On the evening of Remembrance Day, after hours of meticulous preparation, the For Valour evening hosted at the Hamworthy Club in Poole was a huge success.
With over 150 Brethren, their family and friends enjoying a meal and two superb talks on military history. One was given by Mark Simon Smith, Assistant Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex, military historian and television presenter. Another by Paul Evans of Maguncor Lodge, Metropolitan Grange Lodge, Army museums Ogilby Trust Director, and Special Projects Historian. Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of a cheque to Billy McCloud of Veterans in Action by Phil Conway of Dunckerley Lodge.
The Idea
For Valour was the brainchild of Dave Randall of Llewellin Lodge and the Goose and Gridiron and was expertly aided by Phil Purvis the Secretary of Llewellin Lodge. Both went far beyond what would be expected of two remarkably busy individuals from the Province of Dorset. The goal of this event was to raise funds for an outstanding charity, Service Dogs UK, who place trained rescue dogs with veterans who are suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
The Event
The evening was kicked-off with a brief introduction from the current Master of Llewellin Lodge; Peter Martin. He thanked everyone for attending and extended a warm welcome to our guest speakers. The Provincial Grand Master for and Most Excellent Grand Superintendent in and over Dorset, Graham Glazier then gave a moving and enthusiastic first-hand account of his interaction with Service Dogs UK and the importance of helping people with PTSD.
The first guest speaker was Paul Evans who gave an overview of his day-to-day life in and around military history which was both enlightening and humorous, resulting in a rousing round of applause. This was followed by Mark Simon Smith, who enthralled the guests with an in depth and fascinating overview of history of the Victoria Cross, how it came about, how it is awarded and amazingly how it has been awarded multiple times to a small number of individuals for their outstanding bravery.
The talk finished with Mark offering a Q&A session and the opportunity to see a Victoria Cross at close quarters. The evening was closed with final words from Peter Martin and a round of applause given to the event organisers and the guest speakers.
The Lodge
Llewellin Lodge is in the Province of Dorset and meets at The Amity Building in Market Close, Poole, Dorset. The Lodge having been originally sponsored by Dunkerley Lodge and was consecrated on 27 Jul 1963 by the then Provincial Grand Master, Kenneth. B. Clarke. Llewellin Lodge is named after Lord John Jestyn Llewellin, a resident of Upton House in Poole, until his death in 1957, and a Government War Minister during the Second World War.
The Goose and Gridiron Club is a new initiative in the Province of Dorset and is a club for Freemasons which promotes positive mental health, facilitates regular opportunities for our membership to improve well-being whilst at all times adhering to the true Masonic principles of integrity, friendship, respect and charity.
