Chris Owen Receives His 50th Anniversary Certificate

30th June 2024. A sunny day for a trip to the seaside! Mark Eastaugh WM of Estune Lodge, 6817, Stewart Galway, Master-elect, and Terry Ransome, Secretary, travelled to Teignmouth, Devon.

There they met with Country Member of Estune, Chris Owen, and his wife June for a very pleasant task – to present to Chris a 50th anniversary Veteran’s Certificate and badge on behalf of Estune Lodge, and Freemasons across Somerset and Bristol.

Bro Chris joined Freemasonry with his initiation on 3rd January 1974 into Beaufort Lodge, L103, in the Province of Bristol. He was proposed by his father Henry Owen with whom at the time he was running a newsagents’ shop in Hartcliffe, Bristol.

The following year, both Harry and Chris joined Estune Lodge in Nailsea. On 18th February a ballot was taken and recorded in the Minute Book. They were admitted and welcomed that evening by the WM of Estune, Hubert Douglas Warren. Chris remained a member of Beaufort Lodge until 1979.

Hubert – or Bert – was none other than Chris’ father-in-law. He had been initiated into Estune on 17th March 1964, and installed as WM in September 1974.

A special ‘side note’ here is that Estune Lodge is a great, great, great granddaughter lodge of Beaufort Lodge!

Mark, Stewart and Terry were welcomed at Chris and June’s retirement home, into which they had moved just a few weeks earlier, with a splendid spread of sandwiches and cakes. That was not surprising perhaps as they had moved to Devon many years ago to become caterers to five – yes five – Masonic Halls in the area, and they certainly had some tales to tell! They had begun to ‘wind down’ the business, Phoenix Catering, when the Covid pandemic struck in 2020.

Along with the 50th Anniversary certificate, W.Bro Mark presented Chris with a copy of the latest Estune History booklet, recently revised and expanded for the 75th Anniversary of Estune, celebrated in May 2024.

And Chris was fascinated to see his welcome into Estune recorded in the Admissions Register and the Minute Books, brought along especially by Secretary Terry.