Report by W Bro David Bailey PSGD, MetGInsp
On 21st May, Vicars Oak Lodge No 4822 held their second meeting of the year at the South East London Masonic Centre at Penge.
They had great pleasure in welcoming Metropolitan Grand Inspector, W Bro David Bailey PSGD on an Official visit.
The Lodge’s agenda was a ceremony of Raising. Several of the Lodge Officers delivered a lovely ceremony and raised Bro David Gilmore to a Master Mason.
Also in attendance was the Lodge Visiting Officer, W Bro Chris Jeffery SLGR who, apart from wanting to witness the ceremony of Raising, having previously witnessed Bro Gilmore’s Initiation and 2nd Degree ceremonies, had another reason for being in attendance.
Bro Chris’s Mother Lodge had met at Penge for many years and so he had a particular interest in the centre. Additionally, he had in the past been an active member of the St John Ambulance and was aware that a number of the brethren at Penge had completed first aid courses. With this in mind he realised that a vital piece of equipment, a defibrillator, was not available at the centre. This small device can literally be a life saver as, by using a defibrillator before an ambulance arrives, you can significantly increase someone’s chance of survival.
Bro Chris made enquiries as to how one could be obtained and at the meeting of Vicars Oak, he had great pleasure in both donating and presenting a defibrillator to the Master of the Lodge for him to accept on behalf of the South East London Masonic Centre.
This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 49 August 2022 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.
Read more articles in the Arena Issue 49 here.