A Treat For Trevor
by Simon Grove
It’s a Saturday morning in mid-January and the car park at Alderson House is filling fast. Why? Because there’s to be a very special meeting of the Provincial Grand Directors of Ceremonies Lodge at which a brother will receive a certificate to mark 50 years as a Freemason. The Provincial Grand Master, Philip Hall, in attendance along with a large retinue of acting Provincial officers. Unsurprisingly, the upper room in Warwick was packed with brethren eager to hear a little more about the life and times of one Trevor Howard Sturt.
Philip Hall, began by saying that it was an honour to be there to present the certificate and that he would normally have a quiet chat with the recipient beforehand to put them at their ease and to encourage them to relax. He knew that he didn’t need to worry on this occasion. He recalled escorting Trevor on similar occasions and admitted that, in developing his own style when presenting such certificates, he shamelessly copied Trevor’s approach.
Born in June 1942 in Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, one of his first memories was the winter of 1947 and the snow! His early schooling saw him travelling by trolley bus and apparently young Trevor developed the skill of jumping on one for a ride, jumping off when the conductor appeared and jumping on the one behind!! Having passed the 11+, he earned a place as Rutherford Grammar School. Life was strict with corporal punishment used by all the masters but it did teach the advances of organised society! Two of his classmates, Brian Rankin and Bruce Cripps, became famous. Don’t recognise the names? They are better known as Hank Marvin and Bruce Welsh of the Shadows!!
Young Sturt became more interested in girls than O Levels and consequently didn’t do quite as well as predicted. He left school and started a metallurgical apprenticeship at Vickers. 1960 saw the family move south to Coventry where his father took a job. The Geordie mafia found him a job as an overhead crane driver. The £14/week was somewhat better than the £1.55 he earned as an apprentice. Sense, however, prevailed and he achieved a HND in metallurgy at Coventry Technical College. It was here where he met Mary but he felt that he needed a better job to get a mortgage and that required a degree. Unperturbed, he enrolled at Lanchester Poly and graduated with a degree in metallurgy. He soon found work at a sister company of ICI and the newly married couple found a nice home. His long career at many different companies gave Bro Trevor all sorts of opportunities including five years in Paris setting up a factory and meeting Princess Anne when she came to open another of his factories.
His father was a joining member of the Oaks of Arden Lodge No 7601 and it was back in 1976 when Sturt Jnr finally followed in his footsteps and joined. 1982 saw Trevor receive an unusual invitation. Pope John-Paul II was visiting and they needed trustworthy fellows to act as stewards. Indeed, he was given the office of Papal Umbrella Carrier! This was clearly excellent training for his first Provincial Office as a Provincial Grand Steward!
Roles in thermal scientific and then tube investments saw him meet another very well-known mason – David Wootton! He retired in 2002 and took up alpaca breeding. As such, he joined the Worshipful Company of Woolmen. One requisite is to be a Freeman of the City of London and the Lord Mayor that year was none other than David Wootton! Moving ahead to 2014 and the now Sir David Wootton was invested as Assistant Grand Master. As an Assistant Provincial Grand Master (APGM), Trevor was part of the Warwickshire contingent and he happened to mention that he knew the new Assistant Grand Master. This he proved by heading to the top table only to be spotted by the Grand Director of Ceremonies. Thankfully Sir David also had spotted him and rose to greet him. Managing to have a bit of ‘catch up’, our fearless APGM boldly suggested that Sir David should come to Warwickshire Installed Masters Lodge to deliver a paper. This he did and he enthralled Warwickshire with tales of his year as Lord Mayor of London.
At this stage, our own lunch was fast approaching and the Provincial Grand Master managed to reign in Brother Trevor. He concluded by paying tribute to all that Trevor has done for Freemasonry in many guises, amply shown by Grand Rank in most orders. As he does with every recipient, he then asked Trevor what one piece of advice he would give to an initiate. His response was simple and quite profound – “Freemasonry is not a career but a journey. Enjoy the journey!” Philip Hall was then delighted to formally present Trevor with his certificate and, of course, the all-important label badge. Will Farrell then delivered a quite superb (long!) proclamation to which the brethren responded with acclaim.
The labour complete, the lodge was closed and it was perhaps fitting that Trevor, as Immediate Past Master, had the last word! The assembled throng then moved downstairs to enjoy some excellent Alderson House fayre and a delightful festive board. The toasts were kept to a minimum but the highlight was that to the recipient of the certificate wonderfully proposed by Trevor’s son-in-law, Howard Tollit. Ever the shrinking violet, Trevor concluded proceeding with the Tyler’s toast and, yes, managed to have the last word again!!
So, brethren, if you are fortunate to find yourself in the company of one Trevor Howard Sturt, take the time to have a chat with him. All detailed above is but the tip of the iceberg and you will be guaranteed an entertaining time. Oh, and whatever you do, don’t forget to enjoy the journey!