David was born in Dartford on 28th April 1945, at the end of the Second World War, to parents who both served in the RAF. He moved around Kent until the family eventually settled back in Dartford. He left school aged 15 and rode his bicycle to work every day in the office of an Engineering company. He had several jobs until he ventured up to London where he had a successful banking career working for British, Australian, Italian, Anglo-Arab, Spanish, American and Dutch Banks. He was prominent in setting up the London Branch of Rabobank and travelled extensively in Holland and even to Curaçao. This was when mainframe computers had to be housed in their own special air-conditioned, high security, rooms.
After his banking life finished he entered the new world of IT and call centre set ups at Netik. He worked for over 50 years in the City of London and received the Freedom of the City in 2007.
In his spare time in the 60âs and 70âsâ he was a Football Referee and was the youngest to qualify at that time.
He met his wife of 53 years, Janet, when they were both very young and set up home with her in Walderslade. They were living in Gravesend when their daughter Emma was born in 1978, followed by their son Ben in 1981.
During the early 80’s he was invited by two friends on Istead Rise to join their Lodge in Dartford. Thus started his Masonic career in the Erdemont family of Lodges. He became the Lodge D.C. and then Treasurer and Chapter Scribe E., then in 2008 he was the Organising Secretary and a Founder of the Erdemont Mark and Royal Ark Mariner Lodges.
He encouraged his brother- in-law and nephew in the Province of Hampshire and Isle of Wight to become Freemasons and members of the Mark. Both are now involved in the making of wooden Masonic Furniture and working tools. His wife has been making her much-admired Masonic banners since 1995 for various Masonic Orders.
He has always enjoyed the organisational roles of life and was the Secretary/Scribe of four Mark Lodges, becoming our Provincial Grand Secretary from September 2017 to 2020.
He is also a member of a number of Mark and R.A.M. Lodges, three âOperativesâ Assemblages, a Royal & Select Masters Council, the Royal Order of Scotland and a non subscribing member of a London Council of the Allied Masonic Degrees and a Conclave of the Order of the Secret Monitor. He is an Assistant Preceptor of the Grand Masterâs Lodges of Instruction which meets every Monday in Mark Masons’ Hall, but just recently virtually on Zoom.