W Bro Campbell Carraher gives a background to W. Bro Ron Selby PPrSGW SLGR former Secretary of Temple of Athene Lodge No 9541.
Ian Ron Selby, a person of integrity and honour known to all as Ron, has finally hung up his Secretary’s collar of the Provinces’ research Lodge, Temple of Athene No 9541, an office he has held for the past 15 years. His absolute commitment has kept the Lodge active by circulating and advertising meetings and lectures, but also in many other ways by promoting events and arranging future talks. He has a love for the Lodge and has ensured that meetings take place as they have always since the Lodge was formed back in 1994.
The Temple of Athene Lodge No 9541 is the research Lodge of the Province of Middlesex and meets at the Harrow Masonic Centre. It is a relatively small Lodge whose meetings are taken up with lectures on Masonic research subjects. There are usually a few guests, but attendance is typically low. This is surprising, as with such thought-provoking lectures, one would expect Middlesex Masons to take more interest.
Ron The Mason
Ron was a founding member of Temple of Athene and initially fulfilled the Junior Deacon’s Office, progressing to Senior Warden and Master of the Lodge in 2009. He has also been the Lodge’s Assistant Secretary twice and has currently stood in as Treasurer whilst the long standing Treasurer, Brian Fisher PSGD, PAPGM, was proclaimed Worshipful Master for the 2025 / 26 Masonic season.
The Province awarded him Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden in 2017 which shows the high regard he is held in and after a long and recognised Masonic career in London was invested with Senior London Grand Rank in the Craft in 2013. The following year, 2014, he was honoured with Senior London Grand Chapter Rank in the Royal Arch. He is an honorary member of Authors’ Lodge and Chapter No 3456 after having been both Secretary and Scribe E but being unable to attend easily he is now only a subscribing member of Lodges and Chapters in Middlesex.
Other Lodges of which he has also been a subscribing member are Pearl of Africa Lodge No 9052, Lodge Faith No 2438 (Suffolk), Middlesex Masters No 3420, Euclid Lodge of Installed Masters No 7464 (London), Middlesex Masters Harrow No 9787 and the corresponding Royal Arch Chapters including Ruislip Chapter No 4301 and North Middlesex First Principals Chapter No 9240.
Ron Never Failed
Ron has never failed to fill an Office at a Regular meeting, and nobody has been safe. On one occasion the Visiting Officer, during an official visit, along with the escorting DC, were asked if they could take an Office for the evening and he even asked a former Pro Provincial Grand Master to act as Inner Guard. What he did not know was that the Provincial Grand DC W. Bro Nigel Codron was at another meeting at Harrow and came to the Temple to borrow a lectern. What a surprise he got when RW Bro Roger Croome opened the door for him.
Eunice, Ron’s wife has supported his Temple of Athene activities over the years. She has ongoing health issues, and he is her primary carer notwithstanding his own health. Even so he has efficiently carried out his duties as Secretary and has prepared and published the Annual Transactions of the Temple of Athene Lodge (a selection of talks given in the past year). This is not an easy task by any means. His rendition of the Lodge Minutes, which are always read out in full contain humorous tit bits and provide a relaxed introduction to each meeting.
Fifteen Years At The Helm
During Ron’s 15 years as Lodge Secretary, he has managed the ‘Correspondence Circle’, which is a way any Freemason can become an Associate Member of the Lodge for a small fee. In this way individual freemasons receive details of upcoming lectures and an invitation to the meetings as well as a full transcript of each Lecture given during the course of the previous year
Many hundreds of members and guests have had the pleasure of Ron’s company over the past 30 years where Ron has arranged over one hundred talks from “Middlesex Matters”, “Mozart the Man, the Mason and his Music” to “Masons and Aviation”. His commitment to Temple of Athene is without bounds.
Other than being a collector of English coins, Ron is an amateur ‘ham radio’ enthusiast and talks to people around the world most days. It is reported that he once had the tallest radio aerial in all of Welwyn Garden City, where he lives.
Ron The Author
Ron recently had a book published with the title ‘What Next?’, which gives an outline of the other orders in Freemasonry. Before that, he was author of a book outlining the history of the Masonic Province of Middlesex from 1870 to 2020, with the title ‘Middlesex 150’. Both of these books can be found within the Roger Croome library at the Harrow District Masonic Centre which, along with W. Bro Mike Karn, Ron set up, cataloguing over 3000 masonically themed books.
Above all, Ron is a cheerful and happy person and a pleasure to meet up with. He brightens your day without even trying and is a great listener, nonjudgmental and helps without expecting anything in return. His kindness is matched only by his patience.
W Bro Campbell Carraher author of this article would like to thank W. Bros Mike Karn and Brian Fisher for their help in providing background information.
Temple of Athene Lodge No 9541 meets at Harrow Masonic Centre. It is the Province’s specialist research Lodge and provides many interesting talks on masonic themed talks. The next meetings will be held on Thursday October 23rd and Monday 8th December, both starting at 5.00pm. You can contact W. Bro Campbell Carraher, Lodge Secretary on campbell.carraher@gmail.com He will be pleased to provide further details on the subject of the talks and send a Summons to you before the meeting. Keep an eye out for information on the Provincial web site on Temple of Athene meetings.
Final edit provided by W. Bro Stan Marut PPrJGD SLGR – Communications Team Member
