Prov.G.M. Address
New Hall '23
Brethren, I start by thanking all of you for attending today, it is so pleasing to see you and to welcome you to our new venue; I do hope you approve. Just think, you are walking in the footsteps of Royalty and past Kings and Queens.
Let me once again congratulate all those being invested today; please take pride in your new rank or office and continue to support both your Lodges and our Province.
I should also like to congratulate those Essex brethren receiving a first appointment or promotion to Grand Rank.
They are:-
Let me once again congratulate all those being invested today; please take pride in your new rank or office and continue to support both your Lodges and our Province.
I should also like to congratulate those Essex brethren receiving a first appointment or promotion to Grand Rank.
They are:-
| Dan Heath | Re-appointment Deputy Grand Secretary |
| Dereck Mersh | Re-appointment Assistant Grand Inspector of Works |
| Paul Busby | Grand Tyler |
| First Appointment | |
| Gordon Maclean | Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies |
| Phil Hind | Past Assistant Grand Sword Bearer |
| Laurie Kavanagh | Past Grand Standard Bearer |
| Brian Dack | Assistant Grand Inner Guard |
| Clive Snell | Grand Steward |
| Promotions | |
| John Finlay | Past Grand Senior Deacon |
| Pete Maloney | Past Grand Senior Deacon |
| Peter Steele | Past Grand Junior Deacon |
Let’s give those invested today and those receiving their Grand Rank a round of applause.
I thank the active officers of this past year for their wonderful support to me and the Lodges we have visited. It has been a lot of fun and I hope you enjoyed your active role and will look back on it with pride.
To the new active officers I look forward to your company on my visits this year. I know you will enjoy them and make new friends and colleagues.
Brethren, once again I have the pleasure to introduce to you all our very newest members, both were Advanced only a few days ago and are with us today. Brother Lee Rush of the Ilford St. Mary Lodge, and Brother Peter Scopes of Wayfarers Lodge. On behalf of us all. I welcome you to the Mark Degree and this the Province of Essex in particular, you are very welcome and we all hope you have a long and happy association with us. The Provincial Deputy Grand Secretary will give you some drinks vouchers after the meeting to enjoy a drink on us.
Brethren I am aware that V.W. Bro. Ray Clare is timing me and so I need to move swiftly on to charity! I thank those of you who have purchased our 2030 Festival Jewel, please make sure you wear it as often as possible as an encouragement to others. Those who haven’t purchased one yet there is plenty of time to do so and can be done through the Provincial Website.
I also thank those of you who have organised and attended the numerous fund raising events held over the past year and hope you will continue to give the same support leading up to our 2030 Festival.
Remember, Brethren, it’s your generosity that helps others less fortunate than ourselves, so please keep an eye on our dedicated 2030 website for details of all our events, this website can be found via the link on the home page of the Provincial one. If you want to know more about where your donation go please visit the video library on our website for a full review of this past years recipients, I can assure you it will make you very proud.
I can also inform you that although the final figure is not in yet, my wing walk on behalf of the 2030 Festival looks to be raising around £15,000 so a really big “thank you” for your support. I hope you enjoy watching the video made from the day which again can be found on the website. Also thank you to Paul Thurgood and Richard Goodwin for making the day such a successful event and thank you to those who took the time to come and support me on the day and took the many photos and videos which are be available on the website and lastly to W. Bro Phil Hind for the magnificent video he has made of the event. A day I shall never forget.
If any of you have any other fund raising ideas please speak to Richard about them and let’s make sure our 2030 MBF Festival is a real success.
Brethren, our web shop continues to go from strength to strength and this year has raised over £5,000 from sales via this online facility, most of that directly to our welfare account for distribution to worthy causes. So thank you to the members of the media team for the time you give to maintaining, contributing and selling on the site.
Changing the subject to recruitment, the Province has now held three Awareness Events this year covering different areas of our Province with one more to be held on the 4th October at Orsett. The three held so far have resulted in over 20 new candidates per event, which is a wonderful achievement and I give all those involved a sincere “thank you!”. These events really do work so please support them, they really do provide an opportunity for new candidates to your Lodges.
Our overall membership has once again seen an increase and of last week stands at 1,400 in the Mark and 1,000 in the Royal Ark Mariner. This is a growth of nearly 5%, this increase returns us to our membership numbers of 2008 which is a magnificent achievement, not only “post covid”, but also against the national picture of numbers of Freemasons reducing as a whole, so let’s continue to spread the word and continue to grow.
Last year, brethren, we introduced the “competition” to author and produce a “Provincial Keystone Lecture”, which was won by
R.W. Bro. Brian Vickers entitled “The history and development of the Mark Degree”, and is still available for use in Lodges. This year the winning entry is entitled “The Mysterious Porphyry Stone” and was written by W. Bro, Ray Mckerron
Let me remind you brethren this lecture is available for use in your Lodges and, if invited, can be presented by W. Bro Ray himself.
I should like to thank the Secretarial and Ceremonial teams and all the other helpers, car park attendants etc. for their hard work to ensure today was a success, thank you guys wherever you are.
Also to all the Right Worshipful Brethren, Heads of other Orders and the other guests for their support today.
Brethren, when I took office I stated I wanted to give others the opportunity to experience high office and thus, over the past years, have made changes at Deputy P.G.M., A.P.G.M., Prov. Secretary and Prov. G.D.C. as well as others.
The statement I made must of course apply to me as well. Brethren after holding an active office for the past 15 years in this wonderful Province, it is time for me to also retire and for someone with more energy, new ideas and commitment to take over.
It is therefore my intention to inform the Grand Secretary of my decision and to stand down before next year’s annual meeting.
This will ensure that you have one of the rulers of our Order at our next meeting and to coincide and help celebrate our 125th anniversary.
Brethren, I can honestly say I have been so very lucky to have spent 15 years in active office and the past 8 years as your Provincial Grand Master.
Looking back over those years I think we can all be proud of what we have achieved together and I do thank you all so much for your support, friendship, kindness and hospitality, it has been a great honour and one I shall always cherish.
I have been lucky enough to have made many friends, not only around the Province, but also around the Country and abroad; to have worked with so many wonderful and committed members of our Province - too many to list by name - but I really do thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
I am not aware of who will be succeeding me but you can be assured as soon as he and I know you will be informed.
Whoever it may be I am confident you will give him the same support offered to me in ensuring our Mark and R.A.M. Province remains healthy and continues to grow.
Brethren, I truly thank you for listening. Let’s now enjoy the rest of the day!
I thank the active officers of this past year for their wonderful support to me and the Lodges we have visited. It has been a lot of fun and I hope you enjoyed your active role and will look back on it with pride.
To the new active officers I look forward to your company on my visits this year. I know you will enjoy them and make new friends and colleagues.
Brethren, once again I have the pleasure to introduce to you all our very newest members, both were Advanced only a few days ago and are with us today. Brother Lee Rush of the Ilford St. Mary Lodge, and Brother Peter Scopes of Wayfarers Lodge. On behalf of us all. I welcome you to the Mark Degree and this the Province of Essex in particular, you are very welcome and we all hope you have a long and happy association with us. The Provincial Deputy Grand Secretary will give you some drinks vouchers after the meeting to enjoy a drink on us.
Brethren I am aware that V.W. Bro. Ray Clare is timing me and so I need to move swiftly on to charity! I thank those of you who have purchased our 2030 Festival Jewel, please make sure you wear it as often as possible as an encouragement to others. Those who haven’t purchased one yet there is plenty of time to do so and can be done through the Provincial Website.
I also thank those of you who have organised and attended the numerous fund raising events held over the past year and hope you will continue to give the same support leading up to our 2030 Festival.
Remember, Brethren, it’s your generosity that helps others less fortunate than ourselves, so please keep an eye on our dedicated 2030 website for details of all our events, this website can be found via the link on the home page of the Provincial one. If you want to know more about where your donation go please visit the video library on our website for a full review of this past years recipients, I can assure you it will make you very proud.
I can also inform you that although the final figure is not in yet, my wing walk on behalf of the 2030 Festival looks to be raising around £15,000 so a really big “thank you” for your support. I hope you enjoy watching the video made from the day which again can be found on the website. Also thank you to Paul Thurgood and Richard Goodwin for making the day such a successful event and thank you to those who took the time to come and support me on the day and took the many photos and videos which are be available on the website and lastly to W. Bro Phil Hind for the magnificent video he has made of the event. A day I shall never forget.
If any of you have any other fund raising ideas please speak to Richard about them and let’s make sure our 2030 MBF Festival is a real success.
Brethren, our web shop continues to go from strength to strength and this year has raised over £5,000 from sales via this online facility, most of that directly to our welfare account for distribution to worthy causes. So thank you to the members of the media team for the time you give to maintaining, contributing and selling on the site.
Changing the subject to recruitment, the Province has now held three Awareness Events this year covering different areas of our Province with one more to be held on the 4th October at Orsett. The three held so far have resulted in over 20 new candidates per event, which is a wonderful achievement and I give all those involved a sincere “thank you!”. These events really do work so please support them, they really do provide an opportunity for new candidates to your Lodges.
Our overall membership has once again seen an increase and of last week stands at 1,400 in the Mark and 1,000 in the Royal Ark Mariner. This is a growth of nearly 5%, this increase returns us to our membership numbers of 2008 which is a magnificent achievement, not only “post covid”, but also against the national picture of numbers of Freemasons reducing as a whole, so let’s continue to spread the word and continue to grow.
Last year, brethren, we introduced the “competition” to author and produce a “Provincial Keystone Lecture”, which was won by
R.W. Bro. Brian Vickers entitled “The history and development of the Mark Degree”, and is still available for use in Lodges. This year the winning entry is entitled “The Mysterious Porphyry Stone” and was written by W. Bro, Ray Mckerron
Let me remind you brethren this lecture is available for use in your Lodges and, if invited, can be presented by W. Bro Ray himself.
I should like to thank the Secretarial and Ceremonial teams and all the other helpers, car park attendants etc. for their hard work to ensure today was a success, thank you guys wherever you are.
Also to all the Right Worshipful Brethren, Heads of other Orders and the other guests for their support today.
Brethren, when I took office I stated I wanted to give others the opportunity to experience high office and thus, over the past years, have made changes at Deputy P.G.M., A.P.G.M., Prov. Secretary and Prov. G.D.C. as well as others.
The statement I made must of course apply to me as well. Brethren after holding an active office for the past 15 years in this wonderful Province, it is time for me to also retire and for someone with more energy, new ideas and commitment to take over.
It is therefore my intention to inform the Grand Secretary of my decision and to stand down before next year’s annual meeting.
This will ensure that you have one of the rulers of our Order at our next meeting and to coincide and help celebrate our 125th anniversary.
Brethren, I can honestly say I have been so very lucky to have spent 15 years in active office and the past 8 years as your Provincial Grand Master.
Looking back over those years I think we can all be proud of what we have achieved together and I do thank you all so much for your support, friendship, kindness and hospitality, it has been a great honour and one I shall always cherish.
I have been lucky enough to have made many friends, not only around the Province, but also around the Country and abroad; to have worked with so many wonderful and committed members of our Province - too many to list by name - but I really do thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
I am not aware of who will be succeeding me but you can be assured as soon as he and I know you will be informed.
Whoever it may be I am confident you will give him the same support offered to me in ensuring our Mark and R.A.M. Province remains healthy and continues to grow.
Brethren, I truly thank you for listening. Let’s now enjoy the rest of the day!
Posted on 04/06/23
