Another Successful Provincial Grand Lodge Meeting
The Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Rev. Trevor John Walker and members of Provincial Mark Grand Lodge of Lincolnshire were pleased to receive the Assistant Grand Master R.W.Bro. Raymond John Smith and many distinguished guest at our Provincial Grand Lodge on Saturday 12th March 2016 at the Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground.
After greeting our distinguished guests, Rt W Bro Rev Trevor Walker was pleased to appoint and invest his active team for the coming year and other Past Rank appointments and promotions.
The Provincial Grand Master then gave the following address to the assembled brethren:
It is a very great pleasure for me to welcome you all brethren to this 142nd. Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Lincolnshire. Thank you for your support and I hope you will discover friendships renewed, new friendships made and great enjoyment from your Provincial Grand Lodge meeting.
I have already welcomed our distinguished guests and heads of other orders but brethren I am sure you would join with me in emphasising just how delighted we are to welcome our Assistant Grand Master Right Worshipful Brother Raymond John Smith. Sir, on behalf of the Province of Lincolnshire we thank you for taking time out from your very busy schedule to come to Lincoln. We hope you will enjoy your visit and return home with many happy memories of your time amongst us.
On Tuesday 7th. June there will be a very special meeting of Grand Lodge. The Most Worshipful Grand Master will be installing new Deputy and Assistant Grand Masters in addition to investing recipients of Grand Rank. Brethren I am sure you all join with me in congratulating our Assistant Grand Master R. Wor. Bro. Raymond John Smith on his promotion to Deputy Grand Master. We really are honoured today brethren for the Assistant Grand Master elect R. Wor. Bro. John Herbert Prizeman is also with us. We offer you our sincerest congratulations and wish you both many happy years in these offices.
W. Bro. Ray Wade will again arrange the coach trip to Grand Lodge. You will need to book early brethren as this Grand Lodge Meeting will be very heavily subscribed. There will of course be the traditional celebratory dinner at Baldock for those travelling on the coach. If you have never attended Grand Lodge, then I do urge you to do so. It is always a most splendid occasion and you will be supporting your brethren from Lincolnshire being honoured with Grand Rank. The meeting is open to all Mark Master Masons and you can either travel on the coach and dine at Baldock or join me and other brethren at the Connaught Rooms. Whichever you choose you will be guaranteed a most enjoyable day.
The Provincial Grand Secretary being a model of efficiency contacted me shortly after last year’s Provincial meeting to say we had a problem looming for 2016. Our scheduled meeting date would conflict with Easter weekend – we would have to change it. I did tell him I ‘d be working at Easter anyway but was reminded that other people enjoy holidays at Easter so a change of date had to be arranged. I do apologise for the fact we have clashed with the Province of North and East Yorkshire meeting this morning at York. We shall be back to our usual date next year and meet on the fourth Saturday in March – 25th. Please put the date in your diaries and I do hope we shall see all our guests with us again next year.
This is our second meeting to take place at the Epic Centre at the Lincolnshire Showground as a consequence of the Bishop Grosseteste University being unable to accommodate us. We have been victims of our own success as our attendances and dining numbers have increased to a level the university was unable to handle. I am delighted we are at the Showground again hoping this meeting will be as successful as last year and meet with your approval I hope for many years to come.
It has been a busy year in the Mark Degree. Last June the Grand Master honoured W. Bro. Tony Austin and W. Bro. Keith Robinson who were promoted to P. G. Jun. Deacon, W. Bro. Mike Robinson received a first appointment as P.A.G.D.C., W. Bro. Steve Roberts P.A.G.Swd.B., and W. Bro. Ian Castledine P.G.Std.B. W. Bro. Les Darby was appointed to the active rank of Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies. All these brethren continue to work very hard for the Mark Degree and we congratulate them on the recognition afforded by those appointments which were so well deserved.
I now take this opportunity to thank brethren who have accompanied me to the other meetings of Grand Lodge. They have all been happy enjoyable occasions. As well as your company at Grand Lodge I am very grateful to those have travelled with me to other Provinces for their Annual Meetings. We all enjoy these visits and you would wish me to say to our visitors from those Provinces how much we appreciate the most generous hospitality extended to us and hope your visit to Lincoln will be equally enjoyed by yourselves.
Last year the Provincial Team made five official visits in the Province. Without exception these were delightful occasions. I am especially pleased by the support of the provincial officers – virtually 100% attendance at each visit. Thank you brethren, as I confess it does make me feel proud to be led into a lodge by such a long column of officers. It is also impressive for the brethren of the host lodge to see their lodge being honoured by so many Provincial Officers. Without exception the lodges we visit have given us a wonderful welcome and very happy evenings have been enjoyed by all present. I also thank you for the warm welcome extended to me and my Directors of Ceremonies when I personally attend your lodges. The puddings continue to please as well!
Such visits are an opportunity for new friendships to be made by the Provincial Officers of the year. I hope these new friendships might be continued by joining the Lincolnshire Provincial Officers’ Lodge. I have a feeling the secretary will supply application forms for any Provincial Officers who are not yet members! The lodge only meets twice a year (where have you heard that before?) but the installation meeting is very much a social occasion when wives and partners join us for the festive board. I hope all Provincial Officers will seriously consider joining.
Our meeting today is primarily for the appointment, promotion and investiture of the Provincial Grand Officers. I do congratulate all those I have just appointed, promoted and invested and thank you for all your efforts in the Mark that has earned you this honour. I am sure I do not need to remind you that it is also an encouragement for further service in the Degree and to your lodges. That goes without saying – doesn’t it brethren? But I have said it!
I now wish to record the tremendous work done by the Provincial Wardens . W. Bro. Barry Humphrey and W. Bro. David Wheeler have visited all the lodges in the Province travelling from one end of Lincolnshire to the other – and that can be a long way! I know they have enjoyed their year in office and I am sure W. Bro. Trevor Knight and W. Bro. Mick Stocker will have an equally successful and enjoyable time as Provincial Wardens this year. I am sure you will welcome and look after them when they visit your lodges.
The Grand Officers in the Province represent me at Installation meetings and also act as liaison officers to the Mark and Royal Ark Mariner Lodges. I am very grateful to them for fulfilling these duties and for the reports they compile. These reports help to identify brethren for promotion and also enable assistance to be given to any lodge where required. Sometimes it is thought that receiving Grand Rank means you get a nice apron and sit at the top table and do nothing else. Not in this province brethren. The Grand Officers work very hard and I am pleased to place on record my thanks and that of the province to them.
It is now 846 days until we celebrate the 2018 Mark Benevolent Fund Festival here at Lincoln. It is a very special festival for it is the 150th. and we are very honoured to be the host province on this historical occasion. I know the festival is very much in all your minds and you are doing so much to support the Festival Fund. The number of events happening is truly staggering ranging from sponsored leg waxings – ouch! sponsored rides and walks, sponsored slims, and many others besides. There was the dinner dance held last September, race nights, Last Night of the Proms, model railway exhibition, organ concerts and others too numerous to mention.
All these events add to the generous donations you are making through collections, supporting the Mark Draw, and your regular giving to the Mark Benevolent Fund. I am confident we shall raise a splendid total for the Festival but please do not let the momentum slow. There are only 846 days to go! I do thank you for working so hard to make the Festival a success and I also pay tribute to the members of the Festival Committee, the Lodge Festival Champions, and Charity Stewards. This year has seen many Lincolnshire brethren receive Mark Benevolent Fund Honorifics. These honorifics are permanent jewels and will continue to be worn in your Mark and Royal Ark Mariner Lodges for as long as you are Mark Master Masons. They are not Festival Jewels but are a recognition of your generosity and an advert for the Mark Benevolent Fund that will hopefully encourage others to give their financial support. I now ask the Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies to bring W. Bro. Ian McFeeters forward. I now present this Grand Patrons Jewel.
We know in Lincolnshire that the Mark Benevolent Fund is supporting the Hope for Tomorrow Charity in providing Mobile Chemotherapy Units and have, ‘Elaine’, our Lincolnshire Unit, already in use. The Mark Benevolent Fund does much more than support Hope for Tomorrow. Some £100,000 has been given to assist in those parts of the country affected by the recent flooding, money was donated to assist with the devastation in Vanuatu, and the fund continues to support needy brethren and their families. Your donations are put to very careful, good use and help many hundreds of people here and abroad. Thank you for your support of the MBF.
In Lincolnshire we have a very happy relationship between the Craft and the Mark. You have already seen that expressed by the very generous donation to the 2018 Festival from the Provincial Grand Master for the Craft Rt. Wor. Bro. Graham Ives. Bro. Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies please escort V. Wor. Bro. Ives to me. Graham, I thank you for the donation you presented but noticed you did not appear to be properly dressed. Your very busy schedule precludes you from attending as many lodge meetings as you might wish. I am very aware you support the Royal Ark Mariner Degree as much as you can so I now have the very greatest pleasure in conferring on you Royal Ark Mariner Provincial Grand Rank and investing you with the collarette of that rank. You now look properly dressed! You’ve also saved the fee of honour!
The Registrar’s report shows an increase in subscribing members for 2015 over 2014. That is very gratifying but we must constantly look to the new Master Masons in our Craft Lodges to identify those who would make good Mark Master Masons. Perhaps you could hand them a copy of the leaflet produce by the Assistant Provincial Grand Master that explains the degree? Please remember it is from the Craft we find our members and it is therefore so important for us to get the right men into our Craft lodges. I urge you all to be active in your Craft lodges and do all you can to make them successful growing lodges.
Meetings such as this require much work. The brethren of the Haven Lodge No. 1732 and the brethren of the Lincoln Lodges have undertaken the local arrangements by preparing the lodge room, transporting furniture and all the preparations of these last few days. I thank W. Bro. Malcolm Forrest our Provincial Organist, not just for the wonderful music, but also for getting the organ here. He’s a wandering Minstrel! The Provincial Stewards and Directors of Ceremonies with their team have provided flawless choreography, and the Provincial Grand Secretary and his team have seen to their usual highly efficient arrangements. W. Bro. Craig Maurier the Assistant Provincial Grand Secretary has organised printing and we especially thank him for all his efforts whilst not being in the best of health and wish him a speedy recovery.
It is a wonderful privilege to serve as your Provincial Grand Master and I have enjoyed many happy hours visiting your lodges and representing the Province of Lincolnshire around the country. Happy hours brethren, for that is what being a Freemason and especially a Mark Mason is for. We are a happy Degree and I wish you – many, many happy hours in your lodges and in the year ahead. The words from the second degree remind us what it is all about, “Happy have we met, happy have we been, happy may we part,” and especially, “Happy meet again”.
May the Great Overseer be with you all in a happy Mark Masonic Year to come.
After the meeting, brethren who were able to stay for the meal were treated to an excellent meal with convivial company. If you were not able to come this year, make sure your reserve the date in your diary for next year, when our next Provincial Grand Lodge meeting will be held on Saturday 25th March 2017.
The newly appointed and invested Senior Warden, W.Bro. Trevor Knight proposes his toast the Rt.W. Provincial Grand Master