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The Masonic and Military Order of the Red Cross of Constantine
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At 2.30pm on Monday 10th February 2025, the funeral of Derek Franklin Oliver was held at H. D. Tribe Ltd, Shoreham by Sea to celebrate his life.
The ceremony was conducted by the Reverend Joe Davis and Tributes were given by Dave Wakeham, Simon Langton, Maureen Barnes, Andrew Steel and Martin Mitten. A combined guard of Honour was formed from Knights Templar, Red Cross of Constantine and the Order of the Secret Monitor.
Derek’s coffin was adorned with some of his Masonic Regalia and approximately 80 people attended the funeral, mostly Freemasons. Derek was a member of 22 units in 11 Orders.
Refreshments followed a beautiful service which spanned his personal life and Masonic life. He died aged 92 years and will be sorely missed.
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Members of the RCC Sepulchre Guard, OSM Arch of steel paying our last respects to departed merit for our late Brother NOEL SCHOFIELD
at Blacklands Church on Monday 16th December 2024.
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The I-G, Rt.Ill.Kt. PAUL ROSE in attendance at the Devon and Cornwall RCC AGM held in Torquay on Saturday 7th December 2024.
He was accompanied by the Divisional Recorder, Ill.Kt. John Ellenger and they both enjoyed the entire weekend.
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On Sunday 1st December 2024, some members and guests of the Red Cross of Constantine in Sussex held their regular celebration Christmas Lunch at the Birch Hotel in Haywards Heath, Sussex, this being the second time we have held this function there, a sure indication that we all enjoyed ourselves as we prepare for the festive season..
52 people sat down to a traditional Christmas lunch although there were alternative meals available for those who prefer something different. It was a very convivial lunch with much laughter and chatting during the meal.
The Intendant-General, Rt.Ill.Kt. Paul Rose welcomed all those attending and thanked them for the support of this special social function. He also thanked the hotel staff for their service and expertise during the entire afternoon.
Finally, he thanked the Divisional Recorder, Ill.Kt. John Ellenger for all his hard work in organising the social event single handedly and presented John with a small token of his thanks on behalf of all those attending, (See Picture 1). All other pictures show members and guests having a great time and I am confident that it will be held there again next year.
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On 17th September Paul Rose (The Intendant-General for the Red Cross of Constantine in Sussex), was joined by members of the Masonic order for a tour and £2,500 cheque presentation from the Grand Sovereign’s Care for Children Fund to local charity Chailey Heritage Foundation.
This pioneering charity has been caring for disabled children and young people with disabilities since 1903 and is now a leading UK centre for young people with complex disabilities and health needs. All the children at Chailey are wheelchair users and have a learning disability or difficulty; many have a sensory impairment, and few can communicate verbally.
The charity offers an Ofsted-outstanding special school, a children’s home and residential accommodation for young adults up to 25 years of age, as well as day services and activity sessions for disabled adults from the local community. It supports around 200 young people with disabilities every year. The excellent facilities and services have been built up over many years thanks to the support of local people, businesses and other organisations such as the Freemasons.
At Chailey, the young people experience activities which would otherwise be impossible for them to participate in because of their complex needs. Many public facilities such as swimming pools lack the specialist equipment and adapted facilities that the children need and are too noisy for those with sensory sensitivities. The water at public pools is also too cold for those children at Chailey who cannot regulate their body temperature. Chailey Heritage’s on-site Aquatics Centre is perfectly adapted for people with disabilities: it has a very warm pool with 8 poolside hoists as well as fully accessible changing facilities.
The £2,500 donation will be spent on a specialist shower trolley for the Aquatics Centre. Jo Bruggenwirth from Chailey Heritage explained:
“In order to go swimming the children need to be transferred out of their wheelchairs to a padded trolley in the changing rooms. Once on the trolley they can be safely and comfortably changed into their swimming costumes and showered, before being transported on the trolley to a poolside hoist. We are so grateful for your wonderful support which will enable us to replace a rusty old trolley that needs to be retired after many years of use. It is only because of our supporters that we can offer these wonderful experiences for children who face enormous challenges in their day-to-day lives.
“In the warm water the children enjoy free movement away from the confines of their wheelchairs, allowing them to stretch and relax muscles and stand upright supported by the water pressure. Even children who are permanently ventilated can go in the pool, thanks to an experienced team which includes nurses and physiotherapists. The pool sessions improve the children’s wellbeing and bring a wide range of physical, emotional and learning-related benefits.”
The new shower trolley will be used by the charity’s school pupils and residents with timetabled pool sessions every week and family sessions in the school holidays, as well as “Aquamovers” sessions for families with a disabled pre-school child.
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Paul said, “The tour of the premises has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life and the care, attention and love shown to all those young people using the facilities is a great shining example to the rest of humanity. I was extremely pleased to make the presentation of the cheque for £2,500 from the Grand Sovereign’s Care for Children Fund.” . |
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| The I-G presenting the cheque to Jo Bruggenwirth, Trusts and Grants Executive, Chailey Heritage Foundation. |
All RCC members attending the presentation. |
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On a glorious Sunday afternoon at the home of M.Ill.Kt. Graham L. Flight, (Red Cross of Constantine, Grand Sovereign) and his lovely wife, Sue, hosted a well-attended Summer Hog Roast for family and friends of Sussex Companion Orders members (Mark, K.T., R.C.C. & R.&S.M.) in Framfield, nr Uckfield.
Over 130 attended, bringing an assortment of tables, chairs, parasols, and gazebos (for those seeking shelter from the sun) to enjoy a very pleasant afternoon eating, drinking, socialising, and basking in the beautiful weather and the superb surroundings.
Entertainment, which enhanced the afternoon, was provided by R.Ill.Comp. Bernard Marchant (Dist.G.M. R.&S.M.), on guitar and vocals accompanied by R.Ill.Kt. Paul Rose (Div.Int.Gen. R.C.C.) on bass guitar, captivating their audience with hits from yesteryear. R.W.Bro. Roger Richardson (Prov.G.M. Mark), and W.Bro. Tom Batten (Mark), provided additional vocals, which wowed the crowd.
Amongst the many presentations, R.Ill.Kt. Paul Rose, took the opportunity to present M.Ill.Kt. Graham L. Flight a new Grand Sovereign Cap.
The team of organisers lead by R.E.Kt. Colin Dann (Prov.Prior. K.T.) and R.Ill.Comp. Bernard Marchant (Dist.G.M. R.&S.M.), ably assisted by R.W.Bro Roger Richardson (Prov.G.M. Mark), R.Ill.Kt. Paul Rose (Div.Int.Gen. R.C.C.), were justly thanked for their magnificent efforts in putting on a wonderful afternoon that flowed seamlessly and everyone left very happy and content.
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The AGM of the Red Cross of Constantine was held at the Charmandean Centre, Worthing, West Sussex at 11am on Saturday 11th May 2024.
After a service or re-dedication, the Intendant General, Right Illustrious Knight Paul Norman Rose welcomed all the guests from other Divisions (11 in all), plus 4 Past members of the RCC Executive, 6 Heads of Orders in Sussex and 2 Heads of Orders joining us for lunch.
Those Officers of Divisional Conclave attending were appointed, re-appointed, promoted and Invested by the Intendant General and congratulated by the Deputy Intendant General, Illustrious Knight Simon Victor Langton.
The general business was conducted, and the I-G gave his annual address. If you are interested, this can be viewed by clicking here
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The Deputy Intendant-General. |
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The Intendant-General with his Deputy. |
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The Intendant-General being presented with a cake. |
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The Intendant-Geeral and his Deputy with the Divisional Sepulchre Guard. |
The meeting ran very smoothly, and lunch was excellent. The I-G wishes to thank all those involved in making it such a successful day and offers his congratulations to all the Divisional Officers who were appointed, re-appointed and promoted at the meeting.
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To view the list of recently of those who have recently joind the Division please click here
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To view the list of those who have passed to highter service please click here
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Some of you will be aware that our I-G used to play bass guitar in a hard rock band. Recently he was talked into rehearsing with an Irish band, by some of his neighbours and friends, specifically to perform on the evening before St. Patrick’s night at St. Catherine’s Church Hall in Littlehampton.
The 6 piece band played Irish, Country and Pop songs to an audience of about 170 over 3 hours. Church members provided nibbles and it was a “Bring your own drinks” evening. The band waived any fee and after a raffle and donations, they raised in excess of £1,000 (money still being donated) which all went to the Macmillan Nurses.
This was a definite “one off” for the I-G, but a memorable evening for everyone attending.
The band is pictured and you can see the concentration on the I-G’s face..
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