Versa: Issue Six

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The Lodge met for its first meeting of the year on
Saturday 11th January 2020 at Ashwell House with
the Master in the Chair. Being the January meeting,
it was a ‘meridian’ meeting, i.e. it was held in the morning
followed by luncheon.
After tea, coffee and biscuits had been served, the Lodge was
opened by the Master at 10.30am. Following the opening,
members of the Lodge stood for a short while in memory of
past members who had recently died in 2019: John Hider, Ian
Grant and a regular visitor, David Goode. The main business
of the meeting was a Second Degree ceremony, conducted by
the Master in an impeccable manner.
The Almoner then gave his report on the health and wellbeing
of members and their families. Andrew Denney’s father,
Richard Denney (Master in 2014) was unable to attend the
meeting, having been diagnosed with prostate cancer some
thirteen years previously. As this had been a late diagnosis,
Richard has become a very vocal advocate of annual PSA
tests for men. During his illness, Richard has taken part in
six clinical trials at Mount Vernon and has been told that
the results of the trials have proved invaluable in providing
essential information and advancing treatments.
On 17th March, The United Grand Lodge of England issued
the following statement from The Grand Master, HRH The
Duke of Kent:
In view of the latest Government advice on the coronavirus
pandemic, all Lodge and Chapter meetings within England
“This morning at about 11 o'clock. My
dad finally finished his 13 year battle
with cancer. He was my childhood hero,
my best friend and mentor, my biggest
fan and most honest critic.
He was a woodsman, he taught me all
the names of all the trees of the forest,
all the birds and all the animals and how
to catch and prepare them, and which
plants to forage...
He taught me how to make fists out
of my little hands to protect myself
and how to shake another's hand in
friendship. He taught me how to make
a longbow, how to shoot, when to plant
which seeds and how to nurse a sick
apple tree.
He taught me right from wrong. He
passed to me his sense of duty, his pride
and his compassion for living things.
OA LODGE
He read Tolkien and Kipling to me
before I could read a word...
He told me faery stories... with ACTUAL
faeries in them passed down through
generations from old England... and
stories of old battles with noble morals,
to put fire in your blood and justice in
your heart.
He himself had been a legend, an
unbeaten amateur boxer, a rugby player
who broke his neck (in two places),
survived, defied the odds and WALKED
out of Stoke Mandeville hospital
when the doctors had told him it was
impossible.
He was a committed Freemason, and
easily the best ritualist I have ever
heard... with a sharp mind, consistently
word perfect delivery and always
imparted with the same emotive charge.
and Wales are suspended for a period of four months with
immediate effect.
This is the first time in three hundred years that such a
suspension has been put in place, other than a short period
of some three weeks at the commencement of the Second
World War.
The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) is still
functioning, albeit operated from homes: a wide-range
of help and support is available for Freemasons and their
families with financial, health, family or care-related needs.
If Freemasons have found themselves with an unexpected
loss of income – whether self-employed, an employee,
or are simply struggling to collect a pension – the MCF
can provide support to cover daily living costs, helping to
make ends meet. If a Freemason is struggling to pay rent,
mortgage or utility bills and is facing eviction or arrears, the
MCF can provide emergency one-off grants to help keep a
roof over their head.
Among other initiatives more locally, utilising the kitchens at
Halsey Masonic Hall in Cheshunt, a takeaway meal service
commenced on 6th April for members who live within a five
mile radius of the Hall, and are in need of support because of
their age or health.
On 22nd March the brethren of the Lodge learnt of the sad
death of Richard Denney after his long battle against prostate
cancer. His son Andrew shared a moving tribute to Richard on
his Facebook page which he is happy to see in print below:
He could sing, and like my grandad
loved music... Andrea Bocelli was his
favourite. He could fight, at the age of
55, dropping a bully twenty years his
junior and a foot taller than him.
He loved his family, his many friends,
his country, his garden, his dogs, his
stamps.
Never once did he suffer a fool.
A mischievous sense of humour and a
generous heart. The best red wine and
rudest shaped parsnips in Hertfordshire.
A hole that cannot be filled in my heart.
You go back to your beloved Sky Father
and Earth Mother...
To grow strong again... Like your
beloved oaks. Live again, grow strong,
soar high and play in the thermals like
the red kites we watched together.”
LUCY HILTON (OA 2019)
SIBLING SPORTING
Achievements
The Hilton sisters are part of several recent leavers who have progressed their lacrosse
careers since leaving School. Playing in both mixed and women’s teams at Oxford and
Cambridge, they both reached the 104th Annual Varsity match.
Here’s how they got on...
Lucy Hilton (OA 2019)
During my Sixth Form at St
Albans School, I was a part
of the lacrosse team and this
brought back the passion for
the sport which I lost during
my GCSE years. Although
we could only play together
for two terms, the 2019
National Schools Tournament
showed how well the team
played together. Currently,
I am studying Geography at
the University of Cambridge
and I play lacrosse for the
Fitzwilliam College and the University Mixed team. This year
I have played for the Blues team for both the league games
and Varsity - I have now been made captain for the College
team for next season.
We are currently in the College Division Two, however we
have been the underdogs in the league, starting off at the
bottom of Division Three at the start of the year! The college
matches are a lot of fun because they are very casual and
typically involve the two teams meeting up on a Saturday
morning on one of the green spaces in Cambridge and
sticking two lacrosse sticks in the ground to make a goal!
College lacrosse has a diverse range of players with some
playing for the University, but the majority have either never
played before or only played when they were younger.
The University Mixed Blues team involves five training
sessions a week and matches on a Sunday. Having lacrosse
at university has given me structure to my day and helped
me with time management for my work due to the intense
training hours. We have won all of our games, bar one and we
won the semi-finals of the league playoffs against Warwick.
Due to the current situation of COVID-19 it is unlikely we
will be able to play against Nottingham in the finals, however
in the league we were leading by three goals. Furthermore,
we won the 104th Annual Varsity Lacrosse match against
Oxford Mixed teams 10-6, for the seventh consecutive year!
Hopefully next year we can continue this winning streak.
Olivia Hilton (OA 2018)
Playing lacrosse at University
has enhanced my student
experience in so many ways.
Having training four times a
week, as well as a match which
most of the time constitutes
a whole day traveling to and
from a distant university,
forces you to become an expert
in managing your time well!
Balancing this on top of a large
workload, a social life and
other commitments definitely
adds to the fast-paced
environment of University
which I love.
I am now going into my third year of studying biochemistry
at Oxford and playing lacrosse for the Women’s 2nd team.
Initially I was apprehensive of playing next year, since my
course is renowned for being particularly heavy in content in
the third year. However, after consideration of what my life
would be like without sport, there was no doubt in my mind
that I would be turning up to the trials in October 2020; I
even put myself forward for welfare secretary next year!
The best part about playing a team sport at university is
definitely all the amazing friends you meet and fun memories
you build during your time playing. Aside from the weekly
socials, I have found that going to training can be a refreshing
break from what can sometimes be quite an intense
environment. I can certainly say that I have met some of my
closest friends playing lacrosse, going through weekly wins
and losses with them. Beating Cambridge Women’s team at
the 104th Lacrosse Varsity this year was surely a highlight,
however unfortunately, I cannot say the same for having to
drive the mini-bus to and from away matches!
OLIVIA HILTON (OA 2018)