Denis was appointed Grand Superintendent in and over the Province of Somerset in 1998 and held that position for 10 years. Denis has made other Masonic achievements and is well known in Somerset and beyond in both the Craft and Holy Royal Arch. The PGM concluded by telling the brethren that Denis had been Provincial Organist in 1979 and 1980 and he was delighted that he had accepted his invitation to take that post again in 2014.
In response Denis thanked the PGM for presenting his certificate he said “Provincial Grand Master you have certainly spent a great deal of time researching and I was quite surprised with what you had been able to find out! Particularly the dates when I was organist and choirmaster at St. Mary’s, Saltford, the window Muriel and I had renovated in the chancel there at the time of our Golden Wedding and our association with the Keynsham Hospital League of Friends. Freemasonry has been, and will continue to be important to me and I couldn’t have become so involved without Muriel’s support. I consider myself very fortunate.”
The presentation and response concluded with much applause for Denis from his many Masonic friends who had come to celebrate his 50th Anniversary.
