DANNY BETTS
Eddie Wildman interviewed Danny Betts in June 2023. This is the outcome.
E Daniel Herbert Betts, you’re a Hull lad, I take it?
D Yes, I was born in Hedon Road Maternity Hospital on the 10th July 1967, and lived, first of all, in 17 Wakefield Avenue, Sutton Trust. I can’t recall much about it, except for the apple tree in the back garden. I remember we moved to Cato Terrace, Arundel Street in the seventies – there was still lots of bomb damage round about by the railway – the area had been targeted in the war. Me and my sister played there.
E Your sister was a born a year after you?
D I was the elder of the two of us. I was named Daniel after my father – this was a long tradition going back to Ireland, and my son is yet another Danny Betts – and all girls born to the family have names beginning with the letter D.
E So where were you educated?
D My original primary school isn’t there anymore – it was on Holderness Road where Asda is now. But I wasn’t at Craven Street School long. There was a compulsory purchase order on Cato Terrace, and we were amongst the first people that moved to Sutton Park. It was full of fields then. But it was better – we had an inside toilet, and running water, and electricity. I remember we got a TV – black and white in those days. I was only about six, I think, when we went to a neighbour, and they had a colour TV – very impressive. There was a football match on, I think it was Leeds and possibly Chelsea – white plays yellow. We went home for the second half and on the black and white screen you couldn’t see who was on which side. When we were in our new house I had to move to Sutton Park Primary School, and then the Junior School, and I think I did okay – I passed the entrance exams for Trinity House.
E There’s a seafaring tradition in the family, I understand.
D Yes, my father was frequently away at sea and I never got to know him as a child. To be honest, he didn’t want me to go to sea, but Trinity House gave me a good education for a couple of years. One of the teachers was Geoff Haylett – he taught us nautical stuff, particularly ropework skills. If you were right handed, he’d make you tie knots with your left hand, then behind your back – he used to tell us that if you were at sea, in the dark, in a howling gale, you had to be able to tie knots quickly and efficiently.
E You moved on to South Holderness after that?
D I did two years at Trinity House, but we had diverging views on school discipline, and I left. There were diverse sports at South Holderness, and I was keen – I became Caption of the 1st XV Rugby there.
E Were you an academic student?
D I was more into sports. But I passed my O Levels. The Maths Teacher at Trinity House – Patrick Fludde – said I’d never master the maths – I proved him wrong. But I wasn’t a sit-at-a-desk sort of lad. And it was to avoid a boring Friday afternoon at South Holderness that I attended a presentation from the Construction & Industry Training Board, and that changed my life. I had already been offered a job on salvage tugs but that was at some indeterminate point in the future, and this was here and now. Building appealed to me. I signed up immediately, and professionally, I’ve never looked back. And my dad approved.
I left school and took an apprenticeship at Hull City Council, which gave me a good broad training. In those days there was a lot of refurbishment work to do – fixing up back boilers and that sort of thing, and I developed useful specialist skills.
E Did you complete your apprenticeship?
D At that time, this was in the mid-eighties, my father was in Cape Town, South Africa. There were reports of the terrible apartheid issues on the telly, and we were worried about him. But he’d ring us frequently to let us know it wasn’t nearly so bad as the media were making out. In fact, he invited me to visit, and I decided it would be a good idea. So I let them know that when my apprenticeship training was over, I’d be taking a break. The Council were not happy that I was leaving at the end of my contract, so they transferred me to some dead-end work. I objected – they were not fulfilling their part of the deal. But I went to Cape Town anyway. In 1988. I was very well trained, and none of the other apprentices could tie knots behind their backs.
E So what happened to your career?
D The UK was in recession on my return, but I found a job with Mick Ralph (– now M R Builders) which was a great education – I learned about building houses, units, bowling alleys. I was good at my job. But I was still a young man with an unsatisfied wanderlust. I was in my mid-twenties – the time of the Gulf War, the world was changing around me, and I suddenly realised I was stuck in Burstwick, amongst village people whose only interest in life was what was happening in Coronation Street and the other Soaps. This was boredom! I had a yen to go to Yugoslavia, but then the troubles started over there – remember Serbia, Croatia, Herzegovina, Bosnia – which scuppered my plans, so I returned to Africa and met a friend at Johannesburg Airport. We travelled around in a six-month sabbatical, and then he returned to England. I didn’t fancy coming back to snow and freezing cold, so I decided to extend my stay.
E What did you do while you were there?
D I got a job in Capetown with a small builder called Karl Schmidt. The building skills came into play – we were mainly building extensions – high end extensions, we called them, for the wealthy homeowners on the mountainside overlooking the sea. We started just before Christmas, and carried on until Easter, and then I headed north-east to Johannesburg. About 1,500 kilometres away.
E Why was this?
D I wanted to be with Desiree.
E You married her, I understand.
D Yes, in Joberg: Modderfontein. Desiree had a job there – she was working for a computer company, so I followed. But with the peculiar politics of the time I couldn’t renew my work permit.
E Disaster.
D Yes, I had to return to the UK. This was 1993, not a good time, because the economy was in a downward spiral. But Desiree followed me in the October, and I set up home in Ottringham. I was older now, and more settled, and we started a family – my daughter was born in 1997 and my son Daniel in 2000.
E So what did you do for employment?
D I became a construction site manager for large house builders, Tarmac Homes, Barratt’s, the whole shebang, and was good at it – I’ve covered all aspects of building over the years. I’ve changed employers several times, but I’m still in the same industry – it’s all I’m good at.
E You’re too modest. But let me turn to your Masonic career. What made you join the Minerva Lodge?
D My dad was a member of Minerva Lodge, and I’d been to a White Table event and been impressed. I was close to dad, and we used to play rugby together and go for a drink with the lads – those with a seafaring heritage, and I’d enjoy that camaraderie. Dad was twenty years older than me, and the rugby was starting to hurt by 2004, and I thought this was a good time for us to share a less rigorous interest. So I joined the Minerva Lodge in 2004. That White Table event had been to encourage new members – the Lodge was going through a lean period, though I didn’t know it at the time.
E You yourself have organised several very successful White Table meetings over the past few years – I see you’re carrying on a Betts tradition.
D That’s right. The first office I held in the Lodge was that of Inner Guard. I was Junior Deacon three times, and went on to be Junior Warden, then Senior Warden before taking the Chair.
E I remember you going into the Chair. What were your thoughts on it?
D I remember being uncomfortable in the Chair at first, until November, when I suddenly realised I could fill it. It was a busy year – we did a couple of first degree ceremonies – in fact, we did every ceremony. But more than that, we had social do’s – guest speakers, wives, interested people and raised quite a bit for Charity.
E And at the same time raised the Minerva profile. What about the Royal Arch?
D It was Worshipful Brother Ron Thornton who introduced me to the Chapter. In fact, I’d just done my third degree when he came up to me and told me that this was my next step. No argument – I was in.
E You’re in several other orders, too?
D I have always enjoyed KT – the Knights Templar. It was Ron Thornton who was responsible for me joining that, too. I’m a member of AYCR.
E The Ancient York Conclave of Redemption, letter ‘B’, Time Immemorial.
D That’s right. Established 1791. They wear black caps, not red like everybody else, great traditionalists, proud of their heritage and independence, and fighting for their beliefs.
E Rather like you, Danny.
D No comment – but I do like the Knights Templar. I especially enjoyed being part of the Provincial Bodyguard.
E The thought of you swinging a sword is rather terrifying. I’d hate to get on the wrong side of you. To return to Minerva Lodge; you’re currently the Lecture Master.
D I’m not a Masonic academic or great intellectual, I think I’m probably more like a parade-ground sergeant, getting the lads to work together. And being a site manager for so many years helps – you get to know the team, its strengths and weaknesses, and to keep an eye on everything so that everybody gives their best effort.
E As a well-established pillar of the Lodge, and as the Brother who oversees the rehearsals and Lodges of Instruction as well as being Membership Officer, have you any message for those young members coming into Freemasonry?
D For me, coming to the Lodge is not just about ritual, or just about a meal, or simply meeting your friends. It’s the whole experience that matters. From the moment you come through the door, you’re in a sanctuary away from the madness of the outside world, and you’ll go away recharged. So my mantra is simply this – enjoy it all.
E W Bro Danny Betts, thank you for your time.
June 2023
DAVID GREEN
As his year in the Master's Chair drew to a close, (June 2023) W Bro Dave Green sent the following biography to this website
My life started on the 30th of November 1948 at Hedon road maternity hospital. My mum always used to say I was lucky and missed the bad winter of 1947/48.
Home was a prefab down Westgarth avenue on North Hull Estate, it was a great place to grow up: the street was a dead end so it was our playground, the police sports field on Inglemire lane was at the end of the road, and getting through the fence was no problem - only you played football with one eye looking for the policeman on his little motorcycle.
I started Hall Road infants when I was five years old moving on to the junior school later. These were the days of the dreaded 11+ and unfortunately I was not about to become grammar school material. So off I went to Wilberforce High School as mum and dad decided it was a school that did GCE courses and you could go on to grammar school at 15.
Well that never happened did it? Because I decided that I wanted to be like dad and be a fitter - particularly a marine fitter then join the merchant navy once my apprenticeship finished at 21.
So the day after Whit Monday I arrived at Humber St Andrew Engineering Company on Hull Fish Dock to start my five year apprenticeship on a weekly wage of £2/15/6, which swiftly increased when I reached sixteen years old to £3/10/10.
Those five predecimal years were some of the happiest times of my life - and also the saddest: I come from a family of deep sea fishermen and in 1968 we lost three ships to the winter weather. The atmosphere on Fish Dock at that time was (to say the least) subdued.
1970 saw me out of my apprenticeship and in the Merchant Navy joining a ship called the Benvalla, part of a fleet of ships owned by Ben Line Steamers of Edinburgh. I did a few trips to the Far East before coming ashore in 1973 and returning to work on the Fish Dock, but this wasn’t the end of my sea-going career, because work on the dock began to dry up as did the fishing industry and the company eventually closed.
Being married by this time and with two chidren I had to return to sea and after a trip on a supply boat off East Africa I sat my Chief Engineers Certificate part A, and at the same time got a job with North Sea Ferries. I stayed there for the next sixteen years before ear problems, (due to the environment I had worked in) meant I had to leave the sea and find other work.
I was fortunate in that I had a Department of Trade First Class Certificate in Marine Engineering and I had done a couple of Open University credits in technology and maths so I applied to Leeds Polytechnic to do a BEd in mathematics and became a school teacher.
It was while teaching at Wolfreton School I met Eddie Wildman who invited me to an open night for Minerva Lodge which I attended with my good friend Keith Challis who was a member of the Technical Lodge 5666. That was the night I decided to become a Freemason. I enjoyed the evening with Minerva but as I was teaching it made sense to join Technical lodge as their meetings were on a Saturday.
Life does turn full circle as I eventually did join Minerva lodge. My Masonic career led me to the Master's Chair in 2022/2023 and I am sure many Masons would agree with the sentiment “I wish I had joined Freemasonary sooner."
So if you have come across this potted history of my life so far and would like to find out more about becoming a Freemason my advice is: do it - you will not regret it!
David Green
