Provincial Grand Lodge of Hampshire & Isle of Wight

1.       Brethren, it is now my pleasure to address you and I start by congratulating those brethren whom I have had the privilege of appointing and promoting this afternoon in Provincial Grand Lodge. Each brother has played his part in the continuing development of our Province and I know that all will continue to do so either at Lodge, Group or Provincial level. The Active provincial officers in particular have an opportunity to demonstrate their continuing commitment to the Province and I do hope that they, accompanied by their wives or partners and families, will attend the Provincial Reception on 4th September which is an ideal opportunity for the Active Officers and their families to get to know others similarly honoured across the Province. It is two hours very well spent – and the ladies in particular very much enjoy the occasion

2.       Our main focus over the past year has been promoting Freemasonry within our Community. The Province’s Mobile Exhibition Unit has been, and continues to be, extremely busy and I am grateful for the enormous amount of hard work put in by the team lead by Worshipful Brother Barry Preece. I regard this initiative as key to the continuing development of our Province and I am so pleased that the brethren involved have grasped the concept with great enthusiasm which I am sure will be beneficial to the project – which has been extended in two ways. First by the acquisition of a gazebo which will be similar to the exhibition unit but smaller and more manageable and which will provide us with greater coverage and flexibility in the sense that we can be at different venues on the same day, and also have access to premises which are unsuitable for the exhibition unit because of its size. Secondly, we have liaised with our neighbouring Province of Dorset and have already had a joint presence with the Province of Dorset at the Zetland Court fete, and next month we shall have a joint presence at the Bournemouth Air Show. We propose developing this if that is the wish of our sister Provinces for the benefit of Freemasonry within the wider area.

3.       As an integral part of the Freemasonry in the Community initiative, a number of Open Days have been arranged, and the Provincial website has been updated and is in the course of being completely revamped to make it attractive and appealing to the public. The Provincial magazine now renamed Insight, with the strapline – Your Window into Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasonry – has been drafted specifically to appeal to members of the public as well as members of the Craft. The First Issue has been distributed by post to members’ homes and this method of distribution will continue so that the magazine will be received by all our brethren even if they are unable to attend their Lodge, and will also be available to their families and friends. A further 3000 copies have been distributed via the Exhibition Unit, and to Libraries, Universities, TLC Hospitals, Hospices, Amity Groups, and at non Masonic functions at Masonic halls across the Province. The objective is to get across to the public the reality that the Craft is very much part of the community; which will unquestionably benefit from a greater realisation amongst the general public that such is the case.

4.       The structure of our Province, which was established many years ago, is ideal for the effective management of the Province which needs special consideration because of its size in terms of number of Lodges; and number of brethren. Over the past year, we have capitalised on this structure by moving operational responsibility for lodges to the Groups with Assistant Provincial Grand Masters responsible for two Groups each headed by a Group Representative. The Assistant Provincial Grand Masters and Group Representatives are now directly responsible for the health and welfare of lodges and brethren within their Groups. In order to assist them, the Group Representatives now have assistants, approved by me on their recommendation, and Group Committees and sub-Committees to cover the additional burden and responsibility which I have asked them to accept.

5.       Of course, the policy and strategy, will continue to be set by the Provincial Executive, but implementation will be the direct responsibility of the Group Assistant Provincial Grand Master and Group Representative who will be pro-active rather than re-active to events.

6.       Over the past year, three of our Lodges surrendered their Warrants. Smaller Provinces tend not to “lose” Lodges in this way. The Provincial Grand Master of such Provinces is able to pay especial attention to Lodges in Decline, and to ensure that they are supported and guided as necessary. In this Province, the Provincial Grand Master does not have the luxury of being able to get alongside all his now 251 Lodges – but he does have the luxury, if I can call it that, of six Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, and twelve Group Representatives, senior Grand Officers each responsible for a Group of twenty or so Lodges which is a manageable number.

7.       We have introduced a Policy for Lodges in Decline and it is now for the Group Representative, in conjunction with his Assistant Provincial Grand Master, to identify and deal with Lodges in Decline in accordance with the Policy. Lodges which have been identified as being in decline will need especial care and the relevant Group Committees will consider the reasons for the decline and what assistance can be given to a Lodge to overcome its difficulties. I do hope that the brethren of such Lodges will respond positively to this initiative. The objective is not in any way to be intrusive – far from it. The objective is to help, support, and guide where such is necessary and I am sure that this will be for the overall benefit of lodges and brethren. We may lose a further two Lodges this year, which were in terminal decline before the new initiatives were introduced – but going forward I would not expect to lose any other Lodges.

8.       In order to assist the Group Committees, we have changed the role of Visiting Officer (formerly Visiting Grand Officer) such that Visiting Officers will now work closely with a lodge and its Officers. Under this regime I would prefer Visiting Officers to be responsible for just one lodge, to attend as many meetings as they are able, to keep in touch with Provincial requirements and where necessary to work closely with the Group Representative and Group Committee.  

9.       Brethren, Masonry is very much a progressive science but in some cases it seems that that progression comes to a halt when some Past Masters are appointed to one of the administrative offices within the Lodge – Secretary, Director of Ceremonies and so forth. Brethren occupying such offices for a period of years can stifle a Lodge’s progress and positively act as a disincentive to other Past Masters who, on leaving the IPMs position, effectively have nowhere to go in terms of serving the Lodge in one of the important administrative offices. Too often brethren occupying those offices “complain” that they have to remain in post because there is no-one to take over; because they have not been able to find a suitable replacement. It is not trite to say that it is not for the brother occupying the office to find a replacement. It is for each Master on being elected to consider the future of the Lodge, the future wellbeing of all its members and to decide on appropriate appointments. The easy option is to re-appoint the brother who has done a good job over a period of years; and the more times such a brother is re-appointed, the more difficult it is to replace him. This is unfair on the brother concerned; unfair on brethren through the Chair with no where to go; and can be detrimental to the Lodge. I would like to see Lodges considering succession planning which should be dynamic, being adjusted as circumstances change, but nonetheless devised to be inclusive and retain the interest of Past Masters who wish to be actively involved in the administration of the Lodge on their leaving the Chair. I cannot over-emphasise the importance of this exercise – which is simply looking ahead and planning what is in the best interests of the Lodge and its brethren.

10.     Any such planning cannot usurp the authority of the Master who might be encouraged, on being elected as such, to prepare a plan for his year focussing on strategic issues, and how the Lodge and its members will benefit from his Mastership during the ensuing year. Currently, Masters Elect usually simply produce a list of their officers for the ensuing year. I would like to see this expanded, so that the members can see the Lodge’s direction of travel, and Masters appreciate the full responsibility of the task which they have taken on. In some cases, “more of the same” may be all that is required. In some cases, radical change may be appropriate – Masters should consider the future of the Lodge, the welfare of the brethren, and if change is required or should be considered, discuss their ideas with the brethren, and involve the Visiting Officer for advice and guidance.

11.     Planning should not be restricted to the administrative offices. The number of Initiates into lodges within this Province has remained fairly steady over the years and will undoubtedly now increase as a result of our greater activity and involvement in the Community. We need to look after these brethren and ensure that they are given the opportunity to experience the joy of Freemasonry as we know it. Mentoring is well established in this Province and has been supplemented by the Retention Policy. It is important that in their early time in the Craft, men are given the opportunity to understand the Craft and to progress at their own pace. Some are keen to progress quickly and should be encouraged to do so. If they find that they are moving too quickly, which may be due to a change of circumstances at home, or work, or otherwise, it is incumbent on the senior members of the Lodge to understand their situation and to accommodate the changed requirements, thus ensuring that brethren continue to enjoy their masonry and are not put under undue pressure

12.     Now then the words enjoyment and pressure, associated with Freemasonry, brings me to my Provincial Executive. I have been delighted to reappoint this afternoon my Deputy Provincial Grand Master. Very Worshipful Brother Graham has been a tower of strength over the past year and I very much appreciate and value his support. We say farewell to Alan Hamilton as an Assistant Provincial Grand Master but I am delighted that he has agreed to continue with his responsibility for our Masonic Centres and as a member of our Finance and General Purposes Committee. Worshipful Brother Alan brings a wealth of experience to these two areas of our work and I thank him for his contribution to the affairs of the Province in the past and for his pledge of continuing support.

13.     I have been pleased to appoint Jon Whitaker as Assistant Provincial Grand Master. Jon has held high Masonic office in other Orders and has a wealth of experience which I know will be beneficial to our Craft Province. I am delighted that he has accepted the appointment.

14.     As to the other five Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, their role and perhaps their world changed exponentially last July. Each has risen to the challenge and I thank them for their support and for their cheerfully undertaking the additional work in which I have asked them to get involved. And when I mention additional work our twelve Group Representatives will understand precisely what I mean. They now shoulder a much greater responsibility than in the past. Each has stepped up to the plate as my grandson would say, and has risen to the challenge. I thank them for their commitment and their loyalty.

15.     This year will be a year of consolidation within the Groups as the Group Representatives, their Grand Officers, their Visiting Officers and their brethren and lodges settle into the various initiatives which we have introduced. The objective is to have a culture of public relations, pride in all that we do, recruitment, retrieval and retention running through the Province from the centre, to what I might term the grass roots. I have no doubt from my visits to Lodges within the Province and discussions with individual brethren that we will achieve this and when we do the tide will turn and we will see a revived interest in the Craft.

16.     I have mentioned the contribution of senior management which is being fed down to the brethren. We now have so very many different appointments or positions within a Province to ensure its smooth running – each essential and requiring dedicated commitment by the individual brethren. Group Committees, Group Almoners, Group Orators, Group Reporters, Charity Trustees and Committees, Freemasonry in the Community, Training and Education, Provincial Events, Open Days, Website, and so on - there are too many brethren to mention by name, but I want them to know that their contribution is valued and that I am very grateful to them for their time and commitment to the affairs of the Province.

17.     I must also thank the Provincial Grand Secretary and Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies, and their teams including members of the Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge for their work and support throughout the year and in particular for the arrangements made for today’s meeting. Next year’s Provincial meeting will see a change of format – we shall have an early afternoon meeting followed by the Provincial Grand Master’s Reception and dinner – I anticipate that this arrangement will be more relaxing for all those involved on the day, and for our guests who will be able to sleep it off on the way home rather than through our afternoon meeting.

18.     In conclusion brethren, taking on responsibility for over 250 Lodges was a daunting task. So I decided to share the responsibility- right down the line.   This puts a far greater responsibility on the Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, and Group Representatives, on our Grand Officers whose experience will be invaluable on Group Committees, on our Visiting Officers, our senior Provincial Officers, and ultimately on our brethren and those aspiring to take office within a Lodge. Plan the way ahead – and in so doing, may your guiding light ever be the three Grand Principles on which our Order is founded – Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.