Derek Cousins Celebrates 50 Years In Craft Masonry

It is a great pleasure to be here with you this evening to pay tribute to a very special man and freemason and to celebrate W.Bro Dr Derek George Griffith Cousins who has now served 52 years as a member of Loyal Welsh Lodge no 378.

W Bro Derek, you were Initiated on 9th April 1974 (I was six months old at the time),the first candidate to be initiated following the Lodge’s 175th Anniversary. You were Passed on the 10th September 1974 and Raised on 12th November 1974, and were one of 3 initiates that year.

I was fascinated to learn that one of your relatives was present at the consecration meeting of this lodge on 20th November 1825.

You served in the progressive Offices in the Lodge finally becoming Worshipful Master on 12th January 1993.

During your year in the Chair you Initiated Passed and Raised 2 candidates.

You were also a member of the Euclid Lodge no 7464 of Installed Masters for many years and they meet at Freemasons Hall Great Queen Street.

In the Province of West Wales, you hold the rank of Past Provincial Grand Standard Bearer being appointed at Provincial Grand Lodge on 6th July 2000. Throughout your 50 plus years of membership our province has appointed nine Provincial Grand Masters, at the time of your initiation Colonel G Trevor Kelway held that office and he was a first cousin to your grandmother!

You were exalted into the Holy Royal Arch here as a member of the Loyal Welsh Chapter on 19th January 1987 and you are also a member of Secret Monitor (or the Order of Jonathan and David) who meet at Swansea a short distance from your home.

W. Bro Derek you were born in Tenby on 10th September 1937 some 89 years ago exactly 2 years and one week prior to the outbreak of World War 2.

Sadly you are now a widower but do have two sons namely Steven and Leon.

You were educated at Albion Square junior school here in Pembroke Dock, and further educated at Pembroke / Milford Haven and Fishguard Grammar schools.

You then attended the City University London and following your degree courses qualified in optometry in 1959.

You started practicing as an optometrist and eventually had businesses in Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven and Haverfordwest.

As well as freemasonry you had a very active and committed role within your local community.

You served as a town councillor and were the youngest individual to hold this post during the 800 years of the former Pembroke Borough Council.

You were a “Founder Member” of:-

Pembroke Haven Yacht Club and South Pembrokeshire Golf Club hobbies you enjoyed throughout your life.

You also had the honour of being made a Freeman and an Everyman of the City of London.

Finally, you retired in 1988 and relocated to the USA where you worked as a lecturer in North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

This work led to your frequent secondments to the Caribbean to tutor the Optometrists there how to use the equipment, which by this time was redundant in the USA and was donated to the regions to help the less fortunate individuals who had limited access to care.

I was amazed to hear of your experiences in parts of the Caribbean especially when requiring an “Armed Guard” to visit the beach in Belize, and of your lucky escape when you declined to take a trip to Haiti as sadly some of your colleagues were

kidnapped and held as hostages for nine months.

W Bro Derek, you have had an enjoyable masonic career and have been a loyal member of Loyal Welsh Lodge for over 50 years, and you richly deserve this certificate and badge to mark the wonderful milestone of 50 years in the Craft.

Many Congratulations.