Everyone at Northumberland Freemasons congratulates Noel Fleming and Trevor Potts on reaching sixty years and fifty years of uninterrupted service to the Craft, respectively.
Kenneth Noel Fleming was Initiated into Freemasonry in May 1962 when he joined Haltwhistle Lodge No.5090, which meets at Haltwhistle Masonic Hall. He occupied the office of Master in 1980 and has been the Charity Steward since 1997, and the Lodge Treasurer since 2018.
He was acknowledged in Provincial Grand Lodge in 1989 when he was appointed to the rank of Past Provincial Junior Grand Deacon, receiving subsequent promotions in 2004 to Past Provincial Grand Sword Bearer and again in 2009 to Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden.
Noel was Exalted into Alston Royal Arch Chapter No.2794, in the Province of Cumberland and Westmorland, in 1964, remaining a member for some thirty years, prior to his resignation in 1994.
He was born in December 1936 at Haltwhistle Maternity Hospital and educated at Haltwhistle County Modern School. On leaving school, in 1952, he commenced work at Smith and Waltons Paint Works, in Haltwhistle, in the Sales Administration Department, until 1954 when he attended the Army Medical Centre in Carlisle and subsequently received his call up papers to report to the Royal Army Dental Corps training centre in Aldershot in 1955. Following basic training he was posted to Neumunster in Northern Germany where he remained until 1957 having completed his two years National Service.
After National Service he resumed working for Smith and Walton on a new project where new staff were being appointed, one of whom was a typist who was very friendly and charming and he made one of the best decisions of his life by inviting her to join him on the works trip and they are now looking forward to their 58th Wedding anniversary this year. Their marriage has been blessed with two daughters and two grandchildren.
He continued in management development over the next few years until, following acquisition of Smith and Walton by Crown Paints, he took up the position of Project Manager which released him from working in the office, but required him to visit most countries in the world. Following another major acquisition by Akzo Nobel they became part of a major European conglomeration and Noel was appointed National Sales Manager. After leaving the organisation in 1997 he took a position as a Marketing/Development consultant with another major company finally retiring in 2004.
Noel has long been a keen gardener, especially with his tomatoes and of course his leeks, having for many years, organised and taken part in leek shows in local clubs.
Trevor John Potts was Initiated into Freemasonry in Tyne Valley Lodge No.7506, in April 1972, remaining a member until its sad demise in April of this year. He joined Haltwhistle Lodge No.5090 in 1998 and has occupied the chair of Master on three separate occasions, in 2008 in Tyne Valley Lodge and 2007 and 2011 in Haltwhistle Lodge. He was acknowledged in Provincial Grand Lodge in 2016 when he was appointed to the rank of Past Provincial Grand Standard Bearer, receiving subsequent promotion i 2020 to Past Provincial Junior Grand Deacon.
He was also Exalted into Alston Royal Arch Chapter in 1997, remaining a member until his resignation in December 1999.
Trevor was born in July 1950 in Haltwhistle War Memorial hospital and went to school at Haltwhistle until leaving at 15, when he went to work as a joiner/ shop fitter travelling around the country. In 1975 he was married and moved to Bedfordshire where his son and daughter were born. He worked in and around London for many years and in 1988 he moved to Barcelona where he worked on the Olympic village and other Olympic projects around the city.
In 1992 he moved to Holland where he contacted a lodge in Hilversum through the internet and left his details. A few weeks later a gentleman, who turned out to be the Master of the Mozart Amadeus Lodge, came to the hotel where he was staying. The pair went out for lunch and a tour of the lodge and Trevor was advised a car would pick him up on the Tuesday at 6.30.
Unknown to Trevor this was a very exclusive lodge consisting mostly of television people and during the festive board the table was set and there was a red line down the centre. After the meal whilst sat drinking and toasting Trevor noticed his glass was being pushed on to the line. He asked the brother beside him why do you push the glass on to the red line? To which he replied “When your glass is on the line means you want to speak.“ “What if I don’t want to speak?” Trevor replied. “I’m afraid you have no option as you are our guest of honour tonight.” came the reply.
In 2009 he married Karen and they opened a successful hardware store in the town until their retirement in 2016. They now enjoy holidays in France, with the grandchildren, and jetting around Europe
Many thanks to W.Bro Alf Adams for the submission of this article.
If you have a story, event or news item you would like to have published on the Provincial website, or social media, please get in touch with our Communications Team at news@northumberlandmasons.org.uk