On 27 March 2025 at Imperial George Lodge 78, brethren from far and wide met at Middleton Masonic Hall to celebrate the milestone of 50 years in freemasonry of Steven Price PProvJGW.
The lodge was opened in due form and our Assistant Provincial Grand Master, John Curry, was welcomed into the lodge along with a delegation of Provincial Officers and the Eastern Area Team. Worshipful Master Cox offered the gavel to WBro Curry which he eagerly accepted and was invited into the chair of King Solomon.
WBro Price was placed in the centre of the lodge to receive a history of events of when he was born in 1952 and also notable facts of when he was initiated in 1976. Following the history, Steven was presented with a letter and illuminated certificate from RWBro Robert Frankl ProvGM. A personal tribute was given to Steven by his older brother, WBro Philip Price PJGD (shown below) prior to Steven being escorted around the lodge to receive the acclaim of all present.
A final honour of the evening was conducted by our Eastern Area Chairman, WBro Andy Halford, where Steven was presented with a 50th pin bade and gift from the Area Team.
WBro Curry, WBro Price and the delegation retired in recessional order allowing the WM to return to business and close the lodge in peace and harmony. Brethren then retired to a friendly and enjoyable social board.
Steven Charles Price, LL.B (Hons), Solicitor
The early years:
Steven was born on Monday, 17 March 1952 at home in Boarshaw, Middleton. Despite the passage of 73 years he says there is still no Blue Plaque on the wall to commemorate that event.
He went to school joining Philip at Alkrington County Primary School, which was not far from where the family then lived in Highbarn Road. His parents moved to Rochdale in the early 1960’s into a larger house to accommodate the needs of the family, Mum, Dad and 5 children.
Steven was the middle child, Philip just 15 months his senior. Steven went to Rochdale Grammar School where he and Philip were very close. From there, they both went to Liverpool Polytechnic to study as external students of the University of London. Steven then went to the Polytechnic’s famous law school to prepare for the Law Society’s Solicitors’ Qualification Examinations. Students were given intensive and in-depth training in the 6 aspects of law covered in the exams, in just 6 months, under the direction of the formidable Mr and Mrs Conkerton. Their stated ambition was to turn out well trained parrots in just 6 months. Subjects were taught in the morning, committed to memory in the afternoon and tested every Friday.
Steven was pleased to get the exams out of the way and started his Articles, a form of 2 year apprenticeship, with Elliott and Buckley of Lloyd Street Manchester at the princely sum of £10.00 per week. That practice split and Steven joined Charles Buckley in a new practice overlooking the Town Hall in Albert Square and on qualifying Steven became an assistant solicitor.
Whist working in Manchester Steven joined the Manchester Law Students Association and eventually became its Chairman for 1 year before qualifying.
Marriage and Children:
Whilst serving his Articles and training to be a solicitor, Steven met another young Articled Clerk, Irene, and in 1978 they got married. Irene was a Welsh lady from Cwm-y-Glo a little village between Llanberis and Caernarfon and the bi-lingual service was conducted in a Chapel within sight of Irenes’s home.
Philip was Steven’s best man. As it was a bi-lingual service 2 members of this Lodge, Harry Roberts and Emyr Pierce-Jones, both of whom were proud Welsh speaking teachers, offered to translate several Welsh hymns into phonetic language, produced phonetic hymn sheets and they held choir rehearsals for the large crowd of Lancastrians who were to travel to the wedding by coach. On the journey to Wales the wedding party rehearsed the hymns and when the Chapel organ struck up, the Welsh members of the congregation were amazed at the fluency in the Welsh language, the enthusiasm and the musicality of their visitors from England. The Chapel was filled with joyous voices.
Professional Highlights:
Steven is a former solicitor who was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in May 1975
In 1979 he established the firm of Price Mears & Co. in Rochdale where he worked until his retirement. He retired in July 2015 after 40 years.
Community Involvement:
From 1982 to 1998 Steven was a Member of Management Committee of The Rochdale Middleton and Heywood Citizens Advice Bureaux, becoming its Vice Chairman in 1993/4, and its Chairman from 1994 to Oct. 1998.
He also served the community by his involvement in the NHS in various voluntary capacities over the years.
1984 to March 1996 Member of Rochdale Family Practitioner Committee becoming a
Member of Rochdale Family Health Service Authority on its formation.
1993 – Appointed as a Lay Chairman of Independent Review Panels
1996 – Appointed Chairman of Bury and Rochdale Health Authority Disciplinary Committee
1997 – Appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Rochdale Healthcare NHS Trust and subsequently became it’s Chairman.
2000 – Appointed to be the first Chairman of the Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust, upon the amalgamation of the 4 local hospital Trusts.
Springhill Hospice:
1987 – Honorary Solicitor and a founding member of “A Hospice for Rochdale Appeal” which was the precursor to the Springhill Hospice (Rochdale)
1990 – Appointed as Honorary Solicitor to Springhill Hospice (Rochdale). It was registered as a Charity in own right and the first patients were admitted.
1990 – Steven continued to serve as a volunteer in the roles of Trustee and Director until he retired from his duties in the Hospice in 2015.
The Future:
Since retiring Steven and Irene have developed an interest in The National Trust and in gardens and gardening. They enjoy visiting stately homes and gardens and do so as often as they can. They plan holidays and trips to take in as many locations as they can.
Steven and Irene keep themselves busy in retirement and both get a great deal of pleasure from spending as much time as they can with their 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren.