





Just home from a late evening in Ballymoney at the Installation of Wor Bro Alan Callaghan, as the new Worshipful Master in The Lodge of St John No 330 Ballymoney. Our guest of honour for the evening was Right Wor Bro George Graham, who was supported by a good number of distinguished guests including a number of past and present members of The Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim. The Lodge opened promptly at 6.30pm under the control of Wor Bro Irwin, who welcomed Rt Wor Bro Graham. Once the initial business was completed Wor Bro Ramsey took over and carried out a very good Installed Master degree on Bro Alan Callaghan, who had been supported by V.W. Bro Jeffrey Lee ( now living in Scotland ) and his father Wor Bro Ronnie Callaghan, a Past Master from Bushmills Lodge No 414.






Our new Wor Master Alan Callaghan went on to Install his Officers in an efficient and competent manner. Keith McNeill and Keith Laughlin, the hard working Secretary and Treasurer were once again reinvested into their old roles along with Wor Bro Currie, Director of Ceremonies. The outgoing Master Wor Bro Irwin has now taken on the role of Chaplin. The meeting finished just after 8.30pm and after taking some photographs, we all set off to Ballymoney Rugby Club for the Installation Dinner. Before leaving the Hall, we were all reminded that 330 is in fact a Temperance Lodge and consequentially there was to be no alcohol taken into the Dining Room.






Richard Montgomery , Ballymena caterer and his staff brought out sirloin steak dinners for us all followed by a very tasty sicilian lemon cheesecake dessert and finished off with tea or coffee as required. The food was excellent and the girls delivered everything to the tables in a fast and efficient manner, no easy task considering there were some 120 Brethren to be fed. Very Wor Bro Alastair Thompson responded to the Grand Lodge toast and let us all know that the first meeting of Grand Lodge this year will be held in Abbeyleix on Thursday the 6th March 2025, and he hoped to see a few of us present, on the day . Rt Wor Bro George Graham responded to the toast to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim and gave us all a full report on the current activities there. His role in Provincial is in respect of our various properties and he reminded us all that Lodges could get financial support up to a total of £ 5,000.00 in respect of external upgrades and redecoration to their hall premises. It was also possible, under this grant, for a Lodge to provide an externally mounted defibrillator at a cost of £ 1,500.00 for the use, not only for their own members but also for the use of the general public. He noted that within the Province of Antrim we were now down to some 128 Lodges from our pre-covid number of 148. He then went on to remind us of the forthcoming Provincial Golf Day in Ballymena Golf Club on the 16thMay 2025.






Wor Bro Andy Lynn, the Lodge Charity Steward made an appeal for a generous donation to the Masonic Charities and received some £ 3,030.00 from the Brethren present. Certainly one of the largest such Lodge collections that I have ever witnessed. All in all it was a very enjoyable Installation in the company of friends old and new,
Robert Bashford