Mason gives £1,000 to friend for quake appeal

A TURKISH barber in Henley has received a surprise £1,000 donation from the Freemasons towards the Turkey-Syria earthquake relief effort.

Dino Gezen, who owns the Best Turkish Barbers in Duke Street, has been helping to send supplies to the two countries, where more than 50,000 people died in the disaster on February 6.

There is widespread damage in an area of about 350,000 square kilometres and about 1.5 million people have been left homeless.

Mr Gezen was presented with a cheque by Geoff Walsh, who is a member of the Freemasons’ Thames Lodge, which meets in Henley, and a an old friend.

The 42-year-old, who lives in Reading with his wife and three children, has sent money and arranged for vans to take clothes, food and baby products to survivors of the quake via the Kurdish Community Centre in the town.

Mr Gezen said: “People over there have no house, no food, no clothes and they’re cold in -10C and -11C temperatures. Loads of people are sleeping outside.

“Within the first week of the earthquakes we sent supplies three times through Turkish Airlines.”

He said his uncle and aunt, brother and sister-in-law, who live in southern Turkey, which was worst hit, had all lost their homes, as had his wife’s family.

They are now in temporary accommodation provided by the Turkish government.

Mr Gezen said he was delighted to receive the money from Mr Walsh, who had been to see him to ask about his family and to get a better understanding of the relief efforts.

He said: “I have known Mr Geoff for a long time and I know he is a very nice person.”

Mr Walsh said: “Speaking to him gave me a better perspective. Although we see it on the news, it’s hard to keep dry eyes when family members tell you their relatives back home have been affected.

“Fortunately, they are alive but their homes have been destroyed.”

Mr Walsh’s cousin is married to a Turkish man in Lancashire and he got in touch with them soon after the earthquakes struck.

Nationally, the Freemasons donated £10,000 to UK-Med, a charity which is based at Manchester University and  sent an assessment team to Turkey made up of surgeons, paramedics, emergency medical staff and operations and logistics staff.

On February 11, they dispatched a field hospital to get vital medical aid to the tens of thousands of people in need of help. 

The Freemasons also gave £60,000 to the British Red Cross, UNHCR and UNICEF.

Mr Walsh said: “It’s a great thing at my time in life to make a difference and make it quite quickly.

“In the last year, we were quick to help when the Russians invaded Ukraine and the Freemasons gave nearly £1 million to the main charities helping on the ground.

“I presented £300 to Gemma Birch, of MotherSisterDaughter, to help with food at Christmas time. We see the impact locally.”

To make a donation, visit www.dec.org.uk/appeal/turkey-syria-
earthquake-appeal or www.redcross.
org.uk/get-involved/donate