Northumberland Celebrates Golden Jubilee Astonishes with its Generosity Donates £120,000 for the Jerusalem Eye Hospital
Planning for the meeting started 8 months ago with E Kt Scotty Hunter and a number of the Provincial Body Guard members being central to the planning. Execution on the day was meticulous, with all detail, no matter how small, covered incredibly well. Great calm and peace being the measure of success of the organisation, even though frenetic activity being conducted hidden from view.
Following on the great success of previous Provincial meetings, Knights initially assembled at the Mart in Hexham. With the aroma of cattle adding a special dimension to the authenticity of the occasion, stimulating thoughts of Knights past.
With great precision, all Knights, guests, wives and partners were conveyed by coach a short distance to the historic Abbey of Hexham greatly in anticipation of a spiritually inspiring Service of thanksgiving. With pews steadily filling the colour, pageantry and splendour of so many Knights adorned in white mantles contrasting with the ancient walls of the Abbey adding simplicity and spectacle to the moment.
In usual form, short rehearsals were practiced under the watchful eye of the Great Marshal, RE Kt Tim Wheeler GCT. Of distinction, the Province were honoured by two its Knights being selected to accompany the Grand Master as his personal Banner Bearer (E Kt Geoff Morrison) and Sword Bearer (E Kt Ian Harper).
Both Knights serving on the Grand Master’s Body Guard, with E Kt Geoff having just stood down and promoted to active Grand rank.
Perhaps the crowning glory and best kept secret was the “pièce de résistance” delivered with immaculate timing where the Provincial Prior stunned everyone, Grand Master included, concerned the cheque presentation. Preparing the moment with great presence and eloquence, RE Kt Kevn Stannard, a recently retired eye surgeon said, “The planning for today began many years ago and one of the questions that I and my Executive first addressed was “how do we best mark an event such as a Golden Jubilee of a Provincial Priory – what can we do to make it truly meaningful?” and went to say, “We would like to mark the Jubilee of the Provincial Priory with a donation to the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. We spent a long time contemplating what a meaningful, but realistic, amount might be. Fifty thousand pounds, to mark fifty years of the Provincial Priory, seemed to have a nice “ring” to it, but we knew that we only have 400 members in our Province Priory, so it was a huge “ask” … Many of my Brother Provincial Heads of our Companion Orders have also given unwavering support”.
It was when the Provincial Prior announced the amount to be donated to the Jerusalem Eye Hospital that astonished everyone, not £50,000 but a staggering £120,000, which is the largest given in the Province’s history and likely to remain unsurpassed for the next fifty years … truly a golden moment.