Ladies Banquet

John and I were delighted to be guests at the Ladies Banquet of the Needlemakers Lodge on Saturday November 12. About twenty of the Livery Companies have their own Lodges and the current President, Stuart Selwyn, has visited them all during his year.

It was a very enjoyable and friendly evening – after all we knew most of the people there, as they were Liverymen and their guests. We were not only treated to dinner but also excellent musical entertainment.

Both John’s and my families have Masonic connections – my maternal grandfather and his father were both Masons, and indeed Masters of their respective Lodges although this is something that we never discussed – the work of the Freemasons is much more open these days which is a good thing.

Stuart spoke about the similarities between the aims of the Livery Company and of the Lodge – in our ethos and our actions, particularly in charitable support.

On a less serious note, I commented that it has always surprised me that Freemasonry is restricted to men. Women and freemasons have so much in common. We are a mystery to anyone that isn’t one of us; we are frequently misunderstood and much of our good work is done behind the scenes.

As it was a Ladies Night I ended with one of my favourite quotes – from Eleanor Roosevelt

“A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”