From masquerade masks to marshalling duties!

Sunday morning arrived rather sooner than some of us would have liked. After an evening at the Mark Masquerade Ball, a 7am start in Henley-on-Thames felt less like a good idea and more like a test of Masonic commitment!

Nevertheless, the RTTV team reported for our annual stint helping at the Henley Half Marathon, 10K and 5K runs. Swapping evening wear for something rather more practical were W. Bro Allan Dishington, W. Bro Tony Wright, W. Bro Dave MacDonald, Bro David Spruce and Bro Darren Morris-Spruce.

David, fresh from winning best mask the night before, discovered that his new celebrity status did not exempt him from parking duties.

Joining us were Dave’s wife, Jen—whose fundraising head shave featured in an earlier post—and Tony’s wife, Claire, herself a Freemason. Together, we helped get cars parked and then took up stewarding positions for the morning’s events. Thankfully, the actual running was left to people who had volunteered for it.

There was plenty of good humour, even if a few of us took a little longer than usual to warm up!

Giving our time to the local community is an important part of Freemasonry. Helping an event run smoothly, supporting its participants and asking for nothing in return puts those principles into practice.

Friendship, service and a willingness to turn up when needed are among the things that draw men to our lodge. On this occasion, that meant turning up at seven in the morning.

We may discuss the timing at the next meeting.