Ian Davies - 40 Years in Royal Arch Masonry

I am delighted to be with you this evening to present a long service award to E Comp Ian Lodwick Davies to mark 40 years continuous service to Royal Arch Freemasonry.

E Comp Ian, you were Initiated into the Cambrian Lodge no 464 on 2nd April 1980, 43 years ago yesterday. You were Passed on 7th January 1981 and Raised on 2nd December 1981. You passed through the lodge offices very quickly for those days, becoming Master of Cambrian Lodge in 1991. You have held and filled in for many offices in Cambrian Lodge including organist and charity steward. Perhaps the proudest moment of your masonic career came on 5th December 2001 when you Initiated your sons Steffan and Trystan into Cambrian Lodge in a Double First Ceremony. I vaguely remember being too scared to come along that evening, because I was only a Fellow Craft at the time.

You joined Kensington Lodge of Installed Masters no 3667 in 1999. You were a Founder Member of the Richard Warburton Lodge no 9767 in 2003 serving as the Primus Junior Warden. You went on to serve that Lodge as Worshipful Master in 2005. As recently as last year you were a Founder Member of our new Welsh Language Lodge Cyfrinfa y Tair Sir no 10018.

Your first Craft provincial appointment was to the rank of Past Provincial Grand Sword Bearer in 1998. You served the province in the acting rank of Provincial Grand Registrar in 2013. In 2020 you were further promoted to the very high rank of Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden.

In the Holy Royal Arch, you were Exalted into the Hwlffordd Chapter on 7th February 1983. You served the Chapter as Joshua in 2002, Haggai in 2003 and you were Installed as Most Excellent Zerubbabel in 2004.

In the Royal Arch Province, you were appointed to the rank of Past Provincial Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies in 2006. In 2014 you were promoted to the rank of Past Provincial Grand Sojourner. In 2021 you were further promoted to the rank of Past Provincial Grand Sword Bearer.

E Comp Ian, in the real world, you were born on 16th March 1947 in Carmarthen, which means you have only just celebrated your 76th birthday.

Your parents moved around a bit when you were growing up, meaning that you had spells living in Ammanford, Whitland and Carmarthen.

You married Angela in 1969 and as I have already mentioned you have two sons, Steffan and Trystan.

When you were first married you lived in Swansea and between 1967 and 1974 you worked for the Civil Service as a valuation surveyor for the Inland Revenue. I was interested to read in the notes you very kindly provided that your office was in Llanelly House, a beautiful Georgian Building which has now been refurbished and turned into a rather lovely bistro and dining venue. You mentioned a Festive Board which we both attended in the building, and I went to several others while the kitchen in Llanelli Masonic Hall was being refurbished.

In 1974 you secured a position as a Valuation Surveyor with Dyfed County Council. This involved liaising with many other agencies including Haverfordwest International Airport. In 1996 this led to you being the liaison officer between the airport and the flight of Dakota Aircraft brought into deal with the oil pollution created by the Sea Empress disaster.

You were also very instrumental in the smooth transition between the old County of Dyfed and Pembrokeshire County Council, which also happened in 1996. You finally retired from Pembrokeshire County Council in 1999.

E Comp Ian, you have had a very successful career, a very happy home life and you have managed to combine those two most important things with being a hardworking and dedicated freemason.

You and I have been good friends for many years, and I am delighted that it falls to me to present you with this certificate and badge to mark 40 happy years’ service to our Chapter.

Many congratulations.