John Torrance made a fond return to Arthur John Brogden Lodge No 1715 to celebrate a notable milestone in his life as a freemason, his golden jubilee. The brethren of Arthur John Brogden Lodge were pleased to receive Assistant Provincial Grand Master Peter Schofield to lead the festivities. Peter was accompanied by several grand officers and acting Provincial grand officers. Furness and South Lakeland Group Vice Chairman Chris Gray and Group Secretary Tony Jackson were also present.
John Torrance was born in 1943 in Wokingham, Berkshire and lived with his father Henry and mother Sarah, along with younger sister Nan at the family home in the town. Henry was a Naval Architect for the British Admiralty and was heavily involved in the design of the Mulberry Harbours. These being two temporary harbours developed by the British Admiralty and War Office during the Second World War to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto the beaches during the allied invasion of Normandy in 1944.
Henry served his apprenticeship in the shipyard at Barrow before being granted a scholarship at Liverpool University where he obtained a BS in Engineering in 1942. Later in life he would secure employment working for Lloyds Shipping as a Senior Surveyor of ships for the Hong Kong Government and be posted to Hong Kong.
In 1948 John commenced his schooling at a north London primary school where he remained for just one term in January 1949 before following his father to Hong Kong. From April 1949 to December 1952, John continued his primary education at Quarry Bay Primary School in Hong Kong. From January 1953 to December that year John spent time travelling with his father attending training courses in many different locations. This necessitated John receiving home schooling from his parents before a final year at King George V School in Hong Kong before returning to the UK.
On returning to the UK, John and his family settled in Edinburgh and John completed his secondary school education at Edinburgh Academy, leaving with 9 ‘O’ Levels and 3 ‘A’ Levels. On leaving Edinburgh Academy John decided to take a gap year from education and gained work experience with GEC Engineering. During this work experience, John decided to progress his career in the field of mechanical engineering and was successful in securing a place at the University of Glasgow. John left the University of Glasgow in 1968 with both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
John completed his Post Graduate training with CA Parsons Engineering Company of Newcastle-upon-Tyne before commencing his varied and highly successful career as a Senior Project Manager. John worked for James Howden Engineering of Glasgow, Genfield Engineering, National Engineering Laboratory and BAE Systems from which John retired in 2008.
Professional qualifications John gained during his career were joining the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, being elected as both a member and becoming a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and elected to the Grade of Fellow of the Mechanical Engineers.
It was in the 1960s while attending a dance at the Glasgow University Men’s Union Hall that John met Rosemary. John and Rosemary married on 11 April 1969 at Greenbank Church, Clarkston, Glasgow. John has two children, Fraser born in 1972 who is single and a Supplier Quality Manager and Alice born in 1972 who is married to Nick Currie a Naval Architect and is herself a Superintendent Radiographer. John has two grandchildren, Euan born in 2003 and Erin born in 2006. Euan has just completed his 3rd year of a degree in Biomedical Engineering at Strathclyde University. Erin is on the point of leaving school where she is currently Head Girl and starting a degree in medicine.
As John grew up, Freemasonry was no stranger to him as his father Henry was a member of Lodge Eastern Scotia No 923 in Hong Kong where he was WM in 1959 and Lodge Majid-I-Sulman No 1324 in Edinburgh. A great uncle and cousin were Members of Lodge Douglas No 1557 in East Kilbride. So, it came as no surprise that he was proposed into Majid-I-Sulman Lodge by his father in 1974 and was initiated, passed and raised that same year.
On joining Lodge Majid-I-Sulman, John began to progress through the various progressive offices of the lodge but due to his busy professional career and need to work away from home for extended periods, spare time was very scarce to say the least and as a consequence it was difficult for John to attend meetings on a regular basis and he eventually resigned from Majid-I-Sulman in 1981.
However, John joined Lodge Yisan No 892 meeting in Ellon in Aberdeenshire in 1981 where he was a member up to 2001 when he joined Arthur John Brogden Lodge. John progressed through the various progressive offices of the lodge before becoming WM for the first time on 8 December 2006 and again for a second time on 19 December 2010. John served as lodge treasurer from 2014 to 2016 and 2021 to 2022 and served as lodge almoner from 2016 to 2017. John also joined Lonsdale Lodge of Installed Masters No 9422 in 2011. Since returning to live in Aberdeen, John has become a joining member of Lodge St John No 745 and Lodge Aurora Borealis No 1809 under the Scottish Constitution.
In the Provincial Grand Lodge of West Lancashire, John was appointed to the rank of Past Provincial Senior Grand Deacon in May 2014. In the Royal Arch, John was exalted into Cyrus Royal Arch Chapter No 686, Scottish Constitution, in 1980 where he held the office of chaplain of the blue veil. John joined Grange Chapter No 1715 on 11 January 2002 and was installed as first principal on 25 March 2010. John held the office of almoner from 2013 to 2016. Unfortunately, due to difficulties in attending meetings at Grange on Friday evenings he resigned.
In order to continue his Royal Arch Masonry on a more suitable evening, John joined Furness Chapter No 995 and held the office of chapter scribe Ezra from 2018 to 2021. John became a member of Vale Chapter of Installed First Principals No 5256 in May 2018 and remains a member to date. In the Provincial Grand Chapter, John was appointed to the acting rank of ProvAGDC in April 2014 before promotion to the rank of PPAGSoj in October 2020.
Having retired for the festive board, the visitors and brethren all gathered to continue the celebration. At the festive board, David Jopling, lodge secretary, led the toast to John and in return, John gave a very heartfelt response.
