The Duke of Leinster Lodge hosted this year’s Combined Irish Lodges Night on March 21 at Stones Corner and a great night of Irish Freemasonry was enjoyed by more than sixty brethren and guests.

Bro Jeromy Pollitt from Duke of Leinster Lodge was passed to the second degree with the assistance of officers from Duke of Leinster, United Tradesmen Lodge, Wynnum Lodge, Theodore Unmack Lodge and Southern Queensland Lodge.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Queensland MW Bro Alan Townson presented a Certificate of Appreciation to RW Lou Grimshaw as a small token of thanks from his brethren for his tireless dedication to Masonic Labour on behalf of the Irish Lodges of Brisbane.

In a time-honoured tradition during the festive board, Worshipful Master of the host Lodge WorBro Barry Westphal was presented with the Queensland Combined Irish Lodges blackthorn Shillelagh by WorBro Paul Kranen, Worshipful Master of last year’s hosts Southern Queensland Lodge.

One of the highlights of the night was a toast by the Grand Master accompanied by MWBro Barry Westphal and newly passed Bro Jeromy Pollitt using the historic Theodore Unmack firing glasses. MWBro Theodore Oscar Unmack joined the Duke of Leinster Lodge No 283 in 1866 and became the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master of the Irish Constitution of Free and Accepted Masons in Queensland 15 years later. To celebrate the appointment, MWBro Unmack sent 60 firing glasses to each of the nine Irish Constitution Lodges in the Province, each etched with the square and compasses, the letters TU and the lodge number.