Recently, two senior Masons from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Valencia, plus a third from the Grand Lodge of Spain, visited the Masonic summer school in Guadalest. This school has been funded by Freemasons in Spain for the past three years and is designed so that disadvantaged and underprivileged children are able to visit the school for ten days and learn about subjects they would normally not be able to study.

Every place is fully funded by the Masons so the children’s parents or carers do not have to pay a cent towards the cost. This year we have funded a record, forty-two children in total. Twenty-two of these children have come from the El Preventorio children’s home in Gandia, eleven from the Red Cross in Javea and others from around the region.
The funding has been donated entirely by local Masons, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Valencia and the Grand Lodge of Spain who are delighted to be able to send so many children to the school who otherwise would be unable to attend. It should be noted that this is not a holiday, though it must appear so to the children. This is an educational trip where all students are expected to learn about subjects which will be totally new to most of them.
The basic curriculum encourages brotherhood and companionship. It teaches the children to get on with each other, to help and care for each other and for the older children to help and mentor the younger ones. Educational subjects include country walking, swimming, cycling, canoeing, archery, rock-climbing, quad biking, astronomy, music, drama and improvisation among many others.

Local volunteers visit to teach these subjects and the lessons are largely given by volunteers. The mentors who guide the children are little more than children themselves with ages ranging from eighteen to twenty-five. Some are former students who enjoyed the experience so much they have chosen to return and encourage other youngsters to take part. A great way for them to put something back for the chance that they were given!

The three Masons who visited were the Provincial Grand Master of Valencia, RWBro Michael Shilan, the Provincial Charity Steward WBro Trevor Bagnall and, for the first time, a representative from the Grand Lodge of Spain, RWBro Barrie Mansell who is an Assistant Grand Master but was attending as the District Grand Master of Mark Masons. They were all incredibly impressed by the work undertaken by the school which is run by Snr Juan Carlos Ortuño who built the entire centre himself.

It is obvious from the faces of the children how much they enjoy this brief respite from their normal lives and it creates a memory which will stay with them for ever.
The Provincial Grand Master said that he felt the school was an incredibly worthwhile undertaking and has made the centre one of his Provincial charities for this year. He is proud and happy that, through the selfless work of all the Masons both locally and nationally, so many children could participate and he wanted to offer a brief word of thanks to all the Masons throughout Spain who have made this possible.

Recently, almost sixty members of the Javea 40, Freemasons Lodge, along with their wives, partners and guests, boogied, jived and grooved their way through an amazing evening of sixties and seventies music at their annual summer party held at the popular ‘Inn on the Green’ in Javea, supported by the Master of the Lodge Jens Gerl. For some, this was an opportunity to pull out from the wardrobe clothes which had not seen daylight for the best part of fifty years and, incredibly, some of them still fitted!

Numerous guests joined in the fun by donning mainly sixties though also some seventies costumes, in an effort to turn back the clock for at least one evening. In this, they were hugely successful. A very tasty meal was provided and with drinks at reasonable prices everyone enjoyed themselves enormously.
There was a grand charity raffle and the event raised an incredible four hundred euros for charity. Worshipful Brother Malcolm March, the Charity Steward of the Lodge, said that in recent months the Lodge had supported a number of initiatives, many providing help to sick and underprivileged children, as well as paying for disadvantaged children to go on activity holidays organised by the Freemasons.

As a Province we have just sponsored thirty children, mainly from the El Preventorio children’s home in Gandia, to attend a summer school in Guadalest along with eleven more from the Red Cross. They will attend, free of all charges, for ten days of amazing     activities ranging  from climbing, archery, mountain biking, and cycling to canoeing, astronomy, construction of, and instruction in playing, musical instruments, drama and much, much more. These are activities which the children would be very unlikely to be able to undertake without the sponsorship of the Masons.

Many thanks must be given to Malcolm and Margery March who did most of the organising, assisted by other members of the Lodge. This was a very pleasant evening enjoyed by all.

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.

Brethren of local Lodge, Oliva La Safor along with their wives recently visited the Franciscan Men’s Refuge in Gandia to see for themselves how the refuge is run and how the money and gifts raised by the Lodge are being spent and distributed. The Masons did not arrive empty handed! Each brought at least one, and in some cases several, bags of food, clothing and shoes all of which are sorely needed by the refuge. The visit was arranged by the Charity Steward of the Lodge, WBro Jim Jordan and Mr Stephen Carden, a local representative of the Church of England, who regularly visits the refuge and helps out, along with his wife, Linda, in numerous ways. During this visit he acted as both guide and translator and made an excellent job of explaining how the place is run and what magnificent services they provide.

The Franciscan Hospice at Palma de Gandia provides a home and nursing care for around fifty-five homeless men, many of whom suffer from mental or physical illness. Some are terminally ill. These men would otherwise be on the streets and unlikely to survive without this special care. Admission is solely on the basis of need. All nationalities and all religions (or none) are accepted. The hospice is funded entirely by charitable donations, not a cent is received in state aid. Three Franciscan Brothers, (Hermano Guillermo, Hermano Pepe and Hermano Martin) assisted by local volunteers, care for the residents around the clock, every day of the year.

Stephen and Linda Carden coordinate the efforts of all English speaking supporters and were most helpful in providing much of the information written here.

This wonderful place is a refuge of love and charity. When there is so much bad news in the world, a visit here restores your faith in human nature. It is hard to explain to people who are familiar with the UK system of social security what the Hospice actually does. Traditionally in Spain, disadvantaged people have been cared for within their family. The state provision is limited to people who have worked and paid their social security contributions. The Hospice cares for men who, through no fault of their own, have fallen out of the system. Many were abandoned by their families and have never worked, others suffer from severe mental health problems.

Although it’s called a Hospice, it’s a hospice in the Mediterranean sense. Not all the residents are terminally ill, although some are. It’s a cross between a UK hospice, a nursing home and a refuge for the homeless. Some of the residents are long term, others come and go. Not all vagrants want to stay. Some come for a shower, a change of clothes, a square meal and a bed for the night, then move on.
The Brothers are chronically short of funds to keep the doors open. They need around five thousand euros a month just for their regular bills; but they are always cheerful and resilient. Unpaid bills are put under the statue of St Francis, in the hope of divine assistance!
Amazingly, the Brothers have raised sufficient money over the last fifteen years to build a modern infirmary extension. They still need funds to fully use the new facilities, but their commitment to their vows and their Christian faith keeps them going.
Fantastic regular support over many years has been received from local Masonic Lodges, including Oliva La Safor and others along with other charitable organisations.
At the moment, the men need shoes and trainers (particularly those without laces) socks, underwear (new and NOT white please) and baggy track suit bottoms to fit over adult nappies. They always need long life foods and ‘consumables’ such as soap, shampoo/shower gel, shaving foam, and disposable razors.
At the end of the visit WBro Jim Jordan commented on the beautiful setting of the refuge, the cleanliness and order and the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. All of the Masons and wives were impressed by how well the refuge was run, particularly as everything is run entirely on charitable donations and volunteer workers. It is a great example of how love, caring and generosity can truly overcome many of the problems encountered by the residents and visitors of this wonderful refuge. It is a great pity that there is ever a need for such a place but without it every resident we met would be living on the streets, hungry, uncared for, homeless and friendless. Everyone we encountered seemed happy and content and I suspect each knew what an enormous amount of gratitude they owed to the three hard working Brothers and all the many wonderful volunteers who give up their time and efforts to help.
If you would like further information about the work of the Franciscan Hospice please contact Stephen or Linda Carden by e-mail on cardenstephen@yahoo.co.uk

On Friday, 30th March, local Freemasons of Caledonia Lodge held a very successful Easter Bonnet competition.This was held at the La Cosheca restaurant in Benijofar and was very well attended by both Masons and guests. As well as a delicious dinner the guests were royally entertained by cabaret act Marie O’Hara who, by general consent, was excellent.

As well as the Easter Bonnet parade, where many of the Ladies (and indeed a few of the gentlemen!) tried on and paraded in, their Easter bonnets, there was also a grand raffle in aid of local charities which raised three hundred euros. This will be added to other money raised over the year and donated to a charity of the Masters choice.

This was a well organised and well attended meeting which was enjoyed by all and which raised a substantial amount of money for the less fortunate among us. All in all a great evening and our thanks must go to the Master of the Lodge and all involved in organising this event.