nz freemason magazine issue 4 december 2010
DESCRIPTION
Freemasons New Zealand www.freemasonsnz.orgTRANSCRIPT
www.freemasons.co.nz
FREEMASONNEW ZEALAND
Issue 4, 2010 (Vol 38)
Selwyn CooperGrand Master 2010 – 2013
The National Bank of New Zealand, part of ANZ National Bank Limited.
BUT YOU MIGHT
WE DON’T MAKE ANYMONEY FROM OUR FREE
BUSINESSWORKSHOPS
At The National Bank we know that if our customers succeed, so do we.
That’s why we offer a range of free Business Workshops. Dealing with key issues
such as cashflow management, business planning or marketing your business,
they’ve helped many New Zealand businesses to grow and achieve their goals.
To find out more or register for a free Business Workshop visit your nearest
National Bank branch or visit www.businessresourcecentre.co.nz
NAT0033 Business Banking Freemasons A4.indd 1 13/09/10 3:11 PM
The National Bank of New Zealand, part of ANZ National Bank Limited.
BUT YOU MIGHT
WE DON’T MAKE ANYMONEY FROM OUR FREE
BUSINESSWORKSHOPS
At The National Bank we know that if our customers succeed, so do we.
That’s why we offer a range of free Business Workshops. Dealing with key issues
such as cashflow management, business planning or marketing your business,
they’ve helped many New Zealand businesses to grow and achieve their goals.
To find out more or register for a free Business Workshop visit your nearest
National Bank branch or visit www.businessresourcecentre.co.nz
NAT0033 Business Banking Freemasons A4.indd 1 13/09/10 3:11 PM
Contents Editor
Greetings Brethren!
This issue brings us the celebration and splendid pageantry of our Grand Installation, which was held in Auckland. The Town Hall, perfect for the event, was filled to the brim with over 900 Freemasons, guests, partners, families, and public. The business 'Communication' session, one of the easiest such sessions in memory, was further enjoyed by the surprise presentation of an actual St John ambulance (with flashing lights) inside the meeting room. Such magic! The Grand Banquet and Ball was a gala event complete with a terrific live swing band and packed dance floor. To quote many that evening, "This certainly was a darn good party!" See lots of photos starting on page 16.
It was terrific to see so many young Freemasons, EAs and FC's in attendance at not only the Grand Installation, but at the meetings and seminars as well. This, Brethren, is how we will move forward.
The Auckland event also saw the opening of the 'Potter Children's Garden', which won an award for the Auckland Regional Council. Well done!
Don't forget to order your new Freemasons Lodge jacket! (See page 26 for details.)
Be seeing you.
Michael Leon, MMEditorDirector of Communications and MarketingFreemasons NZ, Wellington
Grand Master's Address / Calendar ......................2
The 'Making' of a Grand Master ............................3
New Generation Awards Update ............................4
The Roskill Foundation News ................................6
Opening of the Potter Children’s Garden............8
Canterbury Earthquake Lodge Damage Report ....10
YOU OK? ..................................................................11
Freemasons Scholar Update: C-R-U-N-C-H ! .....12
Petone Daylight Lodge Welcomes the Spring .....13
Your Lodge and Your Future in the Craft ...........14
Lodge Waikanae Tees Off for Free Youth Health Service ....................................15
2010 Grand Installation Auckland......................16
The Ladies Section ................................................24
Is it a Freemason Conspiracy? .............................26
Grand Support for New Master ...........................28
Service Awards .......................................................29
ANZMRC Conference Report 2010 .....................30
The Pike River 29: One of Our Own .....................30
‘A Day to Remember’ Choir Invades Otago Lakes District ....................31
Lodge Arawhaiti No. 267A Cordial Welcome is Extended ..........................31
The Freemasons Charity:Preventing Falls in Older People .........................32
Royal Arch ...............................................................34
COVER: MWBro Selwyn Cooper, Grand Master 2010–2013.
Freemasons New ZealandLevel 6, Freemason House
195-201 Willis StreetTe Aro, Wellington 6011
PO Box 6439, Marion Square
Wellington 6141 New Zealand
Ph: +64 4 385 6622 Fax: + 64 4 385 5749
Email: [email protected]@freemasons.co.nz www.freemasons.co.nz
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 the Grand Secretary. Queries and comments regarding content and advertising should be addressed to the Editor.
Contributions to the magazine are greatly appreciated and should be of interest
to a wide audience. Contributions, including letters to the Editor, may be edited. Photographs should be high quality, preferably in jpg or tiff format.
Contributions to the magazine can also be forwarded through these people:
Northern Division: Jack Leigh, [email protected] Division: Morris Robertson, [email protected] Division: Rob Cope-Williams, [email protected] Arch: Gary Kerkin, Tel: 07 889 3607
Magazines are distributed in March, June, September and December. The deadlines for contributions are the first day of February, May, August and November. copyright © 2010 Freemasons NZ
Brethren and Ladies,
It was indeed a great honour and privilege to have been installed as your Grand Master in Auckland on Friday 19th November.
In speaking with many attendees, (invited guests, overseas visiting delegates, ladies and brethren), all expressed a positive impression as to the solemnity of the ceremony, the proficiency of the musical accompaniment and the professionalism of all those involved. It was a magnificent event and one Freemasons of New Zealand can be justly proud of.
My sincere thanks to all members of the organising committee, under the chairmanship of WBro Graeme Houston, as well as to brethren taking part in the ceremony under the direction of VWBros Murray Morrissey (Grand Superintendent of Ceremonies) and James Reason (Grand Director of Ceremonies).
May I also express on your behalf, our gratitude to MWBro Stan Barker for his personal commitment and services rendered to Freemasonry over these past 12 years, particularly for his leadership as your Grand Master. Our special thanks are also extended to his partner Philippa for her support of our Grand Master during his term of office. Under the direction of MWBro Barker, Freemasonry in New Zealand has undergone a major structural change covering all aspects of administration and management at both a Divisional and District level. Change is never easy and the programmes now in place will have a lasting legacy in the devolvement of our organisation including at a Lodge level.
As Grand Master, I am desirous that Lodges seek to involve a greater number of their members in all facets of Freemasonry, whether it be part of ceremonial participation at a regular meeting, contribution as an Almoner, member education and training, Lodge social activities and or support for community projects. Individuals with a commitment to the support of an enlarged group are fundamental for a successful outcome as well as the reward and personal enjoyment of all involved.
In addition, it is incumbent on all Freemasons to ensure that there is a mechanism to identify and develop brethren with the appropriate expertise, talent and skills to provide an administrative team to meet future objectives of our organisation as an entity to serve both fellow citizens and the community alike. Succession planning at all levels of our organisation is imperative for the wellbeing of Freemasonry in New Zealand.
To all Freemasons and their families, Jan and I extend best wishes for the festive season and for an enjoyable challenging new year. In so doing, we ask that brethren, ladies and families not neglect those in need and deserving of our thoughts and prayers.
Yours fraternally,
Selwyn CooperGrand Master
Grand Master
22
Grand Master’s Calendar Date Lodge Location District Event
FEBRUARY 2011 7 The Mt. Ida Lodge No. 97 Ranfurly 30 Presentation of 50 year service badge to MWBro C L J (Laurie) Inder PGM.MARCH11-13 Supreme Grand RA Chapter of NZ Christchurch Annual Convocation. 18 Lodge Ahurewa No. 181 Christchurch 25 Centennial Celebrations. (RWBro G A Reid, JGW, to attend in GM's stead) 19 Lodge Clinton No. 183 Clinton 31 Centennial Celebrations.
MWBro Selwyn Cooper and wife Jan together with the Grand Master of the Grand East of the Netherlands, MWBro William Meijer and his wife.
3
The 'Making' of a Grand Master
A behind-the-scenes look at the official Grand Master photographs done at
Grand Lodge Offices on 12 October 2010.
Photographer: Mike ClareMake-up Artist: Claudine Stace
Right: MWBro Selwyn Cooper and MWBro Stan Barker.
Below: MWBro Stan getting final touches done by the make-up artist.
Below-right: MWBro Selwyn ready for the camera.
4
NEW GENERATION AWARDS 2010A very special thanks from the Arts Foundation to Freemasons New Zealand for their support of the New Generation Awards 2006, 2008 and, this year, 2010.
Freemasons New Zealand have celebrated and honoured exceptional young artists across disciplines. These artists are our future. You can follow their progress by registering on the Arts Foundation’s website.
Joe Sheehan new generation artist
Russian Dolls I, various Russian jades, 2005Photo: nick barr
ART019 FreemasonPage V2.indd 1 17/11/10 3:08:30 PM
VOICEGROUNDTRICKSSHOCK OF THEMOVESWHAT’SMETHODGENERATIONIDEALEASE ON LIFEKID ON THE BLOCKWAYSTHINKINGMODELSTECHNOLOGYARTISTSSCIENCESTYLEMEDIA& IMPROVEDLANGUAGEARTWORKFUTUREFORMCONCEPTCREATIONWAY OFCONSTRUCTIONLANDSCAPEFASHIONZEALANDVIEW& NOTEDRELEASEDISCUSSIONSHINY &THEORYYORK CITYDIRECTIONSHAPEFEATURESWAY OF LIFEINFORMATIONLOOKEDITIONPERSPECTIVERECIPIENTSCHANNELSORDERWAVEMOONYEARFLAVOURTASTEPURPOSEMOTIONSOUNDMAILDISCOVERIESBLACKSYSTEMWRITING BRING IN THE ARRIVALExPERIENCESWORLDREVELATIONGENERATIONAGEBLOODADVENTUREDEBATENEWSAWARDSMOVEMENTSIGNSENSATIONTITLEFANGLEDExPERIMENT2010
13.12.10
You cAN reAd All AbouT The 2010 New GeNerATioN AwArd recipieNTs, From 14 december 2010 oN:
ART019 FreemasonPage V2.indd 2 17/11/10 3:08:30 PM
5
NewsRoskill
Foundation Bravo!It’s a while off yet but we are pleased to announce that there will be singing at supper again next year! The Foundation is organizing another really special dinner occasion early next year featuring the Freemasons Opera Scholars. Gorgeous ladies in beautiful gowns and men in sartorial elegance, with voices to match, will be waltzing among the tables at the Northern Club.
Put it in your diaries now opera and fine food lovers: Friday 18th February 2011.
Going home soonerStroke and amputation patients will be helped to regain their mobility sooner and get home sooner by means of a new piece of equipment recently installed at the Assessment Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit of Middlemore Hospital – thanks to a grant by the Foundation.
Counties Manukau DHB provides a large range of rehabilitation services for adults over 65 years of age. These services are under constantly increasing pressure with the rise in numbers of older people in the community.
The new piece of equipment is a body weight support treadmill, a gait-training device that simultaneously controls weight-bearing, posture and balance.
Foundation Trustees recently attended a presentation by the Unit’s staff of the ‘Lite Gait’ treadmill which will help to achieve the most common desire of all patients – to go home sooner!
Harvard brain specialist returns to NZProfessor Anne Young, Chief of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, is returning to New Zealand as guest speaker at a University of Auckland conference on brain disease early in the new year.
Professor Young was the Distinguished Guest of the Foundation when she toured the country in 2008 giving lectures to both clinicians and the public including members of the Huntington’s and Parkinson’s communities.
Her public address on this visit will be held on Friday 11th February at 5 pm in the University’s Owen G Glenn Building. (A Wilsons carpark in Grafton Road gives direct access to the building).
Sight loss ServicesAs a token of our appreciation for his years and years of service and to mark his centenary earlier this year, the Foundation made a grant to a cause dear to the heart of our Patron, Ivan Whale.
Sight Loss Services is a charity dedicated to ‘Providing information, equipment and support to New Zealanders who have low vision, their families and others associated with the rehabilitation of people with low vision’.
We helped towards producing their new booklet ‘Losing your sight - finding your way’ and their website www.sightloss-services.com.
Here, Chairman David Mace presents our donation to the Trustees behind this valuable service. From left to right: Liz Hickey, Naomi Meltzer and Paula Daye.
Foundation reflects changing style of our benevolenceFreemasons Roskill Foundation is the trading name now used for all operations of the Northern Masonic Association Trust Board. The Trust was formed in 1956 to build and operate our rest home, the Roskill Masonic Village, which was later expanded to include the hospital and the retirement village. With the sale of the Village in 2005, the focus of the Board changed and our philanthropy is now directed at four areas: training and education, research, scholarships and health & aged care.
Substantial grants have been made for medical research like the continuing support for brain research at the University of Auckland. Others are for new and exciting developments such as the tissue bank at Middlemore
Hospital which will aid cancer research. In education, a Post-Graduate Fellowship has been established through the Rutherford Foundation, a charitable Trust administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand.
But many local community causes are assisted in numerous other spheres too through individual Lodge and District projects. The breadth of the Foundation’s work is illustrated by the recent and upcoming events highlighted here.
The Trust is a registered charity and has ten Trustees representing all four Masonic Constitutions.
The Foundation can be contacted at PO Box 113144, Newmarket, Auckland 1149.
Telephone: (09) 520 6414 or email: [email protected]
Nicola’s progressNicola Jackson, our inaugural Rutherford Foundation, Freemasons Post-Doctoral Fellow will be home for a short break from her studies at Cambridge University early next year.
Members, families, friends are all welcome to hear about her new life and studies.
Auckland Freemasons Centre, Khyber Pass on Friday 4th March.
Enquiries to the Foundation office.
We’re not arguingFor the last eight years the Lodges in Tirau and Putaruru have been organizing a debating competition for the secondary schools in their areas – from Putaruru, Matamata and Tokoroa. The Foundation has been supporting this project for most of that time. Local advertising gets the crowds along to the theatre and the resulting publicity puts the Freemasons in the public eye. This year was no exception with both Junior and Senior student teams competing on different occasions. Putaruru teams made a clean sweep this time.
The moots were – ‘Media create stories rather than reporting the truth’ for the Juniors while the Seniors argued about ‘People don’t know what is good for them’.
Great fun was had by all and the students and school got some nice cash prizes.
The Foundation is a major
and growing contributor to
the public face of Freemasonry
6
NewsRoskill
Foundation Bravo!It’s a while off yet but we are pleased to announce that there will be singing at supper again next year! The Foundation is organizing another really special dinner occasion early next year featuring the Freemasons Opera Scholars. Gorgeous ladies in beautiful gowns and men in sartorial elegance, with voices to match, will be waltzing among the tables at the Northern Club.
Put it in your diaries now opera and fine food lovers: Friday 18th February 2011.
Going home soonerStroke and amputation patients will be helped to regain their mobility sooner and get home sooner by means of a new piece of equipment recently installed at the Assessment Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit of Middlemore Hospital – thanks to a grant by the Foundation.
Counties Manukau DHB provides a large range of rehabilitation services for adults over 65 years of age. These services are under constantly increasing pressure with the rise in numbers of older people in the community.
The new piece of equipment is a body weight support treadmill, a gait-training device that simultaneously controls weight-bearing, posture and balance.
Foundation Trustees recently attended a presentation by the Unit’s staff of the ‘Lite Gait’ treadmill which will help to achieve the most common desire of all patients – to go home sooner!
Harvard brain specialist returns to NZProfessor Anne Young, Chief of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, is returning to New Zealand as guest speaker at a University of Auckland conference on brain disease early in the new year.
Professor Young was the Distinguished Guest of the Foundation when she toured the country in 2008 giving lectures to both clinicians and the public including members of the Huntington’s and Parkinson’s communities.
Her public address on this visit will be held on Friday 11th February at 5 pm in the University’s Owen G Glenn Building. (A Wilsons carpark in Grafton Road gives direct access to the building).
Sight loss ServicesAs a token of our appreciation for his years and years of service and to mark his centenary earlier this year, the Foundation made a grant to a cause dear to the heart of our Patron, Ivan Whale.
Sight Loss Services is a charity dedicated to ‘Providing information, equipment and support to New Zealanders who have low vision, their families and others associated with the rehabilitation of people with low vision’.
We helped towards producing their new booklet ‘Losing your sight - finding your way’ and their website www.sightloss-services.com.
Here, Chairman David Mace presents our donation to the Trustees behind this valuable service. From left to right: Liz Hickey, Naomi Meltzer and Paula Daye.
Foundation reflects changing style of our benevolenceFreemasons Roskill Foundation is the trading name now used for all operations of the Northern Masonic Association Trust Board. The Trust was formed in 1956 to build and operate our rest home, the Roskill Masonic Village, which was later expanded to include the hospital and the retirement village. With the sale of the Village in 2005, the focus of the Board changed and our philanthropy is now directed at four areas: training and education, research, scholarships and health & aged care.
Substantial grants have been made for medical research like the continuing support for brain research at the University of Auckland. Others are for new and exciting developments such as the tissue bank at Middlemore
Hospital which will aid cancer research. In education, a Post-Graduate Fellowship has been established through the Rutherford Foundation, a charitable Trust administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand.
But many local community causes are assisted in numerous other spheres too through individual Lodge and District projects. The breadth of the Foundation’s work is illustrated by the recent and upcoming events highlighted here.
The Trust is a registered charity and has ten Trustees representing all four Masonic Constitutions.
The Foundation can be contacted at PO Box 113144, Newmarket, Auckland 1149.
Telephone: (09) 520 6414 or email: [email protected]
Nicola’s progressNicola Jackson, our inaugural Rutherford Foundation, Freemasons Post-Doctoral Fellow will be home for a short break from her studies at Cambridge University early next year.
Members, families, friends are all welcome to hear about her new life and studies.
Auckland Freemasons Centre, Khyber Pass on Friday 4th March.
Enquiries to the Foundation office.
We’re not arguingFor the last eight years the Lodges in Tirau and Putaruru have been organizing a debating competition for the secondary schools in their areas – from Putaruru, Matamata and Tokoroa. The Foundation has been supporting this project for most of that time. Local advertising gets the crowds along to the theatre and the resulting publicity puts the Freemasons in the public eye. This year was no exception with both Junior and Senior student teams competing on different occasions. Putaruru teams made a clean sweep this time.
The moots were – ‘Media create stories rather than reporting the truth’ for the Juniors while the Seniors argued about ‘People don’t know what is good for them’.
Great fun was had by all and the students and school got some nice cash prizes.
The Foundation is a major
and growing contributor to
the public face of Freemasonry
7
8
Opening of the Potter Children’s Garden
Around 150 invited guests attended the long-awaited opening of the
extension of the Potter Children’s Garden on Thursday 18 November 2010. The garden was officially opened by His Excellency The Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand, Governor General of New Zealand. The Potter Masonic Trust is the major funder of this new garden, and all of the Trustees were in attendance at the opening ceremony accompanied by a large Masonic contingent.
Mike Pope, Chairman of the Potter Masonic Trust, spoke about the trust’s involvement with the children’s garden, and he also outlined the history and many philanthropic works of brother Frederick Potter.
Len Brown, newly elected Mayor of Auckland, acknowledged all who have contributed to the new garden, including expressing his appreciation of everything the Potter Masonic Trust does for the benefit of children.
Jack Hobbs, Manager of Auckland Botanic
Gardens, outlined the background and objectives of a garden that has been specially developed for children. He pointed out that since the first stage of the children’s garden was opened by HRH the Prince of Wales in March 2005 it has become so popular that it needed to be extended.
This new garden is similar in size to the first and is expected to be visited by more than 100,000 children a year who will come along mainly in family groups. It will also be used by Botanic Garden educators to teach children about sustainability.
It is expected that through their experiences in this garden children will develop a greater understanding and appreciation of plants and their importance to people and the environment.
The garden comprises four different habitats that demonstrate the amazing adaptations plants have assumed in order to survive different habitats. At one extreme a desert demonstrates how cacti and succulents have adapted to extremely dry conditions.
At the other extreme the ‘Bog’ shows how waterlilies and other aquatic plants survive immersed in water.
There is also a jungle that shows how epiphytes such as bromeliads and orchids survive perched on other plants such as trees. A meadow shows how plants such as annuals have abbreviated their lifecycle to survive seasonal extremes.
Also featured in the garden are low impact design devices such as green roofs, stormwater planter boxes and vegetated swales that demonstrate best-practice stormwater treatment systems.
Interpretive signage has been installed to tell stories about the plants and to foster understanding of the various plant adaptations.
Each year around 8,000 school children participate in hands-on environmental programmes conducted at the Botanic Gardens. The new children’s garden will enable these school environmental education programmes to be expanded to include a wider range of activities based around sustainability. This will include programmes about such things as reducing and recycling waste and water; building structures from natural materials, and alternative energy sources such as solar energy. Also included is a kitchen garden where students learn how to grow their own food.
In October, the New Zealand Recreation Association awarded Auckland Botanic Gardens the Outstanding Park Award for 2010 for The Potter Children’s Garden. In a statement the judges stated they were impressed with the innovation of the project and the way it captures the imagination of children.
Within minutes of the new garden opening visitors began trickling in. Within days this had become a torrent.
Auckland Botanic Gardens wishes to thank The Potter Masonic Trust for its ongoing support of the Potter Children’s Garden. It would not have happened without your contribution. The rewards will be significant, as over time the Potter Children’s Garden will enhance the lives and knowledge of hundreds of thousand of youngsters.
9
Auckland Regional Council’s Botanic Gardens won the New Zealand Recreation Association’s (NZRA) 2010 Outstanding Park Award for The Potter Children’s Garden.
We may be OK, but some of our Lodge buildings have taken a hit.
Of the twenty one Lodge buildings in the greater Canterbury Region, fourteen stepped through the quake generally unscathed. The other seven were not so lucky and suffered damage ranging from minor wall distortion to severe structural failure and floor displacement. At least two of the buildings are likely to be demolished.
The quake has reinforced some valuable lessons and confirmed the resilience of the District to Divisional reporting system. The greatest lesson has to be the necessity for sound planning and the adequacy of current building insurance cover. The Freemason Insurance Scheme is a sound one and correctly administered is very generous in its cover. That some trustees and Lodges chose not to adequately insure their properties is of serious concern, and Murphy’s Law has dictated that these owners will be sorely pressed to replace
their buildings. For the prudent, their buildings are now well down the track to recovery and reinstatement.
I encourage all Lodge owners and trustees to ensure their buildings are correctly insured for replacement value, based on an up to date building and property valuation.
Let us all learn from this event.
– Rob Angelo, G Supt W
Canterbury Earthquake Lodge Damage Report
10
Photos: Right and Below:Southern Cross Lodge No. 6, Kaiapoi.
11
The quake that hit Canterbury early morning on Saturday 4th September
has changed the landscape and the people forever.
Television and other press coverage will never be able to depict the physical damage to the region and the buildings, and it will obviously be years rather than months before the damage is totally repaired. It is even likely to take weeks before people restore their houses and start putting glasses, plates and ornaments back on shelves. However it’s not the physical side that is causing the most suffering, it’s what the quake and the resulting aftershocks are doing to people that is the main concern.
It’s interesting to observe the total change in people’s behaviour. The traditional greeting of “How are you?” has been totally replaced with “Are you OK?” Neighbours who were total strangers have become friends, people have started to call on those who live on their own or don’t have family and friends calling in. On the other side of the coin, genuine fear has been etched on most faces. Grown men have been admitting that they have cried as emotion has welled up inside them after some of the bigger aftershocks.
Most people will say they have been left shaking uncontrollably. After days
of shakes, people seemed to have fallen into different categories. Those who have outwardly become blasé and those who continue to show fear when a quake hits. Some pretend to know the severity of the quake by predicting what it was on the Richter scale.
It is fair to say that all will be suffering mental health problems of some sort. The hard part is for people to admit to it, then allowing someone to find out exactly what the damage is mentally, and most importantly to get treatment for it. As one expert has gone on record saying “There are two lots of people who lived through the quakes, those who admit to stress problems, and those who are in denial”.
For those who are actively involved in the aftermath, the problems are immense. Most have damage at home, and more importantly someone at home who is suffering from stress and hating being alone. Some of the stories of hard work and long hours by such people will become folklore in Canterbury, but sadly for many, those stories won’t ever be told. They will face their exhaustion and fatigue alone, as many will be unable to talk it through at home due to the fear and concern from their loved ones.
Doctors will tell you that buried stress is extremely dangerous. The Health Department has been very focussed on getting their message through to everyone, and their main advice is to talk. Talk to anyone who will listen, and listen to anyone who wants to talk. They have posted bulletins about what stress can do and how to recognise it in you and in others. Such things as anger (road rage has risen hugely)mood swings, being very nervous and breathing problems all being highlighted.
It is interesting that while road rage has increased, so has consideration for other road users. The gap between the two has become very wide as traffic continues to be disrupted.
Children were very vulnerable as they suddenly had their world totally changed, and access to friends removed for days through no schooling. Health officials are desperately trying to get the message out to parents that children need to talk things through, and need love and understanding as their world continued to get shaken.
As with all dramas, of most concern is what happens when the limelight is shifted onto other things, the rest of the country focuses on another event and the folk in Canterbury are left with their fears and
losses alone. It’s not unlike a death; while everyone is there over the following few weeks you can face the loss, it’s after months of being alone that you really need someone to call and be there for you.
Compassion doesn’t cost a cent, but is more valuable than diamonds. Canterbury folk will need truckloads of it for many years to come, even if they don’t recognise it themselves.
YOU OK?
Lodge of Unanimity No. 3Sumner Road, Lyttelton.
12
When it comes to the crunch, workers at an Auckland factory are so in love
with the muesli products they produce that they have them for breakfast. And they’d be nuts if they didn’t.
“It is our wellness programme,” says chief operating officer Bryce Howard whose workers achieve top quality and rising export demand for the cereal bars they produce by the million. Breakfast cereal and low-fat milk are available to the 240 staff day and night. It is the 24-hour breakfast.
He says a Freemasons scholarship was crucial in launching his business career. Fresh talent is featured every year when these awards are announced, but less is heard of subsequent progress. In his case personal drive and focus sought some extra boost in his final year at university, “when I needed every cent to help me finish the two degrees (engineering and commerce) which have been a key catalyst in my career.”
He applied for the scholarship without telling his father VWBro Warren Howard, a master craftsman in specialist furniture who has been featured in the NZ Freemason – “my nursery was my Dad’s workshop. I grew up with his working tools and once thought I might follow in his footsteps, but
he did not actively encourage it … I think he felt it was a dying art. In fact I had a bent for engineering.”
As chief operating officer of Tasti Products Ltd in Auckland, Bryce, aged 45, oversees an operation which in the last few years has invested more than $25 million in some of
Australasia’s most advanced muesli bar equipment, producing 10 million bars a week. Exports total $50 million annually, are nearly half the company’s sales and continue to grow by 15%, with 20 containers a week going to the Australian market. There are halal products for Asian countries.
“A lot of people do not understand the size of our little old factory here in Te Atatu,” he says. The firm began in 1932
manufacturing glace cherries, peel and ginger for the bakery market. The owner discovered on an overseas trip about 1980 that muesli could be made by adding rolled oats to the fruit, coconut and nuts they already handled. And so was born New Zealand’s first muesli bar. Tasti is a food licensee of Weight Watchers.
Is Bryce a snacker, with a few muesli bars in his desk drawer? “Absolutely! But with restraint… We provide free muesli bars and breakfast cereal for all our staff. They can beat the traffic in the morning, get the
cereal and sit down at the computer, eating as they go.”
Bryce’s home life is with his chartered-accountant wife Jill and their children Stephanie and James.
Freemasons Scholar Update: C-R-U-N-C-H !
13
Petone Daylight Lodge extended its activities into the early evening when,
on 25 September, they organised a visit with other Lodges to a ceremony to witness the Druids performing a ritual welcome to springtime at Stonehenge Aotearoa.
Whilst built on the same scale as Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in England, it is not merely a replica. It was built for its precise location near Carterton in the Wairarapa. Its purpose is to allow exploration of the mysteries of our past and learn how early cultures, including Maori, used the Sun, Moon and stars for life. Built by members of the Phoenix Astronomical Society with the support of the Royal Society of New Zealand the purpose of Stonehenge Aotearoa is to encourage people of all ages to rediscover the knowledge of their ancestors. Stone circles, which have played an important part in the history, are neutral and welcome people of all cultures, beliefs, faiths and religions.
Stonehenge Aotearoa combines modern scientific knowledge with ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Celtic, Polynesian and Maori star lore. It is used to teach maramataka (the calendars of time and seasons). The stones also form a Polynesian star compass and can be used to teach navigation. The Henge consists of 24 upright pillars, connected by lintels to form a circular structure 30 metres in diameter and approximately four metres high. In effect, this structure is a gigantic clock and calendar which demonstrates the changing altitude of the midday sun over the year, the current date, the times of the solstices and equinoxes and the precise time of local noon. It also demonstrates many other aspects of astronomy.
The ‘welcome to springtime’ visit, organised by the Master of Petone Daylight Lodge, WBro Steven Elliott, comprised a party of 90 Masons, families and friends. Amongst other participating Lodges were Lion Lodge, Ormondville, Empire Fergusson
and the Porirua Chapter of Eastern Star. The evening was rounded off with dinner at the Left Bank Café in Greytown followed by a video presentation from astronomer Richard Hall, convener at Stonehenge. All participants found the visit to be a hugely stimulating event.
Petone Daylight Lodge No. 458, which was chartered in 1993, was the concept and vision of WBro Lloyd Wilson, a foundation member and Past Master of Lodge Kotuku No. 392. He had perceived the need for a daylight lodge in the Hutt Valley. The Lodge aims to provide Masonic meetings for those brethren who, for varying reasons are unable or reluctant to attend evening meetings, and hopefully to attract back into the fold local brethren who are not currently attached to a Lodge. A number of the inaugural Lodge officers, who had served many years in Freemasonry, accepted with enthusiasm the opportunity to take office for the first time. In addition, the Lodge
set out to foster more social activities involving partners, who had given so much but whose participation had, in the past, been restricted. The visit to Stonehenge Aotearoa, the other Lodges they encouraged to join the group and the dinner which followed showed that the activities of a daylight Lodge can go well beyond a limited number of lunchtime meetings.
– Morris Robertson
Photos:Above: Stonehenge Aotearoa.Left: The visiting group arriving at Stonehenge Aotearoa. The Master, WBro Steven Elliott, is on the right.
Petone Daylight Lodge Welcomes the Spring
14
During the Business Session at the recent Grand Installation meeting
in Auckland, the program developed by the Vision for the Future Task Force was outlined to the attendees.
In reviewing the situation the Craft finds itself in, the Vision team has concluded that unless we can adapt to the dramatic changes which have taken place in society over the last couple of decades, the Craft as a whole faces the prospect of continuing on the present downward path.
Adapting to these societal changes will require many of our Lodges to have a good look at how they operate, understanding that the younger generation who are our
future have, in the main, quite different mores from many of the older generation who make up the bulk of the existing membership.
Briefly, the Task Force program consists of: • Identifying the strengths and
weaknesses of those Lodges who have the energy, commitment and enthusiasm to want to improve, and
• Making available various tools for access by those Lodges that see the benefits of participating.
The new District Grand Masters were presented with the full program at a recent two-day seminar in Wellington and are fully aware of what it involves. The
launch of the first part is scheduled for 1 February 2011 when the District GMs will be working closely with their Lodges in collecting data for later analysis.
The future of the Craft depends on our organisation being relevant to the younger generation. The fact is that there are Lodges throughout New Zealand that have turned themselves around from being almost moribund to becoming vibrant and alive, with new, enthusiastic younger members showing the way. This should be of great comfort as it shows it can be done.
2011 will be an exciting year for those Lodges which have the enthusiasm and drive to take up the challenges.
Your Lodge and Your Future in the Craft
Losses Initiations
On the sunny Kapiti Coast, north of Wellington, Lodge Waikanae is
hosting a golf tournament for the benefit of a most valuable community service – Kapiti Youth Support – which is a free, confidential health service available to anyone living on the Kapiti Coast between the ages of 11 and 25. It provides healthcare, counselling services, adolescent support, and even a free cuppa if needed. The services include advice on general health concerns, counselling, relationship issues, sexual health, alcohol and drug advice, sports injuries, colds, aches and pains, wart clinic, stress group, mentoring, and health promotion.
The Kapiti Youth Support Manager, Raechel Osbourne emphasises that “the doctors, nurses and counsellors are fully trained and offer professional services which are available to clients free of charge. Whilst appointments are advisable, their door is always open”.
Lodge Waikanae will, on January 19th, hold a Charity Golf Tournament at the
Waikanae Golf Club to raise funds for Kapiti Youth Support. The tournament has three categories: Men, Women and Youth (under 18) and is run in teams of four in an 18 hole Ambrose format. Entries are restricted to 90 players. Golfers can enter as individuals or nominate their own team of four.
The Master of Lodge Waikanae, Graeme Richardson, believes that “the tournament is a great way for Freemasons, family and friends to enjoy the best of the Kapiti Coast in summer, have a friendly game of golf, and support a worthy cause in the process.” To enter, contact the Secretary, Lodge Waikanae, 69 Nimmo Avenue East,
Waikanae. Email: [email protected]
Photos: Bottom: A KYC Peer Support worker counseling clients at the centre.Below: Map of Waikanae, courtesy of Google.
Lodge Waikanae Tees Off for Free Youth Health Service
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
TheLadiesSection
Earthquake!
24
The 4th September changed the lives of many Christchurch citizens forever. The unexpected 4.35am wakeup call is still with many of us, in the form of memories, damage, trauma and shock. New Zealanders
were warned to expect a potential shock, but who expected it to be so soon, and sudden? The citizens of Christchurch most certainly did not expect it to reach 7.1 on the Richter scale.
Upon surveying the damage in Christchurch and its surrounding towns, it is a true experience and lesson for all of us in compassion, understanding, and the human ability to rise above and ‘get on with it’. Christchurch City has suffered a large amount of damage, and many of our heritage buildings have been damaged to the point of no repair. It is a devastating time for all of us, but in order to see the positives, we must look ahead as to how this will prepare us for the future. Not only will we be more aware of our surroundings and the work put in to achieve our beautiful city, but also the people in it. I believe that we should all be exceptionally proud of every individual person and their effort made, whether it be personal strength, dedication to family, or helping rebuild our community, and our lives. There are many who have gone beyond their means to assist others in their time of crisis, and they deserve a big pat on the back, and a ‘thank you’ from all of us for their support and dedication.
Christchurch City Council has been a rock solid support for many families, businesses and their owners. The concert held in the park a few weeks back was a great success, and truly reassured many families that support was there for them, from all over the country in the form of donations, and from their neighbours in our great city.
Festive greetings and a prosperous 2011.
from
Philippa Adams
We give a big welcome to Jan Cooper!
Jan will be heading the 'Ladies Section' for the next three years. More stories in our next issue. Stay tuned!
25
Longest Morning Tea Presentation
Philippa presented a $1000 cheque to Lydia at Ronald McDonald House. This is the
result of the Longest Morning Tea we had here in Christchurch where
we raised $300 then David Mace organised through the Northern Trust (Roskill) to make the amount up to $1000. They are of course very grateful for this donation,
which will be used to purchase things needed for the House.
— Gay Goodman
26
IS IT a Freemason ConspiracY ?
A Freemason from New Zealand has been spotted on the lawn of the White House, at the World Bank, AND entering the IMF Headquarters!!!
Perhaps the conspiracy is TRUE!!!
(Many thanks to Bro Justin Matz of Lodge Aquarius. We miss you, buddy. All the best in Washington D.C.!)
Order Your Lodge Jacket Today!Your Lodge Secretary can order them from the Form of Requisition on the Freemasons web site. Size XL seems to fit nearly everyone. We suggest your Lodge gets an XL size to try before ordering the L size.
With Lodge Name on Front.........$225 (including GST)No Lodge Name on Front........$215 (including GST)
Where Has Your Lodge Jacket Been Travelling To? Tell Us and Send Us the PHOTOS!!!
27
Agents for Regalia SuppliesAuckland John Hay21a Balmain Road, BirkinheadPh: 09 480-5222 Fax: 09 480-7507email: [email protected]
AucklandAlan Bevins36 Murphys Road, Manakau
Ph: 09 262-0978email: [email protected] Waikato/Bay of PlentyL.V. Borrell5 McClymont Place, TaurangaPh: 07 571-2232 / Mob: 021 217-7805email: [email protected]
Bay of Plenty/Geyserland Charles G. Miller4b Harrow Place, Mt MaunganuiPh: 07 575-7665 / Mob: 021 025 15183email: [email protected]
TaranakiW.V. (Bill) Workman3 Winston Place, New PlymouthPh: 06 759-4271 / Fax: 06 759-8481email: [email protected]
Manawatu/Hawkes Bay/Gisborne Colin Heyward10 Rose Street, WaipawaPh: 06 857-8299email: [email protected]
South Island Gay GoodmanPO Box 6370, ChristchurchPh: 03 342-4525 / Mob: 0274 382-470Fax: 03 342-4526email: [email protected]
REGALIA SUPPLIES LTD.Suppliers of Formal Wear
Made to measure Tails and Dinner SuitsWhite Waistcoats, Gloves, Ties,
Lapel Badges, New Type Name BadgesRegalia for GL Craft Lodge, RA Chapter Mark,
Rose Croix, Secret Monitor, PM Jewels, Presentation Jewels and more!
Best prices and prompt delivery! Contact John Wilson 15 Handyside Street, Linden Ph: (04) 232-8618 Fax: (04) 232-8619 Mobile: (027) 283-1252 email: [email protected]
www.regaliasupplies.co.nz
28
Grand Support for New Master
Not every Master of a Lodge is privileged to have three Grand
Masters attending his Installation ceremony. This opportunity arose in November when Bro Neville Ballantyne of Hamilton was installed as Master of Lodge Tawhiri No.166.
The Grand Master MWBro Stan Barker, along with Past Grand Master MWBro David Mace were attending and, by coincidence, the Grand Maser of China [Taiwan], MWBro Martin Teng, was on a short private visit to a Masonic friend in Waikato.
Whilst in Waikato MWBro Teng sought out the opportunity to visit a local Lodge. MWBro Barker suggested that he might join him in visiting Lodge Tawhiri. The invitation was taken up and he was welcomed into the Lodge and joined the brethren in Refectory.
Lodge Tawhiri, now in its second century, was formed in Frankton, Hamilton, in 1909 originally to cater for railwaymen. Today it attracts men of many professions. The Lodge’s centenary was celebrated in 2009 with a number of special events including, appropriately, a special train trip.
WBro Nevillle Ballantyne, who is the 100th Master of Lodge Tawhiri, trained as a chef in the RNZAF. Later, as a civilian
he travelled the world in search of culinary e x p e r i e n c e before working as a chef in H a m i l t o n , T a u r a n g a , Chr istchurch, Auckland, Bay of Islands, New Plymouth and Whangamata.
He was initiated into Lodge W h a n g a m a t a No. 459 in 2003, and, on moving to Hamilton the following year, he joined Lodge Tawhiri. Moving again to Whakatane to take up a catering contract with the local RSA, he joined Lodge Kawerau No. 422. Today he runs his own catering company in Hamilton. Neville has represented New Zealand twice, in ice and snow carving in Japan, and darts in Canada.
Photo Top:Pictured from left are: MWBro David Mace PGM; MWBro Martin Teng, Grand Master of China [Taiwan], WBro Neville Ballantyne and MWBro Stan Barker GM.
There may have been a time when Freemasonry was imagined as mainly for grandparents but today more and more young people are joining the Craft.
Here are a number of young men who recently joined Lodge Tawhiri 166. Photo bottom:From left: Brothers Greg Soffe, James Clifford-Marsh, Martyn Todd, Luke Pharaoh, Luke Sharplin, and Anderson McIntosh.
29
50 Year Service AwardsName Lodge Joined a NZ LodgeVWBro Raymond John Laurance G Alm The Ara Taimau Lodge No. 1 17/08/60WBro Ian Wallace Bain PM Scinde Lodge No. 5 16/08/60WBro William Robert Patterson PG Std B Lodge of Waitaki No. 11 10/08/60WBro Peter Campbell Rennie PM RH The Sir Walter Scott Lodge No. 15 5/10/60Bro Michael Ronald Gilbert MM United Lodge of Masterton No. 19 26/10/60WBro Lloyd Arthur Hook PM The St George Lodge No. 29 21/09/60Bro Duncan John Edward Paton MM The Saint Andrews Lodge No. 32 17/10/60Bro John David McKay MM Hokianga Lodge No. 69 5/10/60Bro Trevor Percival Blundell MM The Mangonui Kaitaia Lodge No. 78 20/09/60WBro Harold William Pettit Dist GDC The Alpha Lodge No. 81 20/08/60WBro Alfred Graham Stichman PM Lodge St John No. 84 17/08/59RWBro Wilson David Mawhinney P Prov GM The Mount Ida Lodge No. 97 3/10/60RWBro Noel Francis Hack P Div GM The Kimbolton Lodge No. 123 25/06/55WBro William Thomas Johnson PM Lodge Koranga No. 197 27/09/60Bro John Graham Holdaway MM RH Lodge Erewhon No. 200 13/09/60WBro Allan Tayler Smith PM Lodge Erewhon No. 200 22/09/60Bro John Parry Scullin MM Lodge Omarunui No. 216 10/08/60WBro Ronald Cheriton PM Empire Fergusson Lodge No. 225 13/09/60WBro Ronald Alan Wensor PG Swd B RH Chevalier Lodge No. 303 27/09/60WBro Richard Colin Billings PM Ngatiawa-Russell Lodge No. 345 7/09/60Bro David Smith-Bone MM Ngatiawa-Russell Lodge No. 345 3/08/60Bro David John Collins MM Lodge Mana No. 352 6/09/60WBro Raymond Aishford Blennerhassett PM Lodge Orewa No. 370 10/10/60Bro Harold Thomas Surgenor MM Lodge Fendalton No. 384 11/10/60WBro Cyril Dennis Croker PM Lodge Arawa No. 406 21/10/59Bro Alan Trevor Thomas MM RH Lodge Whitianga No. 443 8/08/60WBro Richard Edward Simpson PM Lodge Whitianga No. 443 13/08/60WBro Ian Malcolm Cole PM The Taranaki Daylight Lodge No. 455 24/09/60WBro Kenneth Wagstaff PGBB The Petre Lodge No. 457 15/08/60WBro Peter Goldie Brown PM Okara Daylight Lodge No. 461 24/08/60WBro David Gordon Watts PM The Henderson Meridian Lodge No. 463 27/10/60WBro William Frederick Doreen PGP United Horowhenua Lodge No. 464 22/08/60
60 Year Service AwardsName Lodge Joined a NZ LodgeBro Frederick Richard Allen MM The Ara Taimau Lodge No. 1 13/09/50WBro Robert Stanley Temple PM The Franklin Lodge No. 58 9/09/50WBro George Robert Hunter Wright PGS The Advance Mawhera Lodge No. 61 11/10/50WBro Clive Adrian Hayes PM The Mount Ida Lodge No. 97 14/08/50WBro Thomas White Magon PM The Ohaeawai Lodge No. 101 10/08/50WBro Don Borthwick Telford PM Lodge Manuherikia Kilwinning No. 109 12/10/50WBro Vivian Buckle PM RH Lodge Waihi No. 112 7/08/50WBro David Gray Campbell PM Thistle Lodge No. 113 18/10/50Bro Alfred Edward Earl Hargreaves MM The Tauranga Lodge No. 125 26/09/50WBro Bruce Armstrong Heaphy P Asst GDC Lodge Awatea No. 258 28/10/50WBro Graham Alfred Lupton PM The Mangere Lodge No. 330 11/09/50WBro John Herbert Williams PM Ngatiawa-Russell Lodge No. 345 6/09/50Bro Maxwell Galbraith MM Lodge Hillcrest No. 363 25/10/50WBro Dudley Phillip Cox PGO Lodge Waiheke No. 367 9/08/50Bro Edward Logie Berney MM The United Lodge of Otago No. 448 26/10/50WBro Brian William Lowndes PM Petone Daylight Lodge No. 458 27/09/50WBro Robert Edward Clarence Paterson PM Geyserland Daylight Lodge No. 462 2/09/50Bro Colin Maxwell Smeed MM United Horowhenua Lodge No. 464 10/08/50
Service Awards
Congratulations were deservedly bestowed upon the Western
Australian organisers of the Tenth Biennial Conference held in the coastal city of Mandurah over the four days of well-planned activities in that first week of September. RWBro David Ganon and his team certainly looked after the visitors from not only Australia (inter-state and local) and New Zealand, but also from Thailand and England. The transport, accommodation, venues, meetings, dinners and lunches were all covered without a hitch. Mandurah 2010 was an outstanding success – well done Western Australia.
The Grand Master for Western Australia, MWBro Frank Hayes, officiated at the opening of the Conference that took place after a meeting of the Western Australian Lodge of Research in Mandurah’s Freemason’s Centre. The first of the two
guest keynote speakers, WBro Yasha Beresiner, launched the Conference with an enthralling tale of early London, posing the question: “Was Jack the Ripper a Freemason?” Bro Beresiner’s talk was given to about one hundred and twenty brethren and ladies as part of the dinner proceedings after the Research Lodge meeting, whilst the second guest speaker, WBro James Soutar from Thailand, gave his presentation of Freemasonry in his country to a group of fifty brethren and ladies on the afternoon of the fourth day. Seven Kellerman lectures from all the Australasian jurisdictions, except South Australia – Northern Territories, were presented during the remaining three days.
The Biennial General Meeting held on the last day of the Conference resulted in the election of RWBro Andy Walker from Sydney, NSW, as President for the
ensuing two years. The out-going President, RWBro Peter Verrall, was elected as a Fellow of the ANZMRC in recognition of his service spread over many years as Western Australia’s delegate, as a Vice President and as President. He has also presented three Kellerman Lectures in the sixteen years he has been involved with the ANZMRC.
The former assistant secretary, VWBro Kent Henderson (Melbourne, Victoria), was elected as one of the three Vice Presidents and the newly appointed Western Australian delegate, RWBro David Ganon, was elected as Assistant Secretary. The remaining Executive Committee members were re-appointed by their respective
jurisdictions and re-elected to their former office.
After eighteen years as Editor of Harashim and the other publications of the ANZMRC, WBro Tony Pope (Queanbeyan, NSW) has handed over this task to WBro Alan Gale (Perth, WA) with WBro Harvey Lovewell (Cairns, Queensland) as his assistant.
WBro Ed Robinson (Wellington, NZ) was appointed to the new position of Masonic Digital Library Co-ordinator once the Library Project was formally adopted by the ANZMRC.
The Eleventh Biennial Conference will be held in Wellington, New Zealand in 2012.
— Colin Heyward, Secretary ANZMRC
ANZMRC Conference Report 2010
30
The tragedy at the Pike River mine occurred on the same day as our
Grand Installation. There were whispers and hushed words as people received TXTs and news flashes on their cell phones.
The explosion at the mine affected us all, but more so when we found out that one of
our own was trapped underground together with the 28 other miners.
As the days unfolded and the ultimate reality hit, we realised that one of our Master Masons would not be coming home.
We send our condolences to the family and Brethren of Samuel Peter Mackie MM.
Bro Mackie, age 26, was initiated at Doric Lodge No. 275, passed at Lodge Shirley No. 263, and raised at Doric Lodge No. 275.
The Pike River 29: One of Our Own
The 16-brethren Midland District Choir won the hearts and gratitude of
the 107 people who attended the evening that followed the excellent ‘Musical Third Degree’ afternoon working conducted at Lodge Manuherikia Kilwinning, No. 109, Saturday, 30th October, 2010.
Bro Jeroen Mathijn (Bob) Knippers was raised to the sublime Degree of Master Mason with the assistance of the choir.
Immediately following the resumption of the regular meeting of the Lodge
(20.10.10), the WM, WBro Ron Aitken received VWBro E. John Steele, Dist Grand Master (Otago Lakes), accompanied by six Grand Lodge Officers, under the direction of WBro Alistair Cowan, Dist GDC. Among those present were 26 members of the Lodge, seven sitting Masters and 14 Lodges being represented.
At the conclusion of the meeting wives, partners and Lodge widows joined the brethren in the refectory for a social hour and ‘pot luck’ tea provided by the Lodge. Under the leadership of WBro Allan
Kerr,WM Mackenzie No. 93, the choir treated all those present with several items – these included ‘Highland Cathedral’, ‘Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah’ and many other songs to remember.
What a ‘High Note’ for the District Grand Master to finish his term of office on!! – no doubt he was a little flat after that devastating result from the Hong Kong game that we all were able to watch after the conclusion of day’s proceedings when the Aussies defeated the All Blacks 26-24.
‘A Day to Remember’Choir Invades Otago Lakes District
The Master and Brethren extend a warm invitation to any Brethren or
Brother visiting Auckland or unattached Brother thinking of rejoining a Lodge, to attend one of our regular meetings.
We are a modern Lodge catering for all ages and with a growing membership.
Our meeting nights are the 1st Wednesday of each month except January and February.
Visitors are received at 8:00pm and we meet at the Auckland Masonic centre, 181 Khyber Pass Road, Newmarket. The dress code is dark lounge suit.
If you would like further details, try our website:
www.arawhaiti.org.nz
or contact:WBro Secretary, Peter Boswell at
(09) 818-3429 or [email protected]
Lodge Arawhaiti No. 267A Cordial Welcome is Extended
31
32
Clare is a Research Associate Professor at the Dunedin School of Medicine. She was a key
i n v e s t i g a t o r in the studies that developed and tested the Otago Exercise P r o g r a m m e (OEP) and has worked with
health organisations to promote the OEP and other effective falls prevention programmes in the community. Her research interests include investigating which falls prevention strategies provide best value for money.
Falls become a problem as we age because they are a common event and
result in serious consequences for the older person, the family and carers, and to the health system. Around one third of all New Zealanders aged 65 years and older living independently in their own homes will fall in any one year, and this increases to one half of those over 80. Falls are even more frequent in residential care facilities.
Falls Can Be Prevented
There is now a wealth of evidence showing that falls in older people can be prevented. The strongest evidence concerns exercise programmes.
It is now well established that certain exercise programmes are effective in preventing falls in older people living in the community. We know that:
Poor muscle strength and impaired balance contribute to most falls in older people.
• Programmes that include muscle strengthening and balance training exercises, either delivered one-on-one at home or in exercise classes, reduce falls and injuries.
• Tai Chi classes are also effective in preventing falls.
• People well into their nineties can improve their strength and balance.
Successful interventions in residential care facilities include programmes addressing a combination of personal and environmental
safety factors, review of medications, and vitamin D supplementation. Exercise interventions used alone have not reduced falls in this setting.
New Zealand Research
John Campbell, a geriatrician and Clare Robertson, a researcher at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago have been designing and testing strategies to prevent falls since the mid 1990s.
The group has conducted clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of a number of interventions in specific populations. These include the Otago Exercise Programme for strength and balance retraining, home safety and behaviour modification for elderly people registered blind, and psychotropic (sleeping) medication withdrawal for
those 65 years and over who are regularly taking these medications. The research has also shown a number of strategies, including resource intensive interventions with multiple components, do not work in certain populations.
This work highlights the effectiveness of single interventions such as exercise for preventing falls and the fact that falls prevention strategies can be cost saving to the health system.
Otago Exercise Programme
This exercise programme, designed
specifically to prevent falls, is now used throughout the world. Main features are:
• The Otago Exercise Programme consists of a set of leg muscle strengthening and balance retraining exercises progressing in difficulty and a walking plan.
• The exercises are individually prescribed and increase in difficulty during a series of five home visits by a trained instructor.
• A physiotherapist, and nurses trained and supervised by an experienced physiotherapist, are equally effective in delivering the programme.
• Each person receives a booklet with instructions for each exercise prescribed and ankle cuff weights (starting at 1 kg) to provide resistance for the strengthening exercises.
• The exercises take about 30 minutes to complete and participants are expected to exercise three times a week and to go for a walk at least twice a week.
• To maintain adherence the person records the days he or she completes the programme and the instructor telephones the person each month in between home visits. Follow-up home visits are recommended every six months.
An instructor’s manual published by ACC contains the exercise sheets for participants. website: www.acc.co.nz/oep
Evaluation of the Otago Exercise Programme
The Otago Exercise Programme has been evaluated in both research and routine health care services in 1,016 people aged 65 to 97 living at home in the community.
Funding for the clinical trials came from ACC, the Health Research Council and the NZ Lottery Grants Board.
Overall the exercise programme was effective in reducing both the number of falls and the number of injuries resulting from falls by 35%. It was equally effective in men and women.
Preventing Falls in Older Peopleby Associate Professor Clare Robertson
The Otago Exercise Programme isdelivered at home by a trained instructor.
33
The programme improved participants’ strength and balance and maintained their confidence in carrying out everyday activities without falling.
In terms of the number of fall injuries prevented, the programme had the greatest effect in high risk groups: those over 80 years of age and those with a recent fall. When 100 people in this group received the programme, over 50 falls (around 30 injurious falls) were prevented in one year.Economic evaluations established the cost effectiveness of the programme.
These studies, published in the prestigious British Medical Journal, demonstrated the potential for saving health care dollars by preventing falls. In a trial in West Auckland, there were substantial cost savings from hospital admissions averted in those aged 80 years and older receiving the programme.
A group of researchers in Norway modelled the costs for delivering the Otago Exercise Programme and found it to be cost saving. Their study demonstrated that there would be a return of almost 2 Euros for every Euro spent on delivering the programme.
A study from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada systematically reviewed all the published economic evaluations of successful falls prevention interventions tested in randomised trials. It concluded that the Otago Exercise Programme provides the best value for money compared with other effective falls prevention strategies. Role of ACC in Falls Prevention
The introduction of a nationwide approach to falls prevention has been made possible in New Zealand after an invaluable 15-year investment by ACC. In addition to funding falls prevention research, ACC has implemented national fall and fracture prevention strategies for older people. ACC is also the lead organisation for implementing the national Preventing Injury from Falls Strategy.
The Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2001 states that the primary function of ACC is to promote measures to reduce the incidence and severity of personal injury.
ACC published a manual for instructors and launched national delivery of the Otago Exercise Programme in 2003.
National tenders for contracts to deliver the Otago Exercise Programme and Tai Chi classes began in 2007. Over 12,000 people aged 65 years and older participated in the 2008/2009 financial year; 30,000 since commencement.
Feedback after Professor John Campbell, Professor Ngaire Kerse of The University of Auckland and Clare described this national approach at an international gerontology conference in Paris last year, was that New Zealand’s falls prevention strategies were the envy of the world.
However late last year, ACC announced a funding cut – no new Otago Exercise Programme participants to enter the
scheme from January 1 this year. Tai Chi classes will still be funded until December 2010 when a decision about continuation of funding will be made.
The Minister of ACC stated that the decision was made based on estimated return on investment to ACC. The message was that ACC invests in injury prevention programmes where the corporation is satisfied that such measures are likely to result in a cost effective reduction in actual or projected levy rates. It seems ironic that ACC funded research showed that the Otago Exercise Programme produced a cost saving to the overall health system – through a reduction in fall-related hospital admissions.
About 5300 people aged 80 years and older nationwide received the Otago Exercise Programme in 2009 at a cost to ACC of $3.1 million ($550-$600 per person). In the 2009/2010 year, ACC will invest about $1.5 million in the modified Tai Chi programme and $150,000 in encouraging the provision of vitamin D supplements to residents of residential aged-care facilities.
Providers of the Otago Exercise Programme are working hard to find alternative funding. An instruction manual is available for health professionals to download from the ACC website (www.acc.co.nz/oep). No further training is required for a physiotherapist to deliver the programme, but nurses delivering the programme need training and close supervision by an experienced physiotherapist.
Other falls and injury prevention strategiesIndividual assessment by a GP or geriatrician is important for older people at high risk of falls. A recent fall means you are three times more likely to fall again in the coming year.
Treatment can then be targeted at the falls and fracture risk factors that can be improved, for example muscle weakness, poor balance and gait (walking) impairments as discussed above. Maintaining strength, good balance and mobility has benefits in addition to fall prevention: independence, cardiovascular fitness, cognitive function and social interaction.
Older people with arthritis, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, depression or a stroke are also at higher risk of falling. Taking sleeping medication presents a high risk of falls and should be avoided if possible.
Vision should be tested regularly since poor vision means hazards may not be seen. Extreme care should be taken while getting used to new glasses, as wearing multifocal glasses, in particular, results in significantly more falls. Single focus distance glasses with transition lenses to decrease glare, are recommended for wearing outside. Removing cataracts results in a significant reduction of falls.
Taking vitamin D supplements and wearing hip protectors are recommended for nursing home residents. A new technology – safety flooring – has been developed in New Zealand as a long term approach to injury prevention in residential care facilities and hospitals (www.acma.co.nz). This flooring is designed to absorb energy on impact, thus reducing fall injuries such as a hip fracture. Field trials are required to investigate this further.
— Clare Robertson, PhDResearch Associate Professor
Regular exercise classes with the appropriate type and intensity of
exercises will prevent falls.
Royal Arch Mason
The Road to Kuching
Intending to visit Tasmania for the Royal Arch Grand Convocation and then
Brisbane for the Grand Mark Installation we were surprised to receive an invitation to attend the Scottish Royal Arch Installation in the City of Kuching, the capital of the East Malaysian State of Sarawak, in North Borneo. We were able to alter our travel
arrangements and flew from Brisbane to Kuching via Kuala Lumpur where we were greeted by Dr Kang Tee Yong, Grand Superintendent elect.
We met up with MEComp Norman Richardson PGZ and VEComp Ken McQueen GDC and his wife Irene who had arranged a tour to Semenggoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. These animals have been rehabilitated after being taken to the centre suffering from attacks of various kinds and it was exciting to see them at the feeding stations knowing that, if they took a mind to it, they are capable of inflicting severe injury.
Thursday night we attended a welcoming function for Overseas visitors including MEComp Ian Fraser GZ of Scotland, accompanied by his wife Joan, and two
Companions. MEComp Laurie Patterson GZ of Victoria, Australia, and several Companions were also present. Here I was able to present a gift of a chair to assist accommodation in the Sarawak Lodge. I had been informed me that 90 chairs were available to seat the 180 people they were expecting for the formalities that weekend. The chair will be inscribed as a gift from the SGRACNZ. We were introduced to a variety of dishes such as Peking duck, 100-year-old eggs (which were completely black!), jellyfish tentacles, fern fronds, black fungi, and several Fish dishes about which I am not sure!
Friday morning started with the usual mandatory shopping excursion and in the afternoon the first of four meetings to be
held over the next two days took place. While these meetings were taking place, the ladies were taken to the Sarawak Cultural Village for the morning, then Lunch at a restaurant on stilts over the China Sea. In the afternoon they were conducted on a bus trip of Kuching and the pepper factory.The first meeting was the Installation for the Sarawak Lodge and Council No. 837 SC. and was conducted along similar lines to that we experience in New Zealand.
At the completion of the ceremony we took a refreshment break and then proceeded to the Installation for the Sarawak Cryptic Council No. 837 SC. Following this we adjourned to the refectory where I was asked to reply on behalf of the distinguished guests.
By now Companions had arrived from Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpa, Sabah, and other Malaysian states.
Saturday saw the Installation of Dr. Kang Tee Yong as Grand Superintendent of the District Grand Royal Arch Chapter of the Middle East and the Investiture of his District Grand Officers which was carried out in a most able manner by MEComp Ian Fraser with MEComp Graham Smith GSE acting as GDC.
No sooner was this completed, and after a short refreshment break, than the new Grand Superintendent had to conduct a RA Installation for Sarawak RA Chapter No. 837 SC. After the completion of this event we retired to the Hilton Hotel for the Banquet and Toasts. Over 380 ladies and Companions sat down to enjoy what can only be described as a fabulous meal and evening.
To be included in such a diverse group of people and enjoy their friendship and hospitality was a privilege Ruth and I will never forget and we regard this trip as one of the highlights of my term of Office.
– Graeme Pengelly GZ
34
Graeme Pengelly, Ian Fraser and Laurie Patterson
Ken McQeen, Graeme Pengelly and Norman Richardson with the chair.
The Irishin New Zealand
REComp Ian Nathan, in the first paragraph of the first chapter of his
history of the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Zealand writes1:
“A meeting in the Masonic Hotel in Auckland on 5 January 1861 marked the introduction of Royal Arch Masonry to New Zealand. From this meeting attended by eight companions was raised The Royal Arch Chapter and
Lodge of Mark Master Masons No. 348, Irish Constitution, at Auckland. It was reported at this meeting that the Warrant dated 16 October 1860 had been received from the Grand Chapter of Ireland. Of the nine founders, five were from Irish Chapters, two English, one Scottish and the affiliation of the ninth was not recorded. The foundation principal officers were Excellent King, James Buchanan, High Priest, Philip S. Solomon, and the Chief Scribe was James Bayliss. The Chapter still works in Auckland under the name Ara, a name not used until 1877.”
The English were not far behind2:
“English Royal Arch Masonry made its first appearance in New Zealand in Dunedin on 24 December 1862 when a chapter to be attached to Otago Lodge No. 1146 English Constitution was opened under a dispensation from the Provincial Grand Chapter of Victoria. The dispensation was granted for two years from 29 July 1862 and was confirmed by the issue of a Warrant dated 4 November 1863 from the Grand Chapter of England.”
They were followed by the Scots.
He writes3:
“To those who know their New Zealand history it should come as no surprise to learn that the first Scottish chapter was formed in Dunedin. Although a Scottish Lodge had been chartered on 4 November 1861 it was not until 1866 when the Kilwinning Otago Chapter No. 116 was instituted. Its Charter is dated 20 June 1866.”
It is remarkable that these three Constitutions continue to operate today,
despite a meeting on 7 July 1891 of representatives from Chapters of all three presaged the formation of the New Constitution.
It is not without considerable pride that the Ara Royal Arch Chapter No. 348 Irish Constitution celebrated its Sesquicentennial Convocation in the presence of ME and Supreme Grand King Michael Ward and representatives of the three other Constitutions. The meeting was held under the superintendence of MEComp John Davies Provincial Grand
Superintendent of the Province of New Zealand, Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Ireland.
The New Zealand contingent included MEComp Graeme Pengelly GZ, REComp Barrie Mayfield DepGZ, REComp Les Borrell GH, REComp Bruce MacConnell GJ, MEComp Arthur Wilson PGZ, MEComp Rod Biel PGZ, REComp Arthur French PDepGZ, REComp Hilton Cook GSupt (Northland), REComp Kerry Dalzell GSupt (Auckland) and REComp Jack Benfell GSupt (Hauraki).
1 I. J. Nathan “A Centennial History of the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Zealand 1892—1992”, Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Zealand, 1992, ISBN 0 473 01340 1, p1.2 Ibid. p2.3 Ibid. p5.
Royal Arch Mason
Distinguished guests in the East. ME and Supreme Grand King Ward in the Chair.
Graeme Pengelly presents Michael Ward with a commemorative plate.
35
36
Royal Arch Chapter No. 9
On 15 July 1892 the Auckland Provincial Royal Arch Chapter No. 9
was instituted, being the second Chapter to be formed under the new Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Zealand. Ironically it was “pipped at the post” to be the first new Chapter by Wairarapa No. 10 which was instituted on 7 June 1892, some five weeks earlier. Ironic because a petition to form the Auckland Chapter was presented at the meeting which established the SGRAC of New Zealand, whereas a telegram was received from Comp Rev T Porritt advising that a petition to seek a Charter for a new Chapter in the Wairarapa would shortly be forwarded1. Some 31½ years later, on 9 December 1924, Manukau RAC No. 59 was instituted and about four years later Ellerslie RAC No. 68 was instituted, on 6 February 1928.
On 26 May 1994, Manukau RAC No. 59 and Ellerslie RAC No. 68 merged to become Ellerslie Manukau RAC No. 59 in the presence of MEComp Arthur Wilson GZ and REComp Arthur French GSE. VEComp Don Lowrie, PGDC was one of the Installing Principals.
Six years on, force of circumstances
caused another merger and in 6 May 2010 REComp Kerry Dalzell GSupt received the Charter of Ellerslie Manukau RAC No. 59, in the presence of MEComp Graeme Pengelly GZ.
On Thursday 5 August 2010 the first installation for Auckland Ellerslie Manukau Royal Arch Chapter No. 9, following amalgamation on 1 July 2010, was conducted by REComp Kerry Dalzell GSupt assisted by an “all star” line-up of Grand Chapter Officers. REComp Arthur French was installed into the Chair of First Principal, a position he had once filled in Auckland Provincial RAC No. 9 many years previous, early in his Royal Arch career.
The Presenting Principals were MEComp Arthur Wilson PGZ and MEComp Rod Biel PGZ. The First Principal was addressed by MEComp Barry McLaggan PGZ, who commented on the long and distinguished career of REComp French. The Second Principal, EComp Gerhard Wilkenning was addressed by VEComp Hans Kracke PGSoj in German, the mother tongue of both Companions.
The Third Principal, VEComp Bill Hulme was addressed by REComp Frank Robins PGH who referred to the long and harmonious relationship they enjoyed in the previous Chapter.
REComp Don Cathey PGSupt presented The Archway to Success and commented on the First Principal’s role in developing the manual.
Following the investiture of the Officers, including REComp Phil Adrian PGSupt and DepGZ-elect, the Officers were addressed by REComp Don Lowrie PGJ who spoke of the harmonious relations they enjoyed in common. The Companions were addresses by an old colleague of most of them, REComp Peter Scowcroft PDepGZ.
It was a notable occasion.
Notes and pictures by Wally Wilson.
Want to know more about the Royal Arch, or got an idea for a Royal Arch story? Contact Royal Arch publicity officer Gary Kerkin: email: [email protected] Tel: 07 889 3607 Fax: 07 889 3028http://www.royalarchmasons.org.nz
‘50 Years of Care’The History of Roskill Masonic Village
Freemasons Roskill Foundation has recently launched the book “50 Years of Care”. The book tells the history of Roskill Masonic Village, from its origins and early days through to the sale of the facility on 1 November 2005.
The Village became an icon of Freemasonry in the northern area. Complimentary copies of the book are available to anyone interested in the Village’s History and in the prominent Freemasons who ran it. The book provides an insight into the wonderful voluntary work of the many, many Freemasons and their wives and families who in some way helped at the Village.
The 160-page coffee-table book is beautifully produced and presented in its own hard box cover and would be a handsome addition to any personal or Lodge library. It would make a substantial educational gift to new Freemasons or could be given to local libraries and historical archives.
If you would like a free copy please contact:Freemasons Roskill FoundationTelephone: 09 520 6414 Fax: 09 520 6415Email: [email protected]: PO Box 113144 Newmarket Auckland 1149
This is a FREE BOOK!!! Get Yours Today!
*An amount (calculated as a percentage of the total funds invested with the Scheme) is paid to Freemasons New Zealand, so your investment in the Scheme will help to further the work of Freemasonry in New Zealand. A copy of our current disclosure statement may be obtained through any branch or agency of The National Bank (part of ANZ National Bank Limited). NAT0118
Freemasons New Zealand and The National Bank want to make sure you’re rewarded for your savings.
The Freemasons Deposit Scheme has enabled Freemasons and their families to reap the benefi ts of
competitive interest rates that are based on the combined total of all accounts in the scheme. You’ve got the
fl exibility of having your funds on-call, and most importantly your deposits help the Craft help New Zealand*.
To apply for the Freemasons Deposit Scheme or for more information, refer to the application
form inserted in this magazine, call 0800 659 876 or visit freemasons.co.nz
EVEN MOREBENEFITS OFBELONGING
NAT0118 FREEMASONS A4 FP 6.indd 1 14/09/10 2:51 PM