Page 12 - Keystone Summer 2018 Issue 1

Fidelity & Unanimity Lodge

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They say that strange things can happen on Friday the 13 and they most certainly did at
Fidelity and Unanimity RAM Lodge at their Installation meeting in April.

The night started as normal, Lodge opened, PGM welcomed, Lodge business attended too.
Then came item 8 on the agenda, the presentation of The Traveling Ark from The William Long
Lodge of RAM 191 to Fidelity and Unanimity.

No sooner had The Worshipful Commander WBro Kieran Hughes requested that the DC
present the Worshipful Commander of William Long WBro Vernon Harding to him, than WBro
Trevor Cooper, Directional Controller, stood up and called for the Brethren of William Long to “
Don Headdress”. With that they all reached into their inside pockets and produced suitable “ Ark
Mariner “ headwear, much to the amusement of the Lodge. Each Brothers name was on the
headdress with a suitable statement, S John Smiths was “I’m only here for the beer “.
So the receiving Worshipful Commander, would not feel out of place a cap was presented to
him, then the PGM was handed one with ‘
Admiral of The Fleet ‘ printed on it. A
delegation of 13 members attended from
191 with just under 50 at the meeting.
So after the handover, back to the
agenda.
WBro Kieran Hughes installed WBro Gary
Hughes as our new Worshipful
Commander and he in turn appointed his
officers. It was a bit of “mark time “ for
most officers this year as Bro Rod Green
who has been our Scribe for 4yrs moved
to Senior Warden to complete his year as
a Warden prior to hopefully taking the
Chair next year.
At the festive board WBro Vernon, during his response to the visitors toast admitted that it was
his idea for the headdress which went down very well and created a very relaxed atmosphere all
round. He even told us of the course he had plotted, getting from Burnham to Taunton. Casting
off from Burnham into Bridgwater Bay, turning to port up the river Parrot to join the river Tone
then sailing into Taunton. He had also correctly spotted that a tributary off the Tone was Sherford
Stream which terminates in Vivary Park just behind the Masonic Hall. No one had the heart to
tell him that you would be hard pressed to get a canoe up the stream even in a flood, let alone
The Ark. Never mind a wonderful piece of nautical navigation. There might be a job in the
Hydrographic Department for Vernon if he wants it.
A wonderful night all round, for our new Worshipful Commander and the Lodge, and we thank
191 for their unusual take on The Traveling Ark. We asked how we could top that when we take
the Ark to Exmoor RAM Lodge in June, and the answer from The Admiral was, you don’t, it was
a one off.
Aye Aye Sir.

Summer Issue 2018 Page12