Masonic support
by Owen B. Duxbury

I started to stammer soon after leaving school in the late 1950's, and also have epilepsy which caused me to draw away from joining groups.

Initially I built up my courage to mix with others by singing in choirs. The first was a church choir. I was subsequently invited to join a local male voice choir, and gained the confidence to sing solos at concerts. I still recall the first time I was announced to sing a solo and heard a lady whisper loudly to her friend, "That chap stammers". I paid no attention to the remark as I was concentrating on the piano accompaniment.

In 1973 one of my former school teachers suggested that becoming a Freemason might help to improve my health and my stammer. That was 35 years ago and I have never looked back. Masonic ritual can greatly improve a person's confidence and speech. I have several Masonic friends whose stammer was much more severe than mine before they became Freemasons.

When I joined in 1974, I was so nervous that I could hardly speak an audible phrase. However, I found the Freemasons supportive. Learning Masonic ritual and then repeating it over and over again increased my confidence. In 1981-1982 I became master of my lodge, which is an achievement for anyone. Ten years later I was appointed secretary of our Masonic Hall company, which includes reading out the minutes. I have since achieved higher offices in Freemasonry, all involving learning and reciting ritual. Last year I gave a talk to 45 visitors and colleagues about the founding of Freemasonry in our area, going back to 1792.

I still have a stammer but have learned how to control it, i.e. set my own pace of speaking, and don't run one word into another but pronounce each word to its full length; so I'm trying not to shorten words or cut corners. In the Masonic rituals many words are long and difficult when they are first read, but my tip to people who stammer is to break them down and master each syllable, then join the three or four word sections together.

Membership of the Masons has enabled me to visit other lodges and meet more friends. I have been privileged to attend lodges in Australia and New Zealand where I had to respond to toasts. My poetry is useful in doing this; I have had two anthologies published. When my stammer started to increase in 2003 (because my anti-epileptic medication was in need of adjustment), my understanding friends and involvement with the Freemasons and choirs gave me that much needed encouragement to soldier on.

BSA would like to take this opportunity to thank The Freemasons' Grand Charity for a £2000 donation last year.

From the Spring 2009 issue of Speaking Out, page 18.