This years annual trip to Lake Como, Italy, organised by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master and Master of the Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge No.154, V.W.Bro. Rodney Charles Bignell and his Lady, Jean was once again a roaring success.

Taking afternoon flights on the 20th the group of 51 attendees arrived at the stunning Grand Hotel Excelsior, Cadenabbia (also known as the Hotel Britannia Excelsior, Lake Como) the hotel website can be found here…. Hotel Britannia Excelsior and is pictured above.

Arriving in the evening provided just enough time to check-in, quickly unpack and then enjoy a stunning dinner by the lakeside and a chance for all of the attendees to get to know each other.

Thursday saw a number of the group taking an excursion to visit a local vineyard and wine producer for a visit to the vines, a tour of the winery and a tasting session as well as a very nice lunch.  Others simply enjoyed the beautiful scenery, went shopping in nearby Bellagio or a hike to the quaint local Chapel of San Martino located in the hillside behind the hotel.On the Thursday evening the attendees enjoyed a bar-b-q by the pool with entertainment and dancing and also helping one of the attendees to celebrate her birthday with a surprise cake.

Friday was a day for visiting the nearby Villa del Balbianello in the picture perfect town of Lenno where some scenes from the 2006 James Bond, Casino Royal were shot.  You can get there using the ‘land train’ shuttle, the hotel Britannia is perfectly located half-way on the route of this regular service, so you can easily explore up and down the coast with no stress.

We all needed to be back in good time because Friday evening was the Gala Dinner at the Lido Restaurant. We met for pre-dinner drinks at the lakeside pool before the short stroll along to the Lido for Champagne and finding our seats.  W.Bro. Paul Nicholls was a perfect Toast Master for the evening, the staff were wonderful and ensured that the food kept coming and the wine kept flowing.  The V.W.Bro. Rodney C. Bignell rose to thank once again the owners of the hotel and our most excellent hosts, W.Bro. Ross and Doriana Weildon and a splendid bouquet of flowers and a gift were presented to Doriana to great applause by all gathered.  The evening was rounded-off with dancing by the poolside bar.

Saturday was understandably a day of rest with some taking the opportunity to have an extended ‘rest’ and rise a little later than usual.

In the afternoon a Lodge of Instruction was held for the Masons on the trip and there is a separate article on this in the Masonic News section of the website.

Sunday morning saw some of the party enjoying a Church of England service at the church located just 20 meters from the hotel. The Church of the Ascension, Cadenabbia holds an English service every Sunday, it is also a beautiful church that is well worth a visit, especially with is being on the doorstep of the hotel.

The mornings at lake Como invariably bring a beautiful sunrise over the lake and a chance to enjoy the peace and tranquility of this beautiful location. For the more adventurous a perfect place for some relaxing exercise.

Then perhaps a quiet breakfast by the lake, where better to work on those words for an upcoming Installation Meeting?

We do hope that you can join us at this amazing location next year.

Freemasonry is the oldest and largest fraternal society in the world. It was founded, in it’s modern form, just over three hundred years ago and has thrived ever since, now having well over six million members worldwide. For much of that time it has often been considered a ‘secret society’ and myths, legends and outright lies have plagued it since the earliest days. In an effort to correct these myths Freemasonry is undergoing a modernization process which enables the general public to see, and to understand, much more than in earlier days. Very little is still considered to be secret.
Recently, the United Grand Lodge of England released a six-hour television documentary showing much of what goes on in Freemason’s Lodges today and, here in Spain, we are following the same route. As one example of this I, as the Provincial Communications Officer, was recently invited to interview the Grand Master of Spain, the Most Worshipful Brother Oscar de Alfonso Ortega. The most senior Mason in Spain.

Señor de Alfonso Ortega was born, raised and still lives in Valencia, a city and Province that he loves. He went to school here and later studied at the University of Valencia to become a lawyer, before starting what was to become one of the most successful legal practices in the city. He was an amateur boxer, swimmer and a practitioner of scuba diving which have had to be curtailed a little since a recent brush with cancer. However, he is now, thankfully, fully recovered and wishes to continue with his swimming and scuba diving if perhaps not the boxing.

He is fifty-one years old, married to the lovely Dorita and has two daughters, Paula who is sixteen and Lucia who is twelve. Having joined Freemasonry in 1998, he later became the Worshipful Master of his Lodge; the highest rank one can obtain within a Lodge. Then, he was appointed as the Provincial Grand Master of Valencia before becoming elected as the youngest ever Grand Master of Spain in 2010. He has since been re-elected twice and is the only Grand Master of Spain ever to have served three terms. For the past three years he has also been honoured to be the President of the Inter-American Masonic Confederation. An organisation representing more than three hundred and twenty thousand Masons. He is the only non-South American ever to have been elected to that post.

I started by asking the Grand Master how he had first become interested in Freemasonry. He told me that he has been interested since the very young age of fifteen, mainly because of what he then perceived to be the mysterious and esoteric character of the organisation. However, he had to wait a few more years before joining the fraternity. Another lawyer, who was a Mason, later put him in touch with his mother (first) Lodge, Germanies and, two years later, he was Initiated as a Mason. He said that the things which attracted him most was the friendship, loyalty and fraternity he found within the Lodge. He found it very easy to join and has never felt any animosity towards him for being a Mason. His friends, colleagues and clients are all happy that he is a Mason and he has never felt any need to hide the fact. Indeed, like most of us, he is proud to be a Mason and is happy to talk with anyone about this fascinating subject.
It has however, had a huge impact upon both his home life and career. As he progressed through the ranks to the very top, he has had enormous claims made upon his time. Now, as Grand Master, he has also had to travel all over the world, so far visiting more than fifty countries. He tells me he has visited, the UK, the US, almost every country in South America and virtually every country across Europe. Fortunately, his wife understands these heavy burdens and is very supportive of him.

When asked what Masonry has given him, his first response was to say ‘maturity’, having thought a little more he added, the ability to listen, the ability to work in a team atmosphere and to be much humbler. When I reversed the question and asked what he has given to Masonry, he thought that he had given a great deal of time, commitment, and common sense. He has tried to keep good faith in all his dealings, and has tried to be approachable, open and honest while trying to keep his warm sense of humour. ‘Freemasonry’, he said, ‘must be serious at times but must also be fun, otherwise why would anyone want to join?’
I then asked what he would most like to change about Masonry. He replied that what he would like to see most of all, is a more positive image for the organisation, which he is trying hard to provide. There are still some who perceive it to be ‘secret’ and closed to outsiders. Nothing could be further from the truth. He wants Masons to be proud of what they are and what they do and to persuade others that Masonry is a good, caring and rewarding society who do a tremendous amount of good for the sick, less able and generally under-privileged people of the world.
To someone thinking of becoming a Mason he advises that they should not read and believe what they see in books, films and on the Internet. Most of which is, at best, incorrect and, at worst, often rubbish, but to discover the truth for themselves by approaching a Lodge directly. To then trust their Brothers and be tolerant of them. Having joined they should, above all, enjoy belonging to the Lodge. Freemasonry is fun. While we work hard at times there is always time to enjoy being together and learning about new people and new ideas. ‘It is time’, he said, ‘that Freemasons should become well known, to shake off all the false images. It is time to approach non-Masons and explain to them what Masonry is really about. It is time to be even more open, to be proud of what we have done and what we are continuing to do’.
He said that if he were asked to give advice to his eventual successor, he would suggest that he should ‘listen a lot but speak only a little’. Finally, when he finishes his term as Grand Master, he would like to be remembered as a man who brought peace and fellowship to Masonry, who helped to organise it and change it into a more modern Order and who left it in a better state than when he became Grand Master.

My thanks to the Grand Master for giving me so much of his valuable time.

Recently, a cheque for two thousand, five hundred euros was presented to the Raquel Paya School for special needs children in Denia on behalf of Javea Lodge 40, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Valencia and Marina Alta Lodge 144. The school has a catering programme especially designed to give vocational training to special needs students, aged between twenty-one and twenty-four and prepare them for life in the outside world. The donation went towards purchasing a fridge and other kitchen items for the catering department.  Later the students invited us to try some tapas they had prepared themselves showing off the skills they had been taught in class, while Miquel Ivars (the Director) took some time to answer our many questions.  The humbling experience of visiting the school opened our eyes to what a wonderful job the staff do in helping the students to obtain a better quality of life and help them to integrate into society.

The cheque was presented by W.Bros Neville Jackson, Matthew James, Paul Nicholls, Jens Gerl (WM Javea 40) and Bro. Alejandro Uribe.

Masons donate to Denia Children’s Home

Local Masons from Puerta de Xabia Lodge recently held a summer party and barbecue to raise money for the Children’s Home in Denia. They were fortunate to have glorious weather after a previous day of heavy rain and more than seventy Masons and guests turned out to support this worthy cause.

It was held at the Casa de la Pizza restaurant in Costa Nova and a sumptuous barbecue was served to the expectant guests. After a huge selection of tapas type starters, numerous meat courses and several different salads were served which disappeared at an alarming rate. To finish there were a selection of beautiful desserts. Entertainment was provided by popular local entertainer, Irish Des, who sang and played songs to suit all tastes and, as usual, gave excellent value. He played for the whole afternoon and it wasn’t long before the guests started dancing to his excellent music. There was also a quiz, which was particularly tricky, and had guests scratching their heads before the winners were finally announced and presented with a half case of cava. A charity raffle was also held which raised four hundred and twenty euros which will be donated, along with other money raised, to the children’s Home in Denia later in the summer. A great afternoon which was hugely enjoyed by all.

Local Freemason’s Lodge, Arenal Deportiva, recently held their annual Ladies Night at the Salones El Canor in Teulada. This was a very successful affair with over eighty Masons and guests attending. The idea of the Masonic Ladies Night is to thank the wives and partners for their help, support and understanding over the past year.

The current Worshipful Master of the Lodge is the President of the meeting and his Lady is the hostess. This year the President was WM Ian Brown ably assisted by his lovely Lady wife Eileen. The evening started with a cava reception followed by a formal dinner. The MC for the evening was WBro Michael Banks who did a sterling job.

Wonderful music and singing throughout the meal was provided by our very own WBro Ian Henry, a very popular local and international artiste who is always extremely well received. He has the knack of being able to sing and play loudly enough to be heard but never to be intrusive – a rare talent.
During the meal various toasts were offered including El Rey King Felipe VI. The toast to the Ladies was given by WBro Brian Imber in an exemplary manner. The Ladies song was then sung by Ian Henry before the hostess, Mrs Eileen Brown, responded to the toast with a very good speech of her own. She was also presented with the gift of a bracelet by the Brethren of the Lodge in appreciation of all her efforts.

After the dinner, yet more entertainment was provided by Matt Mason, another very talented performer who increased the tempo a little to allow some more energetic after dinner dancing. Again, a very popular entertainer. A grand raffle was also held for charity raising an excellent six hundred euros. This will be donated to El Preventorio children’s home in Gandia at a later date along with other money raised throughout the year. It is the privilege of the incumbent Worshipful Master to choose the charity the Lodge will support during his year in office and he has chosen El Preventorio for this year. This continues a pattern set over the last few years to

help this very worthy charity as Arenal Deportiva have now supported them for more than four years. They are always extremely grateful for our support.

If you feel able to support El Preventorio, they always need children’s clothing, food, toys, books (Spanish) and cleaning and toiletry requisites which can be delivered to the home at almost any time during the day.