A special day for 378 brethren at PrGL

Over 1,000 brethren from around the Province attend the 2016 meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge, held in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool

They witnessed the investiture of Stewart Seddon as Assistant Provincial Grand Master along with the appointment and promotion of 378 brethren from across the Province.

The Provincial Grand Master, Tony Harrison opened the meeting and then welcomed the visiting Provincial Grand Masters and his predecessor Peter Hosker along with other distinguished guests to the meeting.

The Provincial Grand director of Ceremonies conducted the salutations to the visiting Provincial Grand Masters and other senior brethren.

Tony then completed the usual business including confirming the minutes from the last meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge.

Tony then addressed Philip Gunning: “Since I appointed you as my Deputy Provincial Grand Master in May last year, you are continuing to spearhead the Masonic Focus Group and the subtle changes you have made to the various sub committees of which you are chairman has been inspired.

Indeed, it is very reassuring to know I have a loyal and committed Deputy Provincial Grand Master by my side and I therefore have no hesitation in re-appointing you. Philip was proclaimed and saluted.

The Past Deputy Provincial Grand Master’s and visiting Very Worshipful Brethren were saluted.

Tony addressed Ray Martland who retired from office as Assistant Provincial Grand Master: “I refer to my senior assistant, Stanley Raymond Martland. Ray, since you were appointed JW of the Province in 1997, you have held high office for almost 20 years, and for the last seven as an APrGM, during which time you have been responsible for the Care, and have recently completed a highly successful overhaul of its structure. You have always undertaken your duties with great commitment and drive, and this coupled with a meticulous attention to detail, has resulted in a highly successful term as APrGM. I thank you most sincerely for all of your hard work, and your help and support have been much appreciated. I wish both yourself and your wife Carol an long, happy and healthy retirement.” Tony then invested Ray with his collarette of PAPrGM.

Tony addressed his Assistants continuing in office saying: “I am pleased to report that the remainder of my Assistants have all indicated that they wish to continue in their important roles. I thank them individually and collectively for all their help and support and I am delighted to reappoint them.” Tony read their names: Anthony Bent, Mark Dimelow, Harry Cox, David Winder, John Hutton, Derek Parkinson, David Grainger, Kevin Poynton and Robert Wright.

The brethren showed their appreciation with applause when Tony completed reading names of his Assistants. They were then proclaimed and saluted by the brethren.

At his point Tony said: “Following the retirement of Ray Martland as Assistant Provincial Grand Master, I intend to appoint Stewart Seddon as his successor.” He asked the Director of Ceremonies, if Bro Seddon was in attendance. Keith Kemp confirmed that he was. The PrGDC formed a deputation and escorted Stewart into Provincial Grand Lodge, so that Tony could obligate and invest him as one of his Assistants.

Tony addressed Stewart saying: Stewart Seddon you became a Freemason in 1984 when you were initiated into Leyland St Andrews Lodge No 7391, becoming its WM in 1996. You are also a joining member of other lodges. Your first appointment in Provincial Grand Lodge was in 2001 as the Provincial Grand Sword Bearer and in 2004 you were promoted to Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden. Prior to this in 2002, you were appointed Vice Chairman of the Leyland and District Group, which is an office you held for nine years, and in 2011 you were appointed group chairman. You currently hold the Grand Rank of Past Assistant Grand Director of Cermonies.

You became a Royal Arch Freemason in 1993, when you were exalted into Carnarvon Chapter No 2376, becoming its first principal in 2005. You are also a joining member of other chapters. Your first appointment in Provincial Grand Chapter was in 2008, when you were appointed as acting PrDepGReg and from there on promotion was swift, as in 2009 you were promoted to PPrGSN. You currently hold the Grand Rank of PGStB.

Accordingly, you are well qualified and experienced to become one of my Assistant Provincial Grand Masters but I must ask you in this Provincial Grand Lodge whether or not you are ready and willing to take on the duties and responsibilities of that office.” Stewart replied that he was.

Tony continued: “Then I will, following your obligation, proceed to invest you.” He then called upon the PrGSec to read the patent of appointment

Stewart then recited his obligation and advanced to the pedestal so that Tony could invest him.

Tony said: “Bro Seddon, it gives me great pleasure to invest you as one of my APrGMs and in your case, you have particular responsibility for the Leyland and District Group and the Chorley and District Group. Stewart was then proclaimed and saluted.

Tony proceeded by reporting the following appointments and promotions in Grand Lodge: Saying that all the following brethren received the rank of PAGDC, Malcolm Alexander, Raymond Barrow, Leonard Hart, Peter Lockett, David Thomas, Derek Williams and Andrew Wiltshire.

The brethren receiving promotion were: Philip Gunning PGSwdB, Robert Wright SGD of England,
David Grainger PSGD, Howard Griffiths PJGD and Norman Thomas both PJGD. Tony
heartily congratulated all these brethren who were invested by the Grand Master on 27 April

Tony then announced the group appointments and retirements: “Brethren, I now refer to changes in group office taking place today. There are five group chairmen retiring following dedicated and productive periods of office in the service of the Province. They have led their groups with distinction, and we owe them all a considerable debt of gratitude. They are: from the Wigan Group, Malcolm Taylor, from the Leyland and District Group, Stewart Seddon, from the Furness and South Lakeland Group, Alan Jones, from the Blackpool Group, Peter Bentham and from the Bootle group, Ian Gee.

Similarly, and with our abundant thanks, to those vice chairmen who are retiring: From the Wigan Group, Geoffrey Porter, from Furness and South Lakeland Group, Peter Schofield, from the Leyland and District Group, Christopher Blackwell, from the Blackpool Group, John Turpin, from the Woolton Group, Vic Albin, from the Chorley and District Group, Tony Hall and from the Lancaster Group, Peter Pemberton.

Brethren, please join me in showing our appreciation of the service of these brethren to the Province. I am happy to announce the following appointments to group office as from today: To be group chairman: of the Leyland and District Group, Christopher Blackwell, of the Wigan and District Group, Geoffrey Porter of the Furness and South Lakeland Group, Peter Schofield and of the Blackpool Group, John Turpin.

To be Group Vice-Chairman of the Wigan and District Group, David Ogden, of the Leyland and District Group, Michael Pinckard, of the Furness and South Lakeland Group, Gary Rogerson, of the Blackpool Group, David Cook, of the Woolton Group, Michael Cunliffe, of the Chorley and District Group, Peter Allen of the Lancaster Group, Neil McGill.”

Tony continued: “Brethren, following the retirement of Ian Gee as Chairman of the Bootle Group, I have decided to amalgamate this Group with the Ormskirk Group to form the Ormskirk and Bootle Group. The Chairman of this new group will be Frank Umbers.

The current Vice Chairmen will remain in office, that is to say, Stephen Brereton will be vice chairman of those lodges and chapters meeting at Ormskirk and John Marsden will be vice chairman of those lodges and chapters meeting at Bootle.”

Tony thanked all these newly appointed chairmen and vice chairmen for agreeing to assume these roles within the Provincial structure and he said he looked forward to working with all of them.

Tony then said: “You will have all heard by now of the recent formation of the Masonic Charitable Foundation, and I’m pleased to inform you that I have appointed Derek Parkinson and Mark Matthews to represent this Province as members of this new Charity. Although this appointment is on an annual basis, I fully expect them to serve for a full five years, which is the maximum term the Masonic Charitable Foundation Articles permit them to serve, after which they are required to stand down for at least one year before they are eligible for re-election. Brethren, both Derek and Mark are highly experienced Masons, who between them have an extensive knowledge of the Charities as a whole, and I know that they will take these qualities to the MCF table and thereby make a significant contribution in the crucially important early years of its development.”

Tony then called upon the Provincial Grant Treasurer Neil Latham, to present the accounts of the Province. Neil said: “Provincial Grand Master and brethren, I am pleased to present a report on the financial affairs of the Province of West Lancashire for the year ended 31 December 2015. As you will observe income is down and this is due to the extraordinary item of income of £68,573 in 2014. There have been further savings in the Provincial office overheads and this resulted in an improved surplus for the year. The accounts also reflect the purchase on the new Provincial property in Leyland and its subsequent conversion into offices. As at 31 December 2015, the financial affairs of the Province were very satisfactory indeed and this will be reflected in the annual dues which I will report on very shortly.” Mark Dimelow, proposed that the accounts be received, adopted and entered into the minutes. Harry Cox, seconded that proposition.

Tony Bent proposed a vote of thanks to the Provincial Treasurer, which the brethren responded to with acclamation.

The PrGM declared that the Provincial Grand Treasurer Neil Andrew Latham has been nominated as Provincial Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year. Neil then announced the annual dues for the year commencing 1 January 2016, will not be increased and will remain at £14 + VAT for each subscribing member and will be payable in arrears on 1 January 2017.

A collection for charity was taken.

The PrGM informed the brethren, that the special part of the proceedings, when he invites those brethren who have been appointed and promoted in Provincial rank be present before him for investiture. Tony then appointed and invested 68 brethren with acting rank and 120 with their first appointments.

The Provincial Grand Master then addressed the meeting: “Brethren, I am delighted to see so many of you here today to share in our Provincial Grand Lodge meeting and I extend to you all a very warm welcome and I thank you for your continued support.
A particularly warm welcome to our Distinguished Guests from other Provinces who are joined, this afternoon, by our Past Provincial Grand Master Peter Hosker and, how good it is to see you here today Peter looking so well.

To the many masters of lodges who are possibly attending Provincial Grand Lodge for the very first time, I hope you have a wonderful time and continue to enjoy the office of WM throughout, what is, a very special year.

Among our distinguished guests we have, attending for the first time, Ray Reed, Past Deputy President of the Board of General Purposes and a Past Provincial Grand Master for the Province of Buckinghamshire. What most of you will not know is that Ray has been at the heart of the decision making process that defines how Freemasonry is shaped to meet the many challenges that lay ahead and that he is largely responsible for developing the various strategies that ensures that Freemasonry continues to be a force for good and continues to be relevant in today’s society. We, here in West Lancashire, appreciate so much of what you done and wish you well in your retiremennt.

Ray is joined by Michael Ward, Deputy Grand Master of the Metropolitan Grand Lodge, who is a prominent member of the Membership Focus Group within United Grand Lodge and who, I am delighted to say, was promoted to the rank of PSGW at the Grand Investiture held two weeks ago. Ray and Michael, it is so good to see you and we all hope you have an enjoyable stay in West Lancashire.

Brethren, I am sure you will all know by now that West Lancashire has a representative on all the main working groups within UGLE and, more recently, we have lodges trialling the ‘Membership Pathway’ under the direction of our Provincial Membership Officer, Michael Threlfall, and I would like to place on record my thanks to those lodges who are taking part in this important work.

Since our last meeting the Care Structure, under the direction of the Provincial Almoner, Ernie Greenhalgh, and his team, has undergone major changes with the result that our almoners are now able to devote much more of their time in their pastoral role. The new structure is sure to become the cornerstone of care within West Lancashire for many years to come and I know that it has already attracted favourable comment from London who are looking to recommend it as an example of best practice to other Provinces.

In less than seven months’ time, we will begin celebrations to mark 300 years of Freemasonry. Centrally, plans are at an advanced stage and you will, very shortly, be receiving the first ‘Newsletter` detailing the events scheduled thus far. Details of all the events, taking place around the Province, will be included on our Provincial Website which now has pages devoted solely to the Tercentenary. A short video presentation has been made concerning the tercentenary and it will be circulated to you all in the very near future. The video will also be included on the Provincial website.

Also of particular interest will be a historical timeline drama, prepared by St Helens and Prescot Masons, which traces our Order’s history from the earliest beginnings through to 1813 with the formation of United Grand Lodge. I am aware that they will be more than happy to take their presentation around the Province, so if any of your lodges would like to take advantage of this, if you contact the StHelens Group, I am sure you will be able to come to some arrangement regarding their availability.

With regard to Publicity and Communications, Mark Holloway has today retired as Provincial Publicity Officer and I extend to him our most grateful thanks for the work he has carried out during his six years in that office. I hope, brethren, that you will continue to support the new Publicity officers, George Fox and Steven Lyon, together with Mike Ellis the Provincial Webmaster in the same way that you have supported Mark.
I am now pleased to announce the launch of the West Lancashire Masonic Fly Fishing Society, under the chairmanship of our Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies, Keith Kemp. It is intended that the section will align itself with the Masonic Salmon and Trout Fishing Charity whose President, our Pro Grand Master, Peter Lowndes, himself a very keen fly fisherman, is an active member. The charity exists to provide support to those with disabilities and to help them participate in fly fishing. Our own society has been graciously supported by our Clay Pigeon Shooting Society who have given them a ‘start up’ donation of £1,000 to get their feet wet. Events and updates will be notified in due course and if you do have an interest in fly fishing and are able to give up some time to help others then please contact Keith Kemp.

As I have visited lodges and chapters around the Province I am pleased to see that so many of you are supporting your Masonic halls, both financially and practically, but should you have any concerns about your Masonic hall, or require any assistance, then I trust that you will use the offices of Tony Hough and the Masonic Hall`s committee, who are there to advise on any related matters.

An especial mention must be made of the Provincial Grand Secretary and his team, as you know Arend (van Duyvenbode), who has served this Province as Deputy Provincial Secretary for 12 years, has today retired from office. Arend, thank you so much for all the hard work you have done in serving three Provincial Grand Masters and for your efforts in preserving the well-being of this Province. Your contribution has simply been outstanding and the brethren present will no doubt join me in showing our appreciation of your long and devoted service. Arend, all the very best for the future.

To Andrew Rydal, Diana and Violet, who you will have hopefully met today, together with all the other assistants working in the office, our grateful thanks for the enormous amount of work that you carry out on our behalf and for the arrangements you have made to ensure that this meeting runs so smoothly.

To all those I have had the pleasure to appoint to their first Provincial grand rank, heartiest congratulations and to those I am about to promote well done. Your promotion is just reward for the effort and commitment you have made and I trust will continue to make and we look forward to seeing you enjoy your new rank for many years to come.

Finally my thanks must go to the host group, Southport, under the direction the group chairman Colin Jenkins, his Captain of Stewards Bryan Griffiths and all the brethren, who have worked tirelessly during the day, for the assistance they have provided to ensure the smooth running of today’s meeting and to the PrGDC Keith Kemp and his team for the management of the ceremonial which, as always, has been first class and a credit to West Lancashire.

To that, I would also like to thank our Provincial Organist Stephen Derringer, for his musical arrangements during this meeting.

Brethren thank you for your support today, continue to enjoy your Freemasonry.

Tony then conducted the appointment and investiture of the 190 brethren receiving promotion in Provincial Grand rank.

The Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies then conducted salutations to the Past Assistant Provincial Grand Masters of West Lancashire, visiting Deputy Provincial Grand Masters and APrGMs of other Provinces. Followed by salutations to grand officers and Provincial grand officers.

The Provincial Grand Secretary announced that he had received an invitation to hold Provincial Grand Lodge at Blackpool next year from the Widnes Group of Lodges to host the meeting on Monday 15 May 2017 at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.

The Provincial Grand Master closed Provincial Grand Lodge and he and the senior officers processed from the meeting.

Some 400 brethren assembled at the Hilton Hotel where they enjoyed a wonderful festive board.