A few advance dates for your diaries:

4th December 2015 – SMSA Charity Shoot

Details can be found here

11th December 2015 – Shoot and meeting

To be held at Nutfield, expecting to shoot from 2:00pm finish by 4:00pm then moving to Nutfield centre for the meeting and dining

More details to follow shortly

8th February 2016 – Installation meeting

Our installation meeting has been moved to February but will still be in Surbiton

20th April 2016 – Shoot and meet

To be held at Bisley, expecting to shoot at the Mainstone Hill Shooting Ground on Pirbright Army Barracks from 2:00pm (meet from 1:00pm at Sit Perpetuum Temple, 1:30pm for a bacon buttie at the grounds), finishing at 4:00pm (must be off-site by 5:00pm). We will need to ensure the army have a list of all shooters details in advance, as they have more guns than we do I would suggest we comply!

This shoot will also allow non Shotgun Certificate Holders and novices to attend

Meeting to be held at the Sit Perpetuum Temple on Bisley ground itself (same location as last St George’s day shoot)

Dining will be at The Artists Rifle Club (again the same location as the 2015 St George’s Day shoot)

Full details to be published after our Installation Meeting

Having been appointed the official, specialist shotgun Lodge for Surrey Masons, Prince David Lodge launched the first event with a 50 bird shoot to precede the meeting in the Temple at Bisley on St Georges day. It could not have gone better!

In attendance were sixteen members and twenty six visitors including Jim Cook AProvGM, there just to enjoy a day’s shooting and Mike Neville who entertained and educated us with one of his excellent lectures which was followed by a team’s quiz competition to find out what we had learned and ensured we all paid attention!

The day commenced at 2.00pm with a group of experienced shooters competing in a 50 bird clay pigeon shoot while another group of interested novices were taken to a different location and given some useful instruction in the sport. Hopefully the latter will have enjoyed the their first experience and will go on to greater things. The competition, which included a former Olympic team member, was won by Nigel Foreman, congratulations.

Particular thanks should go to Bro. Paul Raywood for his organising of the event and hosting the newer shooters amongst us. Prince David Lodge is not just for experienced shooters, new shooters are always welcome at our events and it is a great way of finding out what shooting is all about if you have never tried it before.

At around 4.30pm we repaired to the Sit Perpetuum Temple (many thanks to their committee for allowing us to use their facilities and furniture) where the dress code allowed “smart shooting attire” in addition to the usual Masonic uniform. This leant a unique atmosphere to the meeting and worked well, some Brethren in full smart shooting attire (minus guns and dogs), some in normal Masonic dress and some who changed after the shoot.

There we welcomed two new joining members (one of whom won the shooting competition so just as well he joined), elected the Provincial Grand Master to Honorary Membership, approved our revised by laws and proposed another joining member. The lecture has already been mentioned but we also had the privilege of a delegation from Cherchefelle Lodge 6543 who passed on the Travelling Maul. This we will fill and deliver to another Lodge on its journey through the Province in support of the 2019 Festival.

The Festive Board was held at the Artists Rifles Club on the Bisley Shooting Grounds site and the catering standard was as good as any in Surrey. Thanks to Malcolm Clarke for organising the dining, an excellent job and a fine Festive Board.

Our next meeting will also include a shooting event concluding in the Temple at Godalming on 18th September, 2015. All are welcome either to compete or try their hand at clay pigeon shooting, those who have never even held a shotgun will be most welcome to come along and give it a go surrounded by Brethren and experienced instructors.

Full photo gallery available here.

Please check our web site at www.princedavidlodge.org.uk for details and any late changes.

It is so good to see Freemasonry making a difference. The Freemason’s Grand Charity has already donated £50,000 to the Red Cross to help with the Nepal Earthquake relief

http://www.freemasonrytoday.com/freemasonry-cares/the-grand-charity/nepal-earthquake-50k-donated-to-red-cross-by-the-freemasons-grand-charity

Having the Grand Charity be able to make a speedy donation, when the money is most needed, then have the Lodges be able to top it up as they can makes a lot of sense, and difference to those most afflicted

Prince David Lodge has been able to donate a sum to help this appeal

The details for the St. George’s day shoot and meeting are now available on the events page here

This is our first shoot followed by regular meeting so let’s ensure we have a fantastic afternoon and evening!

If you have ever wondered about the practical benefit of the Charitable funds raised by Freemasons in Surrey then watch the Panorama  programme “Can You Cure My Cancer?” tonight at 9pm

This programme highlights trials at the Royal Marsden and Institute of Cancer Research, which is supported by charitable donations from Freemasons (among others of course)

The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity has an interesting website which details a lot more about what they do

Just to inform you that the next meeting of Prince David Lodge (Shotgun Lodge) is Monday 9^th February at the Surbiton Masonic Centre

At the December meeting there were 5 joining members from the shooting fraternity. So far there has been one application received to join the lodge at the February meeting.

I know that this will take time to get joining members on board, but I would ask that all of you that have expressed an interest to join, to please fill out an application form, and forward on to the Secretary. This will then allow the secretary to coordinate those that would like to join, to come into the lodge over the next few meetings.

Going forward we will need the new members to fill various offices as some of the existing members would now like to sit back and let others take on the various lodge offices.

The lodge is still working on the Bye-Laws which should be in place soon.

As I have stated in previous communications, the lodge is looking for idea’s on how to shape the lodge for the future, so the more that join the more idea’s we will have even if some are non starters.

I think we have all sat in meetings at some time or other and thought if only we could do that, or not do that in the lodge or festive board, well we can shape the lodge to how the members think it should be run.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a lodge that has like minded people,  that moves around the Province, (Peripatetic)  and a lodge that will be very different to the rest.

So please try to come along and support the February Meeting.

Our next meeting after February, will be in April when we will then be moving out into the Province:

• The April meeting will be held on Thursday 23^rd April, St Georges Day, at Bisley.
• We will be having a 50 bird shoot first, followed by the meeting in Bisley, then dining at one of the clubs.
• This shoot will be organised by Bro Paul Rayward.
• Just to let you know that the dress code for the meeting will be morning or dark suite, or shooting attire.  

If you are interested in joining, but don’t shoot, we will be more than happy to help you learn to shoot.

If you are interested then please e-mail the secretary Ian Neve on secretary@princedavidlodge.217-154-61-197.plesk.page