BROTHER LEO ZANELLI -

PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER,
NORTH LONDON DISTRICT - 2006/7

At a ceremony held after the Annual District Meeting on February 25th 2006, Brother Leo Zanelli was installed as the latest Provincial Grand Master of the North London District of Oddfellows. 

Brother Zanelli came relatively late in life to the Oddfellows and even later to the Duchess of Kent Lodge. He joined the Pride of Islington Lodge about ten years ago but was a relatively inactive member. He then sought to take part in the activities of the Duchess of Kent Lodge as he lived close by. He was made an honorary member of the Duchess of Kent Lodge and then subsequently, the Pride of Islington Lodge kindly agreed that he could transfer his membership.

He passed through the chairs of the Duchess of Kent Lodge and on 23rd September 2004 he received the Purple Degree.  In February 2005 he was installed as the Provincial Deputy Grand Master of the North London District.

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The Soho Connection.

Brother Leo Zanelli was born of Italian parents near King’s Cross, London, in 1930. He insists it is “Within the sound of Bow Bells” – making him a Cockney. When people query this he replies “If Dick Whittington heard Bow Bells from up near Muswell Hill, you can ruddy well hear ‘em in the Caledonian Road!”

In 1939 the family moved into deepest Soho; he actually went to school at Notre Dame, which was in Leicester Square! In fact he has lived for most of his life in or around Soho. When he matriculated “They didn’t have ‘A’ levels in those days” he was due to read law at London University, but decided instead to try his hand at journalism – which he is still doing. He did go to university later, extra-mural, in a wide variety of subjects: London University (Archaeology); the City of London Polytechnic – now the London Metropolitan University (Marine Biology); and the City University (recently, qualifying first as a City of London guide, then a Clerkenwell and Islington guide).

His first great passions were football and racing cycling. - “I wasn’t much good at the latter” – he’s still keen on footy. He also started learning the alto sax under the tutelage of Harry Hayes, a famous saxophonist of the time; and became active with several groups specialising in what was then called modern jazz (practised by the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker). His hero was Stan Getz  “But I couldn’t afford a tenor sax”.

      Working Stateside

One of his first jobs was with the publisher Collins as a book editor, in Covent Garden, in 1948. He was then transferred to Collins New York, where he also freelanced as a photographer for the New York Mirror; since when he claims he has never, ever, been without a camera in his possession.

He returned to London in 1951, and worked as a writer/photographer through the fifties; during which time he also developed a passion for scuba diving. Brother Leo went on to become National Diving Officer of the British Sub Aqua Club, founded the Sub-aqua Association (becoming Chairman and National Diving Officer), has the First Class Diver certificate and is a qualified scuba instructor.

He has had around 30 books, on varied subjects, published so far, the first of which was one of the Teach Yourself titles: Sub Aqua Swimming. He has also been the editor of several magazines and part-works,  including the best-selling Golden Homes, which helped the publisher, Marshall Cavendish, to get into the Guinness Book of Records as the ‘most profitable company in Britain’. “But this wasn’t reflected in my salary!”

He joined Central Press Features, now part of the Daily Mail group, Fleet Street, in 1976, and over the next 20 years had work published in over 200 newspapers.

He says that at one time he was writing six different columns a week in addition to his usual work. For 17 years he was “Adam the Gardener’ in the Sunday Express, which is why he is a member of the Guild of Garden Writers.
 

Brother Leo has also been writing about wine since the 50s, and is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. In 1971 he wrote Home Winemaking from A – Z, which is described on the Internet as “ A great little book just packed with information”.

Currently he works for Media Features and has been editor of The Masonic Square since 1992.

In addition, in the City of London he is a Liveryman (Makers of Playing Cards) and thus a Freeman of the City of London. He is a founder and honorary life member of the London Press Club, having been Deputy Chairman and Secretary; and has also been awarded honorary life membership of the National Union of Journalists.

He has been a prolific author and written books on many subjects. The Internet shows that these are read as far away as in Australia and America.

Titles include –

• Beer and Wine Making Illustrated Dictionary;

• British Sub-Aqua Club Diving Manual;

• Sub Aqua Swimming; All you can build in the garden;

• Central Heating, Plumbing, Electricity;

• Shipwrecks Around the World – a Divers Guide;

• Rock Gardens & Pools.

With a fellow enthusiast he helped to compile the Sub Aqua Illustrated Dictionary.

Recently, to improve his knowledge of parts of London, he successfully qualified as a City of London Guide and then as a Clerkenwell & Islington guide.  His main topics are City Highlights and Freemasons in the City, although he says that his most popular guided walk is the one he does through Fitzrovia and Soho.

Fraternal Masonic Orders 

For many years Bro Leo has been interested in Freemasonry and apart from being editor of “The Square” has written many articles on the subject. One was entitled “A Pragmatic Masonic History”.

Fraternally, Leo was initiated in Italia Lodge – the only Italian-speaking Freemasonic Lodge in the English Constitution – in 1966, becoming Master in 1984 and Secretary a year later (there was no easy spell as IPM!) He has served on the Anglo-Foreign Lodges committee, and is a member of the Quatuor Coronati CC and Emulation Lodge of Improvement. He later joined the British Sub-Aqua Lodge and was Assistant Secretary. In 1988 he became a Scrutineer for the Porch at Grand Lodge – and later a founder, Treasurer and Master of Scrutator Lodge. He is particularly proud of the fact that he is one of a small group who saved Mornington Lodge (consecrated 1877) in 1988, when the lodge had voted to hand in its warrant. It is now thriving and he has written a history, which you can read in the Great Queen Street Library.

Leo was awarded LGR in 1990, SLGR in 1992 and became a Grand Officer in 1994. He was a Visiting Grand Officer for five years.

You will not be surprised to learn that he is active in other orders: he also holds Grand Rank or equivalent in Mark Masonry, Knights Templar and Malta; has passed through the chair in Royal Arch (LGCR), the August Order of Light, the Operatives (VI degree) and the Knight Templar Priests; is “one step away” from the chair in Red Cross; and is “fairly active” in CBCS (Belgium), St Thomas of Acon (knighted Sir Leo of Soho), SRIA (IV degree), Allied Masonic, Royal Order of Scotland (Sir Leo Editorial), Royal and Select Masters and Ye Antient Order of Noble Corks “The Corkies are my favourite order”. He is a former member of Rose Croix “There are only 24 hours in the day.”

Leo and The Oddfellows

Whilst Leo may not be imbued with a tradition of Oddfellowship he probably knows more about the history of the Society and other Friendly Societies than most.  During his term as Provincial Deputy Grand Master he has taken on responsibility for cataloguing the small museum and library at District Office. He is currently working on a short history of each of the Lodges within the North London District. When available, they will be published here.  He is keen to see ritual (ceremonial) practices in our Lodges as that will ensure that we are marked out as something different.

Brother Leo Zanelli with his fellow District Officers, following his installation as Provincial Grand Master of the North London District.