FreemasonNEW ZEALAND

Issue 4 (Vol. 41), December 2013

www.freemasons.co.nz

Grand Installation2013

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Editorial 2

Hot news 3

From the Grand Master 4The way ahead for Freemasonry

News clips 6Can-do legacy still bears fruit 11

OPINIONAllegorical messages and their relevance to Freemasonry in the twenty-first century 12

FREEMASONS IN ACTION

Letters to the Editor 14

Freemasons fun & fishing competition 16

Mangaho memories and Te Awahou tales 17

A positive approach to the Future 18Mackenzie Lodge dedicated

Single malts light the way 20

IN THIS ISSUE

Profile: Richard Lodge, Grand Secretary 37

EDUCATIONThe hidden mysteries of the brain 38

Bringing the Education Pillar to life 40

A golden gift 41

CULTURE

Opera under the cardboard 42

Adding to the talent: 2013 emerging artists 43

TRAVEL

All roads lead to London but does the answer lie in California? 46

REGULARSMasonic Villages Trust 48

Service Awards 50

New initiates 51

The Roskill Foundation 52

Royal Arch 54

The back page 56

Cover montage photos: Neil Mackenzie and Photography by Woolf.

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Grand Installation 2013 21–36A 16 page pull-out supplement highlighting the weekend’s events

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The New Zealand Freemason is the official journal of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of New Zealand. Unless otherwise indicated, the opinions expressed and the advertising content are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy of Grand Lodge.

Articles appearing in this journal may be reproduced without permission provided acknowledgement of the source is made and a copy of the publication is forwarded to the Grand Secretary.

Queries or comments regarding subscription or distri-bution should be addressed to the Grand Secretary. Queries and comments regarding content and advertising should be addressed to the Editor.

Contributions to the magazine are greatly appreciated and should be of interest to a wide audience. Contributions, including letters to the Editor, may be edited. Photographs should be high quality, preferably in jpg or tiff format. Contributions to the magazine can be forwarded through these people:

Northern Division: Jack Leigh, leigh99@xtra.co.nz

Central Division: Morris Robertson, mrps@ihug.co.nz

Southern Division: Rob Cope-Williams, rob.cope-williams@ctv.co.nz

Royal Arch: Geoff Davies, merlin81@xtra.co.nz

Magazines are distributed in March, June, September and December. The deadlines for contributions are the first day of February, May, August and NovemberLayout by Matthew Bartlett, WellingtonPrinted by Wickliffe (NZ) Ltd.Copyright © 2013 Freemasons NZ

FREEMASONS NEW ZEALAND Level 6, Freemasons House 195–201 Willis Street Te Aro, Wellington 6011

PO Box 6439, Marion Square Wellington 6141 New Zealand

Ph: +64 4 385 6622 Fax +64 4 385 5749 Email: secretary@freemasons.co.nz editor@freemasons.co.nz www.freemasons.co.nz

From the Editorial CommitteeEvolution

The big story of this issue is the triennial Grand Installation, not just the ceremony itself, but the events of the whole weekend. Together, they added up to a great occasion enjoyed by a, regrettably, small percentage of our Brethren. To assist in bringing the broader membership up to date this issue contains a 16-page centre section summarising and illustrating each of the associated activities.

The images spread across the front and back covers, plus those appearing in other parts of the magazine, have been randomly selected to illustrate the breadth of activities undertaken and the sense of camaraderie that marked the success of the weekend. For those who, for whatever reason, were unable to be there, now is the time to start planning to be at the next Grand Installation in 2016.

The remit proposed by WBro Ed Robinson, relating to a review of Ritual and Ceremonial, was passed at the business session without dissent. However, there will be some who will be reluctant to see change while others will seek to have it go much further. It is 70 years since the last comprehensive review and much has changed in society, education and forms of communication since. The rate of change in this period has been greater than that of all the time Freemasonry has been in existence. I commend readers contemplating the future of our Ceremonial to read the Opinion piece by WBro Bob Lancaster published in this issue. It contains much food for thought. Further, the cartoon, published on page 56 may not be entirely flippant!

A strong message, which came out of the weekend, and led by our newly installed Grand Master, MWBro John Litton, was the importance of charity and community involvement as a primary activity of our Lodges and a path to the growth of the Craft. Much has been written, and said, about the extent to which we are involved in charity and how we should be involved, or not involved as the case may be. The committee reviewing the Ceremonial may need to carefully consider the wording of the Charge in the North-east.

During the course of the weekend we heard from two world leaders in medical research. Professor Terri Inder, our first Freemasons Post Graduate Fellow 21 years ago, now Professor of New Born Paediatrics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and Professor Richard Faull, who spoke of his Auckland University Department’s world recognised research into the causes and potential cures for brain diseases. Both spoke glowingly about the contributions made by Freemasons to launch and facilitate their work.

Once again Freemasonry can be recognised as a leading force in the community but, to survive and grow, it must be allowed to evolve in ways that differ from those by which it was it was perceived by past generations.

WBro Morris Robertson, Editor

What exactly went on in this Wellington hotel room? To find out go to the Back Page.

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HOT NEWSCharity HeraldRead the latest news in the Charity Herald enclosed with this magazine.

Grand Installation weekend – photographsPrints, covering the weekend’s events, are now available for purchase. For details on how to view proofs on line and place orders, refer to the information on page 21.

Strategic Direction bookletThe booklet, Strategic Direction 2014–2018, is included with this mailing. It is the out come of exten sive consul-ta tion with Breth ren and, unlike some earlier strategic plans, it has set measurable targets and dates by which to achieve them.

Grand Installations — coming upGrand Lodge of Tasmania: Installation of RWBro Allan Sangwell. 27 February–2 March. Wrest Point, Hobart

Grand Lodge of Victoria: Installation of RWBro Hillel Benedykt. 20–23 March. Various venues, Melbourne.

If you wish to accompany the Grand Master please contact Kath leen Haskell at Freemasons New Zealand: kathleenh@freemasons.co.nz

Heartland Bank Freemasons Scholarships 2014Applications are now open to be received at Freemasons NZ by 1 February 2014. These scholarships are to assist children and grandchildren of Free-masons who are able students, active in their community and are moving into tertiary study in 2014. One $6,000 scholarship is awarded in each division. Application forms are available on line at www.freemasons.co.nz. Contact Sheila Hicking for assistance 04 385 5748.

Found in LevinA Grand Lodge of New Zealand Badge of Appreciation. If you have lost one there please contact Barrie Buck 06 367 9087 or 0274 544069.

Raining on our paradeAs if they didn’t have enough to do over the Grand Installation weekend the hard working staff at Freemasons House we faced, on the Saturday morning, with a burst pipe which discharged water throughout the building and cut off power and telephones. After a couple of days enduring the noise of carpet dryers they were able to get some semblance of order back into their offices by Wednesday.

Charity begins in your lodgeThose Brethren who attended The Free-masons Charity seminar at the Grand Installation gained a good insight into the workings of our charity. The presentation, including how to maximise publicity opportunities, is available on a CD with an accompanying booklet. Given the emphasis placed on charity by the New Grand Master, MWBro John Litton, in his inaugural address [see next page] it is recommended that Lodges devote one of their meetings to this topic. For a copy of the CD and booklet contact Sheila Hicking: sheilah@freemasons.co.nz or 04 385 5748.

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FROM THE GRAND MASTER

THE WAY AHEAD FOR FREEMASONRY

Lodges connecting with their communities

means to you? Also, ask your part-ner, your family and friends what Freemasonry means to them? You may be surprised at the responses.

I am very proud to be a Freemason and of the special quality of benevolence and charity we display to those in need. This is one of the most distinguishing characteristics of our organisation. It demonstrates that we value people, we have a tradition of caring, trust and tolerance of diverse views and that we encourage learning and advancement.

The Freemasons Charity is active in so many areas that does have an impact on the lives of New Zealanders. Freemasons contribute over five million dollars a year into society to benefit infants, students, those in need, our widows, those undertaking research, those preparing to be our leaders of tomorrow and New Zealanders in general.

Recently, I attended a presentation given by Professor Martin Connolly,

Freemasons Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Auckland. The presentation was organised and held at our Horowhenua Masonic Retirement Village in Levin. Around sixty health professionals from the area attended, ranging from doctors, nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, rest home managers, registered nurses and carers. Not only was the presentation of his research to date informative but also thought provoking, as it challenged the traditional way we have provided support to our elderly. Clearly, we are going to have to provide different models of healthcare in the future.

After the presentation I spoke to Professor Connolly who praised the work and generosity of The Freemasons Charity which, to date, has provided funding of $2.8 million to this research. He went on to say that, in his experience, no other organisation had provided such consistent and such constant levels

S igmund Freud said, ‘Adults need to cultivate the radiant intelligence of

children.’ I believe he meant that adults needed to have fun and be happy and that being happy is enjoying what we do. As Freemasons we are challenged to please each other and to unite in the grand design of being and communicating happiness. One way we can encourage this is to get ourselves more involved in the communities around us.

Before getting more involved, we need to be confident and clear in our own minds about Freemasonry. It is only when we have this comfort and understanding that we can explain to our friends and to our communities in a way that fits the 21st Century. I appreciate that by its very nature Freemasonry may appear complex. However, in today’s world, no thinking man is going to join an organisation that cannot talk about itself openly and with clarity.

Ask yourself, what Freemasonry

My three-year term as Grand Master began with the magnificent Grand Installation ceremony on 16 November in the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington. In my speech to those present I outlined my vision and plans for the future direction of Freemasonry in New Zealand. For the benefit of those who were unable to be present the following is the essence of my address.

Grand Master’s inaugural address.

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FROM THE GRAND MASTER

THE WAY AHEAD FOR FREEMASONRY

Lodges connecting with their communities

of funding. Other sponsors had come and gone but the continuity of The Freemason’s sponsorship has enabled him to spend more time on research and less time chasing funding.

At our business session we received a glowing report on the creation of the Freemasons Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Auckland. This chair was launched just three months ago before a crowd of over 400 people, including civic leaders, parliamentarians and even some current and past All Blacks.

A two million dollar contribution was given to assist world-class medical research into brain disease being carried on in New Zealand by our leading scientists. That in itself is something we can all be very proud about. It is beholden on us as Freemasons to know what is being done in our name, whether by The Freemasons Charity or by the myriad of Masonic Trusts and Lodges around the country. We must be very proud of the substantial contributions we are making. Knowledge of our activities and pride in these achievements will lead to a confidence to talk openly about Freemasonry and thus raise our profile in the community.

As Grand Master there are some steps that I can take to assist each brother, each lodge and each district to gain that knowledge, that pride and confidence. However, it will be up to each one of us to adopt my message and make it work.

My first message is for each member of the Masonic family to learn more about the work that Freemasonry is doing in our communities today. As we come to understand the good and positive support we are contributing to New Zealand, we will take even more pride in our organisation and be encouraged to talk to our friends and colleagues about Freemasonry.

However, I am also mindful that, while the countrywide projects that are undertaken in our name raises our profile at the national level, I also see the need for our lodges and districts to strive for a higher profile in their local communities. The best way to attract a member to a local lodge is for that lodge to be seen doing something positive in its own neighbourhood.

I want each district to get involved in a community project during 2014 to raise the profile of Freemasonry in the district

and to demonstrate the pride we have in the craft. By becoming involved in a community project and demonstrating our pride, I am sure men of calibre will be attracted to become members of our organisation.

I want to take a unique step to enable our districts to become involved in their neighbourhoods. While I am sure that Brethren will respond eagerly to my call for a community project, occasionally it is a lack of funding which precludes action. Therefore, I am delighted to announce that The Freemasons Charity will make available to each district the sum of $5,000 to be used by that district on a charitable purpose carefully chosen by that district. If each district uses the money wisely it will lift the profile of Freemasonry in its neighbourhood and encourage the Brethren to talk proudly of the raft of other activities we undertake throughout the country.

The focus for the coming year will require lodges to engage in two principal activities, firstly to disseminate knowledge about benevolent activities undertaken by Freemasons throughout the country and, secondly, for each district to become involved in a community project using the $5,000 seed money. Thus, we can take pride in what we accomplish both nationally and within our local area.

I will be encouraging lodges to hold social occasions to which our partners, families, friends and colleagues are invited to learn more about our Masonic

benevolence, such as our support for infants, students, widows and the aged. These occasions will also allow us to speak with pride about the considerable contributions we have made to the Universities of Auckland and Otago, the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Order of St John.

The Strategic Direction developed by the Board of General Purposes, has set the goals the Craft needs to accomplish over the next five years. It is important that all Brethren embrace these goals and, by becoming involved in a community project, lodges will be taking part in a practical way towards achieving the goals. To maximise the benefits to be gained from our community involvement, including attracting the interest of men of calibre, we need to improve our communication skills and gain greater knowledge of our charitable and benevolent works. There is so much to be proud about the craft.

The key is to make people aware that we bring good to society. We need to highlight the things that are happening in Freemasonry today, all the good things we do for society and all the help we offer to local communities. My message to you all is to cultivate that radiant intelligence of children. Let us learn about our achievements and ourselves. Let us gain confidence to talk proudly, positively and more openly about Freemasonry. Make us proud of our achievements and our wonderful organisation.

MW Bro John Litton, Grand Master

The Litton Family.

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NEWS CLIPS

Double celebrationNgatiawa-Russell Lodge enjoyed a double celebration in October when they initiated Bro. Ken Martin into the Craft on the same night that Bro Colin Glen RH achieved his sixty year service bar.

VW Bro Jim Watt, Dist GM presented Colin Glen with his long service award and also Ken Martin, and two other visiting Entered Apprentices from NZ Pacific Lodge, Hakan Dink and Craig Lewis, with their lapel badges. It was a fantastic mix of old and new members which helped create a warm and happy atmosphere in the lodge room.

On such a very joyous occasion the celebration continued in refectory when a large Masonic birthday cake was unveiled and Colin was presented with a bouquet of flowers for his wife.

Queen’s honourThe Treasurer of Ngatiawa-Russell Lodge, WBro Eric Batten and his wife Marlene were both honoured when they received their QSM’s at Government House on 17 September. Marlene and Eric have both been deeply involved in many organisations located in the Johnsonville area, spanning many years. The lodge master, Anthony Clouston says ‘This is a splendid example of what is stated on our Masonic posters headlined Working in your community. Both have been tireless in their community involvement and the award is a lovely way to recognise their efforts.’

Colin Glen with the District Grand Master VWBro Jim Watt.

Just testingMembers attending the November meet-

ing of the Ruapehu Masonic Association Trust took time out to test drive one of the two seats recently donated to the Wanganui Masonic Village. Facilitated by The Petrie Lodge No. 457, the project was funded by donations from The United Lodge of Wanganui No. 468 and Lodge Moutoa No. 195 supported by a contribution from the Grand Lodge Benevolence Fund. Sited with a view of the Wanganui Rover the seats will provide a quiet, sunny spot for the residents of the Village just to sit and relax.

A final tributeThe 28th of September saw a touching ceremony in Whangarei Hospital where WBro John Hand was awarded his 50 year jewel. It was the last day of his life and quite possibly he was unaware of the proceedings.

Shirley, his wife of 63 years, was deeply moved, however, when District Grand Master VWBro Bryan Wiig, in full regalia, delivered a speech recognising John’s fifty year service to the Craft. She duly replied and the street jewel was

pinned to her dress. Also present were John’s brother Neil, his two sons, Bernard and Rick, along with a room-full of Masonic friends. The nurses, briefed for the occasion, had adorned with flowers

Such moments are rare. Inevitably many fifty-year jewels are presented in rest homes, or even posthumously. Handled differently the occasion could have been an awkward piece of theatre but in the event proved a dignified and lasting memory. John was 88.

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NEWS CLIPS

Regular givingSouthland Masonic Charitable Trust Chairman, John Marshall, left, and trust member Neil O’Rorke present a $2,000 cheque for upgrading flooring to the Southland Multiple Sclerosis Society, Elizabeth Kelly. The trust has given $60,000 to the society over the past 40 years.

A cool choiceWith the help of a grant from The Freemasons Charity, Southland Freemaons donated over $3,000 worth of whiteware to the new Southland SPCA building, due to open in February. The funds were raised from a Celtic dinner and concert.

A welcome gift At a special meeting on 11 October, The Master of Lodge Homewood, Charles Smith, presented a defibrillator to SeniorNet Wellington. SeniorNet member and Lodge Trustee WBro John Nimmo welcomed all visitors including Lodge Homewood Master, WBro Charles Smith and Sheila Hicking of The Freemasons Charity. John said support from the Charity makes community projects like this possible and is greatly appreciated.

SeniorNet has been assisting Wellington senior citizens to use emerging and new computer technology for over 21 years and more than 4,000 older adults have benefited from its training activities. Present membership is about 750, with ages ranging from 50 to 90 yrs and tutors, administration, and management staff, are all older volunteers. SeniorNet has many visitors to its premises, most in the older age group and management has been conscious of the health risks associated with this demographic. A defibrillator training session has been held.

Lodge Homewood’s annual charity programme includes regular support for youth projects, and larger projects are often made in association with The Wellington Masonic Youth Trust whose support is greatly appreciated. This is the third defibrillator that Lodge Homewood has presented for community use in recent years.

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NEWS CLIPS

Freemason FredThe Master and younger members of Lodge Manuherikia Kilwinning, No.109 involved their wives and families in making and entering a float, based on ‘Fred Flintstone’s car, in the Alexandra Blossom Festival Parade last September. Their efforts not only involved future Freemasons and wives, but also gained third prize.

It began with a suggestion brought up in general business that maybe they should enter a float into the blossom festival parade. The idea was to get the Freemason name into the public eye, get families together in the making of the float and to get involved in the community spirit of the Festival.

They decided on The Flintstones theme, as the cartoon characters Fred and Barney were in a lodge called ‘the order of the water buffalos’ which was a take off of the lodge. Roger Payne did a fantastic job of building the Flintstones car assisted by Gordon Miller, Wayne Hammond and Glen Wedgewood.

The children helped in the messy exercise of painting of the float and wives made costumes. Others joined the float for the parade, along with all the children. A great day was had by all and it helped promote the Freemasonry in the community.

Wayne Hammond

Jubby Jengaa and the Garden Party Vicki Yarker-Jones, (aka) Vicki Purple, wife of Bro Tom Jones from Lodge Clinton No.183 has written a children’s book, Jubby Jengaa and the Garden Party (ages 2 to 10). It was launched in July before an audience of children, parents and grandparents at the regular Wickliffe District Breakfast Get Together Group event. Vicki told the group about writing the book, finding the illustrator and the publisher, all that background work that goes into writing a book. Vicki’s reading to the children was of course a highlight. Parents and grandparents never missed a word either.

The Wickliffe Group has now been operating for five years, meeting regularly on a Saturday morning throughout the year. Members from all constitutions, wives, families and friends gather at a

restaurant in Dunedin or Mosgiel to enjoy good, coffee, good food and good companionship. Average attendance during 2013 has been twenty-two.

After orders have been taken a guest speaker or a subject pertinent to Freemasonry is introduced into discussion time. A collection for a charity is taken up to conclude the morning’s activity. In the case of the book launch, which was held at McDonalds Family Restaurant in South Dunedin, the collection and 20% of proceeds from the sale of books on the morning went to Ronald McDonald House Charity.

Jubby Jengaa and the Garden Party can be purchased through Facebook; visit: facebook.com/vickimaree.yarkerjones

Alistair Church

Vicki Yarker-Jones reads to avid listeners.

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NEWS CLIPS

Scholarship successRemember the cover of the June 2012 issue of New Zealand Freemason featu­ring five psychologists on a couch? The odd one out, Dane Aronsen, has con tin­ued his successful career and has reported back with gratitude to Free masonry:

‘I was fortunate enough to win a Freemasons University Scholarship in 2012. That scholarship opened a number of opportunities to me, and for that I am truly grateful. I used some of the funds from the scholarship to travel to New Orleans to present my research at the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting last year. This conference is the world’s most attended neuroscience conference, and although presenting my research on this world stage was nerve-racking, it was also incredibly rewarding.

I used the rest of the scholarship to travel to Ghana to visit and help a friend who had been volunteering there for 12

months. It was an incredible experience to help her in her work with the children of Accra’s street workers, and something I will never forget. Both of these experiences were only possible because of the Freemasons’ generous scholarship.

This year I started my PhD at Victoria University. My research is looking at the changes we see in the brain after exposure to drugs of abuse. In particular, I am looking at changes that we think might make drugs more addictive, with the hope of designing a treatment to reverse these effects. Although it’s a big undertaking I’m excited about the potential for an effective treatment for an issue that takes so much away from our society.

The presentation I gave in Queens-town, as well as my PhD work in general, has been directly influenced by the feedback I received after presenting my research in New Orleans last year. It’s

still early days, but so far the research has been incredibly successful in uncovering the changes in some important brain proteins caused by drug abuse. Next, I hope to collaborate with a laboratory in Italy which has the technology and expertise to help shed light on what exactly addictive drugs are doing to these proteins. It’s hard work, but every day is exciting and so very rewarding.

I owe a great deal of gratitude to the Freemasons. Not only did the scholarship provide me with incredible opportunities that have continued to impact on my life for the better, it also showed that you have confidence in me and my ideas. I find that incredibly motivating, which is important for those times when my experiments don’t go as planned. I hope the Freemasons continue their support for research and academic excellence.’

Dane Aronsen

FAR LEFT Dane and fellow psychology scholars in 2012.

LEFT Dane in Ghana.

Conquering the K2 for charityOn 2nd November I was one of 577 cyclists to complete the K2 Road Cycle Classic around the Coromandel Peninsula. This is not a challenge for the faint hearted, as it is the toughest one-day cycle challenge in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also one of the most scenic and varied with the route travelling around the coastline of the peninsula.

This year the race started in Whitianga and travelled in an anticlockwise direction through Coromandel, Thames, Tairua and back to Whitianga. While the elite racers covered the 200 kilometre course in 5 hours 21 minutes, the ride took me 8 hours, 5 minutes and 43

seconds to complete the 200 km circuit with 2,300 metres of climb.

To think of it another way, I left Whitianga at 8:00am in the morning and, for the next 8 hours, I did nothing but turn pedals on a road cycle to arrive, just after 4:00 pm, at exactly the same place I left from. Why do this? Because it’s a challenge, and I raised $1,000 in sponsorship towards Powerheart G5 Automated External Defibrillator that, with the support of The Freemasons Charity, is being donated by Westminster Lodge to Manor Park Golf Club.

Marty Arrell, Senior Warden, Westminster Lodge

Marty Arrell, wearing a shirt emblazoned with The Freemasons Charity logos, powers up one of the many hills on the course.

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LETTER FROM A SCHOLAR

Anthony Riseley was a 2012 recipient of a University Scholarship at Otago where he gained a Bachelor of Applied Science majoring in molecular technology. He aims to work eventually for a private biotechnology company. He has written the following to Freemasons NZ.

Dear Freemasons,I would like to thank you for your support in my studies by awarding me a Freemasons Scholarship in 2012. This has helped me considerably with my applications to further my education in a world class university.

I would like to inform you that I have been awarded a Marie Curie PhD fellowship to study at the University of Cambridge. I will be working on an internationally collaborative project to help increase the efficiency of the algae biotechnology industry which will help to create a cleaner and more sustainable future. Thanks again for your support.

Kind Reg ards, Anthony Riseley

Anthony receiving his scholarship from Sir Donald McKinnon at the 2012 Freemasons University Scholarship Awards.

NEWS CLIPS

Sixty years of stellar serviceOn the 18th of August 1953 a young Taranaki man called Colin Johnson, arrived at the door of the Lodge Rooms in Eltham, Taranaki, to be initiated into the St Johns Lodge No 95 wherehe began what proved to be a long journey in Freemasonry. He did have some knowledge of the Craft as his father had been a Freemason for a number of years, but nevertheless he was a bit nervous as to what was about to take place.

Colin’s masonic career continued after qualifying as a teacher specialising in science subjects. His employment as a teacher and science advisor for various Education Boards took him to a number of locations in the central North Island. During this time Colin developed an interest in other aspects of Freemasonry including the Royal Arch, the Order of the Secret Monitor, the Ancient and Accepted Rite (Rose Croix) and Cryptic Masonry.

Some 60 years later, that young man, no longer a stranger to the Craft or to Freemasons arrived at the door of another Lodge room, this time it was the Masonic Centre in Wanganui. On this occasion he was there to receive a bar to his 50-year Service Award from the Grand Master, MWBro Selwyn Cooper.

RWBro Colin Francis Johnson, Past Provincial Grand Master, is well-known, not only in Craft Masonry but in a number of other Orders as a senior and well respected mason. In recognition of the service he has given, and still continues to give to these Orders, Colin has been accorded senior Grand Rank in all of them. This was very apparent at the presentation, when a number of senior Brethren from a range of orders were given the opportunity to outline Colin’s extensive masonic achievements.

Colin’s masonic achieve-ments are not limi ted to the cere mon ial side of Freemasonry. He has main-tained an active involve-ment in governance roles

and was a member of the Board of General Purposes in 1998-2000, he is the Divisional Grand Master’s representative on the Ruapehu Masonic Association Trust, a member of the Wanganui Masonic Court Home Committee and a member and current secretary of the Ruapehu-Manawatu Districts Youth Trust. He has also served on the Ruapehu District Committee as Treasurer and Chairman.

Colin’s community activities also reflect the commitment shown in his Masonic activities. He was for a number of years on the executive of the NZ Aquarium Society, the Poverty Bay Conservation Society, and Wanganui Horticultural Society. For twenty years he was a committee member of the Wanganui Branch of the NZ Camellia Society. He is a Past president of the Wairere Probus Club and is a Funeral Celebrant.

Colin’s activities could not have taken place without the support and encouragement of his family, in particular his wife Marion and son Keith.

Rod Johnson

RWBro Colin Johnson receiving his 60-year bar from the Grand Master.

10

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Can-do legacy still bears fruitA thriving canned-fruit industry, a can-do legacy and openings aplenty for promising girl students. It all goes back to the 1879 arrival in Nelson of a young Irish migrant named Samuel Kirkpatrick, founder of a fruit-canning empire, which would rise and fall, but leave benefits preserved to this day.

The full, fruitful impact was not felt until the benefactor, described as ‘a

dapper man with a neatly-trimmed beard and retiring disposition,’ died in 1925 aged 72. He left shares to his workers, relatives and a number of Masonic lodges. His three-acre Nelson estate with mansion and contents would become the Kirkpatrick Masonic Institute for Girls, known as Kirkpatrick House, for the care and guidance of daughters of deceased Freemasons.

The institute’s governing board would comprise members of the English, Irish, Scottish and New Zealand constitutions, Southern Star Lodge and Trafalgar Royal Arch. Each of four lodges to which Kirkpatrick was affiliated was to be represented at all times.

Amendments by private members’ bills through Parliament kept the scheme abreast of circumstances until 1990, when the withdrawal of Social

Welfare support forced the governors to use capital to fund the operation, which was now at a crossroad. They closed it the following year, placing the girls as boarders at Nelson College for Girls from 1992. Kirkpatrick House was leased out as a backpackers’ hostel, the building being finally sold in 2006. The board’s investment income keeps four or five girls at the college for about $12,000 each a year.

The board aims to offer more places but needs the active support of lodges and their members to do so, a notable past chairman the late VWBro Ron Hiscoke was reported as saying. A random scan shows lodges from Northland to the Bluff participating in what seems a typical year.

WBro Athol Hyland RH of Lodge Kaikohe No.255, which has sent about a dozen girl students to Nelson over the years, says families beset by hardship,

death or separation have been ‘lifted to a higher status and function’ by a daughter’s success at boarding school. A number of the girls have gone on to high academic achievement and professional careers. Character and confidence pave the way for all.

WBro Hyland says that in Kaikohe selection and monitoring have been structured around a group of brethren ‘so that we have a collective involvement and not a one-man crusade’. Contact with a student can last five years, and more if she goes on to university ‘so no one person can do it all.’

He rates the leadership of the Kirkpatrick House board of governors as outstanding, while the board, in turn, points out that it must rely on Masonic lodges nation-wide to nominate girls who can gain from the educational opportunities offered.

Jack Leigh

Athol Hyland.

11

OPINIONAllegorical messages and their relevance to Freemasonry in the 21st century

The development of the craft ritual virtually stopped shortly after the

Union of 1813. In New Zealand our ritual is primarily of that the English constitution, with grafted on elements familiar in Scottish and Irish workings. The last amendment was in 1934. Hence the majority of the language is some two hundred years out of date. Notwithstanding the evolution of language, the fundamental principles expressed in the three Degrees, which are the quintessence of Freemasonry, Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, mean the same now as they did at the very beginning of our institution. Our rituals use builder’s tools as symbols and allegory to illustrate and expand these basic moral truths.How do the allegorical messages delivered in the three degrees fit with life in the 21st century?The Greeks called a place of public assembly agora; from this they built the word agoreuein, meaning speak, in the sense of addressing a public gathering. When to this is added alias, meaning another, the compound gives us ‘allegory’, which is the speaking about one thing in the terms of something else. Allegories can be extremely complex, extended metaphors and difficult to understand or fully unpack because, with an allegory, virtually every character and occurrence can have a symbolic meaning. Why use it rather than say what you mean?

Firstly, anything that is defined in plain language is restricted to finite bounds. However, with allegory there may be meaning on two or more levels. The alter meaning is understood only through an interpretive process. Each individual can decode this meaning only by using their personal experience and previous knowledge. In other words, allegory is a tool of abstract thought, often requiring imagination to unravel.

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

— Albert Einstein

Secondly, man experiences and understands at two levels. He perceives and understands this physical world through five senses and the mind. At the metaphysical level he has a spirit, or colloquially, a heart which is capable of comprehending matters which are beyond the mind. Therefore, if the symbolic message is reduced to mere words, the spirit of the message can be lost.

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

— Antoine de Saint-ExupéryFreemasons use symbolic allegory because the moral messages we wish to deliver have as much, if not more, to do with the spirit as with the mind. However, there are times when the allegorical symbol can also confuse and perhaps puzzle. For example, the Masonic message we derive from the plumb rule of a builder is one of justness and uprightness of life and actions, yet a plumb rule is also used in the Hiramic Legend of the third degree as a criminal weapon. Perhaps the allegory of the plumb rule in the third degree is that good intentions taken to the extreme can produce evil. One sometimes needs a guide, to assist in understanding the allegory to apply the correct message.

Masonic allegories are simply figurative stories or statements. Their purpose is to illustrate moral principles. Those principles are represented by symbolic figures that clarify and emphasise the message of the allegory. Thus, allegory in the ritual of the three degrees attempts to bring into play the imagination and stir the emotions of candidates.Messages of the Three Degree RitualsWhilst an exhaustive study of Masonic allegory in the three degrees is beyond this paper it is necessary to elaborate on some of the key concepts so that their value to the 21st century can be evaluated. Thus, let us examine some

of the key messages contained in the allegories of the three degree rituals.

The three degree rituals in Freemasonry portray incidents, practices and legends related to the building of King Solomon’s Temple. On one level they chart out the stages of a working stonemason’s career. On a higher level they are an allegory of life itself. They encompass an entire life span, from the entrance of a man on this mortal existence through adulthood to his inevitable destiny which, in physical life, stops at the grave and transcends it in the metaphysical.

The first degree is an initiation or a birth into Freemasonry. The second represents the learning years or, symbolically, manhood. The third is a symbolic death as one man and resurrection into a more perfect life as a Master Mason. Progressively, they dramatise the philosophy, ethics and morality of Freemasonry and attempt to establish a recognisable pathway to further Masonic knowledge. They are the foundation for the Masonic journey which each brother must pursue for himself by reading and reflection.

In the First Degree the first visual presented to a candidate, following the removal of his blindfold, is the Three Great Lights, the Volume of the Sacred Law, the Square and the Compasses. The allegory here is that the Volume of the Sacred Law, of whatever the religious belief, is important to all for the truths it contains, not for the religious deity it represents.

Throughout the ceremony the prin ci-ples of moral truth and virtue are extolled. What is not mentioned is that the essence of the First Degree ceremony is to introduce the concepts and importance of a work ethic, which relies on accuracy, labour and perseverance. This is the first of three elements by which we introduce Freemasonry to our Initiates.

The second element, knowledge, is contained in the Second Degree ritual. The Working Tools of the Second Degree

This Opinion piece has been adapted from a lecture delivered by WBro RN Lancaster to the Research Lodge of Wellington on 11 July 2013. The full script, together with source references, can be found in the transactions of that Lodge.

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WBro Bob LancasterWBro Bob Lancaster was initiated into the former Lodge Wainuiomata in 1882, subsequently joining The Britannia Lodge and, when that Lodge handed in its charter, he joined his current Lodge, Te Puni No.315. He is also a member of the Research Lodge of Wellington. He has held the Grand Lodge offices of Grand Steward and Grand Sword Bearer. He lives in Avalon, Lower Hutt.

symbolise not only the moral code elements of the First Degree Tracing Board but extend them to include equality and behaviour.

The Winding Stairs and the Middle Chamber are important parts of the Tracing Board. The stair can be considered symbolic of human progress. From the lowest step the highest step is out of sight. At the beginning of life its end is beyond vision. The ascent represents the toil and labour of existence which study and acquisition of knowledge entails. The outcome of our life is hidden from view until we are worthy of it. Hence The Winding Staircase can be considered an allegory of the ascent of the mind from ignorance to knowledge through the toils of study.

The third element, contained in the Third Degree, is spirituality. Here the Hiramic Legend portrays an allegory of life, of tragedy, and of resurrection. The allegories, symbols and emblems reveal the teachings, but in such a manner that each candidate must be guided to find them for himself, for only when a man finds truth for himself does it become a permanent possession.How do the allegorical messages that can be found in the three degree rituals fit with life in the 21st century?If we look carefully at the development of Freemasonry there are several pivotal events that have shaped our current ethos. The men who founded Freemasonry have been said to be the last of the alchemists and the first of the scientists and our moral and ethical values evolved from their enlightened thinking. In the late 1800s, Victorian values influenced Masonic priorities by placing emphasis on heightening social awareness and stressing social idealism. Political and religious differences that had torn nations and continents apart were left outside the door of their lodges.

In the 20th century, Freemasonry sustained the Victorian idealism and reinforced the philanthropic emphasis of the fraternity. Sadly, however, Masonic tradition became locked in ritual as an end, not as a process. Today we are

shaped by the 19th century concept of social benevolence and the 20th century emphasis on ritual as the completion of a Mason’s education about the fraternity.

Freemasonry grew virtually in a straight line from the early 1900s to the mid sixties, when it levelled out and since then has been in a slightly steeper straight line decline, with membership now at a little over 8,000. Clearly we have not only failed to keep Freemasons active in the craft but also to appeal to the past three generations as a worthwhile investment for their time.

Generation X, born 1966–1976, came of age during the period 1988–1994. They are sometimes referred to as the ‘lost’ generation, the first of the ‘latchkey’ kids, exposed to lots of day-care and divorce. Known as the generation with the lowest voting participation rate of any generation, Generation Xers were quoted by Newsweek as ‘the generation that dropped out without ever turning on the news or tuning in to the social issues around them.’ They are often characterized by high levels of scepticism and ‘what’s in it for me’ attitudes.

Generation Xers are arguably the best-educated generation with 29% obtaining a bachelor’s degree or higher. With that education and a growing maturity they are starting to form families with a higher level of caution and pragmatism than their parents demonstrated. Their concerns run high over avoiding broken homes, kids growing up without a parent around and financial planning.

Generation Y, born 1977–1994, came of age in the period 1998–2006. They are referred to as ‘Millennials’ but are sometimes called ‘Echo Boomers’, referring to the generation’s size relative to generation, and due to the significant increase in birth rates during the 1980s and early 1990s.

The speed of the Internet and other media has led this cohort to be extremely flexible and changing in its fashion, style consciousness and where and how it is communicated with. It is much more segmented as an audience compared to previous generations.

Generation Z, 1995–2012, nicknamed ‘digital natives’ is the generation that will start to become of age for Freemasonry in about three years time. They are sometimes referred to as ‘The Pluralist Generation’, reflecting the lack of majority in society and increasing fragmentation in families, media, communication, religion, politics, and demographics. They live in a world where technology is ubiquitous, materialism is rampant and ‘happiness’ is the ultimate goal. They prefer to socialize electronically not in person and do not know life without technology. Little more is understood about them at this time except that they will live and work in an environment that is beyond the comprehension of earlier generations.

The ‘Millennials’ and the ‘digital natives’ will ultimately decide the fate of Freemasonry. The theme that runs through both groups is technology. When they knock on a door they do so electronically. Freemasonry must understand that, if they cannot find our front door, they will simply go elsewhere. This would be a failure on our part, not theirs.

Despite the fundamental shifts in society, the concepts of morality and virtue presented in the tiered system of symbolic dramatisations of the three degrees are as valid now as they were when first used. As Mahatma Ghandi said, Even if I am a minority of one, truth is still the truth.

However, what is not valid in the 21st century is the current emphasis on ritual as the completion of a Mason’s Masonic education. In the 1956 Prestonian Lecture, Bro George Draffen MBE, one of the most notable Scottish Masonic scholars said: It is no part of the function of ritual to act as a medium of instruction. The function of ritual is to enshrine the teachings or dogma of the society to which it applies, in such a way as to be recognizable only to the initiated. It provides the neophyte with the background or framework upon which he must build the superstructure. The use of allegory to do this enables an initiate to seek with guidance to the limit of his own ability and at his own pace.

I therefore conclude that the allegorical messages of the three degrees not only fit with life in the 21st century but are as essential to it as they were to

13

From the south — Dreamland or new beginningsI write in response to the article written by WBro George Allan in our latest Freemason Magazine, September 2013.

I was in attendance in Cromwell at the Southern Division Conference, and listened to Bro Dai Gilbertson deliver his provocative address, which admittedly stung me, but also made me ponder for some time before responding in this manner. However now that the subject has been openly aired in our Magazine, and with the acceptance that it finds itself in many public places, I have to make some defensive observations.

Firstly, I feel sympathetic towards Bro Gilbertson for his ignorance of Masonic teachings, and that his proposer and seconder into Freemasonry need to be taken to task for apparently not following through with some form of mentoring, not to mention Grand Lodge administration for enhancing his ignorance.

No one can convince me that a mem-ber of three years standing can tell an organisation such as ours what to do and how to do it. We are certainly not a service organisation such as Rotary, or Lions International, who openly display themselves as service clubs to their respective communities. Freemasons are encouraged to be moral philosophers,

who just happen to endeavour to assist charities, educational institutions and individuals by their own accumulated personal contributions in various forms.

I have, in my more than half a century of membership in Freemasonry, attended three national seminars with the main topic addressed in each seminar being membership, and the suggested, or should I say encouraged variety of methods to enhance this continual concerning subject. Now with the article in our latest magazine, penned by the appointed Chairman of the National Education Committee, listing three main points of concern supposedly voiced by new members, I respectfully comment that he is insulting the intelligence of our candidates, by suggesting that the charges within our rituals are too lengthy for them to be absorbed in one sitting, and that they should be broken up and explained piece by piece.

My argument to that would be, that the candidates’ mentors, if there are any, are not fulfilling their own obligation in ritual revision work, and thus not making the discovery of the inside or hidden story within the charges of our ritual. Such are the reasons for Lodges of Instruction and hence the title of philosophers can be aptly associated to

our Order. For a person to consider that he is fully knowledgeable in Freemasonry in a three year period, then he certainly is in Dreamland, even though he may be considered to be an expert in marketing and management affairs, and if Grand Lodge administration does not agree with my statement, then I confess to having been deceived for all of my life.

To return to Bro Gilbertson, to me his address at Cromwell came entirely out of the blue, and it has to be said that other Brethren voiced the same feeling as myself as none of us present at that time attempted to question his statement of our impending demise within five years.

I know that there are portions of our ritual that refer to merit and ability, patience and industry, and like phrases; we are also encouraged to make a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge, which of course leads us or should lead us into further branches of Freemasonry. Bro. Gilbertson may well be a very capable and learned University Lecturer, which I do not doubt, but you cannot tell me that he expects the entire content of his lecture over a two hour period to be totally absorbed by any human mind without some form of revision. And that is what we do by being repetitive in our ceremonies and inviting new members

As Editor I regularly receive complaints that the magazine does not run a Letters to the Editor section where serious issues of Freemasonry can be discussed. Regrettably, such letters are hard to come by, even from the complainants. Thus, in this issue, I am pleased to publish two letters, which I hope will spark further debate. Because of the nature of the matters commented on I invited the Chairman of the National Education Committee, VWBro Dr George Allan, to respond. I also draw readers’ attention to the Opinion piece, by WBro Bob Lancaster, published in this issue. WBro Morris Robertson, Editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

the 19th century, 200 years ago. Society may have changed but the challenge to provide a pathway to ‘Brotherly love, relief and truth remains’.

Roscoe Pound’s famous assertion ‘Masonry has more to offer the 20th century than the 20th century has to offer Masonry’ is equally true of the 21st. However, what is required at this time is

a paradigm shift. We need to recognise that the rituals of the three degrees are not to impart knowledge to an initiate but to enable him to recognise the correct path when he finds it.

Having recognised this, we must provide the ‘millennials’ and the ‘digital natives’ with the follow up Masonic instruction and education required in a

medium and manner in which they are both conversant and comfortable with. The common denominator for both generations is technologically. They are attuned to it and they expect instant, accurate information of a high standard. We must position Freemasonry to provide this or, like old soldiers, we will simply fade away.

WBro RN Lancaster

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Dr George Allan respondsDear VWBro Eoin,

Thank you for your thoughts on my article in the Freemason Magazine where I report back what was actually said by EAs, FCs and MM’s. My further investigations in this matter show that this opinion is widespread among new masons. I do not see this as the insult to their intelligence that you claim, more a factual report on the current situation.

Bro. Gilbertson was invited to address all three Divisional Con fer-ences because he is a consultant to the Board of General Purposes on managerial practice based on 40 years as a top consultant of managing change to world organizations including The United Nations, The Olympic Committee and several New Zealand governments over the years. The fact that he voiced his personal experience, as a Mason of only three years standing, of the difficulties our Craft is facing in this 21st century was his own approach to introducing us all to the declining membership realities that the Board of General Purposes is trying to tackle on behalf of the Craft in general.

You make several points quite strongly in your letter and I do hope that the Editor of the magazine prints your contribution in its entirety so other members of our Craft see your thoughts.

Yours Fraternally,Dr George Allan, Chairman, National Education Committee

From the north — Room for changeBro. Gerald McGhie’s ‘Opinion’ article in the Freemason magazine of September 2013, gives a great deal to think about. Some of which I agree with while others I do not. First, I want to impress on the fact that Freemasonry is about self-improvement or self-esteem and for those of us who are unfortunate enough not to have the skills and education that Bro McGhie has, the Craft, over a period can teach us some of those skills.

Secondly, if we look at the history of Freemasonry, as we know it in today’s era, the Craft was a social organisation partaking in the pleasures of drinking, smoking and entertainment, something that is now non-existent. The ceremonial rituals as well as the instalment of the Master once a year were short and to the point. As time progressed, the ritual became more elaborate and lengthy, to what we have today. The lodges were also a place of great social activity and they were mainly set up for social intercourse and benevolence for members and families.

After the mid-1830s, the whole concept of the Craft changed to what we have today, with two major differences. First the social side of the Craft has gone, and secondly, the concept of benevolence among us as members has disappeared and these have been replaced by Rank, Regalia and Regulation. Ritual and Charity also have taken over the role of what we are about and because of this, there has been nothing put into educating our current members, let alone our new ones.

I agree with some of the comments made about having to be more modern in the presentation of our procedures and more particularly in the business

session and cere mo-nial workings. These we need to look at in

earnest and improve on them if we want to attract younger members. On the other hand, this is an individual lodge matter and if they wish to continue in their current trend, then it could well prove to be their downfall.

As far as the ritual is concerned, there is room for improvement, even to the point of having to make major changes. The memorising and delivery of charges is another important aspect of our ceremonies and to read it, in my mind, defeats the purpose of what we are here for. If this were to happen, then you take away the whole essence of what Freemasonry is about, self-advancement and the discipline that one has to submit to for the perfection of delivering that charge. If one cannot bother to learn small charges off by heart, then one is not really looking for any self-esteem. We have many members who have not attained education level, such as school certificate, university degree or other, yet have made very good ritualists, whereas on the other hand, we have had some who are of the highest in education and still have trouble in remembering how to open a lodge, let alone learn a simple charge like the South East Corner.

The Craft today should be about social interaction, self-motivation, benevolence within our own members and education with all taking part. If we do not have these, then yes, one will get bored.

For those of you who are bored, then I offer you other options, such as the Royal Arch Chapter, Rosicrucian Order, research lodges, Masonic Choir, Knights Templars, Cryptic Council or try joining one of the other constitutions as well. By this you will make further daily advancement in Masonic Knowledge.

WBro Reg Watt, Auckland

to learn portions and thus participate.I do most certainly feel for Bro.

Gilbertson amid his frustrations, and I readily acknowledge that no man can change the system of Freemasonry overnight, that his three year membership is only the first sentence in a very long story in which I fervently encourage him to approach from the inside of our ceremonies not as an outsider looking in. Then he may well start to appreciate the value of the ceremonial teachings of our beloved Order and use them to open the eyes of others as potential candidates.

VWBro Eoin G. Dryden PGDC, Timaru

15

Participants gathered at the Takapuna boat ramp.

E ach February, for the past two years, brethren, family and friends

from around Auckland have joined in a day’s fishing on the Hauraki Gulf for general fellowship and fundraising for charity. Bro Glenn Clark, Lodge North Harbour No 182, initiated the event after purchasing a boat and realising how many other brethren in the district also owned boats and, like him, were keen fishermen.

Glenn saw this as a means to foster relationships between Lodges in the greater Auckland area while simultaneously providing a means to raise funds for a nominated charity. Within the short space of two years the event has doubled in size, raising over $2,600 towards the North Shore District Mobility Dogs benevolence project.

Thirteen Freemason’s boats took to the water in February 2013, from Orewa in the north through to Halfmoon Bay in the southeast and points in between.

The District Grand Master, North

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Shore District, VW Bro Geoff Foote, was on the water before daylight to take in the sunrise over Rangitoto Island and quite possibly to get an early bite with his crew ahead of everyone else.

Coming upPlans are now well under way for the 3rd Annual Masonic Fishing Competition on the 9th of the February 2014. The day is open to everyone, with many friends and family also participating in the past and joining in the barbeque at the end

of the day at the Lodge North Harbour, premises in Rodney Road.

Apart from a fun day with the benefit of entry proceeds being donated to the Mobility Dogs project, prizes are on offer too. These are donated by local businesses and awarded for largest snapper, largest other species, skipper of the boat who caught the most fish and other spot prizes.

Lodge North Harbour has continued to grow new membership in recent years attracting many younger men to the craft who are eager to reach out to other likeminded Freemasons in the wider community. What better way of achieving this than enjoying a day’s fishing on the Hauraki Gulf, followed by a social barbeque at Lodge premises afterwards.

For those that wish to take part, either providing a boat, to form part of a crew or to be a general helper please contact Bro. Glenn Clark: 09 483 5964 or glenn_clark@vodafone.co.nz

Freemasons fun and fishing competition

16

Mangahao Memories and Te Awahou tales

Ceremonies with a novel twistBack in the 1920s, Shannon was a very different place from what it is today. The huge Mangahao Power project was one of the country’s most ambitious engineering projects. Using a complex system of tunnels and steep waterfalls, Mangahao involved a big financial commitment by the government to bring electricity to the region.

A s is often the case, politics and economics were behind the scheme.

Politically, consumers were demanding electric power for lighting and the growing number of ‘new-fangled’ appliances coming on to the market. Economically, dairy farmers were very limited in what they could produce by hand milking and they promised a dramatic jump in production figures if they could install the new electric milking machines.

Thus, Mangahao was born and Shannon boomed, as construction workers and engineers, cooks and drivers all brought their families to town in their thousands. Amongst the cosmopolitan crowd of new arrivals were many Freemasons, who set about establishing their own local lodge, Mangahao Lodge No.231. Members constructed their own lodge premises in a building in Stout Street, which still stands today. A number of farmers joined up from the surrounding districts of Manawatu and Horowhenua.

Ironically, it was those farmers whose membership was to keep Lodge Mangahao 231 alive, long after the Power Project was completed and the construction crews had moved on.

But time, work commitments and economics meant farmers, their sons and grandsons could not fill the Lodge like they used to and, in 1993, the membership merged with nearby Te Awahou Lodge. Lodge Mangahao closed in ‘Peace, Love and Harmony’.

Recently, however, Te Awahou Lodge hosted the 20th Jubilee Reunion for Mangahao members, and the occasion attracted a large crowd of Freemasons from far and wide, to reminisce and remember the ‘good old days’ when Lodge Mangahao boomed, Shannon throbbed, and the district switched on (literally) electric lights, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and refrigerators; and, of course, their ‘new-fangled’ electric milking machines.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the closing of the Lodge based in Shannon the Master of Te Awahou, WBro Lynsey Vining, invited WBro Andy Taylor, a Past Master of Mangahao to organise a team of ex members of that Lodge to conduct a Ceremony of Passing.

The Manawatu Kilwinning Lodge No 47 also had strong ties with Lodge Mangahao with frequent fraternal exchanges over many years and they kindly put forward the candidate, Bro Mark Goreham. Andy Taylor contacted

ex-members of Mangahao and was able, with great support from those members, to put together a full team of Brethren to conduct the ceremony.

Notice of this special meeting was sent to Brethren in the Ruapehu District but no one anticipated the overwhelming abundance of visitors that packed the modern Te Awahou Lodge to capacity.

The ceremony was carried out with decorum and Bro Goreham was passed to the Fellowcraft degree at an evening that will remain a fond memory for that Brother and the participating Brethren for a long time.

The Brethren of Lodge Mangahao. Back row: WBro’s Milton Pedley, Noel Davies, Andy Taylor, Arthur Taylor, David Free. Front row: WBros Ross Kennedy, Richard Blanchard, VWBro Neville Grace, WBro Gordon Brady, VWBro Marshall Scott, and WBro Jim Taylor.

WBro Andy Taylor.

Mangahao Power station in 1924.ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY

From left: VW Bro Alan Johnston, WBro David Johnston, RW Bro Colin Johnson, WBro Mervyn Johnston, the candidate Bro Dave Johnstone, WBro Rod Johnson and Bro Heath Johnson.

When the Johnsons came callingBro Dave Johnstone’s Passing to the Second Degree at the November meeting of Lodge Te Awahou No.133 will be an event he will remember for many years to come. Much of the ceremonial work was done by Brethren having a similar surname.The idea of the ‘Johnson’ working came from the Master of Lodge Te Awahou No 133, WBro Lynsey Vining who contacted a number of ‘Masonic Johnsons’ in the Ruapehu District and asked if they would consider taking part. The end result was an enjoyable evening with six ‘Johnsons’ in attendance. A special plus was the attendance of Bro Heath Johnson a Freemason from New Brunswick in Canada who is currently residing in New Zealand and was recently raised to Master Mason in Westminster Lodge No.308.

Thanks to WBro Rod Johnson

17

T he project was made possible through the hard work of the

Brethren of Mackenzie Lodge, the sale of its old building and proceeds from selling redundant lodge buildings in Temuka and Pleasant Point. The successful completion was also aided by the generosity of several local tradesmen and suppliers. The new centre, which includes a Lodge room, Refectory, kitchen and associated facilities, is available to let for other community uses. It also solves, hopefully, the problem that plagued the old building for much of its life, that of the inability to keep it warm in the frequently severe climate of the area.

The day of the dedication dawned as a fine spring day. Over 100 Freemasons, including the Grand Master, MWBro Selwyn Cooper, accompanied by 28

The March 2012 issue of this magazine carried a story on the Mackenzie Lodge No.93 located in Fairlie, South Canterbury. At the time the Lodge was working on a plan to replace its outdated 1898 building. Construction of a new building began in February of this year and the project came to fruition with the Ceremony of Dedication, which was held on 31 August.

Grand Lodge officers, were present. The principal officers participating in the ceremony included the Grand Master, The Divisional Grand Master, RWBro Jim Harborow, The Midland District Grand Master, VWBro Allen Glasson with the Presenting Officers being MWBro Stan Barker, RWBro Neville Patrick and RWBro Graham Wrigley.

A highlight was the presentation of the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry to Mackenzie Lodge’s WBro Alan Kerr for his work conducting the Midland District Masonic Choir.

After the dedication ceremony brethren retired to the Mackenzie Community Centre theatre where the Master, WBro John France, thanked Grand Lodge. The Grand Master responded. The function concluded with further speeches, a presentation by

the Masonic choir and a return to the Lodge building for an inspection of the premises.

Earlier in the day, while the parti-ci pants were rehearsing the ceremony, the ladies were driven to Lake Tekapo for a guided tour of the village, the powerhouse and on to the summit of Mt. John where they enjoyed outstanding views of the Southern Alps before being treated to views of the sun through the largest telescope in New Zealand.

Mackenzie Lodge is to be congratulated on its forward thinking, which has seen it become a hub for several former South Canterbury lodges, something that would not have been feasible due to the poor roads in the days when they were originally consecrated.

Morris Robertson with thanks to Jim Stewart

A POSITIVE APPROACH TO THE FUTUREDedication in Fairlie

ABOVE The blessing ceremony – MWBro Selwyn Cooper.

RIGHT VWBro Gordon Fraser, Grand Lecturer Southern Division, delivering his oration.

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ABOVE VW Bro Alex Solomon GDC leads Grand Lodge in.

ABOVE RIGHT VWBro Allen Glasson Midland Dist GM, WBro John France Master of Mackenzie Lodge and MW Bro Selwyn Cooper GM at the door of the new Lodge Room.

RIGHT The new Lodge building.

BELOW The ladies atop Mt. John.

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Single malts light the wayWhisky tasting supports the ‘Big Buddy’ Charity

Empire Fergusson Lodge No. 225, which meets at the Wellington Freemasons Centre in Brooklyn, was formed in 1988 through the amalgamation of Empire Lodge No. 225 and Charles Fergusson Lodge No. 290.

I n the years since Empire Lodge was first consecrated in 1921 the Lodge

has enjoyed a rich tradition of charitable works; forming relationships over the years with a number of Wellington-based Charities and Trusts.

In 2009 the Master of the Lodge, WBro Clive Lloydd, sought to align with a charity with whom the Lodge could build an enduring relationship, but whose principles were sympathetic with those of Freemasonry. His research identified the ‘Big Buddy’ charity as an organisation worthy of its support.

Big Buddy mentoring works on the simple philosophy that boys need good male role models in their lives to become good men. For many reasons, lots of boys in New Zealand don’t have a father and while mothers do a courageous job raising boys alone, they can’t model maleness. Above all else, boys learn through modelling.

Since 1997 Big Buddy has carefully screened hundreds of volunteer men from the community and matched them with fatherless boys aged 7-14. Big Buddy mentors spend at least 2-3 hours a week with their Little Buddies, doing whatever they both enjoy, usually simple stuff.

The idea is simple but profound. Having a Big Buddy increases a boy’s self-esteem, improves his relationships, helps him do better in school, means he’ll be less likely to get into trouble and will improve his employment options. It’s about making a world of difference to

fatherless boys’ lives, one visit at a time.Clive Lloydd was quick to link the

connection between Big Buddy turning ‘at risk’ boys into good young men with our Masonic philosophy of making good men better. Empire Fergusson Lodge had, through his vision set the scene for our charitable purpose for many years to come.

In 2010 Clive and new Master, Russell Pratt, decided to inaugurate an Annual Single Malt Whisky Tasting Night. The purpose of the evening was bring good men together with the common bond of raising money for the Big Buddy Charity. Richard Aston, CEO of Big Buddy was quick to embrace the opportunity. Four years on, Empire Fergusson Lodge, along with the assistance of The Freemasons Charity and one or two generous Masonic benefactors, has now contributed over $60,000 to this worthy cause.

The Whisky Tasting Night itself was originally the brainchild of RW Bro Gervan Duff, P Div GM of Southland who first introduced the concept 13 years ago to encourage brethren of his Lodge in Dunstan to attend meetings in the middle of the cold Southland winter. He encouraged Russell to try it in Wellington. Gervan was firmly of the view that Freemasonry and Single Malt Whisky were inextricably linked in that both had their origins within the ‘hidden mysteries of nature and science’. Sadly, Gervan passed to the Grand Lodge above in 2011, but his memory lives on each year at the

Empire Fergusson Tasting Night.The event is run with the utmost of

decorum with numbers strictly limited to 40. Five single malts plus a random ‘rogue’ sample, either blended whisky or bourbon, are sampled with each being scored against a set of tasting criteria. Raffles and auctions are held throughout the night and a haggis is piped in and addressed before the meal. After the meal live entertainment is provided and the evening concludes at around 10.30pm. Transport both to and from the venue is provided for a nominal fee. This year’s event raised $15,088 on the night and a further $5,000 was provided by The Freemasons Charity.

Around 50% of the attendees are Freemasons with the balance being their friends. In the four years that Empire Fergusson has been running the event 11 non-masons have become Freemasons, 6 of them joining Empire Fergusson Lodge. Russell Pratt commented that ‘Big Buddy requires $600,000 per annum to fund the great work they are doing in the community. With limited government funding any shortfall in funding directly impacts the number of young boys Big Buddy is able to mentor’.

The connection between the values of our two organisations is hard to dismiss. Freemasonry is well placed to finish off the great work that Big Buddy starts.

Last, but not least, to get the real flavour of the night, go to the following youtube video: http://bit.ly/IoSslf

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T he Grand Installation is not just the ceremony itself. It is a series of

events, running from Thursday evening through to Sunday afternoon, including social functions, the Grand Banquet, business session, seminars and a church service.

Many people have been involved in planning for these events and ensuring that all runs smoothly over the weekend. The Organising Committee, chaired by RWBro Steve Salmon, met over 18

Investing the Grand Master MWBro John Litton.

GRAND INSTALLATION 2013

months, rehearsals for the ceremony itself began earlier this year and, as time progressed, more people became involved in the myriad of tasks.

The detailed logistics were managed pro bono by Jim Watt and his team, Penny Jackson and Sarah Holbrook, at New Zealand Conference Connections. Things didn’t run entirely smoothly as the Wellington earth quakes knocked out one of the principal venues neces-sitating some last minute

searching for alternatives.Many people contributed to the success

of the weekend, including members of the Organising Committee and the hard working staff at Freemasons New Zealand. Thanks are due to Therese and Rob Angelo for setting up the Museum and to all the Freemasons and partners who served as receptionists, ushers, minders, runners, packers and many other tasks. Their willing participation ensured the smooth running of what was a great weekend.

What follows is a 16-page review of the various events including a selection of the 2,000 photographs that covered it.

WBro Morris Robertson

Grand Installation weekend photographs available

Photographs from the Grand Installation and associated events are now available to view and order on line – please follow the links below to view and order directly from the official photographers:

Neil Mackenzie – Onlinefotos Ltd

Ladies function, Friday night cock-tails, Grand Installation (From gallery), Divisional and District Grand Masters with Terri Inder, General, foyer shots. Go

to www.pixs.co.nz/freemasons There are four albums.

Photography by Woolf

Formal portraits taken at the Amora Hotel, Grand Installation (close-ups and exit), Grand Banquet. Go to www.woolf.co.nz click on Portfolios/events/graduations. Click on Freemasons Grand Installation 2013 (password: free2013).

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O n the Thursday night prior to the Grand Installation the Freemasons

Roskill Foundation hosted a social event at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery on Wellington’s waterfront. This was held to view an exhibition by artist Piera McArthur.

Piera shepherded a large family and proudly followed her husband

W hile the ladies were enjoying a fun filled-afternoon (see next story),

the Brethren were hunkered down with the serious matters, which are our fate to debate each triennium.

All proceeded smoothly down the agenda with hardly a murmur from those present until item 10, Notices of Motion, was reached.

But, prior to that we were honoured by a visit from Professor Richard Faull [see story on page 38]. Professor Faull held the audience spellbound with his descriptions of his Department’s world leading research into the causes and

potential cures for brain diseases such as Huntingtons and Alzheimers. A flock of sheep in South Australia is providing the key to the research. Richard Faull has recently been initiated into the Lodge of the Liberal Arts No.500.

The other welcome visitor was Tom Phillips of JB Were who gave us the good news about the positive growth in The Freemasons Charity’s investment portfolio. He noted that much of this had been achieved by shifting the weighting of investments from bonds to equities.

Despite a strong argument put forward to centralise future Grand Installations in Wellington this remit was lost following strong sentiments expressed by delegates from north, and far north, of the Bombay Hills. The outcome of the vote is that the

A bright startThe bold art of Piera McArthur

All work and no play with neurosurgery addedTHE BUSINESS SESSION

through the vicissitudes of a brilliant diplomatic career – South America and Europe – Santiago, Madrid, Lisbon, the Vatican, Paris, Rome, New York, Brussels, Moscow – these were the scenes of her painterly life – working, thinking, learning.

Now, as always, in total pursuit of her vision, Piera lives and works in New Zealand. Her paintings are widely collected and loved. Her work is known for its colour and its optimistic energy. Humanity parades through it.

Her mind seething with images, Piera says, ‘Painting fills my time and my thoughts. Each work I do is a challenge and prepares me for the next encounter. I translate into painterly idioms the subjects which inspire me – vital,

energetic, colourful – the whole of life, with its abundance, is the realm of the painter.’

Immensely varied in size and medium, the work is on both canvas and paper. Piera sometimes uses the technique of ‘marouflage’, which means the bonding of two surfaces together, giving power over large paper work, by mounting it irrevocably onto a canvas backing, thus rendering it as indestructible as anything can be.

Photographs by Morris Robertson

Piera McArthur describing her work.

Delegates from New Caledonia with MC Kevin Nelson.

2016 Grand Installation will be held somewhere in the South Island – even further away.

An increase in capitation fees, the reordering of precedence for some Grand Lodge officers, the adoption of the Strategic Plan and a remit to undertake a general review of Ceremonial and Ritual were passed unopposed. The tricky issue surrounding voting at Divisional Conferences was passed although not generally understood.

At the conclusion the retiring Grand Master, MWBro Selwyn Cooper, thanked his supporting Grand Lodge officers, especially those who were retiring, and the Executive staff and urged them to carry forward the momentum of the Strategic Plan.

BOGP President, RWBro Graham Wrigley, retiring Grand Registrar, RWBro Michael Scott and retiring Grand Treasurer, RWBro Les Green, ready for action.

Professor Richard Faull, with the Superintendent of The Freemasons Charity, RWBro Terry McConnell, explains the developments in his research programme.

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New awards launchedThe Freemasons Charity Jewels

F reemasons Charity jewels are a new initiative being introduced to provide

Lodges with the opportunity to reward and thank Brethren for their charitable efforts within their community and their continued contribution to Freemasonry as a whole.

If lodges would like to reward some-one in their Lodge, then one of these beauti fully produced jewels would pro-vide the ideal way in which to show how the Lodge values their constant dedication.

To those presented with a Charity Jewel it signifies that they are held in high esteem by their fellow Brethren and their Lodge. The Jewels are worn in the lodge room as part of a Freemasons regalia and are meant to be worn closest to the heart signifying ‘charity’ being closest to the heart of a Freemason.

It is a great achieve-ment to be pre sen-ted with one of these jewels and high lights the wearer’s commit-ment to charity and the craft.

Jewels can only be purchased by the Lodge and are not tax deductible. Funds raised from the sale of jewels will go to boost The Freemasons Charity Fund.

The three Jewels and GST inclusive cost are:

�The Gold Recognition Award $550 �The Silver Recognition Award $375 �The Bronze Merit Award $275

Guidelines for the Lodge

The Lodge decides to whom it would like to present a jewel and at what level based

on the criteria for each award. These criteria are not exclusive nor do they all need to be met.

�The selected brother’s involvement and contribution to Freemasonry.

� Donation of time and effort to Freemasonry.

� Time devoted to supporting charity as a whole in the community.

�Monetary donations.

It is suggested that the presentation of a Charity Jewel should be made at an Installation or any special Masonic event.

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23

T he dulcet sounds of Wellington crooner and MC, Grant Sullivan,

welcomed them to a special High Tea. A towering high tea stand on each table was crammed with tasty offerings consisting of chicken and cucumber sandwiches, canapes, scones with jam and cream, mini lemon tarts and lamingtons, chocolate dipped strawberries and chocolate truffles.

Over champagne, tea and coffee the camaraderie that is always evident when the wives and partners of Freemasons meet up, soon became a noisy background as old friendships were renewed and new friendships made. Ladies from throughout New Zealand and special guests from Australia and New Caledonia mingled, creating a special atmosphere.

With appetites sated, it was soon time to take part in a variety of activities. Most managed to complete three or

more of those on offer: making teddy bears and snuggle rugs; learning the art of accessorising to change the look of favourite outfits; understanding the benefits of olive oil; and timely for the festive season – making a Christmas table centrepiece and icing Christmas cupcakes.

Everyone completed a teddy bear by stuffing and sewing up partially sewn bears, adding a ribbon printed with The Freemasons Charity, writing and attaching a special message on a label for the eventual recipient. The teddy bears are destined for charities in Wellington, where they will be distributed to children at Christmas.

Snuggle rugs made of brightly coloured fleece cloth were assembled for delivery to Wellington’s Ronald McDonald House, opposite Wellington Hospital, where families are able to stay in a homely environment while children

undergo medical treatment.Three hours of stitching, icing,

decorating and chatting came to a sudden halt as three Harley Davidson motorbikes, ridden by members of the Brotherhood Bikers, thundered into the venue. Bikers JD, DJ and ROCK were soon surrounded by women of all ages, many keen to be pillion passengers. Ladies delved into their handbags for cameras and phones, keen to have the event recorded for friends and family at home.

Each year the Brotherhood Bikers undertake a Christmas Toy Run, delivering

High tea and top entertainmentThe activity might have been top secret, but the moment the 200 ladies walked into Shed 6 on Wellington’s waterfront, it was obvious there was something to interest them one and all at a very special event created by Penny Jackson and Sarah Holbrook.

TOP Wellington’s Brotherhood Bikers, from left, DJ, JD and Rock with Diana Litton, and some of the 200 teddy bears made by the wives and partners of Freemasons.

RIGHT Delwyn Brittin and Lisa Cotton making a snuggle rug for Ronald McDonald House.

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toys to Wellington charities to be included in Christmas parcels for children and families in need. The Freemasons Charity teddy bears were delivered by the Brotherhood Bikers who departed Shed 6 as loudly as they had arrived.

The formal part of the afternoon opened with an address by Elva Wallace, wife of the outgoing Tasmanian Grand Master, who presented a gift to Jan Cooper, wife of the outgoing New Zealand Grand Master. In response Jan summarised her three year term, providing an insight to her role. ‘When Selwyn and I started out on our journey the future seemed like a blank page that was waiting for a story … that blank page has turned into a very full chapter in my life story. This particular chapter has been bracketed by some major events in New Zealand. We had the September earthquake in Christchurch just weeks prior to Selwyn’s installation in 2010 and then we had the Wellington earthquakes during July this year, as we started to plan for the installation of his successor.’

Jan told of the interesting glimpses she had of New Zealand and visits to Freemasons in Australia where she and

Selwyn were made so welcome. She acknowledged the combined generosity of The Freemasons Charity and Gordon Riach of The Wool Company in Taihape, who provided the merino wool for her neo natal knitting project. She also recalled a particularly poignant moment. ‘I watched a shy young father reach into a box of tiny knitted garments and unerringly select the only black garment – a sleeveless jerkin in “prem” size, with “NZ” knitted on the front.’

Jan paid tribute to Rosemary Salmon, Judith Eeles and Barbara Harborow, the wives of Selwyn’s three Divisional Grand Masters, and thanked them for their special support and the connection they provided with all the Freemason ladies nationwide.

She then introduced Diana Litton, wife of the incoming Grand Master. Diana talked of her pride in John’s Freemasonry career, their children, her interests and her willingness to support John throughout his three year term as Grand

ABOVE LEFT Filling the teddy bears with fluffy stuffing. ABOVE Visiting Australians with their bears, back from left: June Walker and Elaine Williamson of Brisbane. Front, Wendy du Guesclin of Victoria; Gwyn Braun of Western Australia and Pam Sangwell of Tasmania. BELOW RIGHT Rose Lonsdale decorating a cupcake.

Master. She said she was particularly interested in promoting the importance of understanding the concepts of Freemasonry to the ladies, together with an awareness of the philanthropic side of the organisation.

‘It is important that we, our families and friends, have a better understanding of the craft, the extensive charity work Freemasons undertake in their communities, and national health and education projects Freemasons operate which benefit all New Zealanders.’

In summary, the afternoon was a great hit with the participants and only the beginning of a great weekend.

Joanne Ruscoe Photographs Neil Mackenzie

BELOW Denise Johnston and Gillian Ridgewell with their Christmas table centrepieces.

BELOW RIGHT Ruth Smith of Ngaruawahia is the model as accessories demonstrator Deborah Northover of Kelburn’s Madison Rose, shows how a scarf can change the look of an outfit.

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FRIDAY NIGHTHeartland Bank Freemason Deposit Scheme welcome cocktails

The Renouf Foyer at the Michael Fowler Centre was packed with conviviality as old and new friends were greeted. VWBro Kevin Nelson began his many weekend stints as Master of Ceremonies by welcoming the guests and introducing the speakers.

Steven Jancec, GM Western Australia.Chris Flood, Heartland Bank. Graeme Houston ‘My Way’.

C hris Flood, Heartland’s Head of Retail and Consumer, welcomed

delegates, noting that this 77th Grand Installation was a testament to the proud history of Freemasonry in NZ. He said that Heartland Bank was delighted to be partnered with Freemasonry and he was looking forward to a longstanding mutually beneficial relationship.

He spoke about Heartland as a different

kind of bank, one focused on the productive sector, which forms the backbone of the country, rather than the property sector. It has a long and proud history with roots dating back to 1875. It is proudly NZ managed and operated, with the parent company, Heartland New Zealand Limited, listed on the NZX.

Chris went on to say that The Deposit Scheme enables Freemason members and their families to get a competitive return, while investing in NZ and supporting Freemasonry.

He was very pleased with the response to date with over 2,700 accounts opened and almost $65m deposited. He added. ‘To all of you that are already making the most of this scheme, thank you for your support and, to celebrate the Grand Installation, we have included an

exclusive special offer in the Grand Installation packs.’

Finally, Chris said. ‘We are proud to sponsor three divisional scholarships for young up and coming leaders in our communities to further their education and development, and support other Freemasonry causes such as the current appeal for the Kapiti Coastguard.’

Outgoing Grand Master MWBro Selwyn Cooper thanked Heartland Bank for sponsoring the evening and went on to refer to the hospitality received during their visits to Grand Installations in Australia. MWBro Steven Janec, Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Western Australia, responded to the welcome on behalf of the visiting delegates and managed to slip in an Australian credit for the Pavlova.

Graeme Houston gave a well-received musical rendition of ‘My Way’ adapted to Selwyn and Jan Cooper’s three-year journey. It was supported by on screen pictures of many of the activities they had enjoyed during Selwyn’s term of office.

Speeches over, the conviviality continued with many dispersing in the direction of the Courtenay Place restaurant strip.

Photographs Neil Mackenzie

26

As a new wave of delegates descended on the registration desk various activities were getting under way in the Michael Fowler Centre and in the conference rooms at the Amora Hotel. Seminars on The Freemasons Charity and Masonic Education were well supported while the ‘ask the Experts’ Q&A session failed to attract a crowd suggesting that those who were attending the conference were well satisfied with the management of the Craft.

First up was a photo shoot with visiting speaker, Professor Terri Inder with every available incoming Divisional and District Grand Master, the objective being to obtain coverage in their local newspapers. The shoot took place against the background of the Travelling Museum.

Meanwhile, in the auditorium, the final rehearsal was under way. Comments such as ‘it will be alright on the day’ were occasionally overheard.

accompanying booklet are available from The Freemasons Charity. Lodges are encouraged to use this material as the basis of one of their meetings during the year. Contact Sheila Hicking email: sheilah@freemasons.co.nz, for a free copy.

Masonic Education – a learning session

There was a good attendance of 39 free masons from New York, Canada, France, England, Scotland and New Zealand at the Masonic seminar on ‘A Daily Advancement in Masonic Knowledge’. National Education Chair, VWBro George Allan opened the session by stating that this was a learning session not a teaching session, questions from the floor were to be answered by anyone in the room. Lively discussion ensued on why do some freemasons use the sign of fidelity while others use the sign of prayer, why is there no mention of spirituality in the Strategic Direction, are we making Freemasonry too easy, where do I go to learn more in my Lodge. The seminar had to stop after two hours but discussion and debate carried on over lunch.

Delegate Photos

These were undertaken with such military precision that the pro gramme kept getting ahead

of time and several other hopefuls, not on the official list, were also slipped in to be photographed. Proof copies of all portrait photos are on line at the Photography by Woolf web site, see panel, and prints are available for purchase.

In the foyer

Meanwhile there was considerable activity in the Michael Fowler Centre Foyer with interest in the sales tables, Masonic Exchange Ltd. and Regalia Supplies, the Museum and display stands manned by the Royal Arch, and the Masonic Villages Trust.

Saturday Morning Action

Diana Litton with Terri Inder and Divisional Grand Masters Tony Smith, John Peryer and Jim Harborow.

The Freemasons Charity

This presentation, given by RWBro Terry McConnell, Superintendent, Sheila Hicking, Charity Administrator, and WBro Morris Robertson, Editor NZ Freemason, comprised an updated, illustrated overview of The Freemasons Charity followed by guidelines on how to maximize publicity opportunities for Lodge events and projects. This provided a lead in to what the Grand Master was to emphasise in his inaugural address (see page 4).

A CD of the presentation and an

RIGHT, FROM TOP Royal Arch – Les Borrell and Eddie Eeles; Masonic Exchange Ltd. sales table; Masonic Villages Trust Warick Dunn and Marie Gillies.

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The newly enthroned Grand Master, MWBro John Litton, surrounded by his and visiting officers and, above them, the Freemasons Chorus and the Central Band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Fanfare TrumpetersNEIL MACKENZIE

28

29

P rior to the ceremony musical entertainment was provided by WBro David Trott Past Grand Organist. The Grand

Director of Ceremonies was VWBro Kevin Nelson.The ceremony began with the entrance of RWBro Steve

Salmon, Divisional Grand Master, Central Division, followed by the entrance of VWBro K Munier, Grande Loge Provincial du Nouvelle Caledonie.

A fanfare heralded the entrance of the Installing Grand Master, MWBro Selwyn Cooper and Officers of Grand Lodge which, having been opened and resumed, then received the First Grand Principal, Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Zealand, ME Comp Les Borrell. Next up were the Delegations from the Australian Sister Grand Lodges.

Photographs by Neil Mackenzie and Photography by Woolf

Wellington 16 November

David Trott at the organ.

RWBro Steve Salmon.

NZ flag brought in by Bro Matt Dyer.

The obligation.

The Installation of John West Litton by

Fanfare – Central Band RNZAF.

30

All was then ready to receive the procession bringing in the Grand Master Elect who knelt to make his obligation

An address to the Grand Master Elect by MWBro David Mace PGM was followed by the investment and enthronement.

The Maori Working Tools were presented by WBro Bill McRoberts PGBB.

RWBro Mark Winger was invested as Deputy Grand Master by his predecessor, RWBro John Prichard.

The investitures followed for Divisional Grand Masters and Grand Wardens.

Enthroning the Grand Master MWBro John Litton.

Maori Working tools.

Investment of Deputy Grand Master.

Investing Divisional Grand Masters.

MWBro Selwyn Cooper Grand Master

31

There was then a break in the ceremony for two musical items sung by Zane Te Wiremu Jarvis.

Other Grand Lodge Officers were invested concluding with the Grand Tyler.

At the conclusion of the investitures MWBro Ian Ross PGM addressed the Officers and the Past Grand Master’s jewel was presented to MWBro Selwyn Cooper.

The Grand Master then delivered his address, which is published on page 4. Greetings were then received from visiting Delegations. An orderly retirement concluded the ceremony.

Processing out at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Congratulations.

Grand Stewards.

MWBro Barry McLaggan invests his son as District Grand Master.

Zane Te Wiremu Jarvis.

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F ive hundred and sixty people sat

down to the banquet in the TSB Arena, with the proceedings once again choreographed by Kevin Nelson who also piped in the Grand Master’s party.

Fine fare was inter-spersed with toasts and other speeches with the highlight being a speech from Professor Terri Inder, recently appointed Head of the Department of Paediatric Newborn Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. Terri spoke of her gratitude to Freemasonry in New Zealand

for the Fellowship, granted 21 years ago, which eventually led to her present position. She recounted how, having just been awarded the Fellowship, she discovered she was pregnant and, at the time, thought it was the end of her studies. However, a flexible arrangement was entered into and for that

she is also most grateful.She went on to speak of her passion

for solving the problems of newborn babies especially those born prematurely. The outcome of this research is having a

GRAND BANQUET

measured effect on reducing disabilities in newborns.

In concluding, Terri noted that her baby daughter, born during the original Fellowship, has recently graduated from Duke University, North Carolina.

Following the main course there were a series of toasts, first to The Grand Master, given by MWBro David Mace, then to the Ladies given by RWBro Mark Winger and to all Visiting Delegates by MWBro Barry McLaggan. Replies were given respectively by MWBro John Litton, Diana Litton and MWBro Bob Jones, United Grand lodge of Victoria.

Gifts were received from Novelle Caledonia and New York. Dancing followed to the music of City Jazz.

Photographs – Photography by WoolfLEFT Kevin Nelson pipes in the Grand Master’s party.

ABOVE David Mace.

Professor Terri Inder. Diana Litton in reply.

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GRAND BANQUET

34

GRAND BANQUET

D espite the partying of the night before Sunday morning at 10.30

saw a full Old St. Pauls Church for the Service of Thanksgiving conducted by Grand Chaplain VWBro Reverend Ivan Smith, Vicar of Ngaruawahia. Readings and prayers were given by MWBros John Litton, Barry McLaggan and David Mace, RW Bro Mark Winger and VWBro Keith Knox. Hymns were lustily sung to the accompaniment of WBro David Trott on the organ. A collection on behalf of Filipino flood victims raised $1,600

Ivan Smith gave a most evocative address which recalled a significant experience of his childhood:

Wellington has always been an exciting city, even from the early days of European settlement as illustrated by the report published in the 1840 New Zealand Gazette, which recorded the landing of the new émigrés from the Sailing Ship Drury at the shore line of Petone who, having pitched their tents, or set up their bivouacs, retired to their first slumbers in Aotearoa. ‘At about midnight, many of the new settlers were seen rushing about, scantily attired, some with lanterns others with loaded muskets seeking whom of the natives had shaken their whares.’ Patently, none had realized that they had driven in their tent pegs right into the Hutt Fault Line.

Let me now present another first impression of Wellington, that of a hundred years later, and through the eyes of a lad, scarcely four years old.

Before the close of the Second World War, my parents moved from Dunedin to Hawera. The imaging processes on this lad’s mind were working in overdrive, it was dream-like, commencing with a train journey that lasted a whole day, an overnight ferry crossing in the Rangatira, from Lyttleton to Wellington, all the while, the sense and smell of excitement, yet still fresh in my nostril’s memory, steam, coal smoke, salt sea air, paint, oil, mothballs from stored army uniforms, gun oil and boot polish. So evocative.

Then, on Wellington’s Wharf, enthralled and totally controlled by my mother’s vice grip on my left hand, we stopped. Sea gulls wheeling overhead; ‘Ivan’ commanded my matriarch, ‘say

hello to your Great Uncle Ted’.What did I see? This four-year-old

looked up into a man of stature, a smile with a warm, firm and friendly hand, and man of uprightness. He was my Mother’s Uncle Ted Ledgerwood. Great Uncle Ted’s frame of speech and looks confirmed that he was one of our family, and he welcomed us, and me on my first great adventure.

This was immediately encapsulated by his next move. As if of practised habit, he escorted us to his home which we entered through the great bronze doors of the T & G Insurance Building and rode the elevator, with the Japanned steel folding gates, cables, oil and ozone, for ever riveted in my mind, all the way to the top where he lived.

I began my exploration of the house with no lawns, and Hydrangeas planted in boxes. Then, inside, along a secondary hallway not in public view, was a framed mounted photograph of Great Uncle Ted, in full Masonic Regalia. It seemed that all the men in my family were Freemasons. The photographed display was not unfamiliar to me. What was then new for me, was that men in the North Island might dress like this as well.

Last night, at our Banquet, five hundred people sat at dinner, after which we had the honour and delight to receive a keynote address

from Professor Terry Inder, a whose family roots reach back to Ranfurly and Naseby. The Professor spoke with eloquent conviction of her specialist work in Paediatrics and gave testimony of progress, accomplishment and grateful thanks for the encouragement of Freemason’s support, in her career and research.

Can we not put these concepts together? The impressions of Freemasons, the manners, the presence, the uprightness, the warmth, the welcome, the justness the stature, and the pervasiveness of integrity and hospitality impressed this four year old lad.

Couple this to Terri Inder’s story of the care and nurture, the skills and wisdom of understanding the issues of the tender formative phases of infants and younger children. The care and focus of our young is, and relates critically to, the future nay the very survival, of our Craft.

What impression do we as individual Freemasons make on the young? It is a challenge to me when I meet a young person. ‘What is the impact I leave?’ It is a challenge to all of us,

Upholding my right hand, palm upright facing the people, fingers and thumb spread, star-like….

Can you number five good things that you have left, as a positive attraction, to the last young person you meet, that you spoke with in the street, or in the shop, or at the petrol station, or the bank?

My Great Uncle Ted did this for me when I was four years old, having just made my first steps onto the North Island, here in Wellington’s exciting city.

So Be It.

SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING

The Rev Ivan Smith with John and Diana Litton and Mark Winger.

Following the service.

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he thanked the visiting delegations for their participation and encouraged those present to join in the delegations to the upcoming Grand Installations in Hobart and Melbourne.

Dr Gary Bacon, Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Queensland, responded with tales of tall trees and how New Zealand’s vegetation was a significant contributor to the soaking up of carbon.

T he wearying remnants of a Grand Weekend climbed, by escalator, to

the top level of the Westpac Stadium for the final event, the farewell luncheon. There, they were served with platters including seafood and cheeses while taking the last opportunity to reminisce over the events of the past few days.

The Grand Master took his oppor-tu nity for a farewell speech in which

Sunday farewell luncheon

FROM LEFT MWBro John Litton’s farewell speech; MWBro Gary Bacon on the subject of trees; Dennis Blacklaws and Richard Lodge in relaxation mode; Diners.

Thus concluded a weekend of convi-via li ty, entertainment, education and cere mony. The next such gathering, apart from the Australian circuit, will be in 2016, somewhere in the South Island.

Freemasons Victoria invites you and your guests to the Grand Installation of

RWBro. Hillel Benedykt as Grand Master 20 March 2014 at 7:30pm Masonic Centre of Victoria installation@freemasonsvic.net.

2014 Grand Installationand You are Invited

You are also cordially invited to the Grand Banquet and associated functions, details and application form for which are available at www.freemasonsvic.net.au

Email enquiries to: installation@freemasonsvic.net.au Online registrations: www.trybooking.com/65688

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provi ders, processing 6.5 billion dollars annually. He is a member of the Senior Management Team and Transformation Management Group, which includes the redevelopment of health payment ser-vices onto a new software platform and re-engineering all processes while main-taining business as usual.

Richard is due to retire in January and he looks forward to devoting much of his time to the betterment of Freemasonry.

He was initiated into Freemasonry in the former Lodge Taringatura in December 1975. He later joined St Augustine Lodge No.99, Waimate, and the Saint Bathans Lodge No.126, Omakau. More recently he has been a member of Lodge Aquarius No.466, Wellington, and Greytown St. Marks Lodge No.53. He was Master of Lodge Aquarius in 2008/09.

He currently lives in Greytown where he developing a property with his partner. He has four children and, through their activities, developed an interest in Judo. Since 1991

Richard has held a number of management positions with

the New Zealand Judo Federation including Area Director for both Canter bury and Wellington. His other interests are mainly out doors, including kayaking

and tramping.Morris Robertson

PROFILE

Richard Lodge, Grand SecretaryThe restructuring of Freemasons New Zealand has seen a greater distinction introduced between governance and management of the Craft. This has included the separation of the roles of Chief Executive and Grand Secretary. The latter, voluntary, position was advertised and VWBro Richard Lodge has now been invested into that office. RWBro Laurence Milton retains the position of Chief Executive.

Principal tasks

These are described as ‘Masonic admini-stra tion and ceremonial advisor to the Grand Master, Board of General Purposes and the Chief Executive.’ The responsibilities of the Grand Secretary include —

• Secretary to the Board of GeneralPurposes.

• Ensuring best practice and consis­tency of ceremonial matters.

• Signing, as witness, to the GrandMaster’s signature on all official Freemason certificates, charters and warrants.

• To attend upon the Grand Masterwhen required and render all assis-tance required for the due perfor-mance of his duties in matters of ceremonial, visitations and com-munications on his behalf.

• To supervise the control andmaintenance of Grand Lodge Regalia and ceremonial equipment in consultation with the Grand Superintendent of Ceremonies.

• Ensuringall actions takenby lodgesare in accordance with the Book of Constitution.

• Responsibility for putting intoeffect all matters relating to Grand Installations.

• Overseeingallmatters in relation toMasonic honours and awards inclu-ding keeping appropriate records.

Introducing the Grand Secretary

Richard Lodge was invested into the office of Grand Secretary at the 2013

Grand Installation. Richard, the son of a Freemason, hails originally from Mosgiel and grew up and was educated in Dunedin.

Richard trained initially as a teacher and spent eighteen years in that role including nine as a school principal. A career move saw him spend ten years with the National Library of New Zealand in a number of management roles including Manager, Advisory Services, for the South Island and Manager of the Christchurch Service Centre. This led on to his appointment with Softlink International Pty. Ltd as General Manager Australia and Pacific. Softlink International is a specialist library software development, distribution and support company.

In 2001 Richard joined the Department of Internal Affairs as Executive Manager Ministerial Services. In this role he selected, led and managed 180 staff in Ministers offices, a position which required successful focussed relationship management in a unique risk environment.

In 2006 he moved to the Ministry of Health as Regional Operations Manager and, five years later, he became Nation-al Operations Manager. In this role Richard has responsibility for the daily operational manage ment of health payment claim servic-es to pri mary health

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The hidden mysteries of the brainThe Freemasons Charity supports new Chair of Neurosurgery

At a function in Auckland on September 17th, the University of Auckland, in association with the Centre for Brain Research, announced the establishment of a Chair of Neurosurgery based at Auckland Hospital beginning with a contribution of $2 million from The Freemasons Charity.

T he Freemasons Charity is actively involved in supporting medical

research. Freemasons have been associated with scientific research for well over 300 years as its roots are found in the original members of the Royal Society in London in the 1700s.

In recognition of this very generous seeding donation and also in acknowledgement of the long-term support of the University of Auckland, the Chair of Gerontology and the research programme at the Centre for Brain Research, the inaugural Chair of Neurosurgery at The University of Auckland will be named The Freemasons Chair of Neurosurgery.

Professor Richard Faull, Director of the Centre for Brain Research said ‘the advancement of the dream to establish a Chair of Neurosurgery has been accomplished through the development of a very special partnership between the Freemasons of New Zealand and the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland. We are deeply grateful for their philanthropic support of our vision.’

A further generous gift of $1 million from the Douglas Charitable Trust has secured the appointment of a Senior Neurosurgical Research Fellow and $500,000 from the David Levene Foundation has resulted in substantial progress towards the goal of $8 million to fund the Chair in perpetuity.

‘We want to attract a first-class neurosurgeon with an international

reputation, who is also a first class researcher, in order to provide a bridge between University of Auckland brain researchers and the top class neurosurgeons at Starship and Auckland Hospitals,’ says Professor Faull.

The Auckland District Health Board has generously recognised the need for more brain surgery at Auckland and has created and funded a new half-time appointment. The first five years of the other half salary has been funded by The University of Auckland and the Aotearoa Foundation from Sir Julian Robertson in New York.

On behalf of Freemasons New Zealand, RWBro Mark Winger said, ‘Freemasons are proud to be associated with the iconic New Zealand institution, the University of Auckland,where our relationship has extended back over three decades, supporting research in many fields, assisting students, our leaders of tomorrow in their pursuits, providing scholarships for graduates, postgraduates and postdoctorates.’

‘Likewise we are delighted to have enjoyed a relationship with Professor Richard Faull for nearly 15 years, facilitating brain research into

At the launch function from left RWBro Terry McConnell, Professor Richard Faull, MWBros Selwyn Cooper and David Mace.

Signing the accord on 16 October. Rear: The then Grand Master, MWBro Selwyn Cooper, MWBro David Mace, Chairman of the Freemasons Roskill Foundation and Professor John Fraser, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Health Sciences. Front: Superintendent of The Freemasons Charity , RWBro Terry McConnell and the Vice Chancellor of Auckland University, Professor Stuart McCutcheon.

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Alzheimer’s and sheepWith the support from Freemasons there is now a flock of sheep in Australia with the Huntington’s gene. Can they now do it for Alzheimer’s?

T he Freemasons Roskill Foundation has scheduled Professor Russell

Snell and Dr Suzanne Reid, from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland, to speak at the Foundation’s AGM on 10 December. Professor Snell, who completed a PhD in Cardiff in 1996, was part of the group that identified the gene mutation that causes Huntington’s disease. Since his return to New Zealand in 1998 he has focussed his interests on neurogenerative disease including Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and Autism. Suzanne Reid is a research fellow examining a protein implicated in Alzheimer’s Disease.Her recent research has been focussed on the molecular characterization of the transgenic sheep model of Huntington’s Disease.

While rodent models led to advances in the understanding of the disease, there

was still no cure available for families. It became apparent that an animal with a larger body and brain size plus a longer life span would give a better understanding of this slowly progressive disease.

Today, more than 15 years later, there is a flock of nearly 1,000 South Australian sheep living in Adelaide from which they are starting to understand the early changes in Huntington’s Disease. This long-term risky undertaking was made possible by the early and ongoing support from Freemasons. The project has now attracted considerable support from an American funding agency.

Like Huntington’s Alzheimer’s, highly prevalent in our society, is an incurable, relentlessly progressive disease that typically strikes in adulthood. The genetics of Alzheimer’s are complex

and environmental factors contribute, but families with clearly inherited forms of Alzheimer’s exist and can guide research.

Russell and Suzanne are scheduled to talk about plans to generate a sheep model of Alzheimer’s Disease, which they hope will have a valuable part to play in the development of a successful therapeutic for this incurable disease.Freemasons Roskill Foundation

Huntingtons disease, Alzheimers and associated afflictions. Our support for the Centre of Brain Research is well founded, and so it was a logical step for our support to extend to the Chair of Neurosurgery.’

The gift from Freemasons New Zealand, by way of The Freemasons Charity, is sourced from the Centennial

Fund donated by brethren at the time of the Centenary of The Grand Lodge of New Zealand, which resulted in the establishment of the Freemasons Chair of Gerontology. That commitment remains in partnership with Freemasons Roskill Foundation which will provide 75% of this funding for the Chair of Gerontology over the next five years. In essence, it isn’t

new funds going to research but more a re-allocation of existing spending.

The gift to this Chair will not impact on the focus that The Freemasons Charity has on those in need. It will continue at full steam to support its Masonic family and others in need.

The Freemasons Charity

A message of thanks from those at the

sharp end

28 October 2013

The Grand Secretary, Freemasons New Zealand,

Dear Sir,Freemasons Chair of

NeurosurgeryThe Committee of the Parkinsons Society in Hawke’s Bay has been excited to learn, through Robin Prichard, Patron of our Society in Hawke’s Bay, of the extremely generous grant by the Freemasons Charity to enable to establishment of The Freemasons Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Auckland.

We would like to record our appreciation of this grant, as we, too, have a close relationship with Professor Richard Faull and the Centre for Brain Research. He and his research team have made impressive progress in their area of research, which of course includes Parkinsons Disease.

We have had significant practical support on the local scene from the Freemasons, and it is wonderful to hear of this magnificent grant on a national scale.

Thank you.Yours sincerely

Margaret PercyDEPUTY CHAIRMAN

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BRINGING THE EDUCATION PILLAR TO LIFEProgressively unravelling the hidden mysteries of Masonic education

Do Masonic meetings need to be relevant, enjoyable, interesting and entertaining? If your answer to some of these is ‘yes’ then my next question is: could we use some form of Masonic education to do this?

M any Brethren might switch off at this point because their experience

of Masonic education has been sitting through boring lectures. I agree that there have been cases in the past where I have been in Lodge and sat through such a lecture delivered in a dry monotone that soon had most people half asleep. Really good lecturers, speaking on interesting subjects that have come alive, have also entertained me. It depends on who is delivering the material and how good they are. But, the fact is that if your next meeting is advertised as ‘A Lecture on ….’ attendance goes down, sometime dramatically. Thus, I am suggesting that we get away from ‘Lectures’ and even find a replacement for the word ‘education’.

We use Masonic education in two different forms: one is to instruct younger freemasons in how to improve their understanding of the ceremonial ritual and getting lodge officers to perform better. The second use is to make our meetings more enjoyable and entertaining. Both are important to our survival as a craft, but they can be done in different ways. These were discussed at the latest meeting of the National Education Committee, held on 19 October. Our brief for the day was to find ways to implement the Education Pillar of the seven point Strategic Plan that has been discussed in lodges over the past six months.

The national survey, undertaken by Freemasons New Zealand, highlighted a number of issues in this area, including; education needs to be entertaining and needs to cover all the elements of the ceremonial, our history, our traditions and, most importantly, our responsibilities. It needs to include personal development, assisting members with public speaking, protocols for running meetings, health and well-being, social conscience and other aspects of life. Further, it needs to assist lodges to develop a full scale education programme as part and parcel of the annual lodge plan.

Education should expand knowledge and understanding of Freemasonry

and change to ‘participative learning’ instead of ‘lecturing.’ It should encourage lodges to spend time on education as well as ceremonial. It should review and modernise the ritual whilst ensuring that the symbolism, allegory and educational aspects are not lost. Last, but not least. it needs to provide tangible rewards in return for commitment of time.

These had been refined into the following Education Strategy Statement.

� Freemasonry will provide the means and the environment in which brethren can improve their knowledge, capability, and understanding of Freemasonry.

� Knowledge and understanding are the keys to unlocking a greater appreciation of the principles of Freemasonry by our members, their families and our community.

�The pursuit of learning, personal development and enrichment are at the heart of our purpose as Freemasons.

The Strategic Direction booklet sets out three Education goals to be achieved. These are to develop a Freemason Education Curriculum by 2014, use educational techniques to enrich members experience and enhance their personal development by 2016 and develop programmes to make education for freemasons and their families fun, fulfilling, and relevant by 2018.

The committee worked and rotated in pairs to come up with ways to do this. The initial results were an agreement that, although freemasons’ meetings had been fun in years gone by, when we were satisfied with ritual, speeches and comradeship, times had changed dramatically, people and our way of life had changed but freemasonry had remained the same.

These group discussions came up with a number of points, which identified wide differences in how things are done between divisions and even districts within divisions. Arising out of this the Committee proposed to develop curricular for divisional, district and

lodge levels aimed at expanding the interest in meetings. This would also include proposals for more involvement with research lodges and external bodies such as the Royal Society.

A number of potential ‘products’ were identified as necessary to accomplish the educational points. These include simple explanations of charges and allegories, the learning journey and guidelines on effective performance of opening and closing the Lodge.

Arising from this, several edu ca-tional tech niques emerged, including a 30-minute session in regular lodge meetings in which freemasons could ask questions and lodge members could con-tri bu te to discussion on making a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge. These could be supplemented by five-minute talks by members on parts of the ceremonial and on nature and scientific topics not directly related to ceremonial.

After much discussion and reference back to the key words in the Strategic Statement, conclusions were summarised under three main headings:

A curriculum would be established to include: A Glossary of Masonic words and terms explanatory booklets for the respective degrees, Explanations of major charges in the ceremonial and guidance

The National Education Committee, back VWBro Geoge Allan, Chairman and Central Division Grand Lecturer, VWBro Terry Carrell, representing the BOGP, front VWBro Charles Miller, GL Northern Division and VWBro Rick Williams, GL Southern Division.

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F rederick James Browne of Lodge Otaki No 72 presented the Ivory

Gavels to Freemasons New Zealand at the installation of its then Grand Master on 10 May 1905.

Browne was initiated as a Freemason into Lodge Otaki No 72 on 9 August 1895. When news arrived in early 1896 of the great gold strike on the Klondike in northwest Alaska, Browne joined many others and set off to for Canada to seek their fortune.

When he landed in Victoria in British Colombia the harsh winter prevented his travel to the Klondike until Spring 1898. While in Victoria he was welcomed into the Masonic community.

Eager to get to the Klondike, Browne and others set out on their journey to the frozen north. The winter storms had not yet abated and they struggled onwards, low on provisions. Eventually they came upon a small camp consisting of a few wigwams. The Indians there were in a similar position and

A golden gift — Masonic kindness recognisedIvory from a Mastodon, extinct about 10,000 years ago, and 674 gold nuggets extracted from a gold claim on the Klondike in Canada, form a unique gavel and striker set, made and presented as a recognition of kindness shown in 1898.

initially turned them away as they had barely enough food to keep their own people.

Thanks to the assis-tance of a man they had thought an Indian, the group was allowed to stay until the storms passed. The man was in fact English and living as part of the Indian community. On recognising the Freemasons symbol on Browne’s watch chain, the man spoke up on behalf of the visitors. Browne realised he in turn had a duty of kindness to perform.

Browne decided to show his recognition and appreciation of Freemasonry and in 1905 presented a spectacular gift to

Freemasons New Zealand.It comprised a set of three gavels and

strike blocks made from the bones of a Mastodon extracted from frozen ground near Browne’s claim at Dawson City. The items are decorated with 674 gold nuggets which Browne excavated from a rich vein of gold on his claim. The gavels and strike blocks sit in a wooden presentation box which has inset on the lid a painting of the Klondike Gold Field

at its height of popularity.The historic set, valued $288,000

by WBro Dennis Blacklaws of Gemlink, were displayed at the Grand Installation on 16 November. Prior to that the Canadian High Commissioner, Caroline Chretian, was invited by then Grand Master Elect, RWBro John Litton, to view the set at Dennis Blacklaws’ premises in Lower Hutt.

Joanne Ruscoe

Dennis Blacklaws and John Litton show the gavel and striker set to Canadian High Commissioner, Caroline Chretian.

for opening and closing a lodge.An initial programme would be

established to progressively guide freemasons on a journey of discovery and to include increasing self-confidence and speaking voice, guidelines and assessment criteria on self-development and guidelines for delivering charges.

A framework would be recommended but optional to each Lodge in which every lodge would take its own responsibility for the Masonic education of its members and develop its own lodge education programme to run during the

Master’s term of office. Guidance and leadership would be given to lodges through divisional level and at district level. A 20-30 minute space would instituted at regular lodge meetings for discussion of Masonic topics to assist in individual understanding and a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge.

Brethren, we are all freemasons together and the National Education Committee needs your help and your input to make this happen in your lodge as well as nationally. What are you, personally, prepared to do to help?

Please do not leave it to others to start an activity. Let me know your good ideas and plans to make this happen, you can e-mail me at drgeorgeallan@gmail.com

Finally, to the 3 Grand Lecturers who are finishing their term of duty, James Morton in the Northern Division, Ross Craig in the Central Division and Gordon Fraser in the Southern Division I say ‘thank you’ for all your hard work. I have asked each to stay on for 6 months in an advisory capacity to provide continuity.

VWBro Dr George Allan, Chairman, National Education Committee

The gavel and striker set. The gold nuggets are set into the central gavel and striker plate.

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OPERA UNDER THE CARDBOARD

Noye’s Fludde/ Noah’s Flood project, Christchurch

In September 2013, New Zealand Opera, generously supported by The Freemasons Charity, performed Benjamin Britten’s ‘Noye’s Fludde’ (Noah’s Flood) at the Transitional Cathedral, Christchurch, as part of the Christchurch Arts Festival.

W ritten in 1957, this community opera brings together

professionals and amateurs to perform the story of Noah’s ark as taken from a 15th century play. To mark the 2013 centennial of Britten’s birth, NZ Opera embarked on the outreach project in Christchurch in August and September. The project was particularly relevant to Christchurch with its themes of survival following a natural disaster and with only three professional singers, for the parts of God, Noah and Mrs Noah, young people from all over Christchurch were recruited to create and perform their version of this community opera.

The project commenced in August with over 20 young people auditioning for the lead amateur roles followed by a further 50 young people being recruited for the pairs of animals which formed the

chorus. Following auditions the children, aged from 4–16 years, were guided through the music by local conductor Luke Di Somma. Young instrumentalists were invited to play in the orchestra with a limited number of professional players from Christchurch Symphony Orchestra to assist them.

Alongside this activity, the inaugural Design Creative Workshop in Christchurch was held at The Court Theatre in August. Twenty-eight Intermediate-aged students from two local schools were introduced to set and costume design by local designer Julian Southgate and well-known NZ costume designer, Elizabeth Whiting. Participants had the opportunity to explore the elements involved in set and costume design and suggest their own interpretations and settings for the Noah’s Ark story. An added thrill was meeting and hearing local singer Amanda Atlas, one of NZ Opera’s Freemasons Resident Artists, who provided the young people with the chance to hear an opera singer ‘up close’. At the completion of the workshop, each student group’s completed set, models and masks were displayed at the Central Peterborough Library for the weeks leading up to the performances.

After seven weeks of rehearsals,

working with local Conductor Luke di Somma and local Director Melanie Camp, the participants headed to the Transitional Cathedral for the final rehearsals. Families of the participants were welcomed to attend the dress rehearsal, free of charge, on Friday 20th September. The planned performance on Saturday 21st September quickly sold out so a second performance was added for the same day. This performance also sold out resulting in the young people performing to over 700 audience members who, as part of the opera, were also required to join in with the singing of three hymns.

The generous support received from The Freemasons Charity for this project will also extend to assist the upcoming Wellington production of Noah’s Flood in the New Zealand International Arts Festival line-up in March 2014.

Olivia JamesChristchurch Development Manager,

New Zealand Opera

Two by two.

Models and masks workshop.

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ADDING TO THE TALENT2013 Freemasons Dame Malvina Major emerging artists

2012 and 2013 Emerging Artists Bianca Andrew,

Oliver Sewell, Thomas Atkins, Elizabeth Mandeno,

Keiran Rayner, Cheuky Chan and Edward Laurenson.

In the September 2012 issue of New Zealand Freemason we introduced the three inaugural Freemasons Dame Malvina Major emerging artists, Kieran Rayner, Bianca Andrew and Edward Laurenson. They have each advanced their careers and, this year, again with the assistance of the Freemasons Roskill Foundation, four new emerging artists have been selected. They are singers Oliver Sewell, Elizabeth Mandeno, Thomas Atkins and repetiteur, Cheuky Chan. Here, each tells a brief story of their musical upbringing followed by a sampling of their recent achievements and performances. For a full listing of their performances go to nzopera.com/about/internships/emerging

Oliver Sewell, tenor‘I was born and raised in Christchurch, the youngest of three boys. I started playing the cello when I was four and starting singing in school choirs, with enthusiasm, from the age of about seven. While I was at Burnside High School my singing become a greater focus when I joined the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir in 2005. Classical singing was not my only singing interest however. I sang in rock bands from 2003 and, in 2007, my final year at Burnside, and my band made it into the Smokefree Rockquest national finals, in which I won the award for best vocalist.

After school I went on to study singing at The University of Canterbury and it was not until half way through my degree that I realised I needed to focus on my classical singing and give up ‘pop’ music. Also, while at Burnside High School, I had the joined

manquée by Chabrier, University of Canterbury Platform Arts Festival. Solo engagements include Monteverdi’s Vespers (Jubilate Singers), Handel’s Messiah (Nelson & Napier Civic Choirs), ‘The Italian Job’, Nelson Symphony Orchestra, and ‘Mozart by Candlelight’, Christchurch Cathedral Concert Series. Oliver has also performed with Baroque Voices as part of ‘The Full Monte’ project.

the Christchurch Cathedral Choir which became an integral part of my musical education. I stayed with the choir until I relocated to Wellington in 2013 to continue my vocal studies at the New Zealand School of Music.’

Oliver completed a Bachelor of Music in Performance Voice at the University of Canterbury in 2011 and is currently completing a Post Graduate Diploma in Vocal Performance. He is the recipient of a Dame Malvina Major Foundation Arts Excellence Award, an NZSM postgraduate study scholarship and an ABRSM Exhibition Award. He

has completed ABRSM Grade 8 Singing, ABRSM Grade 8 Cello, and ATCL Cello with Distinction.

Roles include Corrado: Il Corsaro, NZ School of Music, Damon: Acis and Galatea (NBR NZO) and Gontran: Une education Oliver and his band ‘Frankly Mauve’.

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Elizabeth Mandeno, soprano‘I grew up in Torbay in a very musical and theatrical family. My mum’s a drama teacher, and my dad has been in the NZ Opera Chorus since I was very young, so I grew up surrounded by all different kinds of music. When I was twelve I found out about the Opera Factory, a small company and training ground for young singers and, after seeing my dad singing in operas, I was really keen to join and have a go myself. Over the last eleven years I’ve gone from singing in their children’s chorus and learning stagecraft to eventually singing principal roles in their full productions.

Outside of singing and theatre, I love literature and poetry, dance, yoga and exploring the outdoors. Growing up on the North Shore has given me a great love of the sea in particular. When I’m at home I swim daily with the family, even in winter.’

Elizabeth completed a Bachelor of Music with Honours, Classical Voice, in 2013 and a Bachelor of Arts, Italian and French, in 2011 at the University of Auckland. She gained third place in the Becroft Grand Opera Aria Competition, first place in the Linda Wooten Memorial Award and is the recipient of the Marie D’Albini and Kathleen Mary Reardon Memorial Music Scholarships at the University of Auckland.

Elizabeth’s roles include Adele: Die Fledermaus, Ulla: Ulla’s Odyssey by Anthony Young, Fanny: La cambiale di matrimonio, Emily: Help! Help! The Globolinks! The Magic Flute and the Stolen Sun, Opera in Schools, NBR NZO; The Electrical Eclipse by Celeste Oram, soprano soloist: Carmina Burana, University of Auckland.

Solo engagements include Anthony Young’s Three Songs on Poems by Jean Toomer, St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, University of Auckland, Haydn’s Creation, Ensemble Polymnia/Franklin Community Choir, Mozart’s Requiem, St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra/Auckland Youth Choir, soloist at the Distinguished Alumni awards ceremony

and graduation ceremonies, University of Auckland and BNZ sponsor concert with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

Thomas Atkins, tenor‘I moved to NZ, from England, with my family in 1999. I began piano lessons a couple of years before moving here and continued after I arrived. Although music was always a big part of my life, I didn’t start singing until about a year after arriving in NZ when my best friend at the time took me along to choir practice at my old primary school, St Marks Church School. I sang for Nicky Sutherland who was the music teacher there at the time and it was at this moment where I found out I could sing. I was only ten years old at the time but

ABOVE On a bush walk.

RIGHT Elizabeth and her father at her first Opera Factory performance.

music rapidly became the main focus of my life.

I wanted to be a concert pianist for a long time, until my voice broke and I found I had an easy tenor sound. I never really got singing lessons until my last year of college when I realised I needed to prepare for an audition to study music at the New Zealand School of Music. After

being successful in audition into the NZSM I’ve never looked back and singing has been my main focus.

Growing up, I was a member of various choirs including the New Zealand Secondary Schools Choir and then the New Zealand Youth Choir. Singing in

Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London.

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Cheuky Chan, repetiteur‘I grew up in Christchurch. My family is from Hong Kong. I speak Cantonese, and German too, but nobody would pick it. I lived through all the major earthquakes of Canterbury and came out relatively untraumatised. I like taking time out to do voluntary work that has included the Christchurch Cathedral, City Mission, the Red Cross and the Student Volunteer Army. Currently I’m with Community Patrols of New Zealand, keeping communities safer by wearing bright fluro jackets and driving around in conspicuous vehicles. I don’t have much to say about music. I much prefer to just play. But talk to me about Shakespeare or human nature or travelling and we should have a decent conversation. Or just tell me a good joke. I like Salsa and belly dancing.

When asked about special achievements I cite 1st-equal in NZ in SC French, 6th-form university entrance, University of Canterbury Master’s Scholarship, Master’s with Distinction, member of Golden Key International Honours Society, pianist in the youth orchestra for the Placido Domingo earthquake concert and, last but not least, I survived a whole year as a Disney intern in Florida, USA.’

Cheuky completed a Master of Music with distinction in 2006, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in English literature in 2008 and a Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning in 2011 at the University of Canterbury. She has also completed

Postgraduate Studies in Piano at Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar, Germany in 2008. She holds a Goethe Zertifikat B2 (German Language Certificate) with distinction. She is the recipient of, the Leslie Atkinson Memorial Prize in Music, the ABRSM

Irene Lassen Exhibition Prize and is a member of the Golden Key International Honours Society.

Performance experience includes ‘Night of Stars’ Disney Internship Talent Showcase, Florida USA; ‘A Night to Remember’ with Plácido Domingo and Katherine Jenkins Charity Concert for the Christchurch Earthquake; ‘Catch the Rising Stars’ Dame Malvina Major Foundation Charity Concert for the Christchurch Earthquake. ‘Il Raccolto’ University of Canterbury Baroque Chamber Music South Island Tour; United Youth Orchestra Winter Concert, Hamilton; The Dame Malvina Major Foundation Golf Tournament

Showcase; ‘Music from Far-off Lands’ with the Hochshcule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar, Germany; The New Zealand Embassy Science Circle Conference, Berlin, Germany. Cheuky also performs regularly as part of the Praesto String Quartet.

Morris RobertsonAs an intern in ‘France’, Disney World, Florida.

Volunteering at Christchurch Cathedral.

choirs was great for my musicianship, however opera was always my favourite. I learnt off Jenny Wollerman and New Zealand School of Music and I am now studying with Adrian Thompson at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

I have lived in Wellington for the past 14 years. After St Marks I went to Scots College. I enjoy a variety of sports including tennis, football, badminton, squash, and golf. I still play the piano regularly and, of course, am singing all the time.’

Thomas completed a Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance Voice at the New Zealand School of Music in 2012. He is now studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He is the recipient of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama award, the Sheila Prior Prize, the Phoebe Patrick Award and the Vianden International Summer School Award, all from the 2012 IFAC Australian Singing Competition. He also received 1st Place in the Recital Class, the Harding Morris Challenge Cup and the Robin Dumbell Memorial Cup at the 2012 Wellington Aria Competition. He holds the Moyra Todd Memorial Scholarship 2012, the Kapiti Chorale Award in Vocal Performance 2011, and a full scholarship at New Zealand School of Music for 2009. He has studied piano to Grade 8 (ABRSM) and has attended the New Zealand Opera School for the past two years. He was also a finalist in the 2012 IFAC Australian Singing Competition.

Roles include Don Giovanni (NZO), Corrado: Il Corsaro, NZ School of Music, Ferrando: Così Fan Tutte, Opera in a Days Bay Garden: Rigoletto (NBR NZO); and Lysander: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (NZSM).

Solo engagements include Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, Mozart’s Requiem, Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ, Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G Minor, Handel’s Messiah and Nelson’s Opera in the Park.

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TRAVELAll roads lead to London but, does the answer lie in California?

‘All roads lead to London’ — so the saying goes, and that was true for WBro Hiles-Smith of The St. Andrew Kilwinning Lodge No 79, Wanganui, when he travelled recently to visit his daughter living in London. But it was not London which prompted him to pen this article, but his stopover to visit a Masonic friend in Mariposa California, Bro Rick Middlested of Lodge Mariposa No 24.

M ariposa is a town of some 1,800 inhabitants lying 2,000 feet up

in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. It is the ‘gateway’ to the Yosemite National Park, famous for the massive Sequoia redwood trees. A very old and attractive town, Mariposa, is a busy tourist stopover for Yosemite. Mariposa County is located at the southern end of California’s Mother Lode region. During the California Gold Rush, great quantities of the prized mineral were found and extracted, first in local stream-beds and later in hard rock mines, and Mariposa was the commercial heart of that whole area. Now, being much smaller than the original 1850s county, there are only two Masonic Lodges, Mariposa No 24, and Hornitos No 98.

Mariposa Lodge, which is very active in its community, was constituted in 1851, around the same time as the gold rush started. It currently has a membership of 118, plus some 40 widows and has an impressive complex situated on a

rise overlooking the town. Their original Charter granted the right to meet anywhere within a five mile radius of Mariposa town, as most of their members lived outside the town. Like many others of the period lodge meetings were meetings were held on the Saturday on or before the full moon. The moonlight helped members who lived long distances find their way to the meeting.

A Holy Bible, a sterling silver square and a compass of similar material were presented to the Lodge on December 27 1854 by thirteen wives and daughters of the Masons. These items have been on the Altar at every meeting held since that date. The Mariposa Lodge is famous for the longest record of benevolent relief in California. In 1863 the Brethren voted to give financial assistance to a widow and

her mentally impaired daughter. This relief lasted until 1909 after the mother died, and until the daughter also passed away. Another interesting feature is that Lodge Mariposa also operates and maintains a fairly extensive cemetery, dating back to the 1850’s, and any Freemason, wife or child of, has the right to be buried there. Still very much in use, the beautifully maintained graveyard is a veritable ‘mine’ of Masonic personality history.

Lodge Hornitos is located in Gold Rush town of Hornitos, which was once a wild west, gun toting mining camp with a population of 10,000 and now a village of about 75 residents. Being off the beaten path it offers a real glimpse of California’s Gold Rush days, and is known as one of the best preserved ‘ghost towns’ in the West, but it is not quite dead. First settled by Spanish and Mexican miners in the 1840’s the town exploded in the 1850’s. Some of the colourful past remains standing, like the Masonic Lodge, built in 1856. It was originally what was called the ‘Fashion Saloon’, and was occupied as the Masonic meeting place from 1875. While this Lodge building is certainly the smallest in California, and could well qualify as the smallest lodge building

Hosts Rick and Cathy Middlested in Yosemite National Park.

Mariposa Lodge.

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anywhere, measuring just 29ft x 17ft in exterior measurement. The membership however, is around the 70 mark, with most members having a dual status in their efforts to keep this unique old Lodge operational. Heating comes from a wood burning stove recovered from the No 9 Gold Mine, and the furnishings include a working 1880’s harmonium pump organ, regularly used to provide the ceremonial music.

The refectory hall was excavated underneath the building and is even smaller than the lodge room, but still contains all the necessary kitchen facilities etc. for the ‘dinner meetings’. The essence of Hornitos Lodge, is found not so much in the facts and figures of Masonic records, but in the character and determination of its members, who are determined that this link with both the history of the gold mining days, and the Masonic presence, will never fade away. Despite the outward appearance, the building is very well appointed internally, and well maintained externally. The steel shutter doors are originals.

Masonic experiences

Enough however, of bricks and mortar, and on with ‘Things Masonic’ Bro. Cecil was met at San Francisco Airport by Rick and Cathy Middlested, who took him to their home in the woods two hours drive away. The next day they all attended a Lodge barbecue at the secretary’s residence, arranged to welcome their Kiwi guest, where Cecil had the pleasure of meeting and mixing with a ‘bunch of

A few lines for the Freemason about travelling

Collected Ruling 31 in the Book of Constitution notes that brethren travelling overseas should have evidence that they are in good Masonic standing with their Lodge and particularly that all Lodge dues are up to date. This is in addition to requirement to show a Master Mason Certificate and be proved. Also to assist travelling brethren Grand Lodge Office can provide a ‘Letter of Introduction’ along with information about Freemasonry in the countries that a brother intends visiting. The Letter of Introduction has the Grand Lodge Seal on it and is signed by the Grand Secretary. Application for such a letter can be made through the members Lodge Secretary at least a fortnight prior to departure from New Zealand. A Letter of Introduction, sometimes colloquially referred to as a Masonic Passport, is valid for 12 months from date of issue.

Laurence Milton, Chief Executive

great guys ‘n gals’. Cecil’s week’s sojourn in Mariposa and surrounds saw the odometer in Ricks car increase by some 1230 miles.

While Cecil’s visit did not coincide with a meeting of either of the local Lodges, he was fortunate to attend Lodge in Modesto, some 1.5 hours drive away, and experienced a 3rd Degree working. ‘To say that it was different, would be the understatement of the century’ says Cecil, although, like all those ‘Roads to London’, they reached the same destination of Master Mason, just via a different route.

After experiencing their ceremony and ritual, Cecil came to the conclusion that we treat our ceremonial, and our candidates far too lightly. For a start, their candidate goes through a proficiency test in the first part of the ceremony, far more complex and demanding than our test questions, where the candidate must indicate an almost total recall of his previous obligations and other aspects such as the accepted precepts and tenets, a test which took some forty minutes with no prompting. He must demonstrate a full proficiency, otherwise he does not proceed. Further, the entire ceremony was markedly different, as

is the ‘set-up’ of the Lodge room, and the working involved everyone present including the Kiwi visitor.

Prior to the meeting closure Cecil was given the opportunity to make small presentation to the Master and to the new Master Mason, He then became the target of a presentation to himself. ‘All in all, it was a wonderful evening’ says Cecil, and their floor work and perambulations were to be admired, as was the lack of prompting. Just to add to the difficulties their ritual book is all in cypher, requiring learning of the cypher code before charges can be learned.

It appears obvious from the membership numbers, the enthusiasm, the commitment to, and within, their respective communities that Freemasonry in California is alive and thriving. ‘The Lodges appear to have a greater and more respected public profile than we do. This is one of their big plusses when it comes to attracting new members, as their public face and the community charitable work they do, is admirable,’ says Cecil.

All in all, a visit that was all too short, but packed with interest, and Masonic hospitality. Cecil can recommend to any brother holidaying in California. ‘Make Masonic contact before you go, and you’ll be amazed, with the internet it’s all so easy to do.’ Mariposa and Hornitos Lodges both love welcoming visiting Brethren from all over the world and you are assured of a good time.

A Daily Advancement in Masonic Brotherhood.

Cecil Hiles-Smith

Hornitos Lodge.

Hornitos Masonic Hall Plaque.

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The Masonic Villages Trust is a charity set up in 1960 by Freemasons in the southern North Island to provide care and services for older people. Since then, the Trust and its charitable operating companies, Masonic Care Limited and Masonic Villages Limited, have earned an enviable reputation for quality accommodation and personalised care.

“Like other aged care providers, from time-to-time we learn that one of our residents is being financially abused by a family member or friend,” says Masonic Villages Trust chief executive Warick Dunn.

“Usually it is resolved by talking to the resident’s wider family and by setting up systems to prevent it from happening again. But there have been cases where we have had to apply to have powers of attorney removed from a person who is using the resident’s assets and funds for their own benefit, rather than to support the resident.”

He says this can be time-consuming and costly, because lawyers and the courts need to be involved.

“It would be far better if there was an Aged Care Commissioner with the power to investigate complaints of financial abuse of seniors and seek the necessary legal redress. At present there is no agency with the power to do this.”

Mr Dunn says the Trust supports a campaign by Grey Power and the NZ Aged Care Association that is calling for the appointment of a commissioner.

The abuse can range from stealing an older person’s superannuation

Aged Care Commissioner neededNew Zealand needs an Aged Care Commissioner to help protect older people from financial abuse.

through to misappropriating the proceeds from the sale of their former home. There are also cases of family members using a credit card without an older person’s knowledge or permission.

“While it is not a big problem in the Trust’s facilities, it can be very distressing when it occurs, particularly for the resident concerned. It is part of our duty of care to act on cases that come to our attention, but our managers have to be very careful not to overstep the mark when dealing with matters involving a resident and their family members or a close friend.”

Each of the Trust’s rest homes and hospitals has a residents’ advocate who meets regularly with the residents as a group and is also available for one-to-one confidential meetings. Mr Dunn says the advocates play a very important role on the rare occasion when a resident has a serious concern.

“The population aged 85 or older is growing rapidly, which means there is a growing potential for these very frail and vulnerable people to be financially abused. If someone close to them doesn’t have their best interests at heart, there needs to be a mechanism that carers can use to seek swift redress,” he says.

“With an increasing population of older people in the district and a declining number of GPs, the role appeared to be the perfect solution to a growing problem,” says Horowhenua Masonic Village manager Sue Maney.

“When we first came up with the NP concept, we realised we couldn’t justify employing a NP full-time. So chief executive Warick Dunn approached Enliven Presbyterian Support Central to come on board. The proposal was then referred to the Central Primary Health Organisation (PHO), where it was met with enthusiasm.

“That gave us a three-way funding model. The Masonic Village, Enliven and the PHO were a perfect match.”

With former staff member Sylvia Meijer in the new role, there has been a 49% reduction in hospital emergency department visits – made up of the 28% decrease in facilities with access to her

Innovation rewardedThe Supreme Award at this year’s MidCentral DHB Health Awards went to a Masonic Care initiative – the development of the aged care nurse practitioner (NP) role in the Horowhenua. Forty-two finalists in nine categories were up for the award.

Inaugural Nurse Practitioner (Aged Care) Sylvia Meijer and Horowhenua Masonic Village manager Sue Maney

services and a 21% increase for facilities without them. Acute hospital admissions also decreased and some unnecessary medications were discontinued.

Last year Horowhenua Masonic Village won the DHB’s Excellence in Health Service Quality Improvement Award.

The Masonic Villages TrustHead office: 63 Wai-iti Crescent l Woburn l Lower Hutt 5010New Zealand l Tel +64 4 569 8512 l www.masonicvillages.co.nzwarick.dunn@masonicvillages.co.nz

The Trustees of The Masonic Villages Trust would like more people who support its work to become members.

One such person is Ronald Fayle, a new member who has strong links with the Trust through Freemasonry. In the Trust’s early days – “before the government put a stop to amateurs doing such work” – he and other Island Bay Lodge members used to help with maintenance at Woburn Masonic Village.

Chief executive Warick Dunn says a lot of people volunteer their time to help residents and it would be great to have them join the Trust. Also, family members of residents are among the Trust’s strongest supporters, so it would be good to see them joining too.

Membership is open to all and costs only $20 a year. It’s one of the main ways the Trust has of keeping supporters informed and involved. Members also review the work of the Trust and elect Trustees at each annual meeting.

Mr Fayle says he became a Freemason in 1973. “While little was said about the work of the Freemasons in those days I could see they had a real ethic of service to the community. In my work as a Justice of the Peace I serve the broader community. I’m now keen to support of the work of the Freemasons by becoming a member of The Masonic Villages Trust.”

To join the Trust, contact Warick Dunn, warick.dunn@masonicvillages.co.nz or phone 04 569 8512.

Rock solid in WoburnThe new Woburn Apartments will be among the safest buildings in the Hutt Valley. Massive reinforced concrete ribs form a raft that will enable them to ride out a one-in-500 year earthquake.

When both stages of the development are completed, there will be 2,500 cubic metres of concrete and 600 tonnes of reinforcing steel in the foundations and ground floor slabs. If the reinforcing steel rods were laid end on end, they would reach Pahiatua, 150 kilometres away.

The apartments are built on the alluvial plain of the Hutt River, with an artesian aquifer 15 metres below ground level. Because piles must not penetrate the aquifer, the only viable foundation option is the rib raft.

“The foundations will be strong enough to support the whole weight of each building pretty much regardless of what happens to the ground underneath,” says project engineer Matthew Lander of Beca Consulting.

Interestingly, the three separate buildings that make up the retirement community will be separated by 200 mm seismic gaps. These won’t be obvious to residents, but where buildings join there will be steel plates underneath the carpets that allow for the buildings to move independently in a big shake.

Work on the apartments is moving rapidly, with foundations now poured and ground floor walls up in three of the five areas that make up Stage 1. In two of these areas, the

first floor slabs have been installed and work is underway on the first floor walls.

An innovative aspect of the build is the use of prefabricated lightweight sandwich panels for the walls. The panels, which consist of galvanised steel stud frames clad with fibre cement sheets, are quickly and simply hand erected on site and then core-filled with concrete.

Project manager Alan Atack says the resulting loadbearing walls are fire and sound-rated. The fibre cement sheeting also provides an excellent substrate for finishes such as skim coating, acrylic render and paint. The patented wall system goes under the tradename AFS Logicwall.

The apartments in Stage 1 are now being actively marketed, with half the offering already sold off the plans. Trust chief executive Warick Dunn says Freemasons wishing to reserve an apartment in either Stage 1 or 2 should contact him now.

Safe and secureAn artist’s impression of the community hub at the Woburn Apartments gives no hint of the massive amount of concrete, steel and technology that has gone into making the development quake-resilient

Ron FayleContinuing a legacy of service to the community

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The Masonic Villages TrustHead office: 63 Wai-iti Crescent l Woburn l Lower Hutt 5010New Zealand l Tel +64 4 569 8512 l www.masonicvillages.co.nzwarick.dunn@masonicvillages.co.nz

The Trustees of The Masonic Villages Trust would like more people who support its work to become members.

One such person is Ronald Fayle, a new member who has strong links with the Trust through Freemasonry. In the Trust’s early days – “before the government put a stop to amateurs doing such work” – he and other Island Bay Lodge members used to help with maintenance at Woburn Masonic Village.

Chief executive Warick Dunn says a lot of people volunteer their time to help residents and it would be great to have them join the Trust. Also, family members of residents are among the Trust’s strongest supporters, so it would be good to see them joining too.

Membership is open to all and costs only $20 a year. It’s one of the main ways the Trust has of keeping supporters informed and involved. Members also review the work of the Trust and elect Trustees at each annual meeting.

Mr Fayle says he became a Freemason in 1973. “While little was said about the work of the Freemasons in those days I could see they had a real ethic of service to the community. In my work as a Justice of the Peace I serve the broader community. I’m now keen to support of the work of the Freemasons by becoming a member of The Masonic Villages Trust.”

To join the Trust, contact Warick Dunn, warick.dunn@masonicvillages.co.nz or phone 04 569 8512.

Rock solid in WoburnThe new Woburn Apartments will be among the safest buildings in the Hutt Valley. Massive reinforced concrete ribs form a raft that will enable them to ride out a one-in-500 year earthquake.

When both stages of the development are completed, there will be 2,500 cubic metres of concrete and 600 tonnes of reinforcing steel in the foundations and ground floor slabs. If the reinforcing steel rods were laid end on end, they would reach Pahiatua, 150 kilometres away.

The apartments are built on the alluvial plain of the Hutt River, with an artesian aquifer 15 metres below ground level. Because piles must not penetrate the aquifer, the only viable foundation option is the rib raft.

“The foundations will be strong enough to support the whole weight of each building pretty much regardless of what happens to the ground underneath,” says project engineer Matthew Lander of Beca Consulting.

Interestingly, the three separate buildings that make up the retirement community will be separated by 200 mm seismic gaps. These won’t be obvious to residents, but where buildings join there will be steel plates underneath the carpets that allow for the buildings to move independently in a big shake.

Work on the apartments is moving rapidly, with foundations now poured and ground floor walls up in three of the five areas that make up Stage 1. In two of these areas, the

first floor slabs have been installed and work is underway on the first floor walls.

An innovative aspect of the build is the use of prefabricated lightweight sandwich panels for the walls. The panels, which consist of galvanised steel stud frames clad with fibre cement sheets, are quickly and simply hand erected on site and then core-filled with concrete.

Project manager Alan Atack says the resulting loadbearing walls are fire and sound-rated. The fibre cement sheeting also provides an excellent substrate for finishes such as skim coating, acrylic render and paint. The patented wall system goes under the tradename AFS Logicwall.

The apartments in Stage 1 are now being actively marketed, with half the offering already sold off the plans. Trust chief executive Warick Dunn says Freemasons wishing to reserve an apartment in either Stage 1 or 2 should contact him now.

Safe and secureAn artist’s impression of the community hub at the Woburn Apartments gives no hint of the massive amount of concrete, steel and technology that has gone into making the development quake-resilient

Ron FayleContinuing a legacy of service to the community

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SERVICE AWARDS

70 YEAR BADGE WBro Maurice Roland Abrahams PM The Victory Lodge No. 40 WBro John Pryde PM Lodge Waihopai No. 189 VWBro Cyril Winston Wahren PGDC Lodge Mt Maunganui No. 376 WBro Neville James Mudford PM Geyserland Daylight Lodge No. 462

60 YEAR BADGE WBro Allen Rogers PM The Ara Taimau Lodge No. 1 Bro Maxwell John Thorn MM Papakura Lodge No. 56 Bro Lyndon Charles Underhill MM The Ruahine Lodge No. 80 WBro George Frederick Thomas Morris PM Lodge St John No. 84 Bro Peter William Winter MM Thistle Lodge No. 113 RWBro James Thomas Clouston P Dep GM The Saint Bathans Lodge No. 126 Bro Ian Charles Yates MM Te Awahou Lodge No. 133 WBro Brian Darrell Meads PM Lodge Manchester No. 287 WBro Jack Franklyn Ransby PM Lodge Pukemiro No. 301 WBro Felix Oliver Brice PM Lodge Eckford No. 334 Bro Colin Murdoch Glen MM RH Ngatiawa-Russell Lodge No. 345 Bro Bruce Hector Childs MM Lodge Mt Maunganui No. 376 WBro John Murdoch Mathieson PM Lodge Apanui No. 395 WBro John Mathew Bell PGBB RH The Gate Pa Lodge No. 407 Bro Sefton Moorehouse Freeman Asst GDC Meridian Lodge No. 449 WBro Eric Murray Fitzpatrick PM Lodge United Taranaki No. 456 RWBro Colin Francis Johnson P Prov GM The Petre Lodge No. 457 WBro Clifford Jack Cursons PM Stokes Valley Lodge No. 460 WBro William James Hall PM United Horowhenua Lodge No. 464

50 YEAR BADGE WBro Alexander Gordon Brown PM The Ara Taimau Lodge No. 1 Bro Frank Walter Bundle MM The Woburn Lodge No. 25 WBro Alexander Bruce Hamilton PM The Victory Lodge No. 40 VWBro Donald Edwin Darke Woodward PG Lec The Wairau Lodge No. 42 VWBro John Henry O’Leary PG Lec The Wairau Lodge No. 42 WBro Robert Corbett Western PM The Advance Mawhera Lodge No. 61 Bro Brian Henry Williams MM The Mokoreta Lodge No. 63 WBro Pat Leslie Severinsen PM The Hokianga Lodge No. 69 VWBro Graeme George Cleland PG Alm The MacKenzie Lodge No. 93 WBro Roger William Lundy PM Lodge St John No. 94 WBro Brian Alexander Edwa Weeds PM Puketoi Lodge No. 149 WBro Eric Oliver Faulkner PM RH Lodge North Harbour No. 182 RWBro Michael Francis Whitlock PGW Lodge North Harbour No. 182 Bro Eric John Castle MM Lodge North Harbour No. 182 WBro William Adrian Clifton-Mogg PG Swd B Lodge Tawera No. 188 WBro John Bernard Hand PM Pono Lodge No. 203 WBro John Samuel Wrigley PM Lodge Titirangi Mt Albert No. 204 Bro Graham Douglas Benjamin Thomson MM Lodge Omarunui No. 216 Bro Walter Warren Hastings MM Lodge Parahaki No. 269 WBro Gordon Ernest Mills PM Lodge Selwyn No. 274 WBro Mervyn David Stantiall PGBB Lodge Manchester No. 287 WBro Walter Thomas Ryde PM Lodge Mana No. 352 WBro Clive Frederick Sellens PGBB Lodge Mana No. 352 WBro David C Frederick Hart PM Lodge Frimley No. 359 Bro Reginald Gerald Flood-Smith MM Lodge Te Kauwhata No. 364 WBro John Noel Hilligan PG Swd B Lodge Mt Maunganui No. 376 WBro Christopher L Northern PM The Pakuranga Lodge No. 416 WBro Ian Hugh Fraser Grapes RH PM The Hawkes Bay Daytime Lodge No. 453 WBro Gabriel Haldezos PM Petone Daylight Lodge No. 458

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NEW INITIATES

Initiations between 1 August and 30 October 2013

Wednesday 6th November 2013 saw a Father-Son initiation in the Hutt-Wairarapa District. This time the sitting Master of Lodge Te Puni, Worshipful Brother Trevor (Mac) McKenzie initiated his youngest son Anton James McKenzie, a Lewis at 19 years old.

Anton is the third and youngest son of Mac and has, over the years since Mac joined the craft, had an avid interest in what his father got up to on his nights out at Lodge. Many nights he had stayed up to catch up with which Lodge Mac had been to. Some of the enthusiasm from the night’s ceremony or fundraising event gave Anton the idea that he wanted some of this himself.

Born and raised in Upper Hutt, Anton works at the Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club as a barman and, since his notice came

out, has been the talk of several patrons from the craft. His happy nature and easygoing character sits well with many he meets.

FEATURED INITIATE Anton McKenzie GEMLINK

Qualified Gemologist, Diamond-Grader, Internationally Qualified Jewellery Appraiser

Dennis D. Blacklaws

04 566 3668www.gemlink.co.nz dennis.blacklaws@gemlink.co.nz10 Laings Rd, Lower HuttEntered Apprentice Anton

with his father, and Master, WBro Mac McKenzie.

Leighton Lewis New Zealand Pacific No. 2 Shaun Rogers Scinde Lodge No. 5 Jaime Peñaranda The Southern Cross Lodge No. 9 Jason Pearse The Sir Walter Scott Lodge No. 15 Jordan Tredray United Lodge of Masterton No. 19 Mark Bourne The Canterbury Kilwinning Lodge No. 23 Donald Pearson The Canterbury Kilwinning Lodge No. 23 Karl Reiterer The Saint Andrews Lodge No. 32 Augustinus ter Woorst Hercules Lodge No. 36 Benjamin Hancock Waihenga St Johns Lodge No. 37 Antonio Ruiz The Concord Lodge No. 39 Allen de Guzman Allen The Belmont Albion Lodge No. 45 Louie Jaramillo The Mokoreta Lodge No. 63 James Stanford The Heretaunga Lodge No. 73 Paul Fifield The MacKenzie Lodge No. 93 David Robertson Lodge Dunstan No. 103 Mark Findlater Lodge Winton No. 108 Glen Wedgwood Lodge Manuherikia Kilwinning No. 109 Garth Willis The Waitohi Lodge No. 111 Carlin McDonald The Taupiri Lodge No. 118 Matthew Riedenstein The Tauranga Lodge No. 125 Gary Powers The Tauranga Lodge No. 125 Ramir Padlan The Coronation Lodge No. 127 David Johnstone Te Awahou Lodge No. 133 Garry Simmons Lodge Rotorua No. 153 Wenggie Basas Piako Lodge No. 160 Edward McFarland Piako Lodge No. 160 Marcelino Hapalla Onehunga Maungawhao Lodge No. 168 Loren Rout-Brown Lodge Waihopai No. 189 Enrico Tagle Lodge Waihopai No. 189 Noel Ranon Lodge Waihopai No. 189

Romeo Budiao Jr Lodge Erewhon No. 200 Colin Cowie Lodge Whangamomona No. 234 Matthew Naylor Lodge Te Puke No. 261 Gary Matthews Trentham Lodge No. 262 Mark Sullivan Lodge Arawhaiti No. 267 Christopher Garton Lodge Haeata No. 272 Mornayz Maree Lodge Tuakau No. 278 John Bush Lodge Nelson No. 288 Jason Tualima Herbert Teagle Lodge No. 300 Christian Eru Lodge Kororareka No. 304 Anthony Martin Westminster Lodge No. 308 Daniel Bentley Lodge Howick No. 314 Kerry Otto Lodge Howick No. 314 Reynold Estigoy Browns Bay Lodge No. 346 Reuben Lowe Lodge Frimley No. 359 Patrick Rousseau Lodge Orewa No. 370 Glenn Cosford Lodge Otahuhu No. 387 Stephen Smith Lodge Arawa No. 406 Derf Rama Lodge Te Atatu No. 414 Audy Rafal Lodge United Taranaki No. 456 James Mouat Stokes Valley Lodge No. 460 Mark Snow Stokes Valley Lodge No. 460 Xeth Saz Lodge Arowhenua No. 473 Charlie Llanos Lodge Arowhenua No. 473 Peter Dix Lodge Kauri No 474 Callum Melhuish Lodge Kauri No 474 Endre Bernhardt Lodge Kauri No 474 Dvid Yu Lodge Kauri No 474 Anton McKenzie Lodge Te Puni No 315 Supreet Singh Lodge Zetland No 312

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Roskill Foundation RepoRtingFreemasons

We are helping to improve the lives of our elderly citizens by researching their needs. We are working with specialists in child care and brain disorders who are trying to better understand diseases that distress their patients and find new answers to give them better lives.

But then there is another, not so obvious, ‘preventative’ aspect to the provision of care - quality. Healthcare systems around the world are facing major challenges in relation to ageing populations, increases in clinical complexities and declining resources. We are no exception. Our health system is under increasing pressure and desperately needs imagination and

innovation so that the care we provide is maintained and improved.

And that is exactly what the Ko Awatea Centre, based at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland is doing and why we are supporting them. It aims to improve the quality and safety of care for patients, as well as reducing costs and pressures on the system. It is a

Much of Freemasons Roskill Foundation’s resources are devoted to healthcare in ways that bring the most benefit to the most New Zealanders. Our assistance, applied at the top of the cliff, gives the carers new knowledge and new methods so that more good is given to more sufferers.

unique resource that has been received enthusiastically by DHB’s across the country and has the backing of Health professionals, administrators and Government.

Ko Awatea (English translation – ‘First Light’) was launched in June 2011 to initially support Counties Manukau District Health Board’s activities to improve value for money and to support transformational change. As demand grows for improved services

Ko Awatea – A new focus on health quality

Helping the deaf The strength of the impact possible through combining Masonic resources, has been demonstrated recently with our efforts for The National Foundation for the Deaf. Individual Lodges, The Potter Masonic Trust and Freemasons Roskill Foundation are all involved.

A total of $60,000 worth of support has been provided for new equipment and to support their advocacy and children’s research programmes. Included was $5000 raised by Lodges with the

The Ko Awatea Centre at Middlemore Hospital

Professor Jonathon Gray, Director of Ko Awatea

Foundation’s assistance, in the national ‘Silent Leadership Challenge’ awareness and fund-raiser.

A further $60,000 has been provided by Lodge Discovery No 501 over the last few years. A commendable effort for an individual lodge. That contribution has been directed to research at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research by prominent researcher into hearing disability, Professor Peter Thorne of the Audiology Section of the Department of Physiology.

the National Foundation for the Deaf inc.NFD

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ROSKILL FDNROSKILL FDN

Roskill Foundation RepoRtingThe Foundation can be contacted at PO Box 113144, Newmarket, Auckland 1149.

Telephone: (09) 520 6414 or email: info@roskill.org.nz

Alzheimers Research & Care Our assistance in the research of brain disease continues. In September, The Freemasons Charity and the Foundation helped to fund a meeting in Adelaide for leading researchers from New Zealand, Australian the UK and USA to explore using the transgenic sheep model for Alzheimers research. It is proposed to set up a special fund.

The Foundation has supported Alzheimers Auckland with major grants in the last three years in the special training required for carers for Alzheimers sufferers.

Ko Awatea – A new focus on health quality

Brain Conference Speaker The Foundation has, for the third time, assisted in bringing Professor Anne Young, former Head Neurologist at Harvard University, Boston, to New Zealand. She was the keynote speaker at the Australasian Conference on Brain Research held in Queenstown in August. She also gave a public lecture at the Medical School in Auckland.

Her previous visits were in 2008 and 2011. Professor Anne Young

and more of them, Ko Awatea’s remit is timely against a backdrop of financial restraints and the knowledge that services need to be constructed and delivered differently in the future.

Partnership working is central to the ethos of Ko Awatea as it works with local academic institutions, the New Zealand Government and international healthcare experts.

“New Zealand should have the best healthcare in the world and we are working with our best people, as well as bringing international thinkers to New Zealand to help us find and implement the solutions for the future,” says Professor Jonathon Gray, Director of Ko Awatea. “We are grateful to the Freemasons of New Zealand for their support and enabling New Zealand to become the focus for healthcare innovation.”

Ko Awatea has ambitious plans to develop its resources and capability further to build on its considerable achievements and create a reputation as the first port of call for healthcare improvement.

Our assistance, to this time, has contributed to the organisation and conduct of various seminars, leadership courses and the APAC Forum. At the latter, Foundation Chairman, David Mace, took a leading role. He chaired three of the major sessions where he was not reluctant to include a few words about Freemasonry!

More on Ko Awatea at www.koawatea.co.nz.

Sharing ideas, learning, innovation

A sample of Ko Awatea programmes:• The APAC Forum on Quality Improvement in Healthcare’ organised by Ko

Awatea in September brought together over 1,000 delegates from 23 countries around the healthcare transformation agenda.

• Providing a state-of-the-art educational centre to support the staff of Counties Manukau Health and other District Health Boards.

• Working with the Government’s Health Quality and Safety Commission in a programme to prevent hospital infection and accidents.

• Introducing systems to measure the overall quality of care.

• Ran a programme to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and demand on hospital resources.

• Developed Ko Awatea Learn – an inter-professional educational community that gives professionals the skills they need to become change agents in care quality.

• Establishing an independent think tank to support and influence Government healthcare policy development.

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Something to be proud of Scholarship winners report ongoing success

Royal Arch Jubilee Memorial Scholarship winners are selected from the top-ranking achievers in our tertiary educational institutions each year. As their studies progress and they move into or closer to employment, they have great stories to tell, David Daysh, the Grand Scribe Nehemiah, is collecting those stories and we’re going to be bringing many of them to you on these pages.

Francesca HarrisIn the first, high-achieving scientist Fran cesca, from the Nelson-Marl bo-rough-Westland District, explains how her Royal Arch scholarship helped her reach her goals as an undergraduate and set new ones in her post-graduate study.

‘First, I’d like to reiterate my thanks for the Royal Arch scholarship I received in 2010 and 2011. At the time I was working towards Bachelor of Applied Science with a double major in Psychology and Communication. I have since completed this degree and was rewarded for my hard work with an A+ average. Along the way I have also collected a Diploma in Child and Adolescent Psychology, a Diploma in Strategic Communication, and a Diploma in Organisational Psychology, all of which I was able to integrate into the study towards my degree.

After finishing my degree I took up full-time employment at the Cawthron Institute in Nelson where I had previously been working as a part-time microbiologist and calibration technician. Although I really enjoyed my job at the Institute, I was determined to pursue a career that would make good use of my degree, so I visited several organisations, talked to a lot of specialists from various fields, and went along to a number of job interviews. The more I did so, however, the clearer it became that my position at Cawthron, and the opportunities I was given there, were far superior to what I would find anywhere else.

Now, two years on, my passion for analytical science and calibration services has continued to develop and I have chosen to pursue a qualification in this field. I am very privileged, as Cawthron has recognised my potential in the laboratory and has chosen to help support me through a Graduate Diploma in Laboratory Technology.

Completion of this level seven qualification will enable me to become a senior laboratory technician and, in time, will allow me to gain signatory status which will provide the national accreditation necessary for signing off on laboratory reports. This is a minimum requirement for laboratory managers. Completion of this diploma will therefore help me to achieve my life goal of continuous development and learning, and will help me to excel towards a managerial role in the science realm.

The support I received from Royal Arch Masons during my degree studies was a big help towards achieving a major milestone in my life and has contributed greatly towards the fortunate position I am in today. Your scholarship helped towards paying off my student loan, which meant that I was able to spend more time concentrating on my studies. It also gave me something to strive towards and to be proud of. Without your help in achieving that A+ grade average, it is unlikely that I would have been offered the chance to complete the qualification I am working towards today. As such, I want to take this opportunity to say another huge thank-you for all of your support.

I hope you can continue to provide this support to others well into the future.’

Francesca Harris

William ParkynAlso from Nelson-Marlborough-West-land, William has nearly completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery studies at the University of Otago.

William writes. ‘I was lucky enough to be awarded not only a Royal Arch scholarship but also the JW Jowers Prize this year. At the time of writing I am living in Blenheim, on the Rural Medical

Immersion Programme that offers fifth-year students great learning experiences in a smaller hospital and rural GP clinics. I am here with my wife Aimee and daughters, two-year old Adelyn and Belle, aged five months.

The scholarships have helped me greatly by assisting with my living costs and costs of travel throughout the country to rural GP placements. Without the scholarships it would have been a struggle to cover the basic costs of living and additional income has allowed me to get on with study without all the stress of finances that can be very tight as a student. I intend to spend the money remaining at the end of the year on an emergency medical kit for my car.

I have had many great learning experiences this year including assisting with caesarean sections and other births, attending car crashes, stitching up injuries, working with GPs in beautiful rural communities such as Hanmer, Kaikoura and Rotherham and helping resuscitate pre-term babies. With the help of the scholarship, I was also able to take my family with me when I was out of town, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

I can’t thank the Royal Arch enough for the support and acknowledgment that goes with receiving these awards. I would recommend that all eligible students apply for the scholarships because they really help you to achieve your goals.’

William Parkyn

2014 SCHOLARSHIPSApplications for next year’s Jubilee Memorial Scholarships are due with Grand Superintendents by January 31 2014. You can find the application form at www.royalarch.org.nz/drup/?q=content/documents-and-forms

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Something to be proud of Scholarship winners report ongoing success

Craft and Arch continue to build closer tiesIn the leadup to the Craft’s triennial Grand Installation Weekend and associated events in Wellington, First Grand Principal Les Borrell received a welcome and historic invitation: to attend the Induction Course for District Grand Masters-elect and to make a presentation about Royal Arch Masonry, its relationship to the Craft and how it can work with Grand Lodge’s district, divisional and national leaders.

First Grand Principal, Les Borrell meets Grand master, Selwyn Cooper at the Royal Arch stand at the Grand Installation.

complement each other, of aiming for this to be recognised and understood at all levels, and of the journey to a new position of unified progress for the benefit of all Freemasonry. He described Craft Masonry and Royal Arch Masonry as being equal parts of each Freemason’s Masonic journey, to be travelled when and how each Freemason wishes, and reiterated the commitment of Royal Arch Masonry to Grand Lodge’s Strategic Direction.

RWBro Graham Wrigley, President of the Board of General Purposes, convenor of the course, endorsed those views and encouraged the District GMs-elect to convey to Freemasons in their districts the clear understanding that Royal Arch Masonry is a recognised part of ‘pure Antient Freemasonry’, as set out in Rule 71 in the Book of Constitution, to enable a continuing journey of discovery within the Order.

Les Borrell has made rebuilding the strong and durable relationship with the Craft the cornerstone of his goals during his term of office. At his Installation in March this year, he urged Companions to support their lodges and the efforts of Graham Wrigley and the Board of General Purposes to make the Strategic Direction 2013-2018 a success.

‘We are all, of necessity, Craft Masons, and we would have it no other way,’ he said on that occasion. Subsequently, in his visits to Chapters nation-wide during the year, he has emphasised that message.

The invitation to address the District GMs-elect was the latest in a series of unprecedented moves which have come through the close co-operation developing between Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter. These have included Graham Wrigley’s attending and contributing to discussions at Management Council meetings, with the full knowledge and support of his Board, and District Grand Masters being asked to acknowledge their Royal Arch counterparts, Grand Superintendents, at appropriate Craft occasions and vice versa.

Another mark of the new relationship

Edward KingWinner, from Auckland, of the first of several scholarships in 2008.

Edward has now completed two years’ study at the Leopold Mozart Centre in Augsburg, Germany, and is extending his studies a further semester. He will then be looking to continue in Berlin with leading teachers Jens Peter Mainz or Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt.

As a prizewinner, receiving third prize and a special prize, at the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition in Warsaw as well as third prize at Markneukirchen, Germany, Edward is making his mark internationally. He intends competing at the Penderecki competition in Krakow, Poland, this year and the Australian Cello Awards in London and Sydney. He is also part of the Lenari Trio, with Hilary Hayes, violin and Maria Mo, piano, which toured the UK in 2012 after winning the Pettman/Royal Overseas League International Scholarship.

Edward says. ‘Ulti mate ly I see myself build ing a career around a vari ety of solo perfor mance, cham ber music and orches tral per for-mance.’

occurred over the Grand Installation Weekend when, at the invitation of Grand Lodge, Grand Chapter set up an information stand at the Michael Fowler Centre venue to distribute material about Royal Arch Masonry to attendees.

This included placing brochures about the Order in the customary satchels distributed to attendees. Grand Chapter has produced a brochure especially for the occasion entitled ‘Continuing the Masonic Journey.’ The First Grand Principal will again be formally received for the installation.

Les Borrell remains unequivocal in his commitment to this new era. ‘Our survival, indeed the survival of the entire Masonic fraternity, depends on our having a strong thriving Craft. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that we must play our part as Craft Masons to realise the progress we so strongly desire. Management Council is delighted that we have had so many opportunities to add lustre to the relationship of co-operation between Grand Chapter and Grand Lodge.’

‘In my visits to Chapters in recent months I have found a real sense of excitement building among our Companions when they hear about what’s happening. We are in a great space now and it can only go from strength to strength if we all keep doing our absolute best for our Lodges as well as our Chapters,’ he says.

Contributed by Geoff DaviesEdward King.

T his historic first in the relationship between the two sovereign bodies

recognises the sincere desire of Craft Masonry and Royal Arch Masonry to work together for the good of Freemasonry in New Zealand.

In his presentation ME Comp Borrell described how the structure of the constitutionally separate bodies

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The Back Page

No fuss, we’re FreemasonsIt is accepted that the media and writers tend to misinform the general public about what goes on behind the closed doors of Masonic Lodges. However, when a hugely popular fiction writer, who once provoked the headline, ‘does the Catholic Church need to worry about Dan Brown?’ decided to write a book focussing on Masonic groups, it was a cause for concern.

As it happened The Lost Symbol came and passed without much fuss as far as Freemasonry was concerned. While dabbling in some colourful descriptions relating to initiation rituals, the book actually depicts Freemasonry as a benign and even misunderstood organisation. So, when Dan Brown was in London to publicise Inferno, his latest book in the Robert Langdon saga, Freemasons Hall was delighted to be approached about holding ‘An Evening with Dan Brown’ hosted by bookselling chain, Waterstones. Thanks to Freemasonry Today

Making an honest District Grand Master out of him?At a recent gathering of the Taranaki Group and after one wine too many, it was suggested that Bernie and Bev be married for the Installation ‘Naki Style’. Due to Bev’s recent health we weren’t organized till a snap decision was made after the Cocktail evening to do it back at the Hotel. Yes we were a bit loud and the hotel asked us to quieten down, thankfully not kicked out. The group felt that they should be married before the Installation next day as Bernie was being invested as the Taranaki District Grand Master. So on with the veil, [toilet paper and flowers], thanks to the flowers received at the Ladies function that afternoon, Reverend Brian Leathley proceeded with our mock wedding, followed by a toast or two and cutting of the cake (cheese). Everyone was happy!

Contributed by Wendy Leathley [The secret was out by Sunday!]

Twenty-first century chairOn the subject of reviews there are Brethren who advocate using technology to improve the control of the Lodge. The accompanying cartoon, sourced from a Bay of Plenty Newsletter, is an indication of the direction some would like to go.

Father of the Bride: Roger Bryant, The Bride: Bev Agnew, The Groom: Bernie Black, Mother of the Bride: Pam Littlejohn, Bridesmaid: Denise Walton, Best Man: Bill Yateman.

Real wedding bellsCongratulations to BOGP mem-ber, Warwick Roberts and Lesley Cunningham who are to marry on 21 December. They met as the sole occu pants of a coffee house in Tauranga and the rest is history but with one obstacle still to overcome. Lesley has a villa in St. Marys Bay and likes living in Auckland. Warwick lives down on the farm near Cambridge and likes it there. Perhaps the Grand Chaplain, Reverend Ivan Smith, who lives more or less half way between them in Ngaruawahia, could broker a compromise solution.

Ritual reviewThe Grand Lodge business session voted unanimously for the proposal to establish a committee to review ceremonial and ritual. It is expected to take some years, the last round of

changes being introduced some 70 years ago. However, there are some Grand Lodge Officers who feel that it should happen faster and they appear to be rehearsing new secret gestures as evidenced in the accompanying photograph.

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