The two new Wardens I have appointed, W. Brother Dr.
Richard Hayes and W. Brother Vivian Bevan, are well known to many of you and
I'm sure you will enjoy their company. You will be seeing plenty of them. I
thank all those Provincial Officers who have today completed their time in
office. My thanks are particularly due to the retiring Wardens, W. Brother Ian
Mackintosh and W. Brother Bob Martini, who have shown great dedication in
visiting all the lodges regularly and representing the Province exceedingly
well.
I have already referred to the retirement of W.
Brother Dennis Noble who has been Provincial Grand Secretary for the past 13
years. He has served the Province well and devoted considerable time to
ensuring the Province operated effectively. No one who has not carried out that
office can really appreciate how demanding a post it is ! Thank you again,
Dennis, we all wish you well. As Dennis's successor, we welcome W. Brother Ian
Satherley who served as Secretary of the Lodge of Unity for 14 years and was
Provincial Junior Grand Warden in 2004. Ian, we all wish you well in this very
busy office.
The Province is also losing the services of W. Brother
Basil Phillips who has been Provincial Grand Education Officer for the past 3
years. Basil has introduced and promoted the concept of mentoring throughout
the Province to ensure that new brethren are properly welcomed and integrated
into the life of their lodges. This has been very successful and he has
produced a series of instructive booklets to aid new members. Basil is
'decamping' to South West Wales and I was pleased to promote him to Past
Provincial Grand Registrar in recognition of his excellent work. His successor
is W. Brother Chris Williams who is well known to you all. I shall be referring
to Chris again later in this address.
At the Annual Investiture of Grand Lodge recently, the
Grand Master appointed and invested W. Brother Dr. Alan Otlet as Past Assistant
Grand Director of Ceremonies. I'm sure we all congratulate Alan on this
well-deserved honour ! The Province was also pleasantly surprised that W.
Brother The Rev. Ivan Fowler was appointed as an Assistant Grand Chaplain ; we
congratulate him too on his appointment.
The year 2006/7 has provided many special and very happy
occasions in this Province: In October last year, HRH Prince Michael of Kent
came to Bristol to have a train named after him. He was escorted at Temple
Meads Station by his Provincial Stewards Lodge wearing their collars. The
Stewards visited Castle Lodge later in the evening; At the beginning of
November, a party of high-ranking members of the Grand Loge Nationale Francaise
and the Grand Lodge of Spain visited the Moira Lodge of Honour and witnessed
our 3rd Degree Ceremony; In the same month, the Victorian Fair and Open Day was
a great success for which I thank all concerned, especially the wives involved;
Also, in November, Jerusalem Lodge celebrated its 150th or sesquicentennial
year. The Lodge History was recounted by the W. M. and Past Masters and,
following the closing of the Lodge, the strains of "Jerusalem" echoed
throughout the building. I am only sorry to have missed this wonderful occasion
and, even more so, because the organiser of the celebration, W. Brother Rod
Paul, who was to have been promoted to Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden at
today's meeting, died the following month. His legacy to the Lodge could not
have been better. At the end of that month, the Assistant Grand Secretary came
to Bristol to unveil my portrait which now hangs in No. 1 Lodge Room. It was a
most successful occasion which raised £1,785 for the Festival and I
reiterate my thanks to the organiser, W. Brother Tim Brunton.
In December, The Christmas Tree Appeal, organised by
W. Brother Tony Rance and the 1987 Circle, was once again an outstanding
success. 799 presents were donated and the wonderful sum of £1,125 was
received in the "Monetary Collection". Women's Aid Refuges, needy
children and sundry charities benefited from this wonderful display of
generosity. Without the tremendous industry of W. Brother Tony Rance, and his
willing band of helpers, all this would not have been possible and they have my
sincere thanks. I am delighted to see Tony so mobile again after his hip
operation - seems as though it is catching !
It was not possible to hold the Annual Carol Service
at St. Mary Redcliffe Church last December but the Bristol Masonic Society, was
offered the use of St. Alban's Church, Westbury Park, by W. Brother Maurice
Nichols. Although the congregation was somewhat reduced, W. Brother The Rev.
Steven Hawkins conducted a lovely service resulting in substantial donations to
various charities. We shall be returning to St. Mary Redcliffe this year on
Sunday, 9th December and I would appreciate a packed church for this
pre-Christmas family celebration. As part of our policy to reach out to the
local community, we welcomed to our Masonic Hall the Rev. Dr. Simon Taylor of
St. Mary Redcliffe Church and his church officials in February and 2 Assistant
Chief Constables of the Avon and Somerset Constabulary in March. Both visits
were an outstanding success. It also gave me great pleasure, on behalf of the
Province in general and, the Bristol Patrons' Club in particular, to present a
silver virge to the Lord Mayor of Bristol in his Chapel on Palm Sunday in
April.
During the year, our "Bristol Ritual" has been demonstrated in
various parts of the country and enthusiastic letters from the lodges visited
praise the content, dignity and expertise displayed. I congratulate all those
who have participated. For the information of our visitors, the Province is
always willing to allocate lodges to carry out demonstrations to Past Masters'
Lodges or groups of lodges in other Provinces.
The Communications Committee has continued to meet under the Chairmanship of
the D.P.G.M. The Website needs some further work, which is being carried out by
W. Brother John Brooks. In association with W. Brother Mike Satherley and
Brother Robin Rumbelow, the Committee is working on the production of a DVD on
"Freemasonry in Bristol". You will have noticed some related activity
at today's meeting and we will be examining the feasibility of this venture
shortly.
Brethren, you should have all by now received Issue 7 of "The Bristol
Standard", our Provincial newsletter, which has been expanded. Once again,
the editorial team, under the discerning eye of W. Brother Bob Weeks, has
produced a newsy and informative publication. I'm sure you will agree with me
that the "Standard" has become a necessary and important element of
our life in this Province and the team are to be heartily congratulated. I
thank all those who have been involved in the organisation, production and
distribution and I am pleased to report that W. Brother Tony Whitmarsh has
joined the team. We look forward eagerly to future editions. Remember,
Brethren, that articles or news items are always welcome.
Progress seems to have slowed on the long-term project
to compile a history of Masonry in Bristol from 1910-2010 and I expect greater
efforts from lodge "historians" to keep the momentum going in order
to assist W. Brother Bob Baggs and Brother Mike Britton in managing this
extensive enterprise. No further delay, Brethren, the clock is ticking !
Turning now to the 2008 Festival, I thank you all for
the splendid response you have demonstrated to date .W. Brother Allan Rosengren
and the Festival Committee have worked tirelessly over the past 12 months to
provide events to raise funds in order to achieve our target. We have now
raised just over £ 550,000, including tax credits from Gift Aid and
allowing for interest accrued to the end of the Festival, so we have a further
£ 100,000 to raise in some 9 months i.e. till 29th February 2008.
This is not going to be easy and I would urge all
lodges to give priority to the Festival over other charitable causes in this
final period. Events are planned for which your support will be needed and
these include a Festival Auction of more than 30 excellent lots next Saturday -
an occasion not to be missed - dinner at the Masonic Hall, Downend, on 1st
September sponsored by W. Brother Richard Birkwood of Temple Lodge which is
promoting the event. As regards the Half-Marathon in September, Allan Rosengren
has been training hard and, in addition to other sponsors, has been sponsored
by the Grand Officers of the Province in the sum of £500; we wish him well
! As a boost to the Festival, I sanctioned the production of Provincial
cufflinks. The first 100 pairs were snapped up quickly and we await the next
batch. Also, as supplies of the old Provincial tie have been exhausted, a new
one has been created in a modern design which I hope will be well received.
Alan and I are wearing them and I am sorry that our supplier has let us down in
not providing them for today's meeting.
If you require any further incentive to give, please note that the amount of
support received by Bristol masons and their dependants during 2006 was about
£ 150,000. Charity Stewards, you know what you must do !
I am delighted that the new President of the RMBI, V.W. Brother Brigadier
William Shackell, is with us today and he will be addressing us shortly. A
Celebration Dinner at the end of the Festival will take place on Saturday, 19th
April 2008 at the Bristol Centre Marriott Hotel. On that occasion, the R.M.B.I.
will publish a detailed account of all funds raised, including how much has
been contributed by each lodge and chapter, other Orders and also by individual
Grand Patrons, Patrons and Vice Patrons. A limited number of places are still
available so book now to avoid disappointment.
As we count down to the end of our Festival, I can
inform you that the next Festival will take place in 2019 based on an 11-year
cycle. With this in mind, I have been concerned for some time that, as a
Province, we have been unable to respond to requests for financial assistance
from local non-Masonic charities because we have no available Provincial Fund.
It is, therefore, my intention to set up a Provincial Charity Trust so that we
can support local charities. I have asked the Provincial Grand Charity Steward,
W. Brother Max Heath, to liaise with our neighbouring Provinces as to their
experience in this field. The new trust should come into force on 1st March
2008, with its own trustees. We can then look forward to supporting our local
charities for, perhaps, 5 years before we embark on the next Festival.
During the Summer months, further work will be carried
out to our Hall in Park Street. This will include the construction of a toilet
for the disabled on the second floor adjacent to No. 4 Lodge Room. We are
indebted to our Architect, W. Brother Basil Woodward, for overseeing the
maintenance and repairs to our building.
Brethren, I now want to update you regarding the
Bristol Masonic Charitable Trust. I wrote to you all in October 2004 outlining
the reasons why the Trust could no longer operate in isolation in providing a
Masonic Home in the Bristol area for elderly and/or infirm members of the
Province and their dependants. Accordingly, discussions were held with a major
Bristol charity and a joint venture was planned. Since that time, considerable
progress had been made and meaningful consultations on a suitable site
continued throughout 2006. Late last year, the Trustees became alarmed at
certain plans mentioned in the local press by that charity which had not been
disclosed to the Trustees. After some deliberation and with legal advice, the
Trustees resolved unanimously to withdraw from any further participation with
that charity. The fund currently stands at roughly £ 800,000 and the
Trustees continue to explore how best to use the money. I shall inform you of
any further developments.
Brethren, the Pro Grand Master has launched an 'Orator
Scheme' which has been piloted successfully in 3 Provinces. The scheme involves
the delivery of a series of orations on Freemasonry devised by Michael Baigent.
The final text of these orations will be made available to P.G.M.'s in June. In
the meantime, the Pro Grand Master expects every Province to appoint a
'Provincial Orator' who will head a select team of brethren to deliver these
orations in an interesting and informative manner. Accordingly, I have
appointed W. Brother Chris Williams as our 'Provincial Orator'. Further
information will be made available to you next season.
I am indebted to the senior members of the Province
for all their dedication and support over the past year and I am particularly
grateful to the Provincial Grand Secretary and his team and the Provincial
Grand Treasurer for ensuring that the Province continues to run smoothly. I
also thank the Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies, W. Brother Mike Oates
for today's ceremonial; he has had to assimilate much information in a short
space of time. He has been well supported by his Deputy, W. Brother Philip
Patrick.
My further thanks are due to W. Brothers Keith Downes,
Philip Patrick (again) and members of the Royal Clarence and Beaufort Lodges
who prepared this magnificent Hall for today's meeting. I also express my
sincere thanks to the Bristol Grammar School for its continued co- operation in
allowing us to use this splendid venue.
Brethren, thank you for your friendship. My Deputy and
I will carry on with our intention to visit every lodge during the coming year
and we will look forward to seeing you at those meetings.
I hope you, like me, enjoy reading the magazine,
'Freemasonry Today'. In it, one of the most illuminating items are the
'Reflections' of that great mason, The Rev. Canon Richard Tydeman, and I should
like to finish with one of them :
"It is always easier to see faults in others than to see faults in
ourselves. Let us, then, try to use our mental 'reflections' to consider both
sides of every question, to avoid the arrogance of certainty which precludes
the possibility of being mistaken. Only in this way can we succeed in giving
'attentive consideration' to every problem and reflect the Divine Truth which
pervades the Universe".
Brethren, our season is coming to a close and I look forward to seeing you all
in the Autumn in our 'smoke-free' Masonic home when we shall celebrate 50 years
since its rebuilding.
The Right W.Bro. M.J.Flynn, J.P.
Provincial Grand Master
