Real Stories About Real People In Derbyshire

W.Bro. Peter Andrew Bennett, PAGDC
WM Tyrian Lodge No. 253

I regret to announce the passing to the Grand Lodge Above of W.Bro. Peter Bennett, PAGDC. 

Bro. Peter came to Derbyshire Freemasonry just a few years ago. Already an accomplished Freemason, he held Grand Rank in United Grand Lodge, having been a Provincial Warden in Warwickshire.  He earned a silver matchbox from the Emulation Lodge of Improvement and had the rare distinction, shared by only seven other people worldwide, of having it inscribed with the maximum four “scratches”, indicating he had completed all four ceremonies word-perfect.  In addition to knowing the whole of the Emulation Ritual book, he knew most if not all of the Lectures, both questions and answers.

He quickly established himself in this province for his warmth and good humour. He joined Tyrian Lodge and the Derbyshire Lodge of Installed Masters and at the time of his passing he was in the Chair of Tyrian. In 2007 he organised the first Derbyshire Lecture Festival, providing an opportunity for Master Masons across the Province to learn to deliver the Craft lectures to a high standard and an opportunity for the rest of us to hear them in the way they were intended.

I was privileged to interview Peter when, after contracting cancer, he told us he wanted others to know of his experiences with the Masonic Samaritan Fund. The MSF gave him hope when the NHS could not and he could not speak more highly of the staff and the way they operate. What most impressed me was the courage with which Peter approached his illness; not as a battle but as an opportunity to learn more about himself. A Mason with rare qualities who truly live respected and died regretted.

Tony Harvey
Director of Communications
Derbyshire Festival 2014

Those who knew Peter Bennett and were unable to attend his funeral on April 14th may like to see a recording of a short piano piece written especially for the occasion.
The video clip is available on 'YouTube' by searching the phrase 'In Memory of Peter Bennett'.
The composer and pianist, Rob Smallwood, was Senior Warden at Tyrian, number 253, at which Lodge Peter was WM at the time of his sad demise.

Leonard's Story

Leonard Sellars
- High Peak Lodge 1952

In March 2007 Leonard Sellars was advised by his consultant that he needed an operation to replace his aortic valve (the valve controlling the flow of blood from the heart to the main artery). Without surgery he was told that his life expectancy was 12 – 18 months.

After a wait of about six months he was admitted to hospital in Sheffield only to be told, the night before his scheduled surgery, that he was not fit enough to undergo the operation due to the poor state of his lungs. He was therefore discharged without treatment and left to ponder his fate.

Further research identified that Leonard would be suitable for a relatively new procedure which involved the use of keyhole surgery which would not be available via the NHS for at least another 12 – 18 months. An approach was made to the Masonic Samaritan Fund in January 2008 and he underwent surgery in March at the Glenfield Hospital, Leicester.

Any private medical treatment is expensive and heart surgery is no exception.  Leonard and his wife could not afford to consider paying themselves for the surgery he needed. Thanks to the generosity of many Freemasons and their families the MSF exists to help in exactly this type of situation and was able to make a grant to enable Leonard to receive treatment for a life threatening condition. He is home and making a good recovery thanks to the support of the MSF and all those who have donated so generously to it since it was established in 1990.

Elizabeth's Story

Mrs Elizabeth Musson
- St Thomas Lodge 2583

In 2003 Mrs Elizabeth Musson underwent surgery to replace her right hip. The operation was funded by the Masonic Samaritan Fund.  Despite the success of this procedure she continued to suffer with osteoarthritis with an inevitable deterioration in the quality of her life. This was brought to a head following a recent fall when an x-ray revealed deterioration in her left hip which she was advised needed replacement.

Faced with a 4 to 5 month wait for treatment on the NHS Mrs Musson turned to the MSF in January and underwent surgery in early April. She readily agreed to tell her story in the hope that others will be able to benefit as she has done from the work of the Fund. In writing to thank the Fund for their help her husband said “it makes one feel very humble to receive such help. The pain was so intense that we don’t know how she could have managed the wait for NHS treatment.”

Audrey's story

Audrey Shaw
 - Pioneer Lodge No. 9065

Mrs. Audrey Shaw developed arthritis in both knees and over the years the condition has got progressively worse.  By the middle of 2008 the pain had got so bad that she could not walk more than fifteen yards. 

Her GP referred her to a consultant surgeon who confirmed that both knees were “kn***ered” (apparently a technical medical term) and advised that two new ones were needed.  Audrey was put onto the NHS waiting list and told she would have to wait eighteen weeks for the operation.

W.Bro. Ken Shaw contacted the Masonic Samaritan Fund directly who arranged for a Past Master of Ken’s Lodge to visit and complete the forms, the Almoner living over hundred miles away.

Within three weeks of contacting the MSF, Ken and Audrey were told that the MSF would fund the first knee operation and would consider an application to fund the second when Audrey’s consultant advised that the time was right.  The decision was based upon:

• The unacceptable delay in waiting for an operation on the NHS

• The acute level of pain Audrey was enduring

• The fact that the Shaw’s could not fund themselves the £10,500 required to replace each knee without incurring financial hardship

From the moment that the MSF informed the Shaws that they would fund the operation it made all arrangements needed with the surgeon and the hospital.  Audrey went into hospital on Good Friday, five weeks after first contacting the MSF.  It would have been sooner but for the surgeon’s holiday. 

W.Bro. Shaw says, “The MSF could not have been more helpful.  I have nothing but praise for them.  Not only did this operation relieve my wife’s considerable pain but they have taken a weight off our minds over the finance and other arrangements”.

Peter's Story

W.Bro. Peter Bennett, PAGDC
- W M of Tyrian Lodge 253

No one present at the Christmas meeting of Tyrian Lodge on 23^rd December could possibly fail to come away other than inspired and in awe of the courage and determination of the Lodge’s well known Master, W.Bro. Peter Bennett. At the Festive Board W.Bro. Peter announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, that it had spread to his lungs and that the condition was inoperable. The NHS having offered only chemotherapy and a life-expectancy of six months, W.Bro. Peter informed the meeting that he was undertaking an alternative therapy and had the support of the Masonic Samaritan Fund. He told us that this cancer would not defeat him. Here is his story so far.

As a consequence of experiencing digestive problems, Peter underwent a number of investigations including a gastroscopy, which included some biopsy’s and a CT scan. On 20^th November he returned to hospital to hear the diagnosis. The tumour on the lungs was classed as inoperable. Peter was given the choice of six months to live, or a few months more with chemotherapy. After discussing the effects of this treatment he turned it down and left the hospital determined to deal with his condition through other means.

Peter is an hypnotherapist and an advocate of alternative therapies. A colleague told him of the Dove Clinic, located near Winchester, one of four places in the world that provides Photo-dynamic Therapy (PDT), part of an holistic treatment that works on the whole person using a combination of homeopathic medicines, diet and lifestyle changes. Peter contacted the Clinic and discussed the treatment, what it would involve, its cost (at least £11,000) and how to proceed.

He then wrote to the Masonic Samaritan Fund.  Up until this point Peter admits he had treated all the rhetoric about this and other Masonic charities with a degree of cynicism, “although I had no evidence to base that on” he says. Nevertheless he wrote to the MSF explaining his situation. Two days later Lynda Taylor of the MSF phoned Peter to tell him that the MSF knew of PDT and its successes and had funded treatment before. With Peter’s permission, Lynda sent the MSF’s assessment forms to Peter’s Lodge Almoner who went to see Peter the morning they arrived. Together they completed the forms, which Peter says were “very straightforward, easy to complete and not at all invasive.”

A few days later, less than two weeks since he wrote the initial letter, Lynda phoned again to confirm that the MSF would consider funding the cost of treatment further to the Dove Clinic’s Consultants report, as well as the cost of Peter’s accommodation while he was undergoing the treatment itself. Indeed, the MSF even arranged to pay the cost of accommodation in advance so that Peter didn’t have to pay out of his own pocket. 

It is worth adding at this point that Peter’s case was brought forward for consideration at the final MSF funding meeting in December. This to make sure that the treatment booked in January (classed as urgent by the Dove Clinic) could take place on time.

This was indeed the case as Peter’s treatment, involving two visits of three-days each to the Dove Clinic, started on the 19^th January. Before the first visit, Lynda Taylor phoned Peter to wish him well. He can not praise the MSF enough. “Right from the start the MSF have been incredibly helpful. They made it so easy, unlike an insurance company who look at what you can’t have.”

At the time of writing Peter is waiting to go back to see how the effective the treatment has been. He is incredibly optimistic.  Indeed, his attitude to his condition is especially noteworthy. “I see cancer as a gift to give me greater insight into myself and I sincerely hope in time to help others.” We will follow and report Peter’s journey, with his permission of course. I know that all members of the Province of Derbyshire wish him well.

Tony Harvey
Director of Communications