Nat Killen - Golden Jubilee

As he belongs to 15 other Masonic orders, it makes his progression difficult to detail in such a short space, so we have included some of the more important pointers along the way. But first, we congratulate him on his latest achievement - promotion to the rank of Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden. It all began for Nat in his native Scotland when, at the age of 21 and a member of a Masonic family in which his dad and several uncles were Masons, he decided it was time to enquire about the Craft. He did just that; and in August 1959, an enthusiastic Nat applied to join St. Clair of Dysart No. 520 in the Scottish Constitution, his mother's cousin's lodge. Off to a flying start, Nat was initiated two months later, passed in January 1960 and raised in the February, before going into the Mark degree the following month. He then settled down in this district of Kirkcaldy, Fife, to enjoy his Masonry and his job as a railwayman, but before very long he had to move to Glasgow to continue his employment. Luckily, he had been persuaded to become a life member of St. Clair and he decided to continue his interest in Masonry in Glasgow by visiting various lodges in the area.

Soon, however, when Dr Beeching's axe forced the closure of many railways, Nat found himself looking for a new career. This, he decided, was to be in the Police, after he had been attracted by an advertisement for a post in Lancashire. So it was in 1964 that he began his initial training at Droylsden in a job which was later to involve him in digging on the Yorkshire Moors in a team investigating the infamous moors murders. His next post, as a traffic officer at Widnes four years later, led to his first contact with Masonry in the town. He recalls how, on duty one evening, he had to reprehend a motorist who was "going a bit too fast." Nat followed the motorist down Kingsway to his destination which happened to be Widnes Masonic Hall. After a brief 'conversation' warning the errant driver of speed restrictions, Nat discovered that the motorist was a Mason, who then invited him to have a look around the Hall. Being suitably impressed, Nat later thought about joining a lodge in Widnes but was not entirely sure of the best way to proceed. "Then, out of the blue, my sergeant, who was not a Mason himself but knew of my interest, asked his colleague Billy Hill, a Kingsway Mason, to have a word with me." The pair soon got together and before very long Nat found himself on the guest list to many of Billy's Kingsway Lodge meetings. It was here that Nat came across what he calls "that English Masonic phenomenon" - the festive board. "We just didn't dine like that after meetings in Scotland," he explained. Nat says he soon realised that as a member, "I felt I must join the Lodge in order to start paying my way". That was December 1970, with Nat going straight onto the steward’s list in Kingsway Lodge No. 7870.

Twelve Years later he became Master of the Lodge having been Social Secretary along the way. He became Lodge Almoner in 1988, a post he is still proud to hold today. He had a second spell as Master of Kingsway Lodge in 1997-98. Now, as be celebrates this latest milestone, 50 years in Masonry, Nat reflects on landmarks along the way and points out that one of the things he is most pleased with is having introduced three members to Kingsway Lodge who are still active in the Lodge today. They are his son Alex, son-in-law Gary Isherwood and former police colleague Ian Rowan.

He claims it has been 50 years of great satisfaction, especially the Almoner's job, letting people know they are not forgotten, offering friendship close at hand and giving help where help is required.

Nat has always been proud to be a Mason and claims that right from the early days he has not been afraid to let people know of his involvement. "I think we should be more open about our interest," he says. And as if to prove the point, he showed a photograph of his wedding at which he wore his Masonic apron and sash. Today, his colleagues at Kingsway Lodge are pleased and proud to join him on this momentous occasion, celebrating his 50 years in Masonry and they are united in wishing him many more years of happiness in the Craft.