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APRON STRINGS
SOME INTERESTING material emerged in the wake of the lists of masons we released last year. In the “Brothers in the Shadows” programme there was an interview with the secretary of the South Wales Province, Jim Bevan, who said his province operated a policy of openness.
“I cannot for the life of me see any reason why Yearbooks should not be in public libraries,” he told REBECCA. “I wouldn’t want to say we want to go out and sell them to people, obviously not, but they should be there, the library service in South Wales look on our Yearbook as a work of reference.” This comment intrigued REBECCA subscriber Colin Thomas who’s in dispute with Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council and believes there may be masonic influence in the authority. He wrote to the province to ask for an up-to-date register of the province’s members. Martyn Daley, the provincial registrar, wrote back to say that the Data Protection Act didn’t allow him to do so. However, he didn’t send Colin Thomas a copy of the latest yearbook which he would have found helpful. REBECCA also checked if the latest yearbook is available in the local Merthyr Tydfil public library. It’s not. We then asked Cardiff Central Library if they had a copy. Yes, but the latest edition they have is 2000-2001. They did have other more recent editions but they had been stolen. We contacted South Wales provincial secretary Jim Bevan to see what the problem is. He didn't reply. REBECCA has sent Colin Thomas copies of the 2008-2009 yearbook entries for the five Merthyr lodges.
An extraordinary set of emails came from Dr Andreas Önnefors. He’s the former Director of the Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism at Sheffield University. The Centre was established in 2000 with financial support from the United Grand Lodge of England and the province of Yorkshire West Riding. The activities of the Centre were suspended by the University in January 2010. The University told us: “Funding by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) came to an end, and it was not possible to secure further funding for the Centre’s activities. “Dr Andreas Önnerfors is no longer employed by the University.” In his email, Dr Önnefors said: “Your page is most impressive, but I am interested in why you render it significant that some people comitting crimes also are freemasons rather than members of any other voluntary association or group in society?” “Is it because the story then receives more credibility? Certainly the public would perceive a website that reveals if there are Jews or Gipsies living on your street as offensive if not racist and a journalism that establishes a link between Jews, Gipsies and crimes as a very doubtful way of writing about criminality.”
When we suggested that he should pay the £1.50 members’ fee and actually read the articles on the REBECCA website, he replied: “Ha ha, that’s what prostitutes and marijuana dealers also tell you: buy and you will be enlightened”. We never heard from him again. Finally, we reported — in the "Brothers in Silk" article — on Gerard Elias QC and his bid to succeed fellow mason Winston Roddick as counsel general of the Welsh Assembly. The appointment was blocked by Rhodri Morgan. But in November last year Elias was appointed the National Assembly’s Commissioner for Standards. The appointment is for six years and attracts a small retainer with a modest hourly fee. There’s more masonic material on the way, especially from West Wales… |
