PROVINCIAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2007

The Provincial Grand Masters Address
  1. BRETHREN – I am delighted to welcome so many of you to our Annual Meeting and Investiture.

  2. I hope that for the Brethren who have been appointed or promoted in Provincial Grand Lodge today this will prove an especially memorable occasion.  I thank and congratulate you all, but you will realise that your new ranks bring new responsibilities towards the Craft and more junior Brethren, and in supporting and promoting Provincial Policies and Initiatives.  I hope that you will readily grasp the opportunities which should be afforded to you, particularly in helping with the sharing of the Ritual where necessary and, of course, with the Mentoring Scheme.

    I also congratulate those Brethren who received appointment to or promotion in Grand Rank in April and whose names are recorded in the Provincial Grand Secretary’s Report.

  3. Over the past year I have had the pleasure to visit many Lodges where I have been much impressed by the standards of the Ritual and enjoyed good company and humour at dinner.  On behalf of the Executive I thank all Lodges which have received Official Visits for their courtesy and hospitality on such occasions.

  4. Family involvement in our Craft is most important and Jenny and I have enjoyed meeting many of you during the year. 

    Examples are the most successful Charity Presentations in Chandlers Ford and Bournemouth and last month’s splendid Service in Christchurch Priory arranged by the Bournemouth and New Forest Groups.

    I am also pleased to note that many Lodges are holding ‘family events’ outside of the more traditional ‘Ladies Nights’.

  5. The Craft in general, and this Province is no exception, continues to record some loss of  membership.  I have spoken before about our changing society where all organisations which require service and commitment appear to suffer a decline.  This should not give us in Freemasonry cause for being downhearted, but, on the contrary, stimulate us to further endeavour to uphold and manifest the Grand Principles which we espouse.

    I believe that the future may see a smaller but more committed Craft, affording good example and care both within our Fraternity and to the community at large.

    The onus is on us to provide the right vehicle for those attracted to the ideals of Freemasonry to join our Movement, derive enjoyment and stimulation from it, and so ensure a firm foundation for the future.

  6. Our established Rituals are the core of the Craft but are not necessarily the complete Masonic experience. 

    Let us never forget that the Preliminary Declaration in the Book of Constitutions provides that ‘…..pure Antient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, viz, those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and the Master Mason, including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch’.  I encourage any Brother who is not a Royal Arch Mason to seriously consider taking that important step.

    Opportunities must be provided for a deeper consideration and understanding of the journey portrayed in the Ceremonies.

    This may be achieved through the Orator Scheme which was trialled in this Province last year.  This is now to be adopted throughout the Craft and will see the creation of the Office of Provincial Grand Orator.  He will be responsible for a team of approved Orators who will be available for presentations to Lodges.  I have therefore nominated to the MW ProGM as our Provincial Grand Orator designate W Bro John Stringer.
  7. The new Rulers’ Forum is already proving a most valuable means of communication  between ‘grass roots’ Freemasonry and the Rulers themselves.  Provincial Representatives meet twice a year in their various Groups, which in turn send representatives to the Forum Meetings in London.  The Forum is not another ‘administrative’ body but seeks to be concerned with matters of policy and strategy for the benefit of the Craft and its future.

  8. Last November I had the great pleasure in dedicating the new Brockenhurst Centre.  This really is a flagship building right in the heart of the community.  Other Centres have benefited from upgrading programmes to provide a more comfortable and appropriate experience for Brethren and their families, but I again urge consideration of amalgamation of existing assets, be they physical or financial, thus providing fewer but better facilities for the future.  I appreciate that this is easier said than done but I am encouraged that some discussions are in progress.  Please remember the services available from our Masonic Centres Advisory Committee in such cases.  I thank this dedicated team for all their help.
  9. I thank the vast majority of Lodges and Brethren for their continuing magnificent support for charitable works as exemplified by the presentation to Portsmouth Cathedral today.  Whilst non-Masonic causes are always worthy of our generosity, we should not forget the continuing needs of our own great National Masonic Charities even when the Province is not in a Festival period.  Lodge Charity Stewards should remind Brethren of the substantial benefits received every year by Brethren and their dependents in this Province.

    Teddies for Loving Care has proved a great success and is now in nine A & E Units, a Children’s Hospice and Women’s Refuges.  We have ample funds to support the scheme in the foreseeable future.  I thank the local arepresentatives for their care.

  10. Last year I spoke of our Policy for Lodges Experiencing Difficulties.  A number of Lodges have been considered as a result and I thank them for their co-operation.

    We must ask ourselves whether it is fair to attract a Candidate into such a Lodge where, realistically, he will have little opportunity to enjoy steady progression with a number of contemporaries, but may be rushed through the Degrees and onwards to the Chair with scant time for understanding and reflection.

    A future ‘leaner’ Craft may inevitably mean the closure of some Lodges.  If properly addressed this can be achieved with both pride and dignity, ensuring a fulfilling future in Freemasonry for individual Brethren.

  11. Let us all, therefore, leave this Meeting with a feeling of optimism but not complacency.  May we all enjoy, each in its own way, the spiritual experience of our Rituals and the fellowship of our meals together and other social occasions.  At the same time may we seriously address the need to preserve and advance the Craft for the future.

  12. I am privileged to serve the Brethren of our Province and represent you as your PGM and, in turn I thank you all for your support.

  13. We are now at the start of our ‘Summer Break’.  I wish you and your families a happy and restful holiday period

    May the road rise to meet you
    May the wind be always at your back
    May the sun shine warmly upon your face
    May the rains fall softly upon your garden
    Until we meet again
    May your God hold you in the hollow of his hand.