Internet Lodge 9659 March 2024 - March 2025

Internet Lodge 9659 March 2024 - March 2025 Internet Lodge finished the year with 621 Members. 53 Brethren joined the Lodge and 30 resigned. Average attendance by members was 30, which is around 5% of our total membership. As usual, our Installation Meeting in the Manchester Masonic Hall had the highest attendance. We enjoyed two lectures in the year from Prestonian Lecturers past and present. There was a very successful visit to Corfu. We donated £2,000 to Charities. In May, there was a social trip to Corfu. Social Events In May there was a very happy set of social events on Corfu, organized by our WM. In Manchester, the ladies enjoyed fine dining in Greek and Cuban restaurants. In Oxford, there was a trip to the Ashmolian Museum and a Barbeque. In Rotherham we enjoyed a pre-meeting social evening and a white table banquet. Installation Meeting (Manchester) Having welcomed our APGM, W.Bro. John Curry and his entourage, the highlight of our 26th installation meeting was to see W.Bro Steve Gregory install his successor Bro. Dimitrios Papageorgiou. Steve Gregory delivered the address to the Master. Mike Silva delivered the address to the Wardens and Alan Turton delivered the address to the Brethren. 30 brethren resigned from our lodge which equates to 4% of the total membership. Thankfully there is a healthy number of applicants being processed. The APGM presented David Bazloff with his Grand Lodge Certificate. The social events lived up to expectations, as usual. The Brethren enjoyed an evening The Real Greek Restaurant before the meeting and another evening after the meeting at the Cuban Restaurant. Summer Meeting (Oxford) The August Meeting was held beautiful surroundings in Marsh Baldon, Oxford. The Lodge stood in respect of three Brethren who departed to the Grand Lodge above: Ioan Sherban Lupu, David Wood, and Naunton Liles, our Founding Organist. There was a ballot to admin 20 new members and Chris White presented UGLE certificates. After the business of the day was concluded, VWBro. Ric Berman, Prestonian Lecturer for 2024, delivered a lecture entitled “The Second Grand Lodge: The Grand Lodge of Ireland, the London Irish & Antients Freemasonry.” Autumn Meeting (Rotherham) We met in the dedicated Masonic Rooms in the Rotherham Golf Clubhouse. There was a ballot to admin 20 new members, and Chris White delivered a superb explanation of the UGLE certificate to some overseas brethren. Bro. Abdullah Umit Iris was declared Master Elect. Other offices were declared unopposed. After the business of the day was concluded, WBro. John Hawkins, Prestonian Lecturer 2022, presented his paper on ‘Freemasonry and the Royal Family’. He covered over 300 years of history accompanied by a set of colourful slides. Attendance Members Visitors Joiners Member Resignations Member Exclusions Manchester 39 27 10 29 0 Oxford 28 11 20 1 0 Rotherham 23 5 23 0 0