New almoner for Broadwater Lodge

It is all change at Fleetwood’s Broadwater Lodge No 9027 in the almoner’s department

Edwin wishes Damon well and welcomes Randal to the care team.

as Damon Tait, who has held the post for over 10 years, has officially handed over his duties to his successor Randal Boyd. To mark the occasion Local Care Officer Edwin Fisher and some of Broadwater’s lodge widows looked in for afternoon tea with Damon and his wife Alison and to meet the new almoner and his family, wife Tania and their daughters Samantha and Rebekah.

Amongst the visiting ladies was Damon’s mother Edna, whose husband Bill was one of the lodge’s founders. Also taking tea – and some of Alison’s delicious home made cake was Alice Nelson whose husband Eric was a long standing member of Broadwater Lodge and Joan Lawrence whose husband Raymond was the lodge’s assistant secretary for many years. Marillyn Prince, whose husband Peter had joined Masonry in South Africa, has the distinction of being ‘adopted’ by Broadwater. Marillyn had tales to tell about a fancy dress sponsored walk she had just completed for St Peter’s Church, Fleetwood, which had seen her and her fellow walkers raise over £600 on a trek between Cleveleys and Fleetwood.

Damon after handing over the reins as almoner to Randal is very much looking forward to another challenge in the North Fylde Group as he has been appointed as group mentor along with fellow ‘Fleetwoodite’ Jim Gregson. Damon is also looking forward to the lodge’s installation in September and to a reunion with his brother Rowand who is a PJGD in Queensland, Australia. Damon’s brother is making the trip especially to see Damon in action at the installation.

Pictured from left to right, are: Tania and Randal Boyd and Alison and Damon Tait.

Also very much in the thick of the action in September will be Randal who is Broadwater’s senior warden. Randal who is involved in the entertainment industry – mainly behind the scenes in sound and lighting and only occasionally ‘out front’ he says, has proposed some of his fellow entertainers into Masonry, is also looking forward to his new role and to carrying on building on the groundwork Damon has laid.

Edwin Fisher was full of praise for what Damon has done as lodge almoner over the years: “conscientiously and methodically looking after the brethren and their families” and said he had been a stalwart member of the care team. He wished Damon and Randal well in their new roles.