Half a century in Israel

The season closed on a memorable evening for the members of Lodge of Israel No 1502 at Liverpool Masonic Hall. The membership of this long established lodge has a very compatible and diverse background and is always a pleasure to attend. The meeting was opened in the usual manner by Nick Hughes, the WM of the lodge assisted, by his officers and the usual lodge business dealt with.

After welcoming the guests Nick was pleased to admit and welcome Provincial Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies Malcolm Bell. Malcolm requested all to stand to receive Assistant Provincial Grand Master Mark Dimelow. Nick offered the gavel of the lodge to Mark, which on this occasion Mark graciously accepted. Mark requested that the lodge tyler be admitted to witness the celebration which was to follow.
Mark addressed all present by saying: “Brethren, this evening we are summoned to a very special meeting, to honour and pay tribute to one who has served the Craft in general and Lodge of Israel No 1502 in particular, loyally and conscientiously for over 50 years. I refer, of course, to our celebrant this evening, Gerald (Gerry) Sydney Lipson, Past Provincial Assistant Grand Pursuivant of the Province of West Lancashire. One of the definitions of celebration is to acknowledge a significant event with a social gathering or enjoyable activity. Gerry Lipson’s golden jubilee is most certainly a significant event and I hope that we will succeed in making the social gathering to celebrate it a most enjoyable and memorable one. Provincial Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies, would you please place our celebrant before me so that I might address him?” It was at this juncture within the proceedings that Gerry was seated comfortably within the centre and facing Mark.

Beginning Mark said: “Gerry we met around October last year to have a chat so that I could elicit information from you that would give me something to talk about at the meeting, originally scheduled for 14 December, to celebrate your Masonic golden jubilee. I can tell you unequivocally; on behalf of all those present that we are absolutely delighted that you have recovered sufficiently to be here this evening and we are all so pleased to be with you to share in the celebration of this significant milestone in your masonic life.”

Gerry Lipson was born in New Brighton on 20 September 1929. This was the day of the Stock Market crash in London and just a few weeks before the Wall Street crash of October 1929, which was of course the start of the Great Depression in the United States. On a lighter note, you share a birthday with two notable film actors, Kenneth More, who was born in 1914 and Sophia Loren who was born in 1934 and it was on your 17 birthday in 1946 that the first Cannes Film Festival opened, particularly apt given the career which lay ahead of you.

Gerry was the middle of three sons born to Ernest and Mildred Lipson. Ernest, who was born in Liverpool in 1890, had various jobs during his working life and spent many years as a cinema manager. He was, as you are now, highly regarded in the Liverpool Jewish community and was for a number of years an official of the Greenbank Drive Synagogue. He sadly passed away in 1958 aged 68 years. Gerry’s mother Mildred, nee Mogden, was as was common in those days the home maker. Gerry’s brother, the elder one, Samuel, was born in 1921 and was well known as a photographer in the Liverpool area; he sadly passed away in the late 1990s. Gerry’s younger brother Cyril who was born in 1931, sadly past away late last year.

By the time it came for Gerry to start school the family was living in Nicander Road as they did for many years, and therefore he started at Morrison Infant School, Smithdown Road, aged five, after which he went to the associated junior school and subsequently the senior school on Aigburth Road.

Around the age of 12 he was taken ill and diagnosed with tuberculosis and pleurisy, which resulted in him spending a year in hospital with the result that he missed both of his scholarships and interrupted his secondary education.

Relatively recently, due to a friend having TB, Gerry took a test to see if he had contracted it again. When the results came, the doctor informed him that he was clear of any infection and that he could tell that him he had not had TB as a youngster. So he had, sadly, wasted a year of his life by being hospitalised unnecessarily.

On leaving school aged 14, one of Gerry’s teachers insisted that he should go to Toxteth Technical College, or Toccy Tech as it is more commonly known, to do a technical scholarship. He acceded to his request but left after eight months, aged 15, to look for a job, this was in 1945. Gerry found a job that year, in the offices of Columbia Films, which shortly after merged operations with Warner Brothers, in Norton Street in Liverpool. This was the start of his long career association with the film industry. Having started doing general office duties he rose to the position of Area Manager, a position he held until he was made redundant in 1986. The redundancy essentially the result of changes in the industry due to the advent of the Multiplexes.

Gerry’s career was however, interrupted by the not unexpected call to do his National Service, and so it was that in 1948, he joined the Royal Air Force. Gerry was posted to the large RAF camp at Wilmslow to do his basic training and thence transferred to RAF Melksham in Wiltshire, training as an instrument repairer, later posted to RAF Wahn near Cologne, in the then West Germany. He later became responsible for moving aircraft around the base using a tractor, a job which was unpopular with the men and which most avoided. When asked to do this by the CO you agreed, with the proviso that you would be excused all guard duties. As you said Gerry: “There is always a deal to be done!” It was whilst at RAF Wahn he reached the rank of Corporal, AC1.

On his return to civilian life Gerry resumed his job with Columbia and was soon promoted to Area Manager, overseeing distribution in North Wales. He had numerous opportunities for promotion within Columbia Films over the years, which he always refused. Gerry and Marion decided that as a family they were happy in Liverpool and did not wish to upset the children’s education. The children were happy and well settled in King David School, where they have been head girl and boy respectively.

Despite his desire to stay in Liverpool he almost accepted an offer to move to South Africa in the mid-70s, with the temptation of warmer weather but this was ultimately withdrawn due to the increasing social unrest caused by apartheid. So, in Liverpool he stayed.

It was back in 1952; at a dance in the local community centre that Gerry met a young lady named Marion, who was to become his dear wife. It was four years later that Gerry and Marion married at Greenbank Synagogue. They moved into their first and only house, which was newly built, where they have enjoyed a successful and blissful marriage. Married life continued from an idyllic honeymoon spent in Bournemouth, which was reached in his car, the beloved Morris. He has always maintained that his marriage to Marion could not have been bettered. Marion, who was employed as an accounts clerk when they met, left that job shortly after their marriage and has always been happy to be a full-time mother and housewife.

They had two children, Tina and Julian, of whom they are, understandably, very proud. Tina is a special needs teacher who now lives in Manchester. She has three children: Greg who is 25, Drew 21 who lives in France and Tayte who is 14. Gerry’s son, Julian, is a solicitor and is Head of Family Law and a partner in the practice where he works and lives in London.

Having been made redundant in 1986, Gerry soon found alternative employment, initially, becoming Office Manager of a sizeable new GPs’ practice in Childwall, where he put his business skills to good use setting up their office systems. After a year or so in this job he got a call from a previous contact in the cinema and entertainment industry, namely the well know impresario and businessman Paul Gregg. He had a background in cinema and had been the Director of Tourism and Attractions for Southport in Sefton Council, but left in the 70s to start Apollo Leisure, which made its name by taking over and turning around the fortunes of struggling venues. He invited you to join him to run the newly formed cinema division of his organisation, which you did and worked there for the next 11 years.

During his long association with the film industry, Gerry had a period as Chairman of the Northern Area of the Cinematurians, which was an organisation representing cinema owners. During his time in the chair he encouraged an active participation which included meetings and days out to such places as Shepperton Studios. He also attended many film previews and conferences in such international venues as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, as well as closer to home in Dublin. Gerry has many happy memories from his time in the industry having met numerous film stars, including Alan Ladd, Leo Genn, Dora Bryan and Hayley Mills to name a few. The meeting with Alan Ladd occurred when he was accompanying a group of cinema owners to North Wales, where Columbia Pictures were filming the movie The Red Beret. He took the group to the village of Portmeirion were you met and had lunch with Alan Ladd. Gerry decided to retire after 11 years with Apollo in 1997 aged 67.

Gerry is highly thought of in the Jewish community and was an active member in it for over 50 years. Many years ago he became a member of the fund raising committee for Harold House Youth Club, later becoming chairman of that committee and finally being appointed as Chairman of the Harold House Community Centre and Youth Club. Gerry is now a past trustee of Harold House. He was the organiser of the Forum, a monthly communal dinner with guest speaker which took place in King David School. During his involvement he boosted the attendance to a number regularly in excess of 90 and changed it, after many years, from being a lunch time event to an evening dinner with a much wider range of speakers than in the earlier days.

He was highly honoured to be elected President of the Merseyside Jewish Representative Council, in which office he served a one year term. This equates to being the Lord Mayor of the Jewish Community. During this time he was honoured to be presented to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Anne and Condoleezza Rice, during their respective visits to Liverpool. At various other times he met: Ken Dodd, Frankie Vaughan, Billy Liddle and Tommy Docherty to mention but few others.

Gerry has enjoyed many hobbies and pastimes over the years, in particular he is a philatelist, which although he no longer pursues it, he did have your sizeable collection of stamps. He was also for many years a Liverpool Football Club season ticket holder. Now sadly, his health precludes participation in the more active and energetic activities of earlier times.

Gerry’s late brother Sam was a Freemason and it was he who introduced Gerry into Freemasonry and proposed him as a prospective member of Lodge of Israel, which was seconded by Tom Ellsworthy. And so it was that he was initiated into the lodge, by the then WM Ivor Davidson on 13 December 1965. He was passed to the second degree on 28 April 1966 and raised to the degree of a master Mason on 9 January 1967. Gerry has been a regular and loyal member of the lodge ever since. He served the office of almoner for a number of years and is still a member of the lodge fund of benevolence committee. If fact, until his recent health problems, his attendance was as near as makes no difference 100%. Gerry took the understandable decision not to pursue further office in the lodge due to his commitments in both family and business life and his active involvement in the Jewish community. Fully realising that he would not have the time to fulfil those duties to the standard that he would wish.

It was in recognition of his service to the lodge that you were appointed to the acting Provincial rank of Provincial Assistant Grand Pursuivant in May 2005. Gerry was responsible for one further significant act, for it was Gerry who proposed the well-known international figure Barry Elman, Marion’s brother, into Freemasonry and this lodge in particular in 1968.

Mark then turned to those assembled and said: “Brethren, throughout his 50 years of membership of this ancient and distinguished lodge and his contribution to Freemasonry in general, Gerry Lipson Past Provincial Assistant Grand Pursuivant of the Province of West Lancashire has proved himself to be a man of great integrity and commitment and this evening he celebrates his golden jubilee in Freemasonry. I therefore now call upon the group chairman, Robert Povall to read the scroll which comes from our PrGM, Tony Harrison.” Following this the scroll was presented to Gerry by Mark who said: “Gerry, may I conclude the proceedings here in the lodge room this evening by offering you my warmest personal congratulations on achieving this wonderful milestone in your Masonic career. You should know that I consider it both a privilege and a pleasure to be here this evening and to have been able to take part in such a happy and rewarding evening.”

Gerry was escorted back to his place within the lodge before Mark invited Nick to take back the gavel and resume the chair as WM of the lodge. Mark with Gerry then retired from the meeting and the rest of the brethren duly followed to partake of a marvellous festive board in the banqueting suite.