nz freemason magazine issue 2 june 2016

NEW ZEALANDFreemasonIssue 2 (Vol. 44), June 2016

RECOGNISING FUTURE LEADERS

Freemasons University Scholarships 2016

www.freemasonsnz.org

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From the Editor 2

Hot news 3

From the Grand Master 4Big start to the year and a cracking pace set for us all!

Obituary MWBro Kenneth Wilson Norton 7

OPINIONCorporate and the Craft 9

News clips 10Letters to the Editor 12

FREEMASONS IN ACTIONWellington Masonic Charity Bowling Competition 13

Colourful Quilts for Cancer 13

Freemasons in Taupo take ANZAC to the public 14

Kaitaia Remembrance Park re-dedication 14

Christchurch/Canterbury Ride of Respect 15

“Mason” turns one 16

Freemasons and Timaru Car Parking 17

Breakfast is on the Freemasons in Porirua 17

Auckland reeling from Scots Grand Night 18

Divisional Conferences 19

Donation to Beach Haven Scout Group 19

WWIILegions of Honour to Freemasons 21

Western Australia Grand Master’s NZ connections 22

First World Festival of Masonic Arts 22

IN THIS ISSUE


The Freemasons Foundation 28

Let blindness be no barrier 30The story of a visionary Freemason

THE FREEMASONS CHARITYDoing good across the world 32

A further $50,000 to enhance the Daisy Player project 33

CULTUREExploring sensitive issues on the international stage 34

Heartland Bank Freemasons Scholarships 2016 36

Masonic Villages Trust 38

HEALTH5 things Kiwi blokes need to know about cancer 40

What’s my risk of prostate cancer? 41

Royal Arch 42

EDUCATIONOur responsibilities as Freemasons 44

REGULARSOur newest Freemasons 46

The back page 48

Service Awards 49

Cover pictures: New Zealand Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand • Hamish Beattie demonstrates his waste picker. • The Grand Master, MWBro John Litton, makes a presentation to Jacinda Adhern MP at the conclusion of the Scholarships ceremony.

1

Enhancing Fellowship in Your Lodge

25 TOOLS FOR SUCCESS

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the prostate cancer risk for kiwi blokes increases dramatically

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Family history and genetics

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Your risk of prostate cancer also might increase if you have close relatives with breast cancer that is linked to faults in the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2

EthnicityMāori men are less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, but when diagnosed they are twice as likely to die from it.

GetTheTools

www.GetTheTools.org.nzDiscussing the nuts & bolts of Men’s Health

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Fellowship in action.

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 distribution should be addressed to [email protected] or the Chief Executive PO Box 6439, Marion St. Wellington 6141. Queries and comments regarding content and advertising should be addressed to the Editor.

Contributions to the magazine, preferably in electronic form (e.g. MS Word documents) are greatly appreciated and should be of interest to a wide audience. Photographs should be high quality, preferably in jpg or tif format. Contributions may be edited in order to fit space available and to achieve overall balance. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words. A guidance sheet for preparation of publishable material is available on request from the Editor. Contributions should be forwarded to [email protected]

Freemasons NZ contributions to Duane Williams, [email protected]

Royal Arch contributions to Geoff Davies, [email protected]

Magazines are distributed in March, June, September and December. The deadlines for contributions are the first day of February, May, August and November

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From the Editor

Fun, Fellowship and Freemasonry!

Recent research highlights that all Freemasons (new or ex-perienced) rate Fellowship at 70% compared to Education,

Ceremony and Charity at 10% each. This year Membership is the key, for everyone in Freemasons New Zealand (you in-cluded), as our membership wants Fellowship and fellowship means Membership.

With this in mind we need to improve our ‘product offering’ to retain our current members, retrieve lost members and not to disappoint those joining us (where we have over promised and under delivered).

To do this we could use the Freemasons Toolbox to help us with ideas to ensure our programmes have more fellowship opportunities, making for a meeting that members want. We need to streamline the ‘Lodge Night’ to make it as efficient as possible (before, during and after). Social activities should be designed around member-only events or members, partners, families and friends events, and in the case of the latter, get-ting input from those to be invited on the proposed activity and venue. Our masonic family is important and we must find ways to thank them for their support of us when we go out for our Freemasonry. Lodge accommodation could be better utilised – for the use of the whole community and the viability of the Lodge. We should seriously consider our options includ-ing consolidating from ‘just adequate’ to ‘excellent’ facilities to become a showcase for Freemasonry in our communities. Alliances between Lodges can help provide the necessary ‘wriggle’ room to make and support these changes – as we all have the same end in mind.

Improve what you are offering to your members and you will keep them and probably get back some resigned members as well because they can see the improvements and our newer members will get the ‘product’ you promised them when they first joined Freemasonry.

Enclosed is your personal Invitation from the Grand Master MWBro John Litton to attend the Grand Installation of RWBro Mark Winger Deputy Grand Master Elect as the new Grand Master in Wellington from 18–20 November 2016. Register today at www.freemasonsnz.org

This bumper issue contains the Freemasons University Scholarships a flagship of Freemasons New Zealand for well over 30 years, Men and Cancer, Freemasons in Action, Masonic Education, Arts and Sciences, International Freemasonry and many more interesting articles.

The New Zealand Freemason magazine is your quarterly communication!

Have a warm and safe winter, keep an eye on others well-being and enjoy your New Zealand Freemason magazine.

VWBro Duane Williams MBE, JP, CLJ, P Dist GM

2

New President of the Board of General PurposesVWBro Peter Benstead PGDC has been appointed as the new President of the Board of General Purposes by the Grand Master MWBro John Litton and will be invested at The Grand Installation. He will, however, attend Board Meetings from now until then to assist in transi-tioning into the position.

Peter has held a number of Senior Management positions with Contact Energy, the New Zealand Veterinary Association and currently the New

Zealand Racing Board. He is an experi-enced director and senior manager, with more than 30 years of leadership, busi-ness development, project management, marketing, sales and channels expertise.

He is a member of The Saint Andrews Lodge, the Research Lodge of Wellington and Lower Hutt Lodge and well as Chair of the Communications Pillar and a Member of the National Strategic Plan Committee.

MWBro Barry McLaggan pgm

It is with a great deal of sadness that we advise that MWBro Donald Barry McLaggan PGM passed away on Tuesday 21st June 2016. He was Grand Master of Freemasons New Zealand in 2006-2008 and many will remember his extensive visiting to Lodges throughout the country. Our sincere condolences, to his wife Jill and the family. A full ac-count of his life and times will appear in the September Issue of the New Zealand Freemason magazine.

HOT NEWS

GRAND MASTER’S VISITS29 June – 5 July Queensland Grand Installation, Brisbane

9 July Installation, Lodge Arawa No. 406, Rotorua

10 July Presentation Young Mariners and District Meeting / Lunch, Rotorua

11 Sept Church Service and 70-year Service Bar to VWBro Dodds, Gate Pa Lodge, Tauranga

19 Sept 50-year Badge Presentation VWBro Barrie Buck, United Horowhenua Lodge No.464, Levin

Key Leadership positions announcedNew Grand Master Designate and Deputy Grand Master Elect

RWBro Mark Winger Deputy Grand Master has been recommended to Lodges by the Board of General Purposes as Grand Master Designate and RWBro Graham Wrigley President of the Board of General Purposes has been appointed Deputy Grand Master Elect by the Grand Master MWBro Litton.

Mark was previously Grand Registrar, Superintendent of The Freemasons Charity and is currently Deputy Grand Master. He chairs The Freemasons Charity National Committee. Mark belongs to three lodges in Auckland – Manukau-Westmere Lodge, United

Masters Lodge and The Lodge of the Liberals Arts. He is a Solicitor with Holmden Horrocks an Auckland law firm.

Graham was previously Past District Director of Ceremonies, Past District Grand Master and is currently the President of the Board of General Purposes. He belongs to three lodges, one in Wellington – Lodge Zetland and two in Christchurch – The Avon Shirley Lodge and The Masters and Past Masters Lodge. He is National Education & Training Manager for Education for the New Zealand Red Cross based in Christchurch.

We will learn more about both of them in our September issue.

Peter Benstead.Graham Wrigley and Mark Winger.

Ceremonial Review Committee

Submissions on this review from Lodges or Members to

[email protected]

3www.freemasonsnz.org

We have had some wonderful expe-riences over the last few months

but also some sadness with the passing of MWBro Ken Norton. My memory of MWBro Norton was his soft deep voice, gentle friendly manner and his ability to always remember my name. Diana also remembers his wife (Elva) and her pro-ject where all the ladies knitted and made teddy bears for orphan children. Diana still has the knitting pattern provided by Elva at that time and still uses it. MWBro Norton and his wife will I am sure be sadly missed but held in high esteem and affection by many Freemasons.

In February I received an invitation to attend the installation of Brother John Aldcroft as District Grand Master of North Island New Zealand of the Scottish Constitution. The invitation also included an opportunity to meet with the Grand Master of Scotland – Brother Charles Gordon of Esslemont-Grand Master Mason. I was well supported by NZ Constitution brethren for the Installation meeting and as we were re-ceived and entered the Lodge at the Ara Lodge rooms (Irish Constitution), we were accompanied by the magnificent sound of bagpipes played by some four pipers. I am sure we all enjoyed the cer-emony and the banquet which included the traditional address to the haggis and the consumption of some fine whisky.

The following day’s meeting where, I was accompanied by the Deputy Grand Master RWBro Mark Winger, we met with Brother Charles Gordon, Grand Master Mason and the Grand Secretary of Scotland, Brother David Begg and

we shared experiences and areas of common interest. The Grand Master Mason has held his Office for some 8 years and is clearly dedicated and passionate about Freemasonry. We extended an invitation for him or his NZ representatives to attend our Grand Installation in November and he confirmed that he will re-quest the District Grand Masters of the North and South Island and other Scottish Constitution breth-ren to be present at that time. We were very pleased to receive such news and look forward to receiving them.

The 100th birthday celebration of WBro Reece Rogers at Lodge Tuakau, Pukekohe, was a tremendous event. The Lodge had arranged a Past Masters meet-ing so that WBro Reece could occupy the Master’s Chair for the evening. The warmth of my welcome by WBro Reece was excellent and the smile given to all the visitors by Reece was outstanding. The Lodge Room was filled with members and visiting brethren and after giving my congratulations on a fantastic achieve-ment the Lodge was closed so that we could join the ladies and continue with the festivities. Reece is an amazing man as he still plays golf, cuts his own lawns and drives a car. The ladies and brethren clearly have a great affection for him and one of the ladies (Lynne Houston) had made a beautiful birthday cake which Reece cut with expertise. Following a toast made by WBro Reece’s son, we all joined in a ‘sing song’ with the Northern Division’s answer to Michael Buble

– VWBro Graham Houston GDC. This was a celebration to remember.

Subsequent to this, Reece has appeared on a national TV news programme with that same wonderful smile. As part of the interview Reece was playing golf and was a real star with the putter!

I have been invited by Auckland University to two functions. The first was to a lunch to acknowledge the contribu-tions made to the University medical researchers. The occasion gave me the opportunity to catch up with Professor Russell Snell whom I had met last year in South Australia (the Barossa Valley) at the SARDI Research Station and learn more about the progress being made in finding a cure for Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s.

The second more recent event was a celebration showcasing the advances in Neurosurgery and Research hosted by Brother and Distinguished Professor Richard Faull. The large contribution made by the Freemasons was publically acknowledged to the crowded audience in the lecture theatre.

A number of neurosurgeons made il-lustrated presentations in their specialist fields and I have to admit that the techni-cal nature of some of the presentations left me gasping to try and understand. Two memories standout for me. The first was a video showing a recipient of some amazing brain surgery – Andy McDowell. We were first shown Andy prior to his surgery where he struggled to speak and control his limbs. We were then shown the vast improvements made to his speech and actions after surgery. It was amazing and even more so when Andy was introduced to us and walked steadily to the lectern and gave us an address in a clear steady voice. The other memory was the respect and admiration shown to Professor Faull by his team of

THE GRAND MASTER

Big start to the year and a cracking pace set for us all!

GM and WBro Reece Rogers.

New Zealand and Scottish Grand Masters. Scottish Grand Master

2nd from the left, New Zealand Grand Master 3rd from the right.

4 www.freemasonsnz.org

Researchers and the Neurosurgeons. His dedication and enthusiasm for the research was felt by all those present.

Diana and I were grateful for the invitation to attend all three Divisional Conferences. Such events give us op-portunities to meet and talk in a relaxed way with many brethren and their part-ners. I certainly learnt a great deal and congratulate the lodges on the many achievements and progress they are mak-ing. Discussion on the various remits was carefully chaired by RWBro Winger, Deputy Grand Master, as he allowed those who wished, the opportunity to put their points of view before ballots were held. The workshops held by Brothers Dai Gilbertson and Neville Patrick were

excellent as we were all challenged to think and discuss the meaning of true Brotherhood, Intergeneration Teamwork and making them happen in our Lodges. I trust all Lodge representatives have provided a full report to their brethren on the proceedings of the Conference they attended?

We were thrilled to be accompanied by a large team of New Zealand Brethren and their partners to the Victoria Grand Installation in Melbourne and Diana and I wish to thank them all for the wonderful support. This Installation Ceremony is somewhat special and traditionally conducted with amazing precision. I am sure there must be many hours of rehearsal completed to achieve the standard we experienced. It has also become a tradition to hold a Grand mas-ters’ Conference after the completion of the Installation celebrations where we share views on many common areas of masonic interest.

We have also had a very quick visit to Taranaki to honour the achievement of WBro Bruce McNaughton RH upon his attaining 60 years of membership to Freemasonry. We were hosted for lunch by Rosemary and Graeme Harvie (Divisional Secretary) before moving to the Hawera Senior Citizens Hall for the presentation and celebration. WBro Bruce has an impressive masonic career and can be very proud of the contribu-tion he has made to his Lodge (Lodge Manaia) and to Freemasonry.

In recent times we have visited both the East and West Coasts of the South Island. I received an invitation to at-tend the Lodge Koranga ANZAC service at Timaru. Part of the visit included a

visit to the Farmer’s Trading Company carpark in the heart of Timaru, which at first glance seemed a strange request. To our surprise and admiration we were to learn that the Freemasons of the Midland District including those from the English Constitution have managed this car park since 1988. Lodges are rostered on twice a year and brethren travel up to 100km each way and give freely of their time. The generosity of those who use the carpark is incredible as they donate their change when paying a parking fee. The accumulation of these donations has enabled many thousands of dollars to be distributed to community projects (assis-tance to schools and health groups such as the Cancer Society, Blind Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Society).

Diana and I felt very privileged to be invited to the Lodge Koranga Anzac ser-vice. The service was very moving and it was good to see other community groups such as the RSA and Te Aitarakihi Culture

Group in attendance. At the refectory proceeding we were entertained by some splendid singing from the Culture Group and members of the Masonic Choir.

As we drove down to Greymouth the weather did us no favours as it was wet and very misty. However after settling into our hotel in Greymouth we attended a dinner where we met many of the brethren from the Advance Mawhera Lodge including the Master Elect Bro Mel Woodgate and his wife Norma. The following day the weather was superb and we were guided by Mel and Norma to view Pancake Rocks and the blow holes. A large swell and a full tide meant the blow holes were operating at full throttle. What an experience we had feeling the

ground shake and the blow holes boom as they sprayed water all around and on us. This was a sight to behold and has given us a lasting memory.

Later this day Norman Young – Lodge Secretary and his wife Sandy took us to Hokitika Museum where we met Richard Seddon (aka David Verrall) who was dressed in the appropriate clothes of that time. We spent nearly an hour at the museum before indulging in some ‘white bait ’sandwiches at a local café before moving on to view the Hokitika Gorge with its amazing turquoise water.

The Advance Mawhera Lodge Installation meeting was held at the Lodge Room in Shantytown with its recreated buildings of a 19th Century gold mining town. The lodge room was full of brethren which provided a great atmosphere for the meeting. Following the installation the Lodge room was cleared and set up for a refectory to which the wives, partners and family

Victorian Grand Installation, reception of the New Zealand delegation.


were invited. This was a very happy and cosy end to truly memorable occasion.

The next day we attended a brunch at the home of Norman and Sandy Young where I was again spoilt with some ex-cellent white bait patties. I was mildly chastised for calling them ‘fritters’ which is not a term used on the Coast. Diana and I would like to sincerely thank all those brethren and their partners of the east and west coasts of the South Island who gave us such a warm and friendly welcome during our visits.

The Freemasons’ University Scholar-ships were again held in Parliament’s Legislative Council Chamber. This room

provides a wonderful ambience for such an occasion. It was a privilege to welcome and thank Jacinda Ardern, Member of Parliament for being our host, ad-dressing the students and making the presentations. Jacinda was a recipient of one of our scholarships in 2001. A report on the presentations appears later in this edition of the Freemason.

Finally may I congratulate the Grand Master designate – RWBro Mark Winger and Deputy Grand Master elect – RWBro Graham Wrigley on their forthcoming appointments to these senior positions. I have had the privilege of working closely with them over the last two and half

years. Their support and guidance has been invaluable to me and I am sure they will continue to fully apply their skills, experience and energy for the future suc-cess of Freemasonry. They like me would welcome your presence and support at the Grand Installation in November. This will be a spectacular occasion and a ‘flag ship’ event which all Freemasons and their families and friends should experience.

I send my best wishes for a safe and warm winter.

John Litton

From Diana

I would like to endorse John’s com-ments and thanks for the tremendous

warmth and hospitality we have received while on our visits over the last four months. We have had an amazingly busy and enjoyable time, meeting and engag-ing with so many people, and also seeing some areas of New Zealand we haven’t seen before.

The ladies’ functions that have been organised have been tremendous. The three Divisional Conferences were very different and each one very enjoyable. At the Central Conference we visited a local herb farm near Ashhurst and took part in a ‘hands-on’ work-shop where each one of us was able to create her own personal hand cream, made from herbal extracts, nutrient rich oils and essential oils. It was great fun and most informative and enlightening

At the Southern Conference in Queenstown the ladies were treated to a fantastic cruise on the lake, which included a running commentary by the skipper of the boat, who pointed out the highlights of the area and its history. The scenery was amazing and we were really blessed with the best possible weather. It was a really great experience.

At the Northern Conference held in Auckland, we ladies visited Butterfly Creek just outside the airport. There we enjoyed butterflies settling on our heads,

arms and shoulders, and viewed up close frogs, dragons, tuataras and other very interesting creatures. We then went onto visit the Dinosaur Farm nearly which is such a delight for children and, later in the afternoon, some of us tried our hands at mini-put. The final scores were very interesting!

More recently, the afternoon spent looking round Shanty Town in Grey-mouth was a very enjoyable and interest-ing visit. Shanty Town was constructed in the early 1970s with 30 re-created historic buildings making up a 19th cen-tury gold mining town. It is staffed by volunteers who are really dedicated to their work and do a tremendous amount of fundraising in support of its develop-ment. There is a church, a bank, hotel, a butcher’s shop, shoe shop, barber’s, carpenters, and a blacksmith. The town also contains a hospital, train station, fire

station, a church, a jail, and the Masonic Lodge where the Installation was held. There is also an amazing room that con-tains graphical geological information on the area, with fantastic displays of the rocks and details about their formation – so much to absorb!

I do so enjoy meeting the partners and wives of Freemasons who are able to be present at the Masonic functions that I at-tend. It is very special to me to be able to engage with them and get to know them all and, in some very special occa-sions, other members of their families.

I also very much appreciate the time and effort that has been taken by the organis-ing teams to give the ladies an enjoyable outing and time together whatever it might be.

I have enjoyed putting together my most recent Snippets newsletter and showing some photos of the many and varied activities that have been undertaken by us all over the last few months.

John’s term of office finishes in November, and we do hope that as many of you who can be there will register for the Grand Installation. I am sure it will be will be an event not to be missed. Thank you for your tremendous support to us both.

Diana Litton

WBro Reece Rogers surrounded by a bevy of ladies on his 100th birthday.


Summary of eulogy

Lodge Papatoetoe No 227

On the viewing of the Minutes of the Lodge for the 19th of February 1959:

Kenneth Wilson Norton was proposed on the 19th of February 1959, a 29-year-old married Electrical Contractor living in Papatoetoe. Ken was a businessman in Papatoetoe for over 40 years running the workshop and successful contracting business in Papatoetoe.

Initiated 21st May 1959, Passed On the 30th of July 1959 at an emergency meet-ing was held to pass Brothers Rollinson and Norton both great friends for many years, Raised On the 29th October 1959 at another Emergency Meeting to Raise Brothers Norton and Rollinson.

Brother Norton had his Master Masons certificate presented on the 21st July 1960.

On the occasion of a visit by the Grand Master in October 1961 MWBro William Martin; Brother Norton pre-sented the Third degree Tracing Board. Fine acclaim by such a young mason

December 1966 he was invested as Junior Warden, December 1967 Invested as Senior Warden; also notable that while he was Senior Warden he was also build-ing his new home in Hillside Rd, less than half a kilometre from his original home and very close to where his mother and father had resided in Papatoetoe.

In December 1968 Bro Norton was installed as Master by the Prov GM RWBro Murdoch MacKenzie.

Ken completed many terms on the Standing Committee and was instrumental in the setting up of the Papatoetoe Combined Masonic Properties Co. and was for some time a Director and Chairman of the Company.

Notable, the late RWBro Terry Meekan, Past Deputy Grand Master having the bond of Friendship dedication to Masonry tolerated at least 35 years of comment and wise observation on his ability as a musical director by MWBro Norton and this was a great source of humour to all in the Lodge and around the Province.

Grand Lodge

Member Boards of General Purposes & Benevolence 1975

Grand Steward in 1977Grand Junior Deacon 1979Grand Director of Ceremonies 1981–82Provincial Grand Master 1987–90Board of Benevolence 1991

The South Auckland Province’s First Grand Master Grand Master 1992–93

On Friday evening 27th November 1992, MWBro Kenneth W Norton was installed as Grand Master, to become the first mason initiated in the South Auckland District to be-come the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of New Zealand.

The evening was made a family affair with his son

Bro Murray Norton carrying the NZ Ensign at the ceremony.

He was installed as Provincial Grand Master of the South Auckland District in 1987 and appointed to the Board of Benevolence in 1991. As well as his Grand Lodge commitments he was an executive member of the Potter Masonic Centre Management Committee for five years and the South Auckland District representative for three years on the Northern Masonic Association Trust Board, both of which he relinquished when elected Grand Master Designate in 1992, as well as his Craft involvement.

MWBro Norton is a Rose Croix Mason, being a member of the South Auckland Sovereign Chapter No.95 of the A & A Scottish Rite, Interestingly at the Celebration of the Chapters 50 years he was the oldest member and elected into the 30th Degree, he was never in-vested as the MWS of the Chapter.

OBITUARY

MWBro Kenneth Wilson Norton PAST GRAND MASTER 1 March 1929 – 2 April 2016

Ken, Stan Davidson and Terry Meekan.

Continued over…


On the evening of Friday, 27 November, 1992, in the main auditorium of Auckland’s Aotea Centre, RWBro Kenneth Wilson Norton will be installed as our new Grand Master.

RWBro Norton has a long and distinguished masonic record and can be correctly described as one of the Craft’s most dedicated and hard-working Freemasons.

Born 1 March 1929, educated at Seddon Memorial High School, RWBro Norton chose to follow the electrical trade. Subsequently he completed his trade certificate to become a Registered Electrician and, in 1955, established a Home Appliance and Lighting Showroom in Papatoetoe.

Community interestsHis business and community interests are as extensive as his masonic ones. He served for two years as Chairperson of the Papatoetoe Businessmen’s Association, three years on the local intermediate school committee, four years on the Papatoetoe Rugby Committee. And the list goes on!

SportingHis sporting pursuits include five years as coach/manager of the Papatoetoe Rugby Club, 14 years as an executive member of the Pukekohe Golf Club during which time he held two-year terms as Captain, Vice President and President, and he has also been a member of the Eagles Golfing Society of New Zealand for five years.

FamilyRWBro Norton has been married for over 40 years and he and his wife Elva have three sons and seven grandchildren. Mrs Norton, whilst always fully supporting her husband’s many masonic duties has her own interests too. She gains great pleasure and satisfaction from her floral art work and is currently president of the local floral art group. Through masonic connections she has become involved with the Ladies Auxiliary at the Roskill Masonic Village and also enjoys active participation in church affairs as often as possible.

The Norton’s are busy people. But even with their tight schedule they found time to build and develop a seaside residence on the Coromandel Peninsula where they can relax and fit in a little boating and fishing. As Grand Master, RWBro Norton may find it more difficult to take advantage of his Coromandel hideaway but with his well-known organisational abilities, he may well be able to slot in some R & R on the coast.

Masonic QualificationsRWBro Norton was initiated into Lodge Papatoetoe in 1959 becoming Master of that lodge in 1968.

In 1976–77 he served on the Grand Lodge Boards of General Purposes and Benevolence.

In 1977 he was elected as Grand Steward, in 1979 Grand Deacon and in 1981-82 Grand Director of Ceremonies.

He was appointed Provincial Grand Master, South Auckland District, a three-year term, in 1987.

In 1991 he was appointed to the Board of Benevolence.

He also numbers among his other major masonic commitments a five year executive membership of the Potter Masonic Centre in Papakura and three years on the Northern Masonic Association Trust Board.

MWBro Norton was born in 1929 at Auckland, attended the Papatoetoe Central Primary School, and completed his secondary education at the Seddon Memorial Technical College. He fol-lowed the electrical trade, becoming a Registered Electrician and establish-ing a Home Appliance and Lighting Showroom in Papatoetoe. During his time in business, he took a very active part in local, district and sporting affairs. He served two years as chairman of the Papatoetoe Businessmen’s Association and three years as a member of the lo-cal Intermediate School Committee. After being involved with his sons in the Papatoetoe Rugby Club, serving on the committee for four years and as a coach-manager for five, it was his love of golf that finally succeeded in gaining his talents and ability. He became closely associated with the Pukekohe Golf Club, serving fourteen years on the Executive. During this time he served two year terms in the offices of Captain, Vice- President, and President. He has also

been a member of the Eagles Golfing Society of New Zealand for five years.

MWBro Norton was married for over forty years and he and his late wife Elva were blessed with three sons and many grand and great grand children. Ken was a very dedicated family man, being fully involved in the family’s activities, first with their sons and their interests, and also his grand and great grand children.

Tucked away on the Coromandel Peninsula in Tairua is a seaside residence that has been developed by Ken over the years for relaxation, and where they have been able to fit in some gardening, boating and fishing, as well as entertain-ing many of the District and visiting Freemasons.

The Installation of MWBro KW Norton, while being a first for the South Auckland Province, was also a first in many ways for Freemasonry. For the first time ladies and invited guests were included and were able to watch the ceremony of Installing the Grand Master. For the first time journalists and

reporters from television were invited to film and record the ceremony, and members of the public able to attend. Announcement of financial assistance to the Pakuranga Health Camp and the Scouts’ Association $100,000 each was made at the Ceremony and recorded by the news people present.

Following his term as Grand Master he went on to help and work for Habitat for Humanity and from this the true Freemason was seen, as he was always there to aid and assist.

Over latter years and with Ken’s health failing he never lost his interest in Papatoetoe Lodge or for that matter the Craft in general. Ken was a Freemason who epitomised all that was great in Freemasonry; he had time for all, from the newest Apprentice to the most Senior, his deportment and dress were an example to all, and above all a humble Freemason.

VWBro Graeme Norton PGLec and Nephew

An extract from the NZ Freemason magazine V21 Issue 1 of 1993

Ken and Elva.


OPINION

Corporate and the Craft

Since becoming Freemason six years ago and being installed in the chair as Master back in April, which to be fair, in most cases is quite a rapid ascension, my professional career has also moved at a rate of knots. Here’s my thinking on how and why the two are closely aligned:

If you think about it carefully both the hierarchical nature of a corporate com-pany and the fraternity have similarities, and while some people reading this are thinking ‘absolutely not and we don’t want to be like a corporate’ I think the Craft has been heading down that road for some time.

I’ve had the pleasure and honour of being selected to be part of the senior leadership team at work, and I’m cur-rently engaged in a year long leadership course, these courses have given me insight in to great leadership skills and something as Master of my Lodge are high on my agenda to use in the lodge.

Leadership in the lodge is vital in my opinion, it gives a sense of pride, care and attention and of course sets the tone of the lodge, and it also gives every Brother something to aspire too. A corporate company isn’t always a democracy and lodges are run as an all inclusive type of affair, but Masters hold the reins and should use skills like tact, diplomacy and persuasion, while also knowing where to hold and where to give. Standards are contagious and if – as a Master your standards are high, you’ll find people around you will raise their game too, I believe ceremonies are where the bar is to be set as high as possible, not only to ensure a new candidate is given the best show possible, but as I’ve said to create a sense of pride, workings are called work-ings for a reason- you have to put work in to them to get the best out of each individual taking part.

We as Freemasons also need to lis-ten, not just hear, and actually listen to what’s going on around them. One of the

corporate processes I’m going to try with my new members, is one on one’s, it won’t be a formal meeting but the questions will be of a corporate flavour, questions such as , what are they getting out of the craft? What would they like out of the craft? What things outside of Lodge would they like to undertake – like organising a charity event or even a social event. These events can sometimes be very complex and are almost like projects to set up and run, so while a brother maybe looking for some project management experience for his career development, he can cut his teeth on it outside of the corporate circle. It’s one of the benefits of what we have as Freemasons – a wealth of opportunities at our finger tips that are seldom used most of the time.

But that’s not only what we can do for the Craft, it’s what the craft can do for each and everyone of us, during my many many years in the craft- six in total, yes it was a joke, the craft has given me much, especially in the personal development space, it’s taught me temperance first and foremost to listen to others opinions which has helped me see solutions to challenges from other angles, which in turn builds trust, respect and friendship. I don’t necessarily have to act on every piece of advice, but actively listening and showing interest in a person’s opinion and thoughts means they feel valued too, and is what a new Freemason must feel- a valued member of the fraternity, which we say they are- but are we actively mak-ing it so?

I’m very fortunate at my Lodge to have six new candidates coming through; they are all young energetic and professional

modem day men, like me – probably. My aim, to ensure they are comfortable with their choice to join, to be up upfront around expectations, to make sure every ceremony for them is as good as it can be (regular rehearsals), and to check in with them outside of the lodge on a continual basis just like I do with my team at work, make it as enjoyable as I can for them, and to give them everything I can so they get the most out of the craft. Those are some lofty goals, but given I do most of those tasks all day every day at work, should it be that difficult? I don’t see it, and neither should anyone else.

So my goal is set, the plan for my term set – now to execute those two simulta-neously – simple!

If it will work in a corporate, why won’t it won’t outside of a corporate with just a little bit of tailoring – I’ll let you know how I go.

Matt Dyer

Matt Dyer with his proposer Dennis Blacklaws.

WBro Matthew Dyer is the Master of Lodge Zetland No 312 based in central Wellington at the Wellington Freemasons Centre within The Wellesley. Lodge Zetland is a two year lodge with the Master and Officers in for a two year term but it meets bimonthly. Matt is from the UK originally and with family previ-ously in the Craft he currently works for Spark New Zealand.


NEWS CLIPS

Queen’s Birthday Honours 2016

Freemasons New Zealand congratulates Bro John Renata Broughton, CNZM on being awarded a Commander of the New Zealand Order of Merit for ser-vices to Maori Health, Theatre and the Community. Bro John is a member of The Hiram Lodge No 46 in Dunedin and Bro Murray Ian Mansfield, QSM with a Queen’s Service Medal for Services to Pipe Band. Bro Murray is a member of Manuwatu Kilwinning Lodge No 47 in Palmerston North. Both in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2016 on the oc-casion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 90th Birthday.

Editor’s Note: Interesting their Lodges have consecutive numbers.

New Publication AnnouncedHave you yet to visit the Freemasons Toolbox online? If not then you’re miss-ing some great ideas to enhance your Lodge.

However for those who find searching the Toolbox online a little daunting all the Tools on fellowship have been captured in a new publication: Enhancing Fellowship In Your Lodge – 25 Tools to Success. Email [email protected] if you would like a copy.

Spot the FreemasonSomewhere in this magazine is the picture of someone not obviously a Freemason but with a clue within the picture. First ten correct answers (de-scribe picture and give page number) to [email protected] will receive a small prize!

Frank notches up 75 years as a FreemasonIt’s not that Frank Penny is ungrateful about receiving an award for 75 years’ service to the Masonic Lodge – the 96-year-old just refuses to believe he has done anything particularly special to deserve it.

“I’m only receiving it because I’m still here.

“It’s not because of any deeds I’ve done. It’s all because of longevity.’’

During a monthly lodge meeting in Dunedin last night, Mr Penny was pre-sented with a certificate which celebrates his 75 years of service to the Masonic Lodge organisation. The Hiram Lodge No. 46 Master Brian Hastie, of Dunedin, said it was a rare achievement.

“I have never heard of this happening anywhere before now.’’

Mr Penny has already received Masonic Lodge badges for 50, 60 and 70 years of service.

Yesterday, he recalled the moment he first became aware of the lodge.

“When I was a boy, I used to play out-side with other children in the street in the evenings. I was probably about 7 to 9 years of age.

“My house was a few doors away from the old Oceanic Masonic Lodge in Prince Albert Rd, and well-dressed men used to pass by in the streets on their way to lodge meetings.

“I said to my mother, who are all these men going by who are all dressed nicely and carrying satchels with them?

“She said they were all masons and they were a fine lot of men and I decided there and then that I would become a mason.’’

Mr Penny said he worked his entire life in retail at Paterson and Barr – from 1935 to 1980. For many years, he was a manager and director of the Dunedin business. When he was 21, he was initi-ated into Lodge Oceanic.

“I remember it well because I was about to go overseas to World War 2. I was in the special armoured squadron.’’

He has since been a member of the Musselburgh Lodge and is still a member of the Hiram Lodge. Mr Penny said he is no longer able attended lodge meetings, but he still lived by the principles of the Masonic Lodge and continued to pay his membership fees.

“I keep paying the fees because, from a charity point of view, they create seats in the university for various research, and they help people out who might be find-ing themselves in a bit of a pinch.

“They do wonderful things for the community. It’s a wonderful organisation.’’ Thanks to John Lewis Otago Daily Times

Frank Penny with his certificate marking his 75 years of service to the Masonic Lodge in Dunedin. Photo by Peter McIntosh.

New Zealand Freemason magazine

You can now read the New Zealand Freemason magazine on our website www.freemasonsnz.org or sub-scribe to receive a free electronic version [email protected] in addition to the printed copy.


New Divisional Grand Masters for Northern and Central Divisions appointedOur Grand Master has appointed VWBro Gary Salmon Dist GM and VWBro Jim Watt P Dist GM as the Divisional Grand Masters Elect for the Northern and Central Divisions respectively and their appointments come into effect at The Grand Installation.

Gary is a Past District Grand Director of Ceremonies and currently a District Grand Master –Auckland West District No 3. He is a member of Lodge Arawhaiti and The Coromandel Lodge and previ-ously a member in Lodges in Hamilton

and the Hutt Valley. Gary is Head of Order Matters for the Order of St John based in Auckland.

Jim is a Past District Grand Director of Ceremonies and Past District Grand Master. He is a member of Scinde Lodge

in Napier and New Zealand Pacific Lodge, The Coronation Lodge, Lodge Waikanae and The Research Lodge of Wellington all in Wellington. Jim is an Events Organisers with his own company NZ Conference Connexions which has helped organised a number of national events like The Grand Installation and Freemasons University Scholarships Presentations.

VWBro Gary Salmon Dist GM and VWBro Jim Watt PDistGM

Blankets needed!If anyone has any wool blankets that aren’t being used, there is a charity that would be delighted to have them.

Little Sprouts is an organisation in New Zealand that provides boxes con-taining everything needed for babies of vulnerable families. The charity is very passionate about its work and is run en-tirely by volunteers, who are dedicated to ensuring that all babies in New Zealand get the best start in life. They give away boxes containing everything needed for a new baby’s arrival – the details are on their website http://littlesproutsnz.org.

A 100% wool blanket is included in each box. At the moment, Little Sprouts are looking for good condition wool

blankets from smoke-free homes in any size to be made into cot sized blankets by their craft volunteers. If there is a stain or two, it’s no problem as they can work round it.

If you have any blankets you no longer need and would like help, please donate them to Little Sprouts by dropping them off at one of the addresses below or con-tacting us for alternative drop off points.

Auckland: Baby Online’ Showroom in Mt Wellington, 66a Carbine Road, Mt Wellington, Open: Monday to Friday, 9 am until 5 pm. Saturday, 9 am until 4 pm or phone Katherine Robinson on 021 273 5429

Wellington: Kennard’s Self Storage,19 Hutt Road,Thorndon.Open: Monday to Friday, 8 am until 6 pm; Saturday, 9 am until 5 pm; Sunday, 9 am until 4 pm or phone Margaret on 021 2600 687

Christchurch: My Refund Ltd, 61 Shakespeare Road, Open: 8:30am–8pm Monday–Friday or phone Geraldine on 027 307 5417

Many thanks Diana Litton

NEWS CLIPS

Deliciously Healthy CookbookThis 100 page full colour cookbook by Alison and Simon Holst is available to Freemasons and their Families for $15.00 including GST and Postage. A great addition to your household or a nice gift.

Produced for Diabetes New Zealand and Freemasons New Zealand as part of our Live Life Lighter Family Health programme it is a great way to eat enjoyable food as part of a healthy diet.

Orders can be sent by email to [email protected] or The Editor, NZ Freemason Magazine, Freemasons New Zealand PO Box 6439, Wellington 6141 and payment details will be advised.

Where in the World!Our New Zealand Freemason maga-zine certainly gets around, here is the magazine editor in Goa, India at a Spice Plantation, with a copy. The Elephant was called ‘Amar’, the Mahut ‘Raj’, the passenger ‘Duane’ on a gentle 500m stroll through the forest. The elephants were well cared for with plenty of water, fodder and shelter.

Send a photo of you and your NZ Freemason magazine from somewhere around New Zealand or Overseas to show the universality of the craft to [email protected]


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Wanted! Dear Editor

Any old disused, obsolete or unwanted firearms.

Brethren, if you have any old firearms or weapon’s that you would like to dispose of, I have a reputable, licensed firearms collector who will gladly take them of your hands and add them to his personal collec-tion for future preservation.

Like many old and unused items, which cannot be sold or passed on to others, for various reasons, such as strict regulations,

and are consequently dumped, or thrown away, I have a collector who is keen to preserve these old weapons.

If any brother has such an item and would like to dispose of it legally, they can contact me by either phone; 09-238-7837, or email [email protected]

WBro Reg Watt

Editor’s Note: Old weapons can also be handed into the New Zealand Police at any time.

Community EngagementDear Editor

If all the Freemasons who have read their NZ Freemason magazine would arrange for their copy to be left at the waiting rooms of their doctors, dentists, opticians, café, library or other public place, etc., then it would be read by a tremendous number of people who would not otherwise have the opportunity to discover Freemasonry in all its forms. This would be a wonderful opportunity to spread information about Freemasonry and a very inexpensive way of achieving publicity.

The NZ Freemason magazine is a very colourful and well presented magazine and would be a marvellous ambassador for our organisation to the general public.

My suggestion is for the Editor could arrange for an empty box or space for a name or contact number to be inserted in each issue it might encourage a prospective candidate to enquire about joining.

WBro D H Darling

Editor’s Note: See the front page of this issue!

Our CharityDear Editor

This letter is to thank The Freemasons Charity for the $500 we received to aid the Dunedin Masonic Charity Bowls who were then able to donate a $1000 to the Otago Community Hospice after the bowling tournament this year.

Dunedin Masonic Charity Bowls was formed in 1981 and continues to help various organisations around our city and province. We always try to give funds to organisations that help both the city and the province. Last year it was the Otago Helicopter Trust.

Each year we manage to give a $1000 and each year we are thanked beyond what we expect.

So thanks to The Freemasons Charity it means we can continue to help those special causes.

GD Barkman, Dunedin Masonic Charity Bowls

Editor’s Note: See the other article in the Freemasons in Action section of this mag-azine along a similar vein. Also remember that The Freemasons Charity (our Charity) can nearly always assist in doubling the amount of funds (with the proper applica-tion) that you can donate to community organisations to support them.

Thanks Dear Freemasons

I am writing to thank you once more for awarding me a Freemasons University Scholarship in 2009, and to update you on my progress since receiving this award.

I was awarded this scholarship to help fund my Bachelor of Science (Honours) research dissertation in Biological Sciences at The University of Auckland. This re-search was focussed on understanding the ecology of epiphyte communities in New Zealand’s northern conifer-broadleaf forests. The first-class honours degree I then received allowed me to move directly into PhD research, also at The University of Auckland.

My PhD was focussed on the ecology of our kauri forests, which are currently threated by Phytophthora agathidicida (kauri dieback disease): a soil-borne, fungus-like organism that attacks the roots of kauri and leads to their eventual death. My research was focussed on the role of kauri within its ecosystems, aiming to understand that should we lose kauri from these forests, what else we would stand to lose alongside it. We’ve known for many years that kauri leaf litter has a consider-able effect on the soil environment beneath

kauri canopies and changes the chemistry of the soil. What I found was that this in turn creates very distinctive plant commu-nities that live beneath these ancient trees, which exist nowhere else. If we lost kauri from this disease, an entire ecosystem type would go along with it.

Following my PhD I have worked on a number of post-doctoral research projects, all based around a theme of understand-ing the resilience of plant communities to changing environments and stressors; be they plant diseases, invasive species, climate change, or changes in governmen-tal legislation. Based at The University of Auckland, I worked on questions such as the potential effects of recent reductions in tree protection legislation in urban Auckland (and other urban centres), the dynamics of New Zealand forests following large-scale disturbances, and how highly flammable invasive plants might affect fire risk in our invaded ecosystems.

Most recently, I have started a post-doctoral research position in the UK, at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, based at Kew’s Millennium Seedbank at Wakehurst Place in West Sussex. Here, I am research-ing seed behavior: whether species can be stored in a conventional seedbank, and for how long, and what environmental conditions they require to germinate. This research has practical implications for the conservation of plants within seedbanks, but will also provide insights into how spe-cies might be affected by climate change at this critical stage of their lifecycle.

Again, I would like to thank you all for awarding me the Freemasons University Scholarship, and helping me start a career of scientific research.

Kind regards, Dr Sarah Wyse


FREEMASONS IN ACTIONWellington Masonic Charity Bowling CompetitionFollowing on from two separate tourna-ments held in Wellington and the Hutt Valley the present combined Charity Bowling Tourna ment organised an-nually by the Kapiti-Wellington and Hutt-Wairarapa Districts dates back to 1992 and in the intervening 24 years numerous charitable organisations have benefitted by some $58,000 plus subsidies of at least the same amount again from The Freemasons Charity. The

Wellington Free Ambulance, Life Flight Trust, Mary Potter and Te Omanga Hospices and Blind Foundation are but some of the organisations we have been able to assist.

This year Flight Life Trust again received nearly $2000 and over the

years have benefitted by some $30,000.A small committee organise and run

the event with an indispensable coordi-nator who sorts out the teams and their

playing order with great skill, not an easy task as many a bowler will know.

For the entire time the Hutt Bowling Club has made a huge contribution by making their excellent greens and facilities available without charge. With sixteen greens available there is more than enough space to accommodate all entries, the average in recent times being about 23 teams.

The event itself is a Progressive Triples where playing partners change for each of three games with prizes being awarded for overall winners as well as the highest scoring skips, twos and leads. The mod-est entry fee covers a tasty catered lunch

as well as going some way towards the cost of prizes.

Each Lodge in the two districts is in-vited to contribute by sponsoring a green and money raised from this source and the entry fees from players will normally

ensure a viable event.It would appear, however, from

recent entry analysis that there are fewer Freemasons playing bowls these days but that has never been a problem and over the years com-ments from other non-masonic players have been regular and very complimentary, long may that happy situation continue.

John Hollick

Colourful Quilts for CancerPatients at Whangarei’s Jim Carney Cancer Centre can have treatment in more comfort after 20 colourful quilts were donated by members of the Wells-ford Marsden Masonic Lodge.

Last week the lodge members took the quilts to the centre at Whangarei Hospital, where they were gratefully received.

Patient Janet Johnston was one of the first to wrap herself up in one.

Lodge Master Lindsay Stichbury said the idea for the quilts came about a year ago.

“A friend of my wife Christine, JanMarie Olsen, accompanied another

friend to the unit for treatment sessions, and came back feeling the unit needed a bit of colour,” Mr Stichbury said.

“She asked Christine if she would join her making some comfort quilts for the unit. When my wife mentioned this to me, I, as the master of the Wellsford Marsden Masonic Lodge, asked the members of the lodge if they would sup-port them financially.

“Not only did we agree to support them but also contacted the Freemasons NZ Charity for further support.”

The two women, over the period of a year, made the 20 quilts and with the of-fer from Jenny Bailey of Quietly Quilting in Kaiwaka to donate the quilt stitching for free, they were able to complete them in time for the onset of winter.

The Luxin RAOB (Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes) Lodge of Maunga-turoto also provided financial help.

The quilts have been welcomed at the $5 million unit, built after Northlanders raised $3 million and the Northland District Health Board provided the rest.

“The quilts have brought beautiful colour to the centre and with the weather cooling down, they couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Dee Telfer, clinical nurse manager at the treatment centre.

“The ladies who helped make the quilts had come through on the open day and noticed that while we had red treat-ment chairs the place needed brighten-ing up, and they have certainly achieved that.

“We are extremely grateful for their kindness.”

The women of the Wellsford Marsden Masonic Lodge have made quilts for the Jim Carney Cancer Centre. Former patient Janet Johnston (centre front) describes the care there as wonderful. Photo: John Stone, Northern Advocate


FREEMASONS IN ACTIONFreemasons in Taupo take ANZAC to the publicOn an evening close to ANZAC Day the Freemasons of Taupo assisted by the Taupo School of Music performed ‘The Empty or Vacant Chair’ ceremony.

This ceremony dates back to 1875 and it was performed at the Taupo Museum in front of a crowd consisting of around 100 members of the public and the ma-sonic fraternity.

This version of the Empty Chair performed in Taupo was done with an ANZAC touch and is all about commem-orating the service men and women who

served their country in various conflicts in New Zealand history.

The Taupo Museum made for a poignant back drop, and the sounds of bagpipes and music made the experience a moving one for all present (including the President of the local RSA and local councillors).

Lodge Kaimanawa No 426 (Taupo Freemasons) have been performing this as a public ceremony for the past five years and the Master David Hennigan says “we change the ceremony each

year to keep in interesting for us and the members of the public, it’s a great way to show people Freemasonry at its best while lifting the veil of mystique”.

Kaitaia Remembrance Park re-dedicationOn March 24th 2016, one of New Zealand’s earliest war memorials was re-dedicated in Kaitaia, 100 years to the day since its original unveiling in 1916. This “Angel Memorial” is the centrepiece of Kaitaia’s upgraded Remembrance Park. With assistance from the Freemasons Charity, the Manganui Kaitaia Lodge No 78 sponsored one of the six tables which have been erected in the refurbished Remembrance Area adjacent to the Far North RSA in Kaitaia.

An impressive re-dedication cer-emony was carried out – with RWBro Terry McConnell, PGW acting as Master of Ceremonies. Terry was one of the original promoters of the project – all of whom are Vietnam War Veterans from Kaitaia.

Photo 1 shows the Angel Memorial in Remembrance Park with the Armed Services Guard of Honour.

Photo 2 shows RWBro Terry McConnell PGW, Mrs Carter, mother

of Bro John Carter, Mayor of the Far North District, VWBro Bob Banks, PG Lec, WBro Lawrie Atkinson, Chairman of the Te Hiku Community Board of the Far North District Council who was in charge of arranging the ceremony, and VWBro Bob Vartan, District Grand Master.

Photo 3 shows the table top in Remembrance Park with the inset inscription donated by the Mangonui Kaitaia Lodge No 78.

2 31


From Sam Rowntree, new Widows Sons National Chapter PresidentLast year at one of our gatherings on the West Coast it was decided that we wanted to do something of merit re-garding forces remembrance. All three services were represented and mem-bers came from all three major centres. It was decided that we would contact the UK in regards to becoming part of the Ride of Respect (where it had been running with great success for the past 4 years). With the blessing of the UK, Jackie Adams (at the time President of the National Chapter) found 9 other motorcycle organisations as well as organising the Widows Sons Chapters to host the ride. The first year was a great success raising $10,000 for the RSA with 1000 riders taking part.

This year it was time to step down from his role as President in the Widows Sons, but not before being volunteered to continue his task of

national Ride of Respect Organiser. This year there were 11 Rides covering every corner of NZ. With the forming of the forth Chapter of the Widows Sons it meant that four of those would be hosted by ourselves. So on the 24th of April (form now on the nearest Sunday to ANZAC) the event proved to be an even bigger success. Raising $17,000 with 1200 riders.

I know of at least three members of the craft that joined as a direct result of the Ride of Respect last year and there is even more interest this year.

The Widows Sons which now comprises of four Chapters and 85 members nation-wide in New Zealand. The Widows Sons last year raised just over $120,000 for charity and raising the profile of Freemasonry at the same time.

Christchurch/Canterbury Ride of Respect, 24 April 2016The Ride of Respect is a way by which motorcyclists can pay tribute both to our tri-service personnel and to the fallen and their families. The ride was origi-nally organised in the UK by two biking Grandmother’s, Julia Stevenson from Dartford in Kent and Anne Cole from Gloucester. Julia organised the first Ride of Respect back in 2010. Even in its first year over 22,000 motorcycles and pil-lions took part. The ride has continued to grow each year, in fact for the past two years the ride is being organised in other countries around the globe, all under the same banner effectively becoming one single ride. Over the past 5 years’ it has raised over a million pounds for military charities.

In New Zealand all profits from each of the rides will be going to the RSA and other Forces charities organisations.

This was the second time that The Widows Sons had hosted the event here in Christchurch and I guess that with the success of the last event we should not have been surprised by the turn out this year. However when 405 rid-ers plus pillions and 3 dogs, descended and filled the Papanui RSA carpark to the point of overflowing we did start to

wonder if we would be able to pull the day off once more. How wrong could I have been there were bikes of all shapes and sizes, groups and individuals young and old, yet after the quick talk outlining the event and a short safety briefing the group organised themselves into a long column and under the direction of the marshals steadily exited the Carpark in small groups of forty or so and made their way through the Sunday morning Christchurch traffic up to the Templeton RSA.

Again the Templeton RSA would play host with hot food and drink and with bikes parked up as far as the eye could see on the surrounding streets (residents had been warned).

The next leg was made easier owing to the fantastic support of the Christchurch Motorcycle Police division who helped marshal the routes busiest crossings. The procession of bikes stretched out over a couple of Km’s and astonished onlook-ers waved as we passed. Just over nine minutes of nothing but Bikes (it’s not something you see every day). The route mainly followed the winding backroads and we were treated to a glorious view of the Southern Alps bathed in sunshine.

Again the weather gods were smiling and the sound of the bikes and the views over the Canterbury plains was a perfect combination. Before we knew it Oxford was in sight and the welcome mat was out at the Oxford Workingman’s Club. A chance to refuel with sandwiches and savouries for all who needed them and any drinks you could have wished for.

The Final leg into Rangiora gave the riders the chance to enjoy being part of something special along under the shadow of Mount Thomas the road was filled with bikes as far as the eye could see. I must admit the idea of including the Rangiora High street was a last min-ute one (well in Oxford actually) but it seemed to work out for the best with the local police helping with a little traffic management at the town hall. It certainly gave the town something to talk about.

Our last stop would be back at the RSA Papanui where a lone Piper played and the group stood in silence listening to the last post play and hearing the Soldier Ode, all thoughts were for those brave souls who gave so much for the liberty that we all enjoy today. Mr Pat Duggan the Regional President of the RSA was on hand and it gave me great pleasure to be able to hand over $4380 raised on the ride. The funds will be staying in Canterbury and used to support service personnel from all three branches of the armed forces. A further $1055 will go to the fallen hero’s fund.

Southern Divisional Grand Master Rob Angelo, all geared up.


FREEMASONS IN ACTION“Mason” turns oneYou may recall an article printed in NZ Freemason in December 2014 cover-ing the story of how Freemasons from both Ruahine and Eastland Districts, along with local community groups, the Hastings District Masonic Trust and the Freemason’s Charity, had together raised $60,000 to purchase a SimNewB (Simulated New Born Baby) to provide advanced training of nurses and clini-cians in the Child & Youth Services Department of the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board.

Well one year on and in recognition of the generous contribution made by the Freemasons, the two Nurses, who spoke to the ladies group at the Central Division Conference in Hastings in 2011, Dianne O’Connor, (Clinical Training Nurse) and Michelle Robertson, (Clinical Nurse Manager) at the Hawkes Bay DHB have named the SimNewB mannequin “Mason” They also offered to provide a report on Masons first year. To facilitate Dianne and Michelle’s offer The Heretaunga Lodge No73 hosted an evening to celebrate Masons first birthday, where in excess of 60 Brethren and their wives/partners enjoyed a very enlightening presentation covering the extraordinary benefit Mason has been for training at the Hawkes Bay DHB.

The acquisition of Mason led to the idea of a multifunction training room. Prior to the arrival of Mason, the Hawke’s Bay Hospital had no dedi-cated space available for training or education, this was mainly un-dertaken in the wards. Dianne and Michelle made an application and received approval for some innovation fund-ing (Specific Internal) to realise their dream to have a dedicated training room complete with computer access, TV screen connection, a dedicated portable work station for Mason and

table and chairs. As further recognition of the enormous contribution made by the Freemasons, they have named this education room “Mason’s Room”.

Infants in the paediatric ward are ad-mitted with a variety of complaints but as they have small airways they are often respiratory compromised. Conditions like bronchiotitis, bronchiectasis and asthma cause mucous and inflamma-tion leading to coughing, shortness of breath, intercostal chest recession and using the accessory muscles. The infant gets tired and stops breathing leading to

respiratory arrest. If this is not diagnosed and ac-tion taken cardiac arrest shortly follows.

After running train-ing scenarios with Mason for 6 months to simulate babies and in-fants presenting the fore mentioned scenarios, they were pleasantly astonished at the high level fidelity and realism achieved by the simula-tions, which have all made an immense dif-ference to the skill levels and confidence of nurs-ing staff. Mason’s skin

is surprisingly realistic, she can present as a limp, cyanotic newborn baby with no vital signs, or as a vigorous newborn baby would, with arms and legs moving, she can turn blue indicating respiratory issues and simulate an erratic heart rate.

Mason has been recognised and accepted as a fundamental part of con-tinuous education and training at the Hawkes Bay DHB. It has therefore been given high priority. Despite the ongoing significant workload of high acuity on the children’s ward and special care baby nursery, participating staff are highly committed to dedicating the necessary time for scheduled training sessions with Mason.

As part of the purchase package, they also received a Resusci® Baby with QCPR (High Quality CPR Feedback System).

Dianne and Michelle offered a huge thank you to Hawkes Bay Freemasons, saying that the enormous contribution has made a difference in preparing Hawkes Bay medical staff for emergency situations, and saving the lives of our pre-cious babies and children in Hawke’s Bay.

The door to Mason’s Room – a multifunctional room for training, education and family meetings.

A training scenario in action.


Freemasons and Timaru Car ParkingThe Freemasons of the Midland District have been managing the Farmers’ car-park in central Timaru since 1988.

The management of the 30 space carpark, behind the Farmers store, was offered to the Midland Almoners’ Association by VWBro Paul Johnston, the then manager of the store. The offer was promptly taken up, solving a prob-lem for the store and providing funds to be used for charitable works.

The Farmer’s carpark was situated adjacent to the Timaru District Council carpark which was unmanned and serviced by an unreliable machine. Following approaches to the Council, and some considerable time later, the offer to manage both facilities was taken up. The Council did the ground work to join the two carparks into one, built a centrally located attendants’ booth, and the Freemasons operated the combined unit easing the frustrations of Timaru’s shoppers.

Today, the site is occupied by a multi-level parking building, constructed in 2008, including barrier arms, an

automatic ticket dispenser, a computer-ised reader and system to calculate the parking fee, and now gives the public covered access to the main shopping area through the Farmers store.

The Midland District lodges, includ-ing the English Constitution lodges, are rostered on duty twice a year and brethren travel up to 100kms, each way, to give freely of their time to provide this service. Some wives and partners also attend to the duties in the booth.

The carpark is administered by a charitable trust that provides a man-ager and three supervisors. A supervisor hands over the carpark to the lodge in the morning and takes back control in the afternoon and reconciles the takings for the day. The supervisor remains on call, by telephone, to deal with any issues that may occasionally arise.

The generosity of the travelling public is astounding with thousands of dollars being gifted to the charitable trust by way of ‘keep the change’ donations. Many thousands of dollars have been distrib-uted, in conjunction with the Midland Masonic Charitable Trust, over the years. Funds have been given to provide nursing bursaries, assistance to schools, kindergartens, churches, youth groups, health groups such as the Cancer Society, Stroke Foundation, Blind Foundation, and the Alzheimer’s Society.

A district project, in conjunction with the Midland Masonic Choir’s Charity Concert, raised $42000 for the South Canterbury District Health Board’s ap-peal to purchase an MRI Scanner for the Timaru Base Hospital. The two charitable trusts contributed significant amounts of money towards this project.

The most recent initiative is a musical scholarship for outstanding musicians at the eleven high schools in the Midland District. Each high school is asked to nominate their top musical scholar, each year, and a $500 grant is given at the Choir’s annual concerts in Timaru and

Breakfast is on the Freemasons in PoriruaA low decile primary school helped by local Lodges. Lodge Windsor and Mana Lodge, both based in Porirua, stumped up with $1000.00 to help see that no school child goes hungry.

Here is what the School Principal, Chris Theobald, had to say about the Freemasons ….

“Holy Family are very fortunate to receive the support of Lodge Windsor and Mana Lodge, we feel humbled that a group not closely associated with our school are empathetic and compassionate enough to help out our children. The funds received will go towards supporting our ‘Breakfast in Schools’ programme, we have about 45 students that have break-fast at school each morning. It will be great to be able to offer some variety to our students in the morning in the form of different spreads for their toast or some fruit for their cereal. Our students learn best when they have had sufficient fuel to power their brains for the exciting learning happening in classes. We have many people that make our successful ‘Breakfast Club’ function well, from na-tional sponsors Fonterra and Sanitarium to our daily volunteers and now our friends at the Lodge Windsor and Mana Lodge!”

WBro Allan Davidson presenting the cheque to Chris Theobald. Photo: Christian Hipolito

Ashburton. The students each provide an item, demonstrating their ability, at one of the concerts.

The Freemasons of the Midland District continuous and unstinting support to the carpark will ensure that charitable donations will be made in the name of Freemasonry for the foreseeable future.


Auckland reeling from Scots Grand NightGathered in the magnificent Ara 348 Irish constitution lodge room in Airedale Street was the Grand Master Mason Brother Charles Iain Robert Wolrige Gordon of Esslemont and Grand Secretary David M Begg for the purpose of proclaiming the commission of Brother John Maurice Aldcroft as District Grand Master of North Island New Zealand, Grand Lodge of Scotland for a period of 5 years on 20th February 2016.

A Scottish District Grand Master being installed in the Irish Lodge room show the very strong bond between the constitu-tions, a historic bond so strongly held between the English, Irish and the Scottish constitutions.

The lodge room was filled to capacity, Right Worshipful Brother Brian J Westhead, District Grand Master, North Island United Grand Lodge of England, Right Worshipful Brother Andrew G McGregor, Provincial Grand Master, Provincial Grand Lodge of Ireland New Zealand and Brother Mervyn A Gilkinson, District Grand Master, New Zealand South, Grand Lodge of Scotland were received.

Most Worshipful Brother John W Litton Grand Master, Grand Lodge of New Zealand and his deputation were then received, it was indeed an honour to the Scottish Constitution and very much an honour to Brother John Aldcroft person-ally that the Grand Master had travelled with his wife Diana from Wellington be with us on our special day.

Each Distinguished guest was her-alded in by Very Worshipful Brother James Morton, Past Grand Lecturer NZC and by our District Grand Pipers, whist the organ music was played by Very Worshipful Brother Harvey W. Sadgrove, Past District Grand Master NZC Hon. Member St Andrew No. 418. Harvey is also the Worshipful District Grand Organist, District Grand Lodge North Island New Zealand. What a wonderful mix of

specialist musician’s across the constitu-tions in perfect harmony.

Brother Wolrige Gordon carried out the Installation Ceremony with the usual highest standard and great dignity as-sisted throughout by Brother Begg, Grand Secretary. The commissioned Office-bearers, Brother George S. Nisbet, Depute District Grand Master, Brother Alfred C. Powell, Substitute District Grand Master, Brother Ernie F. Heafield, District Grand Secretary and Brother Ian W. Eggleton as District Grand Chaplain had their commissions proclaimed and were then invested by the Grand Master Mason.

The Grand Master Mason, Brother Wolrige Gordon, by complete surprise conferred the rank Honorary Grand Rank of Grand Deacon, Grand Lodge of Scotland on Right Worshipful Brother Roly White immediate past Provincial Grand Master, Provincial Grand Lodge New Zealand Grand Lodge of Ireland. Not many occa-sions when one finds Right Worshipful Brother Whyte speechless but this was one of those very special occasions. A well-deserved recognition for one who has served as Provincial Grand Master for 15 years and is also an honorary member of Lodge Ponsonby 708, Scottish Constitution.

The Grand Master Mason bestowed Brother Aldcroft with the rank of Honorary Junior Grand Warden and Brother Tom Walsh PM Lodge Montrose 722 Gisborne with the rank of Honorary Grand Architect. Both very well deserved recognition for exemplary service.

The refectory proceedings were a buzz of laughter and camaraderie and following “the ARA 348” tradition NO Speeches.

The formal dinner commenced at 7.00pm when Brother Tony Graham, District Grand Piper piped the procession welcoming the entry of our new District Grand Master Brother John Aldcroft and Brother Charles Iain Robert Wolrige Gordon of Esslemont, Grand Master Mason.

One hundred and fifty six Ladies and brethren sat down to a wonderful dinner of Ham, Sirloin beef, Crumbed Fish, Chicken, new potatoes, baby kumara, mushrooms and green peas. A cold selection included Oysters, Mussels, and several selections of salads. Dessert was just a picture of all things nice and Kiwi lead of course by Pavlova.

No Scottish festive board would be complete without the Ode to the Haggis by Brother George Imlah, Past Depute District Grand Master, with no fewer than 4 Past District Grand Masters and Brother Gilkinson the District Grand Master from NZ South making up the Haggis Party, led by Brother Ron Mair District Grand Piper. What a marvellous sight and yes aided by lots of single malt!

Our MC for the evening was the lively Brother Iain Robertson, a PM from 1977 and how fitting that he was also Brother John Aldcroft’s proposer into Lodge Ponsonby 708. Brother Iain kept the evening going like clockwork with dignity decorum and ample lashings of fun and laughter, Brother Iain’s toast to the newly installed Right Worshipful District Grand

Master was very special as a close friend, an employer, and a teller of

great tales. Most Worshipful Brother

John Litton, Grand Master gave a wonderful response to the

toast to the “sister constitutions” It was so heartening to see all the

constitutions working in Harmony. The Grand Master Mason and the Grand

Master, during their visit to Auckland, also had the opportunity to sit down to a meeting, accompanied by their respective organisational team members and discuss first-hand any issues important to fraternal accord in New Zealand.

Brother Aldcroft is quite a unique person, devoted to Jean, his golf, his work and his Masonry, he is the only Scottish Mason that we know off who has been presented, in 2008, with a certificate of appreciation awarded by the Grand Lodge of New Zealand in recognition of the valu-able contribution to, and the support of Freemasonry in New Zealand.

The term of office for a Scottish Constitution District Grand Master is five years and we all look forward to a reward-ing time under the guidance and leader-ship of Brother John Aldcroft.

Ernie Heafield District Grand Secretary

FREEMASONS IN ACTION


Divisional ConferencesWhilst the three Divisional Conferences, held in Auckland, Palmerston North and Queenstown earlier this year, are about the work of Freemasons New Zealand with Remits and Workshops and group discussions to advance the Seven Pillar Strategic Plan; it is also about our wives and partners who sup-port us in Freemasonry and we feature them in this issue. Here is a selection of ac-tivities that the ladies took part in as part of all three Divisional Conferences.

Central – making scented oils. Northern –minigolf.Southern – lake trip.

Donation to Beach Haven Scout GroupHelp comes in all shapes and sizes. The Belmont Albion Lodge No 45, The Lodge North Harbour No 182 and with assistance from The Freemasons Charity,

helped sponsor three Scouts in 2016, by proving a donation of $920 to the Beach Haven Scout Group.


Life was lived literally on a wing and a prayerFor many a fighter pilot during World War Two, life was lived literally on a wing and a prayer a war recalled French Legion of Honour recipient Donald Ivey of Ashburton.

A painting which hangs in the Rosebank rest home room of Don Ivey shows a Mosquito aircraft flying in all its wartime glory with ammunition fire ex-ploding around it. It is an accurate depic-tion of survival in the skies during World War Two, where a few metres in altitude could mean the difference between life and death.

It was the reality lived by Mr Ivey, who served as a fighter pilot during the war, flying 65 missions over enemy territory while posted with the famed Royal New Zealand Air Force No. 487 Squadron in 1944 and 1945.

The 93-year-old was last week award-ed France’s highest honour, the French Legion of Honour, for his contribution to the liberation of France.

Mr Ivey had been working as a shepherd in the Ashley Gorge when he decided to volunteer as a wireless operator air gunner. At a Levin training school he and one other member got called from the hundreds there to see an air force leader and asked if there was any reason they may not be able to train as pilots.

The pair later discussed it before de-ciding to accept the offer. “We thought we might as well be killed by our own hands as anyone else’s,” Mr Ivey said.

One time his plane was hit by enemy fire and he was not able to make it back to the RNZAF base in England, having to instead land in France at an airfield which had just previously been captured by American forces from the Germans.

The World War Two song ‘Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer’ tells of a dam-aged war plane limping back to base, hinting of the desperate situations faced by fighter pilots. But Mr Ivey said he never felt the need for prayer, as there was never any opportunity to be scared. Most of his missions were single aircraft ones and he flew at night, alongside one other crew member, the navigator.

“When you go out at night, you have to climb up and get in the cockpit, and once you do that there were an awful lot of things you have to concentrate on,” Mr

Ivey said. “You had too much to concen-trate on (to be scared).

“It had been sad to lose friends, many of whom had flown at night just like him, but not returned to see another day. They just wouldn’t come home; you never knew what happened to them. And you never heard what happened to them later either”, he said.

VWBro Don Ivey PGDC of Lodge Erewhon No 200

He was initiated on into Lodge Erewhon on 27/01/1949 and has served 66 years as a valuable Brother. VWBro Don served as Master from 26/10/68 through to 26/4/70 an extended term when Lodge Erewhon changed the timing of its in-stallation date. On his return from hos-tilities VWBro Don Ivey and his late wife Mary settled and farmed in the Ruapuna District Mid Canterbury until the pass-ing of Mary on 28th June 1990.

Don never renewed his Pilot’s Licence being content to live with his memories of flying during World War Two. He is now the Patron of the Ashburton Aviation Museum where his Log book can be seen with the many photos of the aircraft he flew mostly the de Havilland Mosquito and commen-taries of his missions. Ashburton Guardian and Noel Lowe

Freemason of 70 years Hamish Craig awarded the Legion of HonourImagine propelling yourself into German-occupied France with nothing more than a parachute and courage.

Bound by secrecy for 50 years, Hamish Craig couldn’t even re-tell his World War II adventures to his children and grandchildren.

The former South Otago farmer was silent about his daring exploits with French-Resistance fighters, the Maquis, because of the top-secret nature of the mission.

But now le chat is well truly out of the bag, with the 93-year-old war veteran’s recent appointment as Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour by François Hollande, the French President. This is France’s highest decoration.

During a two-day visit to New Zealand, the Prime Minister of France, Manuel Valls, met and personally thanked Craig for his courage and contribution to the liberation of France, and congratulated him on his award.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, and the New Caledonia – French Polynesia presidents also added their congratulations, at a ceremony held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Scottish-born Craig, who trained in the United Kingdom’s Auxiliary Unit to defend his country for the D-Day opera-tion, was honoured and proud

to receive the award, his daughter Ruth Craig said.

“It is wonderful to have his contribu-tion acknowledged in such a special way. At the time he, like so many others, felt

Hamish Craig and his grandson Alexander, prior to meeting with Manuel Valls, the Prime Minister of France. Southland Times

Donald Ivey.

WWII Legions of Honour to Freemasons


The Navy and NormandyFrank Bertram David Jones,

born in village of Beeding, West Sussex, England, 2nd

son of Bertram and Eva Jones, brought up on a dairy and cropping farm. I left

School at 16 years of age, five days after my birth-

day. I went to the Navy Office in City of Brighton

West Sussex and volunteered for the Navy.

I got a call to the Navy Office on 8th January 1943, sent to the train-ing establishment HMS Royal Arthur at Ingoldmells, near Skegness, where we were kitted out with uniforms and all the equipment required by a sailor, Following two weeks training we were sent to HMS Duke for further training and small arms drill and target practice on the firing range, three months later I was sent to HMS Vernon for Electrical Training (Torpedo).

At the Whale Island Gunnery School near Portsmouth I trained on the 6 inch, 4 inch and 40mm Bofors AA guns, on completion of the course I went to the Naval Barracks at Portsmouth. I was sent home on 10 days leave and then returned to Barracks where I was informed that I would be joining the Cruiser HMS Belfast. I was given a train ticket to Rosyth, where the ship was at anchor.

On joining the Belfast we sailed to Scapa Flow north of Scotland, escorting convoys in the north Atlantic to and from Loch Ewe. Then in December 1943 we escorted the Convoy JW55 to Murmansk in Russia with no loss of ships. On leav-ing Murmansk with convoy No 54 to the UK on the 26th December, we were informed that the German Battle ship Scharnhorst was at sea and would try and attack the convoy.

In the early morning of the December 26th the Scharnhorst was located on our Radar, it was as black as the ace of spades in winter up there, there is little or no day light, when Scharnhorst came into our range, we along with Norfolk and Sheffield opened fire. We did not do too much damage to Scharnhorst apart from knocking her radar out of action. Her 11 inch guns gave Norfolk rather a nasty pounding and then the Scharnhorst took off. Due to her size she could travel faster than our smaller ships. Some hours later we again located Scharnhorst and opened fire on her. She again turned away; we chased her south where she ran into the fire from the Battleship HMS Duke of York with her 15 inch guns. Together we sank Scharnhorst. Her crew of consisted of almost 2000 men only 29 were saved. In all I took 4 convoys to Russia.

Next came Operation Tungsten, This was an attempt to try and sink the German Battleship Tirpitz at her

moorings in Norway Air craft from HMS Victorious torpedo and dive bombers caused problems for Tirpitz but did little damage.

June 6th 1944 D Day we were gunnery control ship on Juno and Sword beaches and being the first ship to open fire, we spent 6 weeks at Normandy assisting with our 6 inch Guns, Once the troops had got passed the range of our guns, we returned to England and convoy JW 58 to Russia, then back to South Shields for a refit and over haul. Six weeks later we were sent to the Pacific. Arriving just as the war ended .Our main job was getting Australian troop from the Copper mines in Formosa, They were in a shocking condition along with Red Cross intern-ees from Shanghai and Nanking.

Next came two weeks R and R we were sent to Dunedin for a holiday, then to Napier. Back to Singapore where I left Belfast, being shipped home to the UK for Christmas 1946. I left the Navy in March 1947.

In October 1948 I came to New Zealand and worked on a farm. I then joined the Police force and later was a Traffic officer in Lower Hutt. Last 20 years of my working life as manager of Brugger Industries – Steel Division.

Have been a Freemason now for 27 years and in the A&A Rite for 26 years. On the 27th April 2016 being award the French Legion of Honour, for services at Normandy

Frank Jones

he was just doing what was required of him, and he never for one minute ex-pected to be honoured for it.”

Following the war, Craig moved to South Otago with his young family, in the late 1950s and lived in the Clutha District for more than 30 years.

For many years, he managed a sheep farm at Puerua in South Otago. Many will remember him playing the church organ. He has been a Freemason for more than 70 years, and earlier this year, was presented with his 70-year badge.

Prior to retiring, he worked for the former Clutha County Council, and later managed a farm goods Store in Balclutha.

Craig prolonged his retirement years by driving taxis and buses in the Balclutha and South Otago area.

His retirement truly began when he moved to the Hibiscus Coast north of Auckland. He was married to Connie, who passed away in 2001, for more than 50 years. He has three children, three grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

In all those years, he never spoke about his part in WWII, which made the Auckland ceremony special to him, his family said, to reflect and remember the sacrifices that many made, and to formally sit alongside others who also risked their lives in the war.

Also present was Phyllis (Pippa) Latour Doyle. She is the only person who, like himself, was parachuted alone, into occupied France to work with the Maquisards.


The Celebration of Apollo

With more masonic art than can be found under heaven and earth. This Masonic Arts Festival was held in the capital city of Brazil – Brasilia and involved Freemasons from throughout the world from 15-20th September 2015. It was hosted by the Association of Masonic Arts and the Grand Orient of Brazil.

This has been shared by Bro Janos Cegledy, who was again visiting New Zealand and had the opportunity to go to the Installation of Lodge Zetland No 312 in Wellington recently.

He was invited to attend the First World Festival of Masonic Arts to give a concert and has shared some photos with us including a mention about Freemasons New Zealand.

Janos is based in Japan and involved in Freemasonry there; which shows the ‘universal-ity of our science’. He would be pleased to meet any New Zealand Freemasons visiting Japan so he could reciprocate the hospitality.

First World Festival of Masonic Arts

MWBro Dr Bill Babe was brought up in Wellington, being the eldest of three sons, where his father was the Secretary of Internal Affairs and part of his portfolio was arranging the visits of foreign dignitaries including The Queen and members of the Royal Family . His Father was invested by the Queen as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

Bill didn’t sit School Certificate but passed his University Entrance Exams in his 3rd year at Secondary School at about 15 years of age. After completing his secondary schooling he attended Victoria University of Wellington where he sat his Medical Intermediate and was then accepted for entry to Medicine at Otago University and after completing a postgraduate Diploma in Obstetrics he became a General Practitioner.

Dr Bill took a position with the Maniototo District Health Board and resided in Ranfurly, Central Otago.

His passions at the time in-cluded food, a large variety of cars, smoking (since sensibly

ceased) and an ability to get around the District to accidents very fast. He was also a member of the Balmoral Curling Club in Naseby and spent a lot of time hunting, shooting and fishing as well as weekends at Wanaka with weekends of skiing in winter.

Bill joined Freemasonry thanks to medical masonic connections when an old Obstetrician Dr Baden Watson who had lived and worked in Ranfurly from 1927 to 1932 came to collect his 50 year Badge from his Mother Lodge and asked Bill why he had not joined the Lodge and when told that he had not been asked,

Dr Watson said that of course he would not be asked he had to request to join.

Shortly afterwards papers were signed and Bill was initiated as a member of Mt Ida Lodge No 97 which meets in Ranfurly from July 1982 until leaving for Australia in 1985 but remained a country member for a number of years.

MWBro Dr Bill Babe now resides in Perth, Western Australia and is Grand Master for the Grand Lodge of Western Australia having been installed in October 2015. He has visited his mother lodge when first in the chair of a Lodge in 1992 and again in May 2013 when he was the Deputy Grand Master of the Western Australian Constitution and hopes to attend his mother lodge again while the Grand Master.

WBro Syd Broadley

Western Australia Grand Master’s New Zealand connections


University study, combined with service to the community and positive ambitions for their respective futures, has paid off for 26 students from seven New Zealand Universities, who were presented with Freemasons scholarships totalling $184,000 on 25th May. The students were handed their scholarships by former Freemasons scholar, Jacinda Adhern MP.

S cholarship recipients, their sup-porters and guests, were welcomed

to Parliament’s Legislative Council Chamber by the Grand Master, MWBro John Litton, to the 38th presentation of the Freemasons University Scholarships.

After giving a brief history of the Chamber, John Litton talked about Freemasonry in general and the philan-thropic work and educational contribu-tions made by The Freemasons Charity, noting that. “Each year the Freemasons Charity, often in partnership with in-dividual Lodges, provides around $1.3 million for a myriad of worthy projects. The beneficiaries of this sizeable funding

are mainly involved in the fields of health research and education.” He went on to make specific reference to the dona-tion of 125 DAISY players to the Blind Foundation as part of the commemora-tion of 125 years of Freemasonry New Zealand.

Speaking specifically about the day’s event, John Litton said. “Today we gather to celebrate the success of those in the ter-tiary sector, our 2016 scholars. To qualify as a Freemasons University Scholar you must be an A-grade student and have an outstanding performance in academic studies. In addition you are required to have a strong and active involvement in

community volunteering. Some of you may see your scholarships as a means of reaching your chosen academic target, while others see their scholarship as a stepping stone to new challenges. There is the inevitable attraction to travel, to extend research internationally and to hone your specialist skills. Our reward is measured in your success and your contribution to improve life and living, both in New Zealand and throughout the wider world.”


Mingling. Recognition.Studying the form.

23

The programme offers two levels of scholarships, Post Graduate worth $10,000 and University worth $6,000. Snippets fron the recipients academic and community achievements follow. The full descriptions for each of them can be found in The Freemasons Charity section of the Freemasons New Zealand web site. Go to www.freemasonsnz.org and, on the left blind, click The Freemasons Charity.

POST GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPSNatalie Germann AucklandHaving graduated with a First Class Honours majoring in psychology, she is now work-ing towards her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, with her research focusing on the preven-tion of sexual violence. Natalie has volunteered for several or-ganisations in the field of mental health and has had numerous leadership roles associated with the University.

Fiona Jackson WaikatoFrom Hollywood to Silverdale, Hamilton, Fiona Jackson is still living her movie dream as she tackles the final year of a PhD in screen and media at the University of Waikato. During her twenties Fiona worked as an actor, stunt performer and direc-tor’s assistant in California.

Fiona’s research has included co-writing, securing funding and producing the film Penny Black, giving a young cast and

crew a unique opportunity to work at the feature film level.

Kathryn Strang MasseyPassionate about wildlife, zool-ogy and conservation, Kathryn has her eye on feral cats and their impact on native fauna. She is in the final stages of a PhD in Zoology, conducting her study on an Hauraki Gulf island that has a dense kiwi popula-tion. Kathryn is a qualified kiwi bander, with skills in telemetry

A t the conclusion of his address John Litton introduced guest speaker

and presenter Jacinda Ardern, noting that, “as Freemasons we are immensely proud of Jacinda and her achievements, as she was a recipient of a Freemasons University Scholarship in 2001.”

He said that, “Jacinda is highly-respected politician with a bright future. She is a Labour List MP and spokesper-son for several portfolios. Prior to being elected to Parliament in 2008, Jacinda’s work experience ranged from policy de-velopment through to managing a large international government organisation.”

Jacinda began her address with a welcome to all present, especially the scholarship recipients. She commented particularly on the University of Waikato group from her alma mater. She was especially impressed by the acheviement, over and above academic studies, of all those present.

Jacinda considered herself lucky to have received the scholarshop, then worth $2,000, when she was studying for a Bachelor of Communication 15

years ago. Seeking to avoid the burden of a student loan, and commuting daily from Morrinsville, she worked 20 hours a week with the Community Living Trust and, during holidays, demonstrated cookware at The Farmers. Being awarded the scholarship made her realise that. “Maybe I could do something different”.

The difference materialised with a six-month international exchange at Arizona State University. Because of the timing differences between Waikato and Arizona State semes-ters she successfully sought the opportu-nity to undertake a brief internship as an executive assistant in Parliament. This set her on the road she now travels in her very successful parliamen-tary career.

Initially Jacinda saw the opportu-nity to embark on a

university degree as the ultimate goal. The Freemasons Scholarship enabled her to go beyond the ticking of a box and re-alise that education was a conveyor belt to jump on an off throughout one’s ca-reer, which might now comprise fifteen different roles over five separate careers. Her concluding message was. “Use the award of your scholarships to imagine and seize the opportunities which lie ahead for you.”

Guest speaker Jacinda Ardern MP

Jacinda Ardern with the scholars from her Alma Mater, Waikato University.

ROLL CALL OF SCHOLARS

Fiona shows the Penny Black poster to Dianna Litton.


and feral cat trapping and col-laring. She has participated in wildlife protection projects in Swaziland, the Amazon Basin and North Sumatra.

Hamish Beattie VictoriaAs the speaker responding on behalf of the scholars, Hamish’s experience and aspirations are reported elsewhere in this article. Aside from his studies, he has been involved in Surf Life Saving New Zealand, for nine years as a senior lifeguard

patrolling high-risk Hawke’s Bay beaches and as a senior instructor in a beach educa-tion programme.

James Tapper LincolnA love of sports and problem-solving sees James in his final year of a Master of Planning at Lincoln University. His disserta-

tion focuses on reviewing the resource consent process that the private sector faces when developing sports facilities that benefit the community. He aims to provide insight into how the resource consent process can be made more efficient for private sector devel-opers aiming to build facilities that will best serve the community.

Philippa Connell CanterburyA career in New Zealand-Chinese relations beckons for Philippa Connell who is currently completing a Master of Science in applied psychol-ogy. Her degree’s combination of psychology and economics supports Pip’s plans to be a con-sultant assisting New Zealand businesses that seek to tap into Chinese markets. Alongside her

academic studies and travels, Pip helps lead the Canterbury Wildcats women’s basketball team.

Shannon Tumataroa – OtagoShannon is researching towards a PhD in Psychology, studying the effects of financial hardship on cognitive control in low-income households. “Understanding how people make financial decisions is vital to ensuring eco-nomic equality and fair access to financial tools such as micro-loans, insurance and saving accounts,” says Shannon who has already put her skills to good use as an advisor for community-based budget advisory services. She has also been a youth mentor for Police initiative ‘Operation New Direction’.

UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS University of AucklandDavid ColeDavid is studying for an Honours in history with a dissertation on late antique/early medieval slav-ery, with a focus on the realities of slavery and serfdom under the early feudal economy. David intends to keep working with youth charities to better the situation of Auckland’s young people and to better understand how the speed of urbanisation in Auckland is placing pressure on traditional play space.

Hannah PymWith medieval England her specialty subject and working towards a PhD., Hannah believes she will eventually find her perfect job as a museum curator. In the meantime she is enjoy-ing working for Auckland War Memorial Museum as a visitor host. During a year’s study at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, she volun-teered as part of a team auditing a collection of objects stored during extensive redevelopment at the Museum of Norwich.

Florence ReynoldsHaving completed a conjoint BA, majoring in psychology and BSc., majoring in Ecology, Florence is now undertaking Honours in Geography, specialising in con-servation and biosecurity. She has a particular interest in the eradication of plastic polution and, as a member of the Aotearoa Youth Leadership Institute’s del-egation, she attended the Paris Climate Conference.

University of WaikatoElliot BaptistFrom age twelve Elliot began volunteering at the Waikato Museum’s Excite science centre. There, over seven years, his tech-nical and professional skills de-veloped as he helped fix comput-ers, build robotic arms, design interactive exhibits and guide school groups around the exhibi-tions. He is also Chairperson of, and a qualified driver, at the Glen Afton Heritage Railway.

Morgan FaheyMorgan Fahey of Hamilton is completing a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours

with majors in chemical and biological engineering. Morgan aims to work in the food and beverage industry to learn more about practical process design. Ultimately this will make process technology more accessible to improve global food distribution and nutrition. She is President of the university’s Young Engineers Society, and as a board member of Student Engineers NZ.

Beth Pearsell-PetersBeth’s studies in biology focus on terrestrial ecology and plant function as healthy ecosystems that lay the foundation for life on Earth. Beth’s passion for the arts and social justice inspired eight years of international travel after leaving high school. Working in diverse jobs and volunteering in a variety of cultures showed her the reality of human impact on the planet and motivated her to develop viable solutions and pathways to a more sustainable future.

Massey UniversityWendy BrownWendy is a mature student at Massey University working

towards a postgraduate diploma in psychology. She has developed a non-retirement plan of becom-ing a registered psychologist working in private practice, with a mix of paying and koha clients. She has joined Victim Support as a volunteer and is delighted to be able to ‘pay forward’ to others the help she once received from that organisation. Wendy has previously volunteered at the local Foodbank and helped as a trained Family Budget Adviser.

Philippa Connell’s Chinese connection.

Kathryn demonstrates feral cat trapping.

Jacinda Adhern presents the certificate to Wendy Brown.


Tessa-Maree NielsenTailoring exercise to improve the health of people with seri-ous medical conditions is key to Tessa-Maree who is complet-ing her Bachelor of Sport and Exercise with Honours, major-ing in exercise prescription and training at the Palmerston North campus. Her study is provid-ing hands-on experience as she works with a range of people with specific health conditions. She is exploring the gap that ex-ists between hospitals and home for those suffering from various debilitating health conditions.

Kathryn Margaret PascoeMulti-talented Katheryn Margaret is completing a Bachelor of Social Work at the Palmerston North campus. She has performance skills that few other social workers could lay claim to, including expertise in stilt-walking, juggling, trick fire hula hooping, poi and fire-eating. She is now in a full-time role with the the Student Association as the Distance Student Advocate.

Victoria University of WellingtonLucy McLeanLucy is completing the final year of a BSc, majoring in psychol-ogy and development studies at Victoria. For the past five years she has volunteered at the Wellington Soup Kitchen serv-ing evening meals, collecting in annual appeals and, as a member

of the Wellington Youth Choir, singing at functions for the elderly. Last year Lucy became a phone counsellor at Youthline Wellington, showing a genuine commitment and drive to sup-port young people.

Melanie ThompsonIn 2006 Melanie began a BA majoring in international rela-tions and development studies. She put her studies on hold for a period of travel, and gaining new skills in Europe. Returning after several years outside of academia she has approached her study

with a clear focus and ambition to achieve the very highest levels of success. Now in her second stint at Victoria, Melanie has graduated BSc, Continuing her stud-ies, she is particularly interested in genetics, immunology and vaccines against tra-ditional infection and cancer.

Morgan WatkinsMorgan is currently on an exchange at the University

of Copenhagen where he is studying electives at Masters’ level in negotiation techniques, international human rights law and international energy law. With a BA in History and Political Science completed, he is continuing his study towards a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and is undertaking research into the ‘dark sides’ of participatory culture online, which has ap-plication to privacy and internet issues, the area of expertise he is keen to eventually work in.

Lincoln UniversityGenevieve StevenIn her final year of study for a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Geneivive is completing an Honours project on soil micro-biology, researching bacteria associated with phosphate solu-bilisation in soils. As winner of the inaugural Green Agriculture Youth Innovation Award in

2014, Genevieve is concerned by the ef-fects of conventional farming practices, where use of chemical products negatively impacts the envi-ronment and food quality.

University of CanterburyNatalie LooyerExamining the origins of Western civilisa-tion and using critical thinking to apply the learnings to today’s society is Natalie’s passion, as she studies towards a BA with Honours in Classics and English. Her interests in Greek phi-losophy, epic poetry and ancient sport have directed her towards a research project looking at sport and athletics in ancient Greece. She hopes to draw links between the sense of New Zealand cul-tural nationalism and that of the ancient Greeks, through the popularity of sporting idols and war heroes.

Kendra RoddisWitnessing the devastating ef-fects of natural disaster, poverty and human trafficking has led Kendra to study for a career in development. After College, Kendra served in the Royal New Zealand Navy for four years, as a Navigation and Warfare officer. The ship she served on was one of the first deployed to Haiti in January 2010, after the 7.0 mag-nitude earthquake. She partici-pated in aid efforts and disaster relief, including clearing rubble and building orphanages. She completed a BA last year, with a double major in political science and Spanish, and is now gaining an Honours degree in diplomacy and international relations,.

Aaron StockdillThe emerging field of Artificial Intelligence beckons Aaron, who is studying towards a BSc with Honours in computer science. He is a computer science tutor at the University of Canterbury and a mathematics tutor for high school students. He was a

co-founder of Potato Softworks, a web design company, where he is the lead front-end developer and web designer. Last year Aaron was awarded a summer research scholarship at Australian National University. His research project focused on exploring artificial intelligence and randomness.

University of OtagoAnna Charles-JonesAnna is completing her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery as a trainee intern at Dunedin Hospital. As part of her internship she will serve a three-month elective in the remote Orkney Islands to pursue her passion for rural medicine by ob-serving the systems that govern the delivery of medical care in rural Scotland. Last year she par-ticipated in the year-long Rural Medical Immersion Programme. Anna’s involvement in the pro-gramme fueled her drive for a career in rural medicine.

Conrad GoodhewWith a Bachelor of Applied Science in sport and exercise nutrition, Conrad seeks to pur-sue his goal of a sports dietitian by completing the Master of Dietetics degree. He has become a player, coach, committee member, and assistant club captain at the Otago University Rugby Football Club. He has also brought his nutritional exper-tise to the club where he cooks healthy meals for sale at the clubroom, demonstrating that healthy food can also be tasty and affordable. Ultimately Conrad hopes to work as Dietitian for high performance sport.

Kendra (right) explains her Navy travels to Anna Charles-Jones.

Katheryn Margaret demonstrates her juggling skills.


Dayle KeownAfter initially obtaining a Masters degree in Science, ma-joring in cellular and molecular biology, microbiology and genet-ics, Dayle is currently complet-ing the final year of his Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery. Last year he participated in the Rural

Medical Immersion Programme, working alongside hospital staff in Balclutha. He has been a volunteer ambulance officer with St. John for the past six years. His aspiration is to work with one of the smaller New Zealand hospitals, while teaching and researching clinical medicine.

Improving the quality of life for waste picker communities in inhabited landfills is the basis of Hamish Beattie’s thesis as he works towards a PhD in Architecture at Victoria University.

T hroughout his architectural studies Hamish has been interested in sus-

tainable and innovative design, particu-larly for ageing and low socio-economic populations. Many marginalised people around the world turn to landfills and scavenging as a source of livelihood. While these communities are often well organised, this is not always so in areas with high migration and large numbers of vulnerable children, widows and disa-bled persons.

In his address, Hamish expressed his gratitude to Freemasons New Zealand, and acknowledged the significance of its contribution to education. He said. “As recipients of these prestigious scholar-ships, we now have an increased ability to follow our passions and dreams. This year’s scholars will use their scholarships in a variety of ways. This generosity will have a unique contribution to each of our chosen fields”.

He continued. “While writing this address I came to ponder our individual roles in the context of time and was re-minded of Isaac Newton’s famous ex-pression”. “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. None of us made it here today alone. Each of us stands on the shoulders of those who came before us and also braced in our positions by those who support us. These are our parents, mentors, leaders, teach-ers and the innovators in our respective fields. Our role as scholars and members of our communities is to build solid foundations for those who will follow us, and to acknowledge those upon whose foundations we stand”.

“However, our duty is not to just strive upwards in our endeavours. We should also to look laterally, to the constructions and foundations of others, and lend our expertise in helping them lay their own. Freemasons scholars of 2016, let this

scholarship stand as a mark of this duty to follow the example of all Freemasons as we endeavour to work in our own professions with integrity, goodwill and charity”.

“To do this, we must always try to ask the right questions. Recently I was reading a passage from the 2016 Pritzker prize-winning Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena whose work focuses on projects of public interest and social impact. He stated his work has shifted focus to become predominantly about precise analysis of the communities in which he works as opposed to forcing a conventional architectural solution from the outset. He went on to state that noth-ing is more dangerous when delivering built outcomes for a community than answering with precision the wrong question”.

“We must not think of analysis as hin-dering how we implement our goals. We must view it as the process that injects the richness of life into a proposition. Every innovator in every field excels at asking the right questions. And not only do they know how to do it themselves; they know how to teach that skill to others. My chal-lenge to this year’s Freemasons scholars is that, before you seek answers, make sure that you first ask the right questions”.

Morris Robertson, with thanks to Joanne Ruscoe

Photos: Mark Coote and Morris Robertson

Medical Scholars, Dayle Keown and Anna Charles-Jones with Mark Winger.

Address on behalf of the Scholars

Presentation display of Hamish’s studies.


REPORT

The grant allows the Auckland-based charity ‘Hearing House’, to increase their assistance for hearing-deficient children and allow them to enter school with much better language skills than otherwise would be the case – and thereby increase the quality of their education. Especially designed for hearing-aided children rather than those with Cochlear implants, the programme aims for a maximum of 20 children to receive treatment.

The clinical team at Hearing House liaise with audiologists at local district health boards encouraging them to refer children whom they believe have a language delay. The therapy can have a dramatic effect. Mother of coming-up-5, Stella, who started wearing hearing aids at 2 says ‘ I know the difference this will make going into a classroom of 25. Stella is getting a massive head-start on some of the other children’.

The pilot programme makes a start in an area of health that currently is estimated to have ‘scores’ that could qualify for help. Hearing House also provides guidance and support for the families of these children.

Better hearing for pre-schoolers

These include Pacific, South Asian and Maori communities where risk is highest. The wider objective is to achieve long-term lifestyle changes leading to healthier families.

A three-stage train-the-trainer process begins by identifying and recruiting people who have the right connections in their communities – ‘Cultural Champions’ - to deliver the diabetes message on foods and cooking, while their training uses culturally appropriate resources, tools and skills. The immediate aim is to find and train at least 20 Cultural Champions who can each engage with 100 plus at-risk individuals annually. Connecting with all age groups is vital, with ‘elders’ particularly important as key influencers in family food values and patterns of eating.

The HOPE programme is a recognition of the changing patterns of New Zealand diabetes risks and is a further arm in the fight to control the disease in our populations – a cause the Foundation is very willing to support.

Where there’s HOPE

The Foundation has made a grant for a pilot programme to provide specialist therapy for hearing-aided young children

Diabetes Auckland’s ‘HOPE’ programme (Healthy Options Positive Eating) is designed as an awareness and prevention programme aimed at communities particularly at risk of diabetes.

The assistance provided by the Foundation, Lodges and Districts, independently or in association, are many and varied. Outstanding in this sense is the Freemasons South Auckland Hospice Charitable Trust, a permanent resource established some years ago through the famous new house build and auction in Karaka where the best part of a million dollars was raised for the benefit of the Totara Hospice in Manurewa. This created a close bond between the Hospice and Lodges of the South Auckland District and the Freemasons Foundation who assists with administration of the Trust.

So it is gratifying to see the Hospice being rewarded with recognition for their work, raising awareness of the role of Hospice and encouraging all parts of the community to join the task of providing care to those whose lives are limited.

We are therefore delighted and proud of the Totara Hospice ‘Youth Ambassadors’ who were presented with the Minister of Health Youth Team Volunteer Award at a special ceremony at Parliament, part of a national programme recognising and celebrating the contributions of volunteers to the health and disability sector.

The Totara Ambassadors team of 22 students, aged 11 to 19, have contributed more than 1600 hours of volunteer work including helping with fund-raising events and raising the profile of the Hospice in the community and amongst other young people. Many have experienced the grief of losing loved ones and are finding volunteering a way to ‘give back’ .

Hospice Youth Ambassadors honoured The connection between Freemasons and the Hospice movement

around the Northern region is strong and on-going.

Totara Hospice Ambassadors at a fund-raising eventTotara Youth Ambassadors, Fangafua Pooi (L) and Rosie Kennedy (R) with Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman

L to R: Warren Howard, Daniel, Reid Polkinghorne

Each year, at our offices in Auckland, we host the award

presentation to the winner of the annual Auckland Masonic

Education Foundation university scholarship.

The Foundation can be contacted at PO Box 113144, Newmarket, Auckland 1149. Telephone: (09) 520 6414 or email: [email protected] Looked at our new website? www.freemasonsfoundation.org.nzComments to [email protected]

Charity Registration No CC27639

The 2016 winner is Daniel Carson who is well advanced in his Medical degree in surgery at the University of Auckland. The $6000 prize will help in funding his continuing studies.

The Scholarship is made possible by the Trust which evolved under VW Bro Warren Howard, from the long-expired Lodge Orakei No 270. We help with administration.

Scholarship Winner

28

The assistance provided by the Foundation, Lodges and Districts, independently or in association, are many and varied. Outstanding in this sense is the Freemasons South Auckland Hospice Charitable Trust, a permanent resource established some years ago through the famous new house build and auction in Karaka where the best part of a million dollars was raised for the benefit of the Totara Hospice in Manurewa. This created a close bond between the Hospice and Lodges of the South Auckland District and the Freemasons Foundation who assists with administration of the Trust.

So it is gratifying to see the Hospice being rewarded with recognition for their work, raising awareness of the role of Hospice and encouraging all parts of the community to join the task of providing care to those whose lives are limited.

We are therefore delighted and proud of the Totara Hospice ‘Youth Ambassadors’ who were presented with the Minister of Health Youth Team Volunteer Award at a special ceremony at Parliament, part of a national programme recognising and celebrating the contributions of volunteers to the health and disability sector.

The Totara Ambassadors team of 22 students, aged 11 to 19, have contributed more than 1600 hours of volunteer work including helping with fund-raising events and raising the profile of the Hospice in the community and amongst other young people. Many have experienced the grief of losing loved ones and are finding volunteering a way to ‘give back’ .

Hospice Youth Ambassadors honoured The connection between Freemasons and the Hospice movement

around the Northern region is strong and on-going.

Totara Hospice Ambassadors at a fund-raising eventTotara Youth Ambassadors, Fangafua Pooi (L) and Rosie Kennedy (R) with Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman

L to R: Warren Howard, Daniel, Reid Polkinghorne

Each year, at our offices in Auckland, we host the award

presentation to the winner of the annual Auckland Masonic

Education Foundation university scholarship.

The Foundation can be contacted at PO Box 113144, Newmarket, Auckland 1149. Telephone: (09) 520 6414 or email: [email protected] Looked at our new website? www.freemasonsfoundation.org.nzComments to [email protected]

Charity Registration No CC27639

The 2016 winner is Daniel Carson who is well advanced in his Medical degree in surgery at the University of Auckland. The $6000 prize will help in funding his continuing studies.

The Scholarship is made possible by the Trust which evolved under VW Bro Warren Howard, from the long-expired Lodge Orakei No 270. We help with administration.

Scholarship Winner

29

Technology to the rescueBack in 2009 Mark was among the first 50 people in New Zealand to receive a Daisy player, which forms a significant part of his daily life. He says, “talking books and magazines are my primary source of entertainment as well as a link to current events and issues in the wider world. I would spend at least 2–3 hours per day listening to my talking books and magazines and, on cold or wet days, significantly more time than that. The talking book service is consistently rated by clients as being one of the Blind Foundation’s most valued services. There is a wide range of material currently available and the catalogue is continually expanding. The sound quality of digital talking books and the reliability of the Daisy player represent a vast improvement over previous formats

like the old cassette tapes and players. It’s hard to find the words to express just how important and central talking books are to the lives of blind and vision impaired people, I simply can’t imagine life without them.”

Alongside the use of the Daisy Player, GW Micro’s Window-Eyes provides blind users access to Windows based computers by speaking the contents of the computer’s screen. All applications, word processors, Internet, email are available to the blind user.

Mark’s comments on his extensive use of his Daisy Player are a ringing endorsement for The Freemasons Charity’s project to commemorate the Grand Lodge of New Zealand’s 125th Anniversary project, so generously supported by Lodges and individual Freemasons throughout the country.

Let blindness be no barrier The story of a visionary Freemason

Mark Luxon is an inspiration to all Freemasons and potential Freemasons who might believe that a disability could preclude them from full participation in the workings of a Lodge. Despite being blind Mark is preparing to ascend to the chair of Christchurch’s Avon Shirley Lodge. How both Mark and the Lodge have risen to the challenge is a story worthy of telling.

Born in 1963, the oldest of three boys, Mark has lived all his life in

Christchurch. His sight loss is the result of a rare recessive variant of a genetic condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), which was diagnosed shortly after he commenced primary school. Neither of his brothers was similarly affected and, up to that point, no one was aware of any family history of such.

Mark began his education at Thorring-ton Primary School in 1969 and when it was established, two year’s later, that he was sight impaired, he was transferred to Elmwood Normal School which housed a specialist resource unit then known as a Visual Centre that was, and still is, a specialist teaching unit for the support of blind and vision impaired primary and secondary school pupils. The Centre is managed by Homai School for the Blind in Auckland, from which staff members meet the special educational needs of vision impaired children from birth to

Loading a Daisy Player.

Mark’s comments on his extensive use of his Daisy Player

are a ringing endorsement for The Freemasons Charity’s project to commemorate the

Grand Lodge of New Zealand’s 125th Anniversary project, so

generously supported by Lodges and individual Freemasons throughout the country.

Bro Mark Luxon

21 years throughout Canterbury and Westland.

Some of the children attending the Visual Centre are taught Braille while those with some usable sight are sup-ported with adaptive devices such as magnification lenses of various types and, later, closed circuit TV readers and they are also taught to touch type as many of them have difficulty in learning how to write by hand.

In 1975 Mark progressed to nearby Heaton Intermediate thus allowing him to continue to attend the Visual Centre for an hour or so on a daily basis for the next two years. He later attended Cashmere High School and continued to receive daily support from an itiner-ant teacher from Elmwood who assisted him in keeping up with daily class work, homework, and typing skills. He later enrolled at the University of Canterbury from which he graduated BA in 1988, having majored in history.

Mark commenced employment with the Inland Revenue Department in 1989 where he remained until 2012 as his sight continued to deteriorate. He is now employed in a family owned business. He has served on the Canterbury branch committee of Blind Citizens NZ for over a decade and currently holds the office of Chairman.

Mark was initiated into The Millen-nium 2000 Lodge in 2004 and was


Senior Warden in 2014 when it handed in its Charter and he, along with others, joined Avon Shirley Lodge No.185.

The current Master of Avon Shirley Lodge, WBro Clive Fletcher, who has been driving Mark to and from lodge meetings, has come to appreciate Mark’s remarkable abilities and commitment to a Masonic career, which includes his aim to become Master of the Lodge. Clive comments. “I have been able to give him the chance to deliver a number of charges in all three Degrees, and he has also stood in, often at short notice, as Senior Warden and Inner Guard. When I asked him to consider undertaking this work for me his answer was always in the positive and along the lines that ‘I’ve done that before, it will not take too much brushing up before I am ready to go’. What an absolutely wonderful attrib-ute. Even with his disability he is always willing to assist, he sets a great example to many people.” With a vacancy for Senior Warden coming up on the ladder Mark is now in line to be installed as Master in 2017.

When asked how the Lodge has adapted to assist Mark to fully play his part Clive Fletcher responded. “We have all tried to be supportive, open-minded and inclusive. We obviously know of his disability but we try and help Mark without patronising him. He is a very independent person who thrives on re-sponsibility we assist him by allocating a individual at each meeting to assist him

by sitting alongside him to describe the current scene and to inform him when he is required to salute etc.”

“For example, when Mark delivers the Working Tools, the tools are placed directly into his hands before he deliv-ers the words, rather that passing them to him on a cushion. Mark has been provided with an electronic copy of our Book of Ritual, which enables him to read the words via his PC, which is equipped with synthetic speech software called Windoweyes. He tells me that this is a very effective way of working for him.”

“We make time to explain things to Mark, things that we, as sighted indi-viduals, take for granted. Items such as the Tracing Boards have been described to him so he can form a picture of them. Likewise the Wardens columns, gavel, charter etc, all items we can see, but which he cannot. We encourage Mark to ask us to describe items to him, which reminds us of how lucky we are to be sighted. Mark tells me that he recognises the history that Freemasonry represents and hopes that he can play a small part in preserving its traditions. He brings a will-ingness and commitment to participate in the Lodge and, with the appropriate supports in place, a commitment to the future and continuation of Freemasonry and an appreciation of it’s past. What a wonderful attitude to have.”

Mark comments on what he has gained through Lodge membership. “For me the main benefits of Lodge member-ship have been fellowship and boosting my self confidence in public and social situations. For example, getting up and delivering a charge takes me out of my comfort zone being one who doesn’t always feel at ease speaking out in public. I’m able to participate in the lodge with the support of the brethren, someone to give me a lift there and back, someone to tag along with on visits and someone to rehearse my lines with.”

In summing up Mark Luxon as a per-son and as a Freemason, Clive Fletcher comments. “He is a committed and ar-ticulate individual who, despite a serious disability, is always cheerful and willing

Retinitis PigmentosaRetinitis pigmentosa (RP) refers to a group of inherited diseases that affect the photoreceptor (light sensing) cells responsible for capturing images from the visual field. These cells line the back of the eye in the region known as the retina. People with RP experience a gradual decline in their vision because the two types of photoreceptor cells – rod and cone cells – die. Rod cells are present throughout the retina, except for the very centre, and they help with night vision. Cone cells are also present throughout the retina, but are concentrated in the central region of the retina (the macula). They are useful for central (reading) vision and for colour vision. In RP, the rod cells, and eventually the cone cells stop working, causing vision loss; however, many people with RP retain useful central vision well into middle age.

Rod cells are usually initially involved as previously mentioned, and difficulty seeing in dim light, including transitioning from light to dark and vice versa, is one of the earliest symptoms experienced. There can be a very variable range in the onset of RP. The condition is slowly degenerative and both eyes are usually affected in a similar way.

There are, as of yet, no proven or effective cures for RP, although research in this area has recently accelerated. The term RP represents an extremely varied number of diseases, as scientists have now identified more than 50 genes that can have mutations causing RP.

Anatomy of an eye.

to help where he can. He certainly does not keep himself hidden amongst the masses, and the Lodge, and myself, are committed to help him achieve his dream of becoming Master of Avon Shirley Lodge. As the current Master I feel humbled in his company, he is an inspiration to all, by showing that despite a disability, a dream can be achieved with hard work, and the Lodge is pleased to offer appropriate support where neces-sary to assist Mark in becoming Master.

WBro Morris Robertson QSM

Mark enjoying ‘reading’ via a Daisy Player.


T his issue carries the story of the 2016 Freemasons University Scholarships;

another 26 set to join the ranks of our distinguished alumni. The investment to date by The Freemasons Charity is approaching five million Dollars. Add this to the various University Research Fellowships, this represents a consider-able contribution to the future of New Zealand and beyond, a contribution challenged by some of our Brethren who see the Charity as supporting the “professional grant seekers” and perceive it to be not as worthy a cause as that of the “relief of the suffering and needy.” Nevertheless, the subject is worthy of examination both from the question of our priorities and the outcomes of the investment in the scholarships.

In his address to the scholars, reported elsewhere in this issue, the Grand Master, MWBro John Litton, said “some of you may see your scholarships as a means of reaching your chosen academic target, while others see the scholarship as a stepping stone to new challenges.” Often, these targets are reached way beyond the boundaries of New Zealand.

Ed Hillary reached what could be described as the pinnacle of his career on the summit of Everest in 1953 but, to him, it only broadened his horizons, in his commitment to the Antarctic, the people of Nepal and, later, as NZ High Commissioner, cementing the re-lationships between the peoples of New Zealand and India.

For many of our past scholarship holders the funds provided have been used as a step up the ladder, something their limited finances might otherwise have precluded them from doing. Our alumni, often with differing back-stories, have established an excellent record in subsequently gaining Rhodes Scholarships as well as those to other prestigious Universities.

Four recent Rhodes Scholars are Max Harris, who has become a Prize Fellow at All Souls College, giving him seven years of accommodation, meals and living expenses together with the opportunity to pursue research in any field he wishes. James Bonifacio, whose research area is cosmology, is particularly interested in a modification of Einstein’s theory he calls massive gravity. Louis Chambers, a strong advocate for Generation Zero, and now a Junior Associate with McKinsey & Associates in London, studied at The Oxford Department of International Development on the understanding of change and inequality in developing countries and the interaction of these countries with the rest of the world. Alice Wang, Light Senior Scholar at St Catherine’s College, has as her thesis topic for a Master of Public Policy: “Can developing countries innovate across the global productivity divide?”

While those heading for Oxford tend to have a legal background others have used their Freemasons Scholarships to help gain qualifications as a stepping-stone to further their specialist careers.

In other fields, as covered elsewhere in this issue, Theatre Director, Eleanor Bishop, is making waves in New York with her ground breaking Feminist Theatre. Olivia Faull, whose story, along with those of James Bonifacio and Louis Chambers, featured in the March 2013 is-sue of New Zealand Freemason, is a Post Doctoral researcher in Neuroscience at Oxford where she is particularly interested in

brain adaptations in response to endur-ance exercise training.

Amongst those who have remained in New Zealand, sisters Rene and Lindi Engelbrecht have both used their schol-arships to advance their qualifications to enter the field of oil and gas engineering in Taranaki and Robyn Langlands who was co-founder of Kaibosh, a growing food rescue and redistribution charity.

While it has been an expectation that our recipients who travel overseas may eventually return to ‘give back’ to New Zealand, we should also recog-nise that some of them will attain even greater heights to the benefit of mankind through their continuing international achievements.

The value of these scholarships, worth up to $250,000 per annum occasionally leads to the question. “How and why do we do it”? Supporting education through Scholarships, University Fellowships and funding of Research Chairs has been made possible by the cumulative con-tributions from Freemasons throughout NZ and the wise investment of these funds over many years.

The educational support given by The Freemasons Charity in no way dimin-ishes the efforts directed towards relief and suffering. While we can tell heart-warming stories about the people we have supported there are also many we have assisted who, for various reasons, we cannot seek to publicise. But, when we have good news, such as the achieve-ments of those we have helped along the way, we should not hold back in dem-onstrating their positive and worldwide achievements.

The Freemasons of New Zealand can take pride in the part that their Charity, through the Freemasons University Scholarships, has played in launching many illustrious careers. Our reward is measured in the success of our selected scholars through their contributions in many fields both in New Zealand and throughout the wider world.

Doing good across the worldCelebrating the successes of Freemasons University Scholars

Prize Fellow, Max Harris, at All Souls Oxford.

32 www.freemasonsnz.org/charity

The generosity of brethren from throughout New Zealand resulted in the 125th Anniversary appeal to provide 125 Daisy Players being oversubscribed. With a top up from The Freemasons Charity the Grand Master, MWBro John Litton, was able to make a presentation to representatives of the Blind Foundation during a break in the meeting of The Board of General Purposes on 14 June.

Being able to access information is the key to participating in society, yet less than 5% of printed material is available to New Zealanders who are blind or have low vision. For over 40 years the Blind Foundation has proudly provided these

people with access to professionally nar-rated books, newspapers and magazines.

The library has a very thorough system for selection of books. Firstly it seeks suggestions from its users, staff and booksellers and by regular monitoring

of the latest book releases. Once purchased the books need to be processed, which includes cata-loguing, post production and ad-vertising. Cataloguing is essential to enable users to easily search for titles. They must then be uploaded onto the Foundation’s server so that they can be burnt onto a CD on demand ready to be sent to users. Some 31,000 requests for book titles are requested each

month and, for copyright reasons, disks must be returned and destroyed before a new one can be issued.

The Blind Foundation proposes to use the additional funding to comple-ment the Freemasons Daisy Players with a ‘Library shelf ’ of books comprising 33 new titles, some recorded in New Zealand and some imported.

Funding a ‘library shelf’ A further $50,000 to enhance the Daisy Player project

The Grand Master makes a presentation to Alison Wheatley, Blind Foundation Executive Director Supporter Marketing & Fundraising, watched on by Lyn Thomas, Head of Supporter Relationships and Sheila Hicking, Charity Administrator.

A shelf of books waiting to be recorded.

Lodge members and MS Society personnel at the handover of funds.Southland Express

Bowling alongThe Southland Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS) was the recipient of $3,800 in funds raised by Mokoreta Lodge no.63, located in Wyndham, Southland, matched by a 1:1 subsidy from The Freemasons Charity. The Lodge raised its share by its annual Southland/Otago bowls

tournament, which attracted bowlers from as far away as Mosgiel, Tapanui and Lumsden. Now into its 32nd year, Mokoreta Lodge’s annual tournament is a huge community effort, raising funds for a selected charity. The MS Society said that the donated funds would be going towards providing welfare to as-sist clients with ongoing costs such as transport.

Ava’s trikeCompetitive cyclists are usually portrayed riding on two wheels. Adding a third wheel has allowed Hamilton’s Ava Meehan to compete in the NZ Junior Disability Games. At the age of 2 Ava contracted Steph A, consequently loos-ing losing the use of both

legs and her right hand. Not letting misfortune stop her, in Ava’s first competition last year at Cambridge’s new velodrome she man-aged to complete a huge 19 laps and, according to her father, finish with a smile.

This success has seen her back compet-ing in this year’s event.

The $4,000 initial funding was raised by the joint effort of Lodges, Sir Walter Scott No.15, Otahuhu No. 387, Whitianga No. 433 and Coromandel No.17. This was topped up to the $5,000 needed by The Freemasons Charity.

Ava, supported by her brother, Hamish, ready for action at the velodrome.

33www.freemasonsnz.org/charity

Exploring sensitive issues on the international stageFreemasons Scholar Eleanor Bishop uses theatre to raise awareness

An entry in the 2008 Freemasons University Scholarship programme began with the words. As a famous playwright said, “all the world’s a stage” – and the world of stage, or more accurately, Theatre Studies, as a means of getting to the core of disturbing contemporary issues, is the one that Eleanor Bishop has successfully made out as her international career.”

Reflecting on her Freemasons Univer-sity Scholarship Eleanor comments.

“I walked into my Freemasons interview, sat down and said, “I want to make feminist theatre”. “Not only did they listen and understand, they supported me. That money kept me going during my last year of university and when I graduated and began the hard task of being an artist and an activist. More than the money though was the fact that this prestigious and socially engaged institu-tion supported me in my dream to make challenging, provocative and important

art work that opens up conversation around some of the most difficult topics of our time – violence against women.”

From Lower Hutt, Eleanor attended Chilton St James School and Wellington Girls College before going on to Victoria University where she got her start in theatre. During her undergraduate stud-ies at in 2006 she took the initiative to apply for an academic exchange at the Royal Holloway College in London, embracing the opportunities available at this prestigious institution.

At the time of receiving her 2008 Freemasons Scholarship, Eleanor said that it was her ambition to study interna-tionally for her Masters and Doctorate degrees in order to round out her education in this rela-tively new field of study. Following this she wanted to teach, direct, research and write, including in the field of community theatre and social change. She graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Theatre and a Commerce degree in Marketing.

Eleanor spent 2009 making theatre, work-ing as a producer and director. She ran the Wellington Producers Room, a creative space for theatre practitioners at Wellington Arts Centre as well as tutoring Theatre and Arts Marketing at Victoria University. In the same year she was named “Most Promising New Director of the Year”

at the Chapman Trip Theatre Awards. The award was for the production of Eli Kent’s The Intricate Art of Actually Caring, which was initially staged in Eli’s bedroom at the New Zealand Fringe Festival. It had subsequent seasons at Wellington’s Downstage Theatre, the Christchurch Arts Festival and toured nationally.

Later, Eleanor was the co-director of theatre company The PlayGround Collective, which made original New Zealand work that encompassed site-specific, new writing and participatory forms that toured arts festivals and ven-ues nationally.

American experimentalism

Eleanor is currently in her final year studying for her Master of Fine Arts in Directing at Carnegie Mellon Univer-sity’s School of Drama in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania as a John Wells Fellow. The School produces innovators, practition-ers and industry leaders in the arts and entertainment professions who indelibly impact how people experience the world at large. The Directing Fellows are en-couraged to think critically and adven-turously about their work in a generative environment. The program admits two highly motivated directors as John Wells Fellows each year who demonstrate the ability and drive to articulate their own vision for theatre and contemporary performance. Directing skills are honed in workshops and performances, as well as through theory, history, and studio classes.

Eleanor’s thesis production of Antony and Cleopatra was a big success. The Tartan review described it thus: “Last weekend the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama staged a gripping re-imagining of the ancient tale of the powerful Roman Eleanor Bishop on location in New York.


general and enchanting Egyptian queen’s doomed love affair and placed it firmly within the racial tensions of present-day America”.

Of her first year at Carnegie Mellon, Eleanor wrote in her blog. “I said re-cently that when I left New Zealand I was looking for a different kind of work to be inspired by. In terms of original work, New Zealand is really good at devised physical based theatre, and the way Maori and Pacifica artists are fusing traditional art forms with Western thea-tre making continues to fascinating. But, neither of these is really for me. I would say that the best thing about coming to Carnegie Mellon has been really digging down into American experimentalism – it’s legacy and where it is currently. The American avant garde feels like a really sweet home right now.”

“Leaving New Zealand was also me committing deeply to attempting to make the work I truly wanted to achieve, and that really is feminist work. It feels funny that there was a time when that wasn’t as glaringly obvious to me as it is now. But, there was a lot of fear there and I don’t know why. Sometimes it can be hard in New Zealand to put your foot in the ground as a young artist and say ‘yeah that’s what I stand for’, especially if there aren’t a lot of people doing it around you. But, no one is ever going to give you permission to make your art.”

New Zealand is Really Really Far Away

Despite her absorption into American culture Eleanor has not abandoned her New Zealand roots as exemplified in her January 2014 production of New Zealand is Really Really Far Away, which was an ironic and earnest attempt to introduce international audiences to New Zealand’s history, culture and heritage. It is told through song, puppetry and story by a duo of expat Kiwis confused by their own national identity and longing for home. An installation accompa-nied the show where many of the audience shared the memories of their home.

Exploring the difficult social issues

Eleanor’s recent produc-tion of Steuben ville is a participatory theatrical event reflecting on the culture of violence in our communities. It was performed in New York in January as part of the prestigious Special Effects Festival. It has now been made available for touring to colleges and communities.

Earlier this year American Theater magazine ran an article on ‘Fourteen Theatrical Plays to Change the World’. One of these was Steubenvile, which is based on a campus violence case that had been widely posted on social media. The article said. “The case has a particular resonance with young people, which is why Eleanor Bishop is tackling its legacy with a group of undergradu-ates at Carnegie Mellon University. A directing student in CMU’s school of drama, she’s working with them to cre-ate Steubenville, a documentary theatre piece that combines trial transcripts and social media postings from the crime with the artists’ own observations about being young women in America.”

Discussing the show Eleanor says, “I’m very excited that it’s being made on a college campus, given that violent as-saults on American college campuses is now becoming such an important issue. These young people, the actors are 20, and they’re hungry to make work about

their own experiences and how they navigate their relationships.”

This is not the first time Eleanor has used devised theatre to address a social problem. Before enrolling at CMU, she created a piece in her native New Zealand that confronted the country’s binge-drinking epidemic among students. That show, Like There’s No Tomorrow, is tour-ing New Zealand this year.

Eleanor has observed that the issues portrayed in Steubenville bear similari-ties to recorded cases in New Zealand. She says that both genders need to en-gage in the conversation about violence against women. “I really want men to join in that discussion as well, because those very destructive ideas of mascu-linity and femininity harm everyone, including men.”

Not yet the final act

This is not the last we will hear of Eleanor Bishop. She has become a force to be reckoned with in her theatrical portrayals of social issues that cannot

be swept under the carpet. The Freemasons of New Zealand can take pride it the part that their Charity, through the Freemasons University Scholarships, has played in launching this illustrious career which, using the vehicle of theatre, has presented a concern for social issues on the interna-tional stage. The support given at her first interview has borne fruit.

WBro Morris Robertson QSM

Photos: Jordan Harrison, Louis Stein.

New Zealand is Really Really Far Away.

Steubenville.


Thomas Vosper Northern Division

Thomas attended Hamilton Boys High School, and achieved NCEA Level 3 Endorsed with Merit. He is now attend-ing Waikato University, is enrolled in Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) and is looking at completing some Commerce papers to compliment his engineering skills. Thomas hopes to gain employ-ment in an agriculture industry when his degree is completed.

Thomas is actively involved in the community – having partici-pated in a native gully restoration programme – planting native

trees to encourage bird life back into the inner city. He was also part of another tree planting project in Kennedy Bay, Coromandel area trying to curtail the spread of the Ross River virus through-out swamp lands.

He co-coached a Primary School Year 5/6 Hockey Team.

His care for others in the community is shown by regularly driving an elderly neighbour to visit his wife who was re-cently placed into a rest home and mow-ing lawns for elderly friends when they are recovering from surgery.

Thomas has an active sports life which includes; having played soccer for Marist since he was four years old. He played Cricket at Intermediate and High School, was in the 1st XI at Hamilton Boys High School and the U18 Men’s Team for Waikato. He has achieved a Brown Belt in Karate as well as mentoring a young boy who had been looking at giving up.

Charlotte Reay Central Division

Charlotte is an 18 year old student from Havelock North, Hawkes Bay who is now attending Otago University.

Charlotte’s connections with Freemasonry go back many years with her mother’s Great Grandfather and Grandfather being Freemasons with over 50 and 46 years respectively in the UK. Her Paternal Grandfather Bro Robert Reay has given over 50 years to Freemasonry in New Zealand and is currently a member of Orewa Lodge No 370 and a Past First Principal of Hibiscus Royal Arch Chapter No 107. Her Dad Bro Bruce Reay is a Freemason too!

Charlotte was awarded a Principal Academic award in years 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 and achieved NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 with excellence.

She topped her classes in most subjects and was top in her Schools Business Department at Havelock North High School.

Charlotte has been awarded her Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards. She has been helping with Brownies and Girl Guides and is on the Hastings District Youth Council. She volunteered for three years at the ‘Save the Children’ shop in Havelock North. She has tutored others needing assistance and coached a neighbouring school’s Netball team as well as updating the School Netball website.

Charlotte had this to say… “I would like to sincerely thank you for choosing me to be one of the recipients of the 2016 Heartland Bank Freemasons Scholarship.

Regrettably I am unable to formally receive the scholarship due to having recently ar-rived in Dunedin and moving into Selwyn College to commence my studies. I am extremely grateful for the generous schol-arship; it will go a long way in helping me to complete my first year Health Sciences Degree at the University of Otago”.

Katherine Williams Southern Division

Katherine was educated at Marlborough Girls College, achieved NCEA Level 3 with Merit and she is now enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing in Nelson. Katherine hopes to gain employment within a hos-pital environment, possibly in the area of Accident & Emergency.

Her Grandfather is WBro Tony Williams who is a Past Master of Lodge Awatere No 292 and also a member of The Havelock Lodge No 104 in the Marlborough area.

Katherine is very com mu ni ty minded, being in-volved in Surf Life Saving at Rarangi in Blenheim in-cluding National Championships and assists with the Nippers (younger members) as well as fundraising for the club. She partakes in voluntary activities around Blenheim, for instance, marshal-ling duties at the Wine and Food Festival. Katherine has attended St Mary’s Church Youth Group since Primary School and helps with fundraising there also.

While attending Marlborough Girls College, Katherine played both basket-ball and netball.

Katherine received her Scholarship at the Southern Division Conference held in Queenstown earlier this year.

The Heartland Bank Freemasons Scholarships are provided annually by Heartland Bank under the auspices of Freemasons New Zealand and are administered by The Freemasons Charity. These scholarships are to assist children and grandchildren of Freemasons, who are able students, and are active in their communities. Three $6,000 scholarships are presented, one per Division. Presentations are usually made at each of the Divisional Conferences.


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Sold on the men’s shed and a sunny apartment

John Beauchamp and his pride and joy, in the Woburn Apartments’ men’s shed

“I did three years as an ordinary seaman, but I soon learned that the officers had smarter uniforms and attracted the better looking girls,” he recalls.

Thus began a journey up through the ranks of the British and New Zealand navies, ending with Beauchamp’s retirement 23 years ago at the age of 60 as Lieutenant Commander. And yes, along the way he did manage to attract a beautiful bride, Kathleen.

Throughout his career, Beauchamp had an engineering bent. His hobbies were model engineering and wood turning.

“In the early days, the ships had reciprocating steam engines so, although I was the Captain, in quiet times I would invite the chief engineer up to the bridge and I could go down and watch the fascinating machinery in the engine room.”

Retirement has enabled Beauchamp to devote more time to his hobbies, including model steam engines. This in turn led him to build a scale model of an 18-foot classic steam boat.

“First I made the model from scale plans bought from the UK, then I scaled it up and made a full-sized one, manufacturing everything except for the pressure gauges. It was amazing, there was no difference in the two boats, apart from the scale.”

When you’ve built a real steam boat, what do you do?

If you’re like Beauchamp, you encourage others to do the same. Then, you get together with those others and set up the classic and vintage boat show, now held in early March each year at Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park.

Those first 21 years of retirement were spent in Christchurch, where Kathleen had family links. But following her death in 2015 there was

Going to sea has taught many young men the ways of the world. So it was for John Beauchamp, when he enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Navy, serving on the last of the great British battleships, the HMS Vanguard when training in England.

little to hold Beauchamp in the Garden City.

“During my career we had spent several years in the Capital where our children went to secondary school. With two of them now living there, it was a no brainer to come back to Wellington and to live independently in a community where I am close to them and have the opportunity to make contact with people who are at the same stage of life as me,” he says.

“I looked at the retirement communities on offer. But it was the men’s shed that sold me on Woburn Apartments. That – the boutique scale of the development – and my north-facing apartment with all-day sun.”

It’s thanks to Beauchamp that the men’s shed is very well equipped. About 90% of the gear is his, with the Apartments providing a drill press and small tools as required.

“Personally it is great to be able to assist other residents with the maintenance of their personal possessions. Also, I can make the minor repairs or do the refurbishment needed to turn spare furniture into a saleable item for the Red Cross,” he says.

As for the model boat that’s currently the centrepiece in the men’s shed, Beauchamp says he’ll get it going again now he’s settled into his apartment. The boiler needs some repairs and then independent testing and certification before it can be used in public.

As for building another full-sized boat … no, that’s not on the cards, though a model steam engine might be. That leaves one

THE MASONIC VILLAGES

39

The Masonic Villages TrustHead office: 63 Wai-iti Crescent l Woburn l Lower Hutt 5010New Zealand l Tel +64 4 569 8512 l [email protected]

Very tight government funding of aged care means that even the most efficient rest homes and hospitals struggle to fund the equipment they need.Fortunately, The Masonic Villages Trust is joined at the hip with Lodges in the southern North Island – a relationship that benefits the Trust’s care residents and the staff that look after them.

Masonic Court in Palmerston North is the latest recipient of donated equipment, with the grateful thanks of manager Barbara Mouat.

“I don’t like to overdo the requests for help,” she says, “but we had an urgent need for a modern electric floor scrubber and an alternating air mattress for one of our residents who is particularly prone to pressure sores.”

The person she called was Wally Plank, secretary/treasurer of the Ruapehu Manawatu Masonic Almoners Association and a board member of the Trust.

He coordinated donations from the Freemasons of the Ruapehu district and obtained matching funding from The Freemasons Charity. A total of around $5,500 for the two items.

Plank says this sort of equipment doesn’t have immediate donor appeal, but it is vital for a modern aged care hospital.

“The RotoWash floor scrubber is so efficient and easy to use on all floor surfaces. Formerly spills were dealt with manually. The Rotowash does a better job and if you are not satisfied with the result, you can simply go back and take another pass,” he says.

Mouat says the alternating air mattress is a top of the range model that is proving to be invaluable for improving the skin integrity of a resident.

“The mattress is made from a grid of cells that cyclically inflate and deflate in an alternating pattern, providing regular periods of pressure relief and the stimulation of blood flow to all skin areas. This in turn ensures the tissues are

provided with oxygen and metabolic waste products are removed – an optimum healing environment.”

The Almoners Association was set up some 60 years ago, with funding mainly from donations from Lodges in a district stretching from Taihape to Wanganui, down to Foxton and across to Palmerston North. Further funds were later added when a Lodge closed in Wanganui.

”We support a number of worthy causes, but the Trust is always a priority because of the role of Freemasons in setting it up. The directors of the Trust board are largely drawn from the craft and of course, caring for the aged is part of what we are all about,” Plank says.

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 two charitable operating companies, Masonic Care Ltd and Masonic Villages Ltd, have earned an enviable reputation for great care and great communities. TRUST

unanswered question: Is a railway engineer’s uniform as attractive to the pretty girls as a naval officer’s uniform?

John Beauchamp may be about to find out.

Footnote: John is distantly related to Katherine Mansfield (nee Beauchamp), but claims he has not inherited any of her literary talent!

Practical help from the Ruapehu Manawatu Masonic Almoners Association is greatly appreciated

Ruapehu Almoners to the rescue

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R EComp Brian White PGSupt, of the Hauraki District, has been

nominated as First Grand Principal for 2017-2019. An election for the role will be held at an upcoming Convocation of Grand Chapter in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Brian is a Past Master of Lodge Te Kauwhata No 364, but is now a member (and Junior Deacon) of Lodge Taupiri No 118, which he joined when Te Kauwhata closed.

In the Royal Arch he is a member of Te Marama Chapter No 54 and served four terms as its First Principal. In Grand Chapter he was appointed a Grand Standard Bearer in 1994, Grand Director of Ceremonies in 2001 and served as Grand Superintendent of the District 2013-2016. He is also a member of Waikato Cryptic Council No 22. His Masonic interests include several other Orders, notably the Order of the Secret

Monitor, in which he is currently the Deputy Grand Supreme Ruler, and the Rose Croix, of which he is Lieutenant Grand Commander.

Brian grew up on his parents’ dairy farm and has spent most of his working life as a dairy farmer. His son Brendan and wife Stacey are now running their farms and Brian helps out when needed. Brian and partner Chris Parkinson have five children between them and 13 grandchildren, aged from 21 down to two.

Brian is a Justice of the Peace and over the years has been active in a number of local community and sporting organisations. Since 1998 he has been a member of the Te Kauwhata Volunteer Fire Brigade and is also its education officer.

Next GZ selected

The Grand Superintendent of the Ruapehu-Taranaki Royal Arch District, REComp Roger Gregory, had a pleas-ant duty to perform on a recent trip to Scotland: he made a special presentation to Lodge Livingstone St Andrew No 573 and its partner Chapter of the same name and number. The Lodge and Chapter meet at Motherwell, near Glasgow.

“It was a great pleasure to present to the Worshipful Master, RWBro Gordon McAlpine, and the First Principal, VEComp Gavin McNab, some Lodge and Chapter aprons and certificates of a former member of both bodies, WBro and VEComp James McAdam. The regalia and certificates date back 125 years. I took them over on behalf of Mrs Elsie Stenner, granddaughter of James

McAdam, and also the widow of WBro Fred Stenner of Lodge Ohura. She is now a member of the widows’ list of the Taranaki Daylight Lodge of which I am currently Master.

“The aprons were in a very fragile condi-tion, but the members have promised to get them restored as well as possible. The certifi-cates, which included several issued by other Orders, were in very good condition. The members of the Lodge and Chapter were very pleased to receive them as a rare piece of

history, and in due course they will send me a photo of the restored aprons which I can pass on to Mrs Stenner,” he said.

Good one Roger!

Roger Gregory making the presentation to First Principal Gavin McNab and Worshipful Master Gordon McAlpine.

A pleasant duty

Brian and Chris.

42

I t’s not that unusual to see father and son in a Chapter, but father and

daughter?Well, it can happen in some circum-

stances, and it did before the regular meeting of Maori Royal Arch Chapter No 28 in Dunedin in April.

Jessica Todd, daughter of First Principal Richard Todd, received a cer-tificate and cheque from Grand Chapter

marking her successful application this year to the Jubilee Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Making the presentation, REComp Michael Robertson, the Grand Superintendent of the Otago District, noted her academic achievements to date and wished her success in her future studies.

I n a first for Royal Arch Freemasonry in New Zealand, a significant invest-

ment in equipping future leaders within the Order has been made through a two-day residential programme for emerging leaders to be held in Wellington in late July.

Twelve candidates drawn from all three Divisions who have expressed their interest in and long-term commit-ment to Royal Arch Freemasonry are to undertake the course, which will be fa-cilitated by a Wellington-based company experienced in training leaders.

The aim of the project is to identify, equip, support and promote those who, in the next 10 years and beyond, will be leaders in the Royal Arch and elsewhere – the skills acquired will not only assist the Royal Arch, but will also be an in-vestment in their personal development and applicable in the Craft and other en-vironments, reflecting the aims and goals for the Order outlined by First Grand Principal Geoff Davies in his March 2015 Inaugural Address.

In its strategic direction and planning, Grand Chapter’s Management Council

(the equivalent of the Board of General Purposes) seeks to accurately reflect the needs and wants of membership, provide open and clear channels of communica-tion, and adapt to our evolving social environment, whilst maintaining a clear direction for the Order.

Not only will the students be better equipped to assist with these aims, but by undertaking the programme will also provide relevant input in Grand Chapter’s long-term planning.

REComp Michael Robertson and Jessica Todd after the presentation, with Jessica’s father, VEComp Richard Todd looking on from the East.

An investment for the future

All in the family

All Royal Arch Freemasons were deeply saddened to hear of the death on June 21 of MEComp Barry McLaggan PGZ, who was the first GZ in many decades who also served as Grand Master of the Craft. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Jill and family, including son Jim who is currently District Grand Master of the Waikato District in the Craft and a PGDC in the Royal Arch. He will be very much missed.

Grand Convocation, Auckland. MEComp Barry McLaggan is second from the right.

43

I t has happened many times – a new mason stops coming to Lodge within

a year or two after completing his third degree. Investigation reveals one reason often given is that the newer Freemason started to feel ‘left out’ soon after completing his third degree. Up until then members spoke to him in Lodge before a ceremony and afterwards at the Refectory, encouraged him, welcomed him in, but after his third he was left alone. No-one was looking after him during Lodge meetings and explaining what was happening, no-one asked him to sit next to them at refectory, no-one was caring for him between Lodge meet-ings or answering his questions. He was left on his own, he started to lose interest and he stopped attending. There is an old saying “People will automatically stop trying if they feel unwanted – they won’t fix it, or beg, they will just walk away”.

You may say that the Proposer and/or Seconder should have a duty of care, and in most cases they do, up to the third degree. When the new mason is hav-ing a good experience he stays with the Lodge. The Freemasons who leave are the ones who feel ‘left out’ because Lodge members just get on with their masonry, deliver all their usual Charges in the ceremonies and have their own pals to talk to at refectory. So, how do we get Proposers/Seconders to take responsibil-ity for their new Brother past the third degree?

What if a proposer is not good at looking after his new Freemason, should we ask someone else in the Lodge to take over and become a true Masonic Brother

and mentor the new person? Is this a responsibility that we should all share because we are supposed to be a Fraternity, a Brotherhood? Does this responsibility in-clude a bit of education for the newer mason? To quote a Past Grand Master from another Constitution when he was speaking on this, “The lack of educational work in the average lodge is the principal reason for the lack of interest and the consequent poor attendance

in Freemasonry…” He also said that, “The ritual does not make Freemasons. It only makes members” and that we tend to leave our newest Brethren “hanging at the end of the 3rd Degree, having heard a lot of words and really not knowing what they mean. Until the Degrees are explained to the candidate he has no idea of what he has gone through. To suggest that the explanation is complete with the lectures (and Tracing Boards) of each Degree is again burying our head in Masonic sand.”

So, a question comes to mind, how could a Lodge do this on a regular basis?

One idea that has worked well in some parts of New Zealand is to perform a ceremony one month and follow it next month with an explanation given by three or four of the Lodge members. They have to take responsibility for researching the meaning of each Charge and prepare an explanation to share in open Lodge next month. This works well for any Lodge that does not have a full programme of Candidates throughout the year. Even for Lodges with plenty of work on their books it is a good idea to take your time and explain to each and every Candidate the meaning of the words and phrases used in every Charge (including the Working Tools and the Tracing Boards) in each ceremony. Candidates report that Freemasonry makes more sense to them, helps them understand, gets them started in taking an interest in the ritual and Freemasonry generally. By the way, other masons also appreciate it.

Should our responsibilities include educating/coaching members (newer and older) in what is required to perform the Lodge offices. A Deacon, for exam-ple, needs to be coached and instructed in how to guide a candidate round the Lodge, how to square the Lodge (if that is

done in your Lodge), how to report to a Warden, take the step, give the salute (we could all probably do with a refresher lesson here). This has to be done with caution and kindness. I have heard of a few masons who have left their Lodge because of an abrasive DC or Preceptor. So, maybe we have a responsibility to educate our DC in man-management skills – this is a tough one as many ma-sons live in fear of the DC who has held that Office year after year and no-one has the courage to ask him to shift over and let someone else have the opportunity. Maybe it’s the DC who needs the educa-tion because he is letting things slip and allowing errors to creep in which if not corrected soon become the way to do things (because no-one wants to correct the DC) and become “Lodge custom”.

The Master of the Lodge has a re-sponsibility to run each Lodge evening effectively, to chair committee meetings with firmness and brotherly love, and to represent his Lodge at outside activities such as the funeral of a Brother. Should he have a responsibility to seek training to become better at all of these? Could the Education Pillar bear responsibility for providing that training and help? What of the members of the Lodge – what are their responsibilities? Or is it acceptable to leave it to someone else? We are a fraternity, the term comes from the word frater meaning Brother. Brothers within a family do not always see eye-to-eye and sometimes fall out with each other, but the old saying that blood is thicker than water applies equally to Freemasons as it does to family brothers. Do we have a responsibility to each other? Should we be our brother’s keeper to the length of our own cable-tow?

So, an important question is “What are our own responsibilities to our Lodge brethren, to masons in other Lodges, to Freemasonry”? It has to be more than achieving a good standard at ritual. How does your Lodge look out for all its mem-bers? Please write to the editor or myself and give us your good practices which we can then share with every Lodge and Freemason in New Zealand so we can keep our new recruits.

George Allan Education Pillar

Our responsibilities as Freemasons


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The Hokianga Lodge No 691891–2016

125 Year CelebrationSaturday 29 October 2016

Copthorne Hotel & Resort Hokianga332 SH 12 Omapere

Commencing with Social hour at 11.30 am (cash bar)

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limited to 100

RSVP by 20 September 2016 to

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Phone 094057801

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O n the 12th April 2016, Brethren started to arrive at The Alpha

Lodge No 81 at 6.30 pm which was a little unusual as we normally tyle at 7.30 pm with the first of our members com-ing in from around 7 pm, but this was just the first of the 62 Brethren filing into the Lodge for what was expected to be a really great evening and the anticipation of being part of something very special had brought the members and visitors out to The Alpha Lodge on a cold and rainy night.

So what was all this anticipation about, because to all appearance it was to be a Lodge night with a First Degree Tracing Board, a short lecture, and a presentation to one of The Alpha Lodge members?

If you had read this programme on a normal Lodge Summons, what are the chances that on a cold miserable and rainy night you might have said, I will give this one a miss, and if you did make the decision to stay at home, you have just missed out on one of the best Masonic nights of the year.

We have to put the evening into perspective, because it was “not” just a normal First Degree Tracing Board, or a Short Lecture or just a Presentation, as it involved the appearance of seven Alpha Lodge Entered Apprentice Freemasons, at the same time which I believe has never been seen before in The Alpha Lodge, or probably in any Lodge before for many, many years, if ever. The lecture to the Apprentice Freemasons was to be presented by MWBro Barry McLaggan PGM and the presentation of a Fifty Year

Service Badge to WBro Bill Patton of the The Alpha Lodge.

The Seven Brethren, under the very able control of Bro Alan Read, Junior Deacon, were then guided

to the East to salute the Worshipful Master, who then invited MWBro Barry McLaggan PGM and VWBro Jim McLaggan DistGM to meet and greet the seven Entered Apprentices. Another first for The Alpha Lodge was having a Past Grand Master and a District Grand Master, who are not only Father and Son, but were both taking an active part in the evening’s ceremony.

After the Brethren had been presented to our distinguished guests, the Junior Deacon guided them to the North West corner of the Lodge where they were received by W. Bro Denis Whitfield who skillfully proceeded to inform the Brethren as to the meaning and story of the First Degree Tracing Board which included a full perambulation of the Pavement and all the items thereon.

After the explanation of the First Degree Tracing Board they were then addressed by MWBro Barry McLaggan PGM and needless to say, it wasn’t long before MWBro McLaggan had all the Brethren in the lodge in the palm of as his hand as, looking around the Lodge room all you could see were happy smil-ing faces eagerly awaiting what was to come.

MWBro McLaggan in his inimitable way, then proceeded to explain to the Entered Apprentices that prior to arriv-ing at the lodge this evening the topic

for his Lecture was going to be – The 20 things he hated most about Freemasonry. Then explained that after seeing all the newly made Freemasons sitting eagerly awaiting his talk, there was no way he could deliver a lecture with any negative sentiments. But with a wry smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, Barry still blamed the Entered Apprentices for making him change the Topic of his Lecture at such short notice.

A special moment for the Entered Apprentices occurred when M.W. Bro. McLaggan addressed each of them indi-vidually with the Question – “And why did you join Freemasonry my Brother?” Of the seven replies there were only two who stated the same reason, which just goes to show that there are many and varied reasons why good men and true, are still joining our great organisation today.

Just when we thought that MWBro McLaggan had finished, for at the onset he had informed the Master that his talk was going to be a short one, he once again surprised the Brethren and espe-cially the seven Entered Apprentices by presenting each of them with a Masonic Tie as a memento of this historic night for The Alpha Lodge, which I know they will never forget.

I didn’t check with the other Brethren in the Lodge, but I bet they were wish-ing they could have received a tie from the former leader of the Craft in New Zealand. (I know I did).

One of the visiting Lodges had brought along their own Entered Apprentice and MWBro McLaggan without any delay, sought him out and involved him in the evening’s proceedings and also presented him with a Masonic Tie.

Part of MWBro McLaggan’s lecture was to show the Entered Apprentices his Apron, which he explained was the apron of the highest rank in New Zealand, but then he asked the Brethren to look closely at the centre of the apron which was white, the same colour as the ones that they as Entered Apprentices, were wearing.

Now to the observant reader we have also stated that there was to be a presentation to one of our members,

Seven Entered Apprentices A Night to Remember


Our Newest Freemasons Naveet Kumar Manukau-Westmere Lodge No. 24 Lucas Creary The Saint Andrews Lodge No. 32 Russell Brents The Lincoln Lodge No. 33 Lawrence Uy JR The Concord Lodge No. 39 Isagani Jnr Juyad The Concord Lodge No. 39 Freddie Alipio The Concord Lodge No. 39 Jerald Ybanez The Concord Lodge No. 39 Jay Payot The Concord Lodge No. 39 Bernardo Campilan The Concord Lodge No. 39 Joven Pablo The Concord Lodge No. 39 Rodger Finlay The Phoenix Lodge No. 43 Colin Wood The Te Aroha Lodge No. 52 James Moffatt The Ponsonby Lodge No. 54 Samuel Martin The Ponsonby Lodge No. 54 Leon Dalziel The Advance Mawhera Lodge No. 61 James Moodie The Fortitude Lodge No. 64 Clayton Locke The Rawhiti Lodge No. 66 Jake Thomas The Alpha Lodge No. 81 Bryce Davidson The Alpha Lodge No. 81 Arie Lute The Alpha Lodge No. 81 Nigel Blair The MacKenzie Lodge No. 93 George Beveridge Lodge Whangarei No. 102 Bevan Kenny Marlborough Lodge of Unanimity No. 106 Simon Manukonga Lodge Waihi No. 112 Brett Clarke Thistle Lodge No. 113 James Barras Motueka Bays Lodge No. 117 Cameron Polmear The Wallace Lodge No. 129 Marcelo Briones Jnr Te Awahou Lodge No. 133 David Peeters The Crown Lodge No. 138 Darrin Dey The Crown Lodge No. 138 Knox Henderson III Hikurangi Lodge No. 140 Sherwin Subli Golden Bay Lodge No. 144 Kane Smith Lodge Tawhiri No. 166 Hu Zhang Lodge Waitakerei No. 170 Duncan Tanner Lodge Ahurewa No. 181 Franz Cabahug Lodge Clinton No. 183

Alex Catequista Lodge Clinton No. 183 Warren Tolentino-Fowlie The Avon Shirley Lodge No. 185 Kayol Robinson-Douglas Lodge Te Marama No. 186 Ronald Carbonel Lodge Waihopai No. 189 Romeo Beltejar Lodge Waihopai No. 189 Enrique Arcelo Lodge Waihopai No. 189 Charles Caballero Lodge Erewhon No. 200 Ricci Robbins-Ambrose Lodge Tawera-O-Kapiti No. 253 Steven Jory Lodge Parahaki No. 269 Emmanuel Daud Bayonas Unity Lodge No. 271 Jerico Tolentino Unity Lodge No. 271 Mark Clark Lodge Haeata No. 272 Philip Ryan Lodge Wanaka No. 277 Alistair Kennard Lodge Nelson No. 288 Phillip Young Lodge Nelson No. 288 Jim Kennard Lodge Nelson No. 288 Craig Nelson Lodge Kororareka No. 304 Jan Joubert Lodge Howick No. 314 Jamie Vujcich Lodge Howick No. 314 Michael Boneham The Lodge of Peace No. 322 Brian Bueno Harmony Lodge No. 325 Kristianne Banan Harmony Lodge No. 325 Elmer Guevarra Harmony Lodge No. 325 Nader Luthera The Mangere Lodge No. 330 Jeremy Newell Lodge Hillcrest No. 363 Sam Burke Lodge Waiheke No. 367 Samuel Couch Lodge Orewa No. 370 Glen Ellicott Lodge Orewa No. 370 Murray Otway Lodge Takahe No. 397 Robert Kingman Lodge Kerikeri No. 402 Graham Slee Lodge Kaimanawa No. 426 David Barnes Lodge Homewood No. 447 Francisco Sherriff Lodge Idris No. 452 Mark Emnace Lodge United Taranaki No. 456 John Hooper Lodge Aquarius No. 466 Ben Trethewey Lodge Discovery No. 501

February to April 2016

WBro Bill Patton, Bill is a very quietly spoken person and if the truth be known he would probably have just let things carry on without any fuss, but of course milestones like being a Freemason for 50 years should never be dismissed and forgotten.

MWBro McLaggan seamlessly went from his lecture to the Entered Apprentices, when he crossed the Lodge room and addressed WBro Bill Patton to congratulate him on achieving such a well deserved honour within the Freemasons fraternity and presented him with his Fifty Year Service Badge.

After offering his congratulations to WBro Bill Patton for achieving this great milestone, he then asked WBro Patton to describe to the assembled Brethren what life was like when he first joined Freemasonry and also what impact did being a Freemason have on a Farmers

family in those early days, especially with travel.

The topic quickly turned to the farm-ing and dairy industry which revealed some very interesting facts about our “quietly” spoken Brother, and added comments, from VWBro’s Warwick Roberts and Bob Monson gave the Brethren other interesting stories of Bill’s life throughout his early career, especially in the Dairy Industry.

MWBro McLaggan then called upon the Worshipful Master, WBro John Whitehead to present WBro Bill Patton with his Lapel Pin and then called upon VWBro Jim McLaggan to present a framed Certificate in recognition of Bill’s 50 years in Freemasonry.

When MWBro McLaggan finally saluted the Master to end his part in the evening’s proceedings, the smiles on the Lodge Brethrens faces were still there, and I am sure that the Brethren would

have been very happy to have seen him stay there all night.

To the Brethren of The Alpha Lodge No 81, Officers of Grand Lodge and Visitors, the Master would like to ex-press his gratitude for helping to make this special night for the seven Entered Apprentices, one that they and everyone present will never forget.

Brethren these are just some of the comments we received from the assem-bled Brethren at the end of the meeting.

� Mesmerizing wasn’t he. A true inspiration.

� One of the best, if not the best Lodge night I have ever been to.

� I have never seen so many smiling faces at a Lodge meeting.

� It makes you proud to be a Freemason.WBro David Wilson

Photos: Bro Kerry Blakeney-Williams


48

The Back PageMany small ways of assistingCentral Otago, like many other fruit growing areas in New Zealand, rely heav-ily on seasonal workers from Vanuatu for harvesting and other labour intensive activities on the orchards and vineyards. These employees are respected for their industrious work ethic, their demeanour towards supporting their people at home and are welcomed into the churches of

communities where they come to work.Following the cyclone which devas-

tated the islands a couple of years ago, a member of the ‘Craft’, after a local Sunday service, had a discussion with a small group from Vanuatu on how the cyclone had affected them at home. He was later approached to see if there was any change that he m ay know of a spare Bible lying around in the church that could be forwarded home to Vanuatu as their church had been destroyed and the bibles lost along with their church dur-ing the storm.

The Church couldn’t provide, but the local knew that his Lodge had three Bibles and that there were no records of how or when one of them came in the Lodges possession. The Lodge agreed to donate the Bible; it was suitably inscribed by the late WBro AG Hubbard, PGDC (who incidentally had been to the Island of Efate) and presented to Watson Talep, the shy person who made the request.

Since then gifts from Vanuatu have been received and recently photos of the damage done to Watson’s home and the repaired church the VSL in place.

Tomb with a ViewDesigned by our Grand Superintendent of Workings VWBro Graham Strez (Architect Associates) for an anony-mous future recipient at Waikumeke Cemetery.

The citation from the Institute of Architects’ Auckland Branch reads – Death awaits us all. So, for a man to engage an architect to think about how

he may lie in eternity, before death has knocked for him, is a tribute to the architect. Marble speaks volumes about the graveyard, while a mahogany ceiling floating on a narrow slit of light allows the spirit to come and go as it desires. This mausoleum is generous, considered and compositionally calm, just as we all expect death to be.

The Working Tools of an E-MasonI now present to you the working tools of an E-Mason;

They are the Mouse…

The Keyboard….

and the Modem.

The Mouse is to move within the desktop, the keyboard to input the data, and the modem to publish the data to cyberspace.

But as we are not, however, assembled as Computer Nerds, but rather Operative

or E-Masons, these tools are down-loaded as vehicles of moral signifi-cance and to show the meaning

of E-Masons, and thus we apply them….

The Mouse teaches us to keep within the bounds of the screen – a square wherein which we must all meet.

The Keyboard to show us that communi-cation will lead us to better understand-ing of each other and the rest of mankind.

And the Modem to teach us that even when we are alone on the most remote part of the globe, we may meet and gain moral sustenance from each other and thus learn more of the wonderful works of the GAOTU.

Anonymous, thanks to International Masonic Poetry Society

Cyclone damage to Church. After – reconstructed Church.

SERVICE AWARDS70 YEAR BADGE

VWBro Horace Kay Taylor PGDC RH Lodge Rotorua No. 153 WBro James Hamish Craig PM Lodge Orewa No. 370

60 YEAR BADGE WBro Robert Kenneth McCormack PM The Ara Lodge No. 1 Bro Eric Ashley Jack MM New Zealand Pacific No. 2 WBro Adam Falconer Love PM The Southern Cross Lodge No. 9 Bro Douglas Henry Richards MM Lodge Oamaru Kilwinning No. 82 Bro James George Sinclair MM Lodge Auckland Maungakiekie No. 87 VWBro Rodney Harries PG Lec Motueka Bays Lodge No. 117VWBro Maurice Bishop Evans P Asst Prov GM The Avon Shirley Lodge No. 185 WBro Desmond George Riley PM Lodge Doric Brighton No. 236 WBro Charles Samuel Johnstone PM RH Lodge Wanaka No. 277 WBro William Bruce McNaughton PM RH Lodge Manaia No. 286 WBro Harold Bert Hayward PM Lower Hutt Lodge No. 299 WBro Peter Charles Single PM RH Services Lodge of Hawkes Bay No. 313 WBro Roland Keith Duffin PM The Lodge of Peace No. 322 WBro Bryan Kevin Lawless PM Lodge Eckford No. 334 Bro Richard Ernest Harris-Daw MM The Wayfarers Lodge No. 389 WBro Trevor Hall Crane PGO The Gate Pa Lodge No. 407 Bro Leonard David Ullrich MM The Pakuranga Lodge No. 416 WBro James Brown PM Lodge Waikanae No. 433 WBro John Jamieson Leitch PM The Hawkes Bay Daytime Lodge No. 453 WBro Stephen David Hassan Hill PM Lodge Aquarius No. 466 RWBro Alan William Davies PGW The United Lodge of Wanganui No. 468

50 YEAR BADGE Bro Ashley James Cropper MM Lodge of Unanimity Sumner No. 3 Bro Ross Harry Seymour MM United Lodge of Masterton No. 19 Bro Richard Kenneth Sisam MM The Franklin Lodge No. 58 WBro William Frederick Patton PM The Alpha Lodge No. 81 WBro Maurice Andrew Roycroft PM Lodge Waihi No. 112 WBro Brian Roberts PM Lodge Rotorua No. 153 WBro Graham Stewart Reid PM Lodge North Harbour No. 182 WBro Mervyn Lang PM Lodge Whakatane No. 198 WBro Robert James Moore PM Lodge Erewhon No. 200 WBro Donald William John Brownlee PG Swd B Lodge Titirangi Mt Albert No. 204 WBro Brian Reginald Black PM Empire Fergusson Lodge No. 225 Bro William McCullough MM Taia-Raukawa Lodge No. 229 VWBro David Percival John Pretty PGDC Lodge Whangamomona No. 234 VWBro Bruce Youngman PGDC Lodge Awatere No. 292 VWBro Henry Edward Halliday P Dist GM Lodge Eckford No. 334 WBro Roger Grant Duncan PM Ngatiawa-Russell Lodge No. 345 WBro James Thomas Lupton PG Swd B Browns Bay Lodge No. 346 WBro Noel Francis Rankin PM The Milford Trinity Lodge No. 372 WBro Charles Barry Jones PM Lodge Mt Maunganui No. 376 WBro Cedric H Spearritt Lodge Otahuhu No 387 Bro John Robert Cross MM Lodge Takahe No. 397 Bro Raymond Keith Ferguson MM Lodge Albany No. 404 RWBro Alexander Heuchan Parr PGW Pegasus Daylight Lodge No. 450 WBro Peter James Forbes PM The United Lodge of Wanganui No. 468

February to April 2016


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nz freemason magazine issue 2 june 2016

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