 Well
Brethren another 12 months have elapsed since I have had the
pleasure of last addressing you at our Provincial Meeting.
It is certainly true that time does fly when you're having
fun!
We have all enjoyed a very full and active year as recorded
in the Provincial Grand Secretary’s Report and I thank you
all for the kindness and support you have extended to me and
my Executive over the last year.
Today we are meeting in a new place, though not for the
first time in Torquay.
I do hope that you have all enjoyed the Riviera
International Conference Centre with its delightful sea
views. I am very pleased that we have lived up to its
reputation by welcoming international visitors from as far
as West Wales!
I must begin by congratulating all those Brethren who have
received their first appointment or a promotion today. I
hope that you will all derive great pride and satisfaction
from your new status and that it will be an encouragement
for you to continue to work for the good of Freemasonry
particularly within your own Lodges and in this Province.
I would urge all our new Active Officers to make the most of
the opportunities presented to you by visiting Lodges and
supporting the Provincial Grand Master and his Executive
Officers.
To all the retiring Officers I offer my grateful thanks for
the wonderful support you have afforded the Province over
the last 12 months. Many friendships have been renewed and
new ones made. I trust they will be valued and continued
into the future, as one of the most precious gifts in life
is to have good friends.
I thank particularly our Wardens for the past year,
Worshipful Brother Alan Cockman and Worshipful Brother
Andrew Vodden, both of whom have worked so tirelessly in
support of the Province during their year as well as
continuing their work and support of the 2012 Festival.
It is of course with some sadness that we say goodbye or “au
revoir” to our Past Deputy Provincial Grand Master Very
Worshipful Brother Peter Galt and our Second Assistant
Provincial Grand Master The Reverend Louis Baycock; both
these Brethren have served the Province and Freemasonry so
well and I am looking forward to the opportunity of having a
little more to say about their achievements at the
retirement lunch on 24th April at Dawlish.
On Wednesday 28th April The Most Worshipful The Grand Master
will be appointing and investing the following Brethren from
the Province of Devonshire with Grand Rank:-
Worshipful Brothers Nicholas Andrew Ball and Ian Kingsbury
to the Rank of Past Junior Grand Deacon
Worshipful Brothers Tony Banbury, Roger Hollinghurst and
Michael Twitchen to the Rank of Past Assistant Grand
Director of Ceremonies Worshipful Brother Michael Saffin to
the Rank of Past Grand Standard Bearer.
Our new Deputy Provincial Grand Master Worshipful Brother
Colin Charles Turner will be promoted to the very high Rank
of Past Grand Sword Bearer which means he will thereafter be
addressed as Very Worshipful Brother, and Worshipful
Brothers Paul William Richard Hewson and Rodney Richards
will be promoted to the Rank of Past Junior Grand Deacon.
I am sure that you will all wish to join me in
congratulating them all, and wishing them great joy and
happiness in their new roles.
There are two expressions I want to emphasise today which
should carry a powerful resonance in our world of
Freemasonry. They are: Communication and Understanding.
In any situation in society, whether it be in our places of
work or with our families, or perhaps in our Churches – the
more effectively we can communicate with and understand each
other, the happier and more productive we tend to be.
Conversely, if situations arise where we feel that we cannot
communicate freely, we soon find that stresses begin to
build.
Effective communication allows us to appreciate fully the
important aspects and issues of our environment. This in
turn naturally leads to a climate of better understanding.
Better understanding implies an improved insight into a
situation. And by improving our insight we improve our
confidence. This not only increases our enjoyment and
satisfaction in the situation but also reduces the
opportunity for prejudice and intolerance; the two
conditions that arise from ignorance or misunderstanding and
which have no place in Freemasonry today.
Here are some examples of how communication and
understanding affects Freemasonry generally in our Province:
In 2007 we launched The Freemasons Companion booklet which
is a very readable potted history and explanation of the
practical aspects of Freemasonry and has proved very popular
with Masons of all ages and prospective Freemasons. It has
also been very helpful in debunking the “secret society”
misapprehension.
In 2008 we appointed a Provincial Grand Orator, Worshipful
Brother Dr Richard Ebrey who has a long and varied list of
interesting lectures which he has delivered throughout the
Province. Again this is an excellent opportunity of learning
more about our lovely Order.
Last year this Province, in common with all the other
Provinces, and with the support of Grand Lodge introduced
probably the most important initiative for many years -
“mentoring”. Although mentoring has been practised
informally for many years by forward thinking Lodges ,the
advantages are so important that we are encouraging a more
formalised structure to help every Lodge help itself.
The scheme was introduced to try and stem the loss of
Brethren from our Order particularly in the early years
following their initiation when they often disappeared
through lack of support or ignorance.
Our Education and Mentoring Committee has put in an immense
amount of work in preparation for these initiatives. The
result has been the recent seminars held around the
Province, where most of the Lodges were represented. The
principles of mentoring were explained in detail,
accompanied by practical advice and very useful literature.
Again my thanks must go to that Committee .
Mentoring is about mutual understanding: the Mason
understanding about Freemasonry and its expectations, and
the Lodge understanding his personal situation.
Thus it is expected that this will enable new members to be
encouraged to make the most of, and be as confident in,
their Freemasonry as their personal circumstances may allow.
Let us now reflect for a few moments on the benefits of
communication and understanding so far as they relate to our
charitable responsibilities.
I am sure you remember that special moment in our initiation
where we were reminded that the distinguishing
characteristic of a Freemasons heart is charity – Brethren,
you will note that it is not a distinguishing characteristic
but that it is the distinguishing characteristic, and that
is what should set us apart as Freemasons from every other
citizen.
We should also remember that the Festival system is the life
blood of our four Masonic national charities all of whom do
such excellent work for our Brethren and their dependants
and within the wider community. Each Province has the
privilege every 12 years of supporting one of these national
charities.
In Devonshire we must not forget that in the last 10 years
(not 12) our Brethren and families have received benefits in
excess of £4½ million from the 4 national Masonic charities,
and so for a period of 12 years the benefits are quite
likely to be in the region of £5.5 million - most of which
will have been raised by Festivals from other Provinces.
So, Brethren it is now our turn in Devonshire to do our very
best for the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys. This is
a charity about which I feel passionately, having been a
foster parent for many years and having had some personal
experience of the effect on children and families who find
themselves in difficult and distressed situations through no
fault of their own.
I must say how delighted we are to welcome both the
President of the RMTGB Very Worshipful Brother Dr Michael
Woodcock and the Chief Executive Worshipful Brother Les
Hutchinson who have found time from their busy schedules to
be with us today to help us understand a little more about
the excellent and valuable work undertaken by the Trust.
In 2007 my predecessor Right Worshipful Brother Robin Osborn
launched the 2012 Festival in a most effective way. At the
halfway point two weeks ago we re-launched the Festival with
a series of events across the Province and I thank all those
Brethren who attended.
To date we have raised and pledged the magnificent sum of 2
million 222 thousand pounds - a truly wonderful achievement
by anyone’s standards and my heartfelt thanks go to all
those Brethren who have so given generously and supported
the Festival thus far.
I now feel the time is right to set ourselves a target for
2012, and at our re-launch I announced that the target will
be £4 million.
To achieve this target we need to double the number of
Stewards from 26% of the Brethren to around 50% and we need
to engage with those Brethren who haven’t yet felt it
appropriate to support this Festival to any significant
extent.
Brethren to underline the importance of being a Steward the
Jewel will now be presented in open Lodge. Every Member of
the Province is invited to wear his Jewel with pride to show
his support of the Festival.
Each and every member of this Province is an integral part
of the Festival and a vital link in the support of it .
Individually and collectively we can all make a difference.
A campaign starts today to provide support to those Brethren
in completing gift aid forms. If there are any Brethren here
today who would like to do so please come to the 2012
Festival Stand where you will be helped immediately.
I and my Executive have every confidence that once all our
Brethren reflect on and understand the core principles of
charity and the Festival system and particularly the
excellent work undertaken by the Royal Masonic Trust for
Girls and Boys they will respond with their typically big
hearts and that we will reach if not exceed this target of
£4 million.
I can now announce that we will be holding a grand draw on
the day of the Festival with some splendid prizes but the
first prize being a brand new Seat motorcar. Tickets are
only £5 each and the good news is that there is no limit on
the number of tickets that you can buy. So please support
this draw. Tickets will be on sale today at the 2012
Festival stand.
I must finally thank our Festival Chairman Worshipful
Brother Bill Dawe, our Provincial Charity Steward Worshipful
Brother Conrad Donaldson and his whole Team including the
area representatives and Lodge representatives and also
Worshipful Brother John Smerdon who has provided all the art
work and graphics and been such a general support. They have
all worked so hard with the launch and now the re-launch and
I have every confidence that their labours will be well
rewarded when we announce the final figure.
The final area of mutual understanding which I wish to
consider today is our relationship with the wider community.
Grand Lodge have been working very hard to improve our
public image and have commenced a focused public relations
campaign with consultants .
The Grand Lodge website has been revamped, and it is greatly
improved! Our Provincial website was reorganised last
year and does have a large area available to the public.
We have our own Information Officer, Worshipful Brother
Maurice Eglinton and we are looking to strengthen our area
representatives with media-experienced Masons. One of our
best media for communicating Freemasonry and its Charity
work are the William Alexander Kneel Distribution evenings.
Last year we held 2 evenings when £50,000 was distributed to
70 local non Masonic charities. The press were there and
took many photographs; the representatives of the charities
were so grateful as sometimes our donation was a matter of
life and death for that particular charity. After the formal
presentations of the cheques we have an informal buffet
where everyone is shown around the Lodge and we hand out a
leaflet explaining about Freemasonry and particularly its
charitable aspects. At the last meeting one lady commented
to me I didn’t realise that Masons were “normal people” –
its not very often I am referred to as normal so initially I
didn’t know quite how to react to that comment but on
reflection I took it as quite a compliment.
Our Teddies Scheme is running in the Accident & Emergency
Departments of the major hospitals in Devon and Worshipful
Brother John Adcock our Provincial Grand Teddy Bear who
administers the Scheme so effectively, last year distributed
over 5500 teddies to children in the name of local
Freemasons. Again this has been so well received by medical
staff, young patients and their families and it is a
wonderful example of Freemasonry at work in the community.
Most importantly we must never forget that each and every
one of us in our everyday lives is the most important
Ambassador for Freemasonry. Its natural that we talk about
Freemasonry to our friends, neighbours, work colleagues etc.
and I am quite confident that if the people know you, like
you and respect you, then they can only be left with a
favourable opinion of our Order.
So returning to my earlier theme the more effectively we
communicate with each other and the outside world the more
we will increase our understanding and remove prejudice.
This will lead to greater satisfaction, confidence, pleasure
and enjoyment in our Order and an understanding of what a
great privilege it is to belong to it.
It is my earnest wish is that when any Brother walks out of
a Lodge Meeting at the end of the evening he will feel that
Freemasonry has satisfied his heart and his inner self and
at the same time he has had great fun and such an enjoyable
evening that he can't wait to come back again.
Funnily enough that still happens to me because when I get
in at night the first thing that Lynne says to me,
particularly when I have that very silly smile on my face –
“don’t tell me you have had another wonderful evening!.”
Brethren I am sure you have all been there.
In Devonshire the heads of Orders enjoy a very happy,
harmonious and constructive relationship. We meet twice a
year to discuss issues and developments and do what we can
to support each other.
Sadly this year we will be losing one of our “star players”
when our good friend and Grand Superintendent Excellent
Companion Chris Pengelly retires in September. Can I on
behalf of all the Members of the Craft congratulate you and
thank you for everything you have achieved during your
tenure as Grand Superintendent. Your emphasis on
understanding and enjoying the Holy Royal Arch has been so
successful.
Can I also thank you for the support you have shown the
Craft and for your personal friendship. You will be greatly
missed but we know you wont be far away and will look
forward to seeing you on many occasions in the future.
I cannot close without extending my warmest thanks to all
those Brethren who have made today so successful and I can
assure you that organising any Provincial Meeting is time
consuming and meticulous. But when this is coupled with a
new setup it makes it considerably harder. So I must thank
particularly Worshipful Brother Brian Kelly PJGD for all his
hard work in finding this venue and Worshipful Brother Peter
Keaty ProvGDC and his excellent and hard working team for
the hours and hours of preparation including drawing plans,
lists of strategic operations etc, the list goes on and on.
My warmest congratulations go to him and all his team for a
job well done.
I must thank our Provincial Grand Secretary Worshipful
Brother Lyne and his team. David, this was your first year,
and to an extent it has been a baptism of fire but again
well done and many thanks to you and your Assistant
Secretary Worshipful Brother Chris Yard and Angela in the
office. I also thank Worshipful Brother Brian Adams for his
usual efficient organisation of the lunch, and there are
many many other Brethren too numerous to mention who have
worked so tirelessly and I thank them all.
Finally Brethren can I thank you all for your attendance
today. It is your day and I hope that you have enjoyed it.
It is your Province and we are here to serve you so that we
can all enjoy our Masonry to the full.
Brethren - be happy and communicate happiness and Masonic
love to all whom you meet in your daily lives.
May the Great Architect of the Universe look after you all
and I wish you all a very safe journey home.
Thank you Brethren.
M T Penny
Provincial Grand Master
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This
is my first report as Provincial Grand Secretary and I am amazed
at how the time has gone by. Although having served as Deputy
for two years and working with W. Bro. David Purnell and Angela
at the Provincial Office, I did not fully appreciate just what
was involved as most of my time was spent learning and carrying
out my own duties. When David announced his decision to retire,
the Provincial Grand Master offered me the opportunity of taking
on the office and by accepting, I then began to fully realise
and appreciate just what the job of Provincial Grand Secretary
meant!
In April I began my steep learning curve which I must say is
still continuing. I must thank David for all his help and
guidance during those first few months.
The year started almost immediately with a bang. On 5th May,
Lodge Fortitude 105 celebrated their 250th Anniversary at
Plymouth with a really lovely and very special meeting. On 6th
June Sun Lodge 106, Exmouth celebrated 250 years of their
Warrant. On 24th June Lodge St John 70 celebrated their 250th
Anniversary at Plymouth and last but certainly not least on 22nd
of January 2010 Trinity Lodge 3403 held their Centenary Meeting
at the Mount Edgecumbe Masonic Hall Plymouth. All of which were
truly great occasions in the Province of Devonshire and were
supported by the Provincial Grand Master, the Executive and many
Provincial Officers of the year.
September saw the Initiate’s Evenings being held once again at
the normal venues of Exmouth, Plymouth, Barnstaple and Paignton.
These really do prove to be a great success and the feed-back
from those attending is highly positive. A great thanks must go
out to all the Hall co-ordinators who make the venue
arrangements with Angela at the office and for the superb
refreshments that are always laid on.
Also in the year I have had the privilege of accompanying our
Provincial Grand Master and / or members of the Executive to
many Provincial Grand lodge meetings of Sister Provinces in
Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Hereford to name a few. These
have been most enjoyable and educational!
Due to extensive building and renovation work at the Exeter
University this year, we have needed to look for an alternative
Venue for Provincial Grand lodge as stated in a previous
Secretarial advice. Location, cost and facilities all had to be
considered. I am delighted to say that with great assistance
from W. Bro. Brian Kelly PJGD, this has been achieved and I say
a big thank you for all his help on obtaining this venue. I must
thank The Riviera International Conference Centre for all the
help that they have also given, being most accommodating and as
well really eager to assist.
There are some items that I need to mention. For a long time
Lodge Secretaries have been requesting to send copies of the
lodge summons by e-mail and I am pleased to say that a system
has now been put in place to make this possible. A letter has
been sent to all Secretaries by the Assistant Provincial Grand
Secretary W. Bro. Chris Yard on what criteria is needed for this
system to function and work properly and it is therefore very
important that the guidance details given in the letter are
followed.
This job would not be as enjoyable or for that matter possible
without the help of many people in the Province. I must thank
Angela for all her hard work and effort in breaking me into the
job gently. She has a very good understanding of how the office
functions and seems to know exactly when things have to be done.
With her knowledge of the office and computer skills and my
knowledge of Freemasonry we seem to have a good combination. So
Angela a big thank you!
Now to the Assistant Secretary Chris Yard. Chris has settled in
really well, nothing seems to faze him and he is very
conscientious and willing to take on any task he can. Chris has
been a tremendous help to both me and Angela and for Freemasonry
in this Province. I thank him most sincerely for his help and
friendship and look forward to our continued working together.
There are many others behind the scene who work tirelessly for
the Province such as W. Bro. Colin Gale PAGStdB Provincial
Assistant Grand Registrar who maintains the Provincial database.
Colin I know spends many hours on the important task of putting
data into the system to keep our Provincial records accurate. A
job that Grand Secretary is for most of the time taken for
granted but nevertheless is greatly appreciated by The PGM and
all who use the database.
W. Bro. David Jones PPrGSuptWks who with the help of W. Bro.
Maurice Eglinton PSGD Assistant Provincial Grand Master,
produces the Devonshire Freemasons Year Book (a mammoth job),
and also helps with distribution. You then have Brian Haywood
PPrJGW The Provincial Tyler who with his helpers, transport and
assembles the various bits of furniture etc. for Provincial
Grand Lodge - no mean task. W. Bro. Brian Adams PPrGSupt Wks who
deals very efficiently with the dining at PGL, W. Bro. Ernie
Smith PPrJGW who for years as done the Signage at PGL, W. Bro.
Alan Gill PPrSGD for electrics and sound system, all really
great guys who work behind the scenes and deserve a mention.
This is the second year that details of the Annual meeting have
been circulated in the Devonshire Mason ‘The Newsletter of the
Provincial Grand Lodge of Devonshire’ and very many thanks have
to go to W. Bro. Graeme Statton for his hard work and effort in
producing such a good quality and informative booklet, and to W.
Bro. Colin
C Turner PSGD Assistant Provincial Grand Master who assists
Graeme with the content. They are always keen to hear from
Brethren that have articles for inclusion in the magazine.
Should you have any items of interest that you may wish to share
with your fellow Brethren please contact info@sw1.co.ukfor
Graeme or Colin who’s e-mail is Colin@colinturner.wanadoo.co.uk
they would love to hear from you.
Another very important method of communication is ‘The
Provincial web-site’ which is an excellent method of
communicating what is happening in the Province. W. Bro. Martin
Heskins devotes a lot of his time in putting it together and he
does a splendid job of keeping the site up to date with many
varied and interesting items. I would urge as many of you as
possible to log on and see what’s happening in your Province, (www.pgldevonshire.org.uk).
You will not be disappointed.
I would like now to mention R.W. Bro. Michael T. Penny our
Provincial Grand Master and his Executive. They all have very
demanding roles in our Province and I am sure the majority of
Brethren do not really appreciate just what work they put into
the offices that they hold. I would like to personally thank
them all for the encouragement and support that they have given
me in my first year as Provincial Grand Secretary.
As you will now be aware, two of our Executive are retiring and
we all I am sure, wish V.W. Bro. Peter R. Galt PGSwdB Deputy
Provincial Grand Master and W. Bro. P. Louis Baycock PSGD
Assistant Provincial Grand Master a well deserved, happy and
healthy retirement. In turn I am looking forward to working with
our two new Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, W. Bro. Nicholas
A. Ball and W. Bro. Ian Kingsbury and I congratulate them both
on their appointment.
Lastly but no means least I would like to thank all the Lodge
Secretaries for your help and assistance. I have had the
pleasure of meeting many of you and enjoying your company,
although there are still quite a few I have yet to meet and hope
to do so in the coming months. I would like to take this
opportunity to stress that the Provincial office is not here to
dictate or just quote the rulebook, we are here to help and
assist you in any way that we can, so please contact if you need
help or guidance, we will do our very best to assist.
D. J. Lyne
Provincial Grand Secretary
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