On Sunday March 1st 2009 at The Masonic Hall, Goldsmith Street the Provincial Grand Master, Robin Keith Wilson made his selection of music to take with him to that well known, but mythical, Desert Island.

Following a well received Carvery Lunch the Eric Coates ‘Sleepy Lagoon’ took the audience back those Sunday lunch times when we gathered around the radio (or even wireless) to drift off with a selection of various musical pieces. Donna Bateman, soprano, who had taken a major part in our ‘Festival Big Day’ in 2007 when she sang a selection of solo pieces, was the hostess for the occasion and led our PGM through his musical life.

The first piece was from the PGM himself singing “The Foggy Foggy Dew” a piece that had caused consternation when he had performed it as his first public performance at a school concert and his parents were upbraided for allowing a SIX year old to sing such words.

A trio of singers from the Nottingham University, Lucinda McHardie –Jones, William Glendenning and Rene Bloise – Sanders, gave a live element to the proceedings singing pieces such as Hear My Prayer and You Raise me Up along with extracts from the Messiah, Figaro, and Don Carlos. The finances not permitting a full orchestra and choir pieces from Tallis, Haydn, Medelssohn and Bach were taken from the better recordings and Donna gave a reprise from the ‘Big Day’ with her special rendition of ‘He’s got the whole world in his hands’.

We learned that a blind date led to his marriage to Margaret and studies in law at university rather got in the way of a life of tennis and music. Having been selected as a ‘music scholar’ his tenor voice was to be heard singing a variety of roles in the life of Cambridge at the time that the King Singers were establishing themselves. It was at that time our PGM joined masonry and the rest as they say is history.

The PGM’s one rescued piece would have to be the St Matthew Passion whilst his book would be the complete works of Winston Churchill and his luxury a solar powered laptop with access to Radio Three but without e-mail facilities as he looks for peace and tranquillity on his Desert Island.

Bill Robbins