The Brethren from Lodge St John Corstorphine No.788 and Lodge Kirkliston Maitland No. 482 who both meet at Kirk Loan in Edinburgh will be carrying out a 10 mile sponsered walk to raise funds for Help for Heroes.

The walk will start from Kirkliston Bowling Club on the morning of Saturday 22nd May.  The route will take them over the Forth Road Bridge and into Fife before returning back to the club.

An evening event has also been arranged to include a band and disco where the profits and further fundraising on the night will be donated to Help for Heroes.

A visit to the website of Help for Heroes shows that this is indeed a worthy cause, not only because of the support they provide to our wounded Service Men and Women but also due to the fact that for every £1.00 raised, £1.10 goes to the charity.  

This has been achieved by keeping running costs to an absolute minimum and also by selling merchandise to cover costs.

Naturally, all monies will be thankfully received and faithfully applied.

St. John, Corstorphine has recently reviewed and updated its bye-laws and there have been some major changes to the way the Lodge will operate in future.

The main points that the brethren should note are;

1.    The installation of office bearers and the festival of St. John will now be held on the second Saturday in May. The next installation will therefore be held on the 14th May 2011.

2.    The nomination and election of office bearers will be held on the second Thursday in April. This will be held on the 14th April 2011.

3.    An additional regular meeting will be held on the second Thursday in December. The first of these will be on the  9th December 2010

These changes have been made for very good reasons and the General Committee is convinced that they will benefit the Lodge in the years to come.

Copies of the new bye-laws are available from the secretary and it is every brother's duty to familiarise themselves with the contents.

Brother William Grant Marshall P.M. 

Presentation of Jubilee Certificate for 50 Years loyal service - 25th February 2010

Bro. Marshall was proposed by David Scobie  and seconded by Carl Hoffman who were in their time influential members of the Lodge.  He was Initiated on 25th February 1960 at the age of 35, Passed on 10th March and Raised on 24th March 1960.

Grant was one of five candidates to be initiated on the same night but was the only one from that crop to reach the chair.

At the time of his initiation he was a printer with Thomson and Norris Printers.  Previously, Grant had volunteered for the RAF at the age of 18 and he served throughout the Second World War as a rear gunner.  This is a remarkable achievement when you consider the life expectancy of a rear gunner was extremely limited.

Grant was installed into the chair of King Solomon on 12th December 1968.  During his time in the chair he initiated 13 candidates and had 11 candidates for the Mark Degree.  During the year the Lodge finances increased from £2400 to £2600 and the Lodge was in a very healthy condition.

Grant served as a Lodge Almoner for 10 years and many of us can recall the visits he made to the Lodge widows and some of the stories he used to tell about how they would not let him go until he had had a few glasses of whiskey!  He did a grand job of Almoner during this time.

Grant was awarded Distinguished Service Certificate on the 9th January 1992 and although he is not the longest serving member, he is the longest serving P.M. who still attends the Lodge.

This Jubilee Certificate was presented to Bro. William Grant Marshall P.M. 50 years to the day of his initiation on 25th February 2010. 

William Grant Marshall PM

The presentation of a Jubilee Diploma is a rare occurrence in any Lodge but Lodge St John Corstorphine are in the privelaged position of once again carrying out such a presentation in such a short space of time.

Last year we presented Wallace B Stewart PM with his, and on the 25^th Feb 2010 we will present one to Bro. William Grant Marshall PM.

We hope the brethren of the Lodge, present and past, will come along to support Grant on the 25^th.