Since its inception on 24th July 1919, Nottingham Rotary Lodge has witnessed enormous changes to the world and to the way we live our lives. The ever-increasing pace of scientific advancement has brought changes few could have predicted one hundred years ago.

The Brethren present at the dedication of the Lodge in July 1919 would have been astonished to learn that almost exactly fifty years later, on 21st July 1969, a Freemason would set foot on the moon! Brother Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, of Apollo 11 fame, was a member of Clear Lake Lodge No. 1417, Seabrook, Texas.

Man has now broken the sound barrier, satellites have revolutionised communications, and every home now has a computer. The advancement and application of medical science have seen the scourge of smallpox banished, organ transplants become commonplace, and MRI body scans revolutionise diagnosis. All this and much more.

Not all events have been cause for celebration, however. The Lodge has lived through the Great Depression, a world war, the invention and use of the atomic bomb, rationing and austerity, and the rise of international terrorism fuelled by racial and religious intolerance – to name but a few.

Throughout this momentous period, Nottingham Rotary Lodge has endured, doing its best to espouse the cardinal virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice, and to promote the Masonic ideals of Love, Peace, and Harmony.

The Lodge may wonder what the world has in store for tomorrow, and who knows what the future holds. What is certain, however, is that on the evidence of the past hundred years, the Lodge will continue to exemplify the principles of English Freemasonry and remain true to the legacy bequeathed by those Brethren who have gone before.