NEW ZEALANDFreemasonIssue 4 (Vol. 43), December 2015

www.freemasonsnz.org

FREEMASONSANNUAL REPORT

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From the Editor 2

Hot news 3

From the Grand Master 4The past, the present and the future

News clips 6

OPINION“It’s about time” 8

Letters to the Editor 9

FREEMASONS IN ACTIONRun Fat Boy Run 10

Land Search and Rescue Northland tracking along thanks to Freemasons 10

Country Music, Freemasonry and Local Businesses – what do they have in common? 11

Freemasons Food Vouchers 11

Freemasons racing to help Rescue Helicopter 12

“A Great Day for the Irish” 12

Midland District Harmony at Work 13

Coffee on the Brain 13

Freemasons New Zealand – Powering Potential 14Potter Masonic Trust 15

125TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONSA ‘BEAUT‘ Day out 16

Fantastic Franklin celebrates 125 Years 16

More support for the Blind and Visually Impaired by Freemasons 17

Freemasons New Zealand 125 Years Exhibition 17

125 years ago from The New Zealand Craftsman magazine 19

IN THIS ISSUE

Leadership – a two-way street 20

Freemasons New Zealand Annual Report 2014-2015 21Grand Installations over the last 125 years 29

The Masonic and Military Order of The Red Cross of Constantine and the Orders of The Holy Sepulchre and of St John the Evangelist 30

EDUCATIONWisdom, Strength and Beauty 31

Freemasons Foundation 32

WW100Gisborne Remembers Brother William Grant 34

Otago commemorates a lost masonic son 35

History of the New Zealand Registered Nurses’ Medal 35

Partners in Freemasonry 37

Masonic Villages Trust 38

HEALTH & SCIENCEStrokes just happen to old people – right? 40

Royal Arch 42Let’s nail our colours to the mast

Masonic Trusts punch above their weight 44

REGULARSA Freemason of the Canterbury hills and the plains 46

Freemason heirloom passed on 46

New initiates 47

The back page 48

Service Awards 49Cover picture: Kohioawa Beach, Bay of Plenty.Aidan Wojtas / Flickr

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

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

Queries or comments regarding subscription or distribution should be addressed to secretary@freemasons.co.nz 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 tiff 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 editor@freemasons.co.nz

Freemasons NZ contributions to Duane Williams, editor@freemasons.co.nz

Royal Arch contributions to Geoff Davies, merlin81@xtra.co.nz

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

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From the Editor

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L et’s say Freemasonry has been in New Zealand for 178 years under a variety of Constitutions and let’s say it has been

organised under one Constitution The Grand Lodge of New Zealand for the last 125 years.

Then what have Freemasons done for New Zealand in that time?

It would be hoped it has … helped tens of thousands of men to improve themselves by association with like-minded men endeavouring to adhere to fundamental principles of goodness, caring and honesty, not only for the sake of themselves but their families, their friends and their community.

It would be hoped it has … helped focus and build commu-nities in the infancy of this country and still provides the glue that helps hold them together today. Freemasons are usually involved in all aspects of their local communities.

It would be hoped it has … helped nearly every community in New Zealand, with local charitable and community projects, sup-ported by local Lodges. Helped big causes, and small, the length and breadth of the New Zealand. Helped those in need, especially the elderly, the young and the vulnerable. Helped, where only the recipient knows of that help, to maintain privacy and dignity.

It would be hoped it has … helped on a national scale with the University Scholarships, Medical and Scientific Research especially but not limited to Paediatrics, Gerontology, Neurosurgery and Oncology, the advancement in the Arts and Sciences and the provision of elder care facilities, open to all, throughout New Zealand.

This is all because every Freemason believes in loving his neighbour, helping anyone in their time of need and those uni-versal truths that are necessary for the survival and advance-ment of humankind.

The secret of Freemasonry is to take the talents we possess and improve ourselves so that we’ can do our best’ for all those around us; in whatever way possible.

In the last 125 years has all this passed? … well it will if we don’t continue doing what we have been doing and telling those good news stories and the stories of what it means to be a Freemason.

This issue contains a lift-out Executive Summary of the Annual Report, lots of Freemasons in Action and 125th Activities, a feature from the Stroke Foundation, the oldest New Zealand Freemason and something from our partners. Fifty two pages that will delight, educate, inform and enlighten us!

Summer is almost upon us and in the great kiwi tradition; enjoy the break with family and friends and think of others needs in this festive season. See you in 2016 refreshed and en-ergised to take on all that the New Year needs from us as men and Freemasons.

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

Besides being a Freemason, Duane is a Justice of the Peace and a volunteer at the Home of Compassion Soup Kitchen.2

HOT NEWS

GRAND MASTER’S VISITSDec 14 The Beta Waikato Lodge No 12, Hamilton –

150th Anniversary Celebrations

Mar 5 Central Division Conference, Palmerston North

Mar 11–12 Southern Division Conference, Queenstown

Mar 31–Apr 5 United Grand Lodge of Victoria, Grand Installation, Melbourne

Apr 9 Northern Division Conference, Manukau, Auckland

Appointment of new Southern Divisional Grand Master

RWBro Rob Angelo has been appointed Divisional Grand Master for the South-ern Division by the Grand Master taking over from RWBro Jim Harborow. Rob is

Christchurch-based which places him in the middle of his very large Division and was previously the Grand Superintendent of Works.

Annual Report

A new look Executive Summary Annual Report is enclosed within the December issue of the New Zealand Freemason magazine which is a lift out. This has reduced the costs of production and post age but still places it in the hands of every mem ber. A full Annual Report is available online and printed version on request.

Grand Installation 2016

Early bird applications are rolling in for our Grand Installation being held on 18–20 November 2016 which can be done either online via the Freemasons New Zealand website or by complet-ing the application and posting to the organisers. Regular part payments can be arranged also to spread the cost out between now and then. Everyone from EA to GM welcome including partners.

Ceremonial Review Committee

This review is underway and submis-sions from members and lodges on our ceremonial can be sent to crc@freemasons.co.nz.

Freemasons Toolbox Card

Ask your District Grand Master for a Freemasons Toolbox Card which points you directly at the Freemasons Toolbox on the Freemasons New Zealand website www.freemasonsnz.org/tools with over 120 ideas and more being added regu-larly it a great place to get ideas to help you, your Lodge or your District. The Freemasons Toolbox is an initiative of the Strategic Pillars Team.

Electronic Tracing Board

The tracing boards are a great education tool. However in many lodge rooms the pictures have dulled or are not easily viewed.

Several lodges have now installed a TV as an electronic tracing board which provides an up-lift to the lodge room. This allows display of the three tracing boards including an additional dulled board for the 3rd degree, plus the e. of m..

Implementing this idea is easy to achieve:

1. Purchase a flat screen TV – a 42inch or 106 mm screen is the minimum desirable size. Also purchase a wall mounting bracket.

2. Select a position to mount the TV in the lodge room. If you wish to avoid additional electrical work this needs to be near a power outlet. While the existing lodge room layout will often dictate the position it is best placed where there is free space in front to view it.

3. The TV is best mounted vertically centred about 1800 above floor level.

4. The images are placed on the TV by plugging in an USB stick. These can be obtained by emailing mem.chair@freemasons.co.nz

THE FREEMASONS

TOOLBOX

Host an Amazing Race

Elevator Speech

Electronic Tracing Board

King Solomon’s Temple evening

MEMBER TRANSFER

Don’t losethat Freemason !

Lodge project that does not cost

any money

Hold a‘Rusty Trowel’Night

‘Exploring the Tools’ evening

‘Bring a Kin’Night

VISIT

freemasonsnz.org/tools

toolbox card.indd 1 30/09/15 3:24 pm

THE FREEMASONS

TOOLBOXLEARN ENGAGE BELONG

LEADtoolbox card.indd 2 30/09/15 3:24 pm

2016 Divisional Conferences

Central Division – Saturday 5 March 2016 Palmerston North – Convention Centre.Southern Division – Friday 11 – Saturday 12 March 2016 Queenstown – Copthorne Hotel.Northern Division – Saturday 9 April 2016 Manukau, Auckland – Novotel Airport Hotel.

Divisions are supplying all their mem-bers with full details separately.

They are all being held a little earlier this year to allow any Remits passed by a majority at all three conferences to be put in place before the Business Session of The Grand Installation in November 2016 where other Remits may go up.

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THE GRAND MASTER

The past, the present and the future

I t has been a brilliant year and one where we have achieved so much. The

focus of the Board of General Purposes throughout the year has been to ensure Freemasonry keeps in touch with the times. The Board’s goal has been for the Craft to remain relevant and viable with good stewardship. Following recent changes, there is now a clear distinction between the Board’s role of governance and that of the National Leadership Team under the direction of the Chief Executive RWBro Laurence Milton whose responsibility is to manage our day to day operations. These changes will see a structure designed to ensure com-munications will improve and the needs of lodges and brethren are in clear focus.

During the last few months, Diana and I have continued to travel widely, making another trip to Australia to at-tend the Grand Installation of Western Australia held in Perth. Although Diana had previously visited Perth, it was my first visit and it is certainly a place we would like to visit again. The new Grand Master of WA is MWBro Bill Babe who was born and educated in NZ. He quali-fied as a doctor at Otago University and practised medicine as a GP in Dunedin prior to moving to WA. The weekend’s activities were very enjoyable and, as always, we benefitted from interaction with our Australian friends. We would like to record our appreciation for all of those NZ Freemasons and their partners who accompanied us on this visit.

We attended two events in the Hutt Valley in September. The first visit was

to a concert to raise funds for some specialised medical equipment for the Hutt Hospital and was well supported by the Freemasons of the Wellington/Hutt Valley lodges. The Theme of the Concert was around country music and was hosted by the well-known NZ singer and entertainer Frankie Stevens. Frankie and all of the many artists gave of their time freely and the whole event was a huge success with the impressive sum of $39,000 being raised. Congratulations to all those involved.

The other visit was to the 125 year anniversary dinner hosted by Hutt Valley Lodge. This event was again well supported and I am sure all of those who attended had a most enjoyable time with some fine food and wine.

We have also travelled to the South Island and attended two great events one held in Nelson and the other in Blenheim. Arriving at Nelson Airport, we were met by Graham and Heather Steer and transported to our hotel in a beautifully restored ‘mauve’ American Cadillac. We felt like famous celebrities. One of the purposes of our visit was to join with the presentation of a support car to the Nelson/Marlborough Helicopter Rescue Service. The Rescue Service was thrilled to receive the car and I learnt that other equipment had been presented by the Lodge in previous years.

Following this presentation the District Grand Master Bruce Pagan drove us to Blenheim to a “BEAUT” after-noon tea held by the Lodge of Unanimity to celebrate the 125th anniversary. We

were well entertained by sing-ers from a barber quartet and then participated in a glorious afternoon tea during which I was presented with a cheque towards the purchase of Daisy Players.

Since September we have made a number of visits to the Auckland area. We joined with Titirangi Mt Albert Lodge in their Centennial Installation Meeting and Dinner which was well supported by many of the Brethren and this added to the

success of the celebrations. The following day we attended a church service at the Mt Roskill Retirement Village Chapel.

Towards the end of September we were again in Auckland and attended a cel-ebration to recognise the achievement of WBro Francis Davis who had completed 75 years’ service to Freemasonry. WBro Davis who is a resident of the Ranfurly Veterans Village and is I believe at pre-sent, the longest serving Freemason. At a morning tea with his family which included his grandchildren and Brethren who had travelled from the Coromandel we duly celebrated the marvellous occa-sion and his magnificent achievement.

On the same day of this celebration we also attended the Auck land Uni-ver sity Chancellor’s Dinner in the Alumni Marquee on the lawn of the Old Government House. It was a glittering affair and the Freemasons were acknowl-edged for the generous contribution to the University. One of the highlights of the dinner was a piano duet performed by two students which I found to be absolutely stunning.

In October we were again in Auckland to celebrate the 125th Installation Meeting of The Franklin Lodge. The meeting was well supported and it was a pleasure and privilege to be present and support the celebrations.

More recently I attended Lodge Takahe in Christchurch and I am grate ful to the Master and the brethren for allowing me to use their normal meeting night to invest RWBro Angelo as the Divisional Grand Master of the South Island. Prior to this investiture they completed a pre-arranged 3rd degree working on Brother Laforteza. At the conclusion of the even-ing I travelled to my accommodation on a real high and I questioned myself as to why I felt this way? I concluded that there were many contributing factors. Firstly, the Shirley Masonic Centre is a warm, modern and inviting venue. Secondly the high standard of the degree working was a pleasure to witness and clearly much work and rehearsal had gone on behind the scenes. The excitement of Bro Laforteza and the manner in which he conducted himself was compelling

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and in such an atmosphere it was a real pleasure to invest RWBro Angelo.

Looking forward to 2016 we have some major events commencing with the three Divisional Conferences. I cannot emphasize the importance of these Conferences as they provide the opportunity for all the brethren of each Division to have input and influence in the future direction of Freemasonry. As a Lodge Master and Warden it is particularly important that you attend. Whilst there will be an agenda for each conference, it is sometimes the informal discussions during breaks like for lunch, that provides an opportunity to share ex-periences and learn from each other. At the last Conferences there was a good at-tendance of Master Masons and I would like to see an even greater attendance of such brethren in 2016.

Next year we will be calling for nominations for the active Officers of Grand Lodge. In the recent appoint-ment of the Divisional Grand Master for the South Island those nominated were required to go through a new process

developed by the members of the na-tional ‘Organisation Development Pillar’ and the Chief Executive. Each candidate was given a full day of training by a professional trainer so they understood the role and the commitment they would have to make as Divisional Grand Master. Following this, there was a further day where they were required to make a presentation to a selection panel chaired by the Deputy Grand Master and which included the President of the Board of General Purposes, the Chief Executive and myself as Grand Master.

The feedback we received following the interviews was that the process was considered to be very professional, fair and robust. Next year we will be calling for nominations for Officers of Grand Lodge and it is intended to adopt a simi-lar process of training and interview for those nominated.

I would like to record my appreciation for the contribution and commitment made by RWBro Jim Harborow during his term as the Divisional Grand Master of the South Island and to wish him

well for the future. I would also like to congratulate RWBro Rob Angelo as he takes over the role and starts his journey as Divisional Grand Master.

There are two further retirements worthy of mention: RWBro Terry McConnell, who has completed his term as Superintendent of The Freemasons Charity, and VWBro Warwick Roberts who has completed his term as a Board Member. Both have made valuable con-tributions to the Craft and I thank them for the dedication to the work of their respective roles.

As this year draws to an end, it is clear that Freemasonry is very much alive. Much has been achieved but of course there is still much to do next year and in the years beyond. I look forward to your continuing support. 2015 has been a memorable year for NZ Freemasons for many reasons. Thank you all for your support.

Diana and I wish you all a very happy Christmas and holiday season, together with a very prosperous and healthy 2016.

John Litton

From Diana

W hat a fantastic year this has been! I totally agree with John that it has

been outstanding. So many Lodges have gone to extraordinary lengths to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the start of the NZ Constitution and make it a very special occasion. Their fundraising has also been very impressive and it is just wonderful how much has been done to support the Blind Foundation. The original target of providing 125 Daisy Players to the Foundation has been far exceeded – the response of all Lodges has just been truly amazing!

John and I have had some wonderful ex-periences moving around the country this year and have been privileged to be part of some really memorable, and sometimes emotional, occasions. Particular highlights have been the presentation of 70-year jew-els to Reg Duff and Clarrie Brown in New Plymouth, and a special Certificate to the longest serving Freemason, Francis Davis from Auckland, marking the 75 years since his initiation. We were honoured to be in-vited to Government House in Wellington

to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the Blind Foundation in March, and in May were at the Opening of the Freemasons Park at the BLENNZ (Blind and Low Vision Educations Network of NZ) at Homai Campus in Manuewra. The Transitional Cathedral in Christchurch provided a fantastic venue for the start of our own 125 Anniversary celebrations in June, when the Scholarship Presentations took place, to-gether with the 125th Anniversary Dinner and the unveiling of the restored first Grand Master’s grave at Linwood Cemetery.

Our visits to Australia on three separate occasions this year – to Adelaide, Sydney and Perth – have all been most enjoyable and we have felt very privileged to be able to be the ambassadors for New Zealand on these occasions. We are very grateful to those who have accompanied us on these visits.

My gratitude is also extended to the amazing ladies (and some men) who have assisted the Cancer Society and the Child Cancer Foundations and Neo-Natal Babies with their knitting and crocheting, those

who have painted ‘hope stones’ for patients undergoing treatment for cancer, and also a very big ‘thank you’ for the thousand or so poppies that I received to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Landings on Gallipoli in WWI, which enabled me to cre-ate three displays for Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. I have been over-whelmed by all the support I have received.

On a personal note, this year has been particularly special for John and me with the arrival of a beautiful little granddaugh-ter at the end of September and we have a little grandson expected towards the end of December, so Christmas will be very memorable this year!

With every good wish for a wonderful Christmas and all that you want in the New Year.

Diana Litton

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NEWS CLIPS

Where in the World?

WBro Alex McKenzie of Pakuranga Lodge took his June Issue of the NZ Freemason Magazine to China and was seen with it on The Great Wall of China and in the Terracotta Warriors Tomb of Qin Shi Huang first Emperor of China.

Get a picture of you and the NZ Freemason taken somewhere around New Zealand or Overseas to show how far it travels and what interesting or exotic locations you and it have been to!

Photos to editor@freemasons.co.nz

New Grand Superintendent of Works

VWBro Graham Strez has been appoint-ed Grand Superintendent of Works as at 6 November 2015 by the Grand Master.

Graham comes from Auckland and is a director of Architect Associates. He has been a Freemason since 1998 and is a Past Master (twice) of The Lodge of the Liberal Arts.

He was previously the Northern Division Property Officer.

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in

democracy. You vote in elections once every three years, but

when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of

community you want to live in.”

International Volunteer Day is 5 December

Lodge Photo Competition

Freemasons New Zealand are want-ing to get an up to date photo of your Freemasons Lodge, Hall, Centre or Complex; so we can add it to the Lodge Locator on the Freemasons New Zealand website, use it in the New Zealand Freemason magazine, etc.

A good quality high resolution photo especially of the exterior and also one of the interior would be appreciated and it can be emailed to communications@freemasons.co.nz with the name of your Lodge.

A small prize to those who send a picture in!

The Freemasons Charity Jewels

These were first introduced in November 2013

A great way to support The Freemasons Charity and honour a member of your Lodge who has done great work in the way of charity and benevolence and/or sterling work for Freemasonry in general.

They come in three levels – Bronze (Merit), Silver (Appreciation) and

Gold (Recognition) depending on the awardees contribution to charity and freemasonry, and, on the monetary con-tribution Lodges can afford to make to The Freemasons Charity.

Bronze is $275, Silver is $375 and Gold is $550 which includes GST.

Any Freemason in receipt of any one of these beautiful Jewels would be hon-oured indeed.

Guidelines are available from Free-masons New Zealand and applications involve a covering letter and cheque sent to The Freemasons Charity well before date of presentation.

This contribution along with Installation Collections, Lodge Donations and Bequests all add to the capital base of The Freemasons Charity – Our Charity.

Alex pictured with the Terracotta Warriors and fitting right in.

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NEWS CLIPS

Strategic Pillars Workshops

Two trial workshops developed and organised by the Strategic Pillars Team were held in Auckland and Wellington recently.

Approximately 33 first time Masters, first time Wardens and new Master Masons participated in a three session programme interspersed with dinner.

The programme covered Leadership, Membership and Community Engage-ment with lots of discussion, sharing of ideas and activities.

Participants all agreed that the work-shops were worthwhile and very useful to them.

These workshops will be rolled out to all Divisions in 2016.

Presenters were Mark Hall Leadership Pillar, Warwick Bell Membership Pillar and Rob Crabtree Community Engagement Pillar.

Supporting the Freemasons Deposit Scheme

Freemasons New Zealand has a great tool for its membership in the form of the Freemasons Deposit Scheme which has been running since 1977. The Freemasons Deposit Scheme is managed by Heartland Bank which is 100% New Zealand managed and has roots that go back to 1875.

The Freemasons Deposit Scheme is a three way partnership between Freemason depositors, Freemasons New Zealand and the Heartland Bank. It is open to Freemasons, their families, their connections and their businesses, Lodges, Masonic Charitable Trusts, etc.

The Scheme provides competitive inter-est rates and Freemasons New Zealand receives a commission based on the total amount deposited. This commis-sion is over and above the interest paid to depositors so it does not affect their investment return.

Freemasons New Zealand receives about $350–400,000 in commission each year which it uses to fund the extras that the membership would like to have. Our Capitation Fees come in at $500,000 per annum and only pay for the administra-tion costs of running Freemasons New Zealand. So we can see how important the Freemasons Deposit Scheme is to Freemasonry in New Zealand and how it has a role in keeping our annual Capitation Fees down to a generally in-flation proofed figure only.

Heartland Bank not only supports the Freemasons Deposit Scheme but pro-vides annual Scholarships for the chil-dren and grand-children of Freemasons, support for the NZ Freemason magazine, and support for Freemason organised sporting events.

They have a number of products which offer very competitive interest rates and can be contacted on freema-sons@heartland.co.nz or 0508 373 362.

Freemasons New Zealand is not a pro­moter of and does not guarantee the obligations of Heartland Bank Limited in relation to Heartland Bank deposits.

75 Years a Freemason! You are a long time a Freemason

Freemason Francis Davis clocks 75 years being New Zealand’s longest serving freemason.

Francis Davis, 96, is the longest serv-ing active member of Freemasons New Zealand with 75 years under his belt at the Hauraki Plains Lodge. The former Mangere man was officially recognised for his service on September 30.

Freemasons New Zealand Grand Master John Litton presented Francis with his 75 Year Certificate as the organi-sation celebrated its 125th Anniversary.

“The Freemasons have got a little bit more open now,” he says.

Freemasonry began about 300 years ago in Europe when stonemasons formed a group to share their skills with worthy apprentices.

The first New Zealand meeting was held in 1837. The philanthropic organisa-tion has evolved but still keeps the same principles of kindness, care and honesty.

Affectionately known as Chum, Francis was born in Wellington and grew up in the small town of Kaihere in the Hauraki Plains.

“It was pretty rough in those days. There were no roads.”

His father was a Freemason and ran the Kaihere store.

Francis Davis, 96, has spent 75 years as a Freemason.

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H istory records many successful peo-ple who overcame huge obstacles to

achieve outstanding results. A childhood hero of mine, Sir Peter

Blake, was an inspirational leader who had to rebuild after disaster struck. It was during the 1st leg of the 1981-82 Whitbread Around the World Yacht Race that Sir Peter and his crew of sail-ors found themselves mid race with a broken mast. It would have been easier to give up; as surely the race was over for them, but mid ocean (and with good leadership followed up by good action) the crew of “Ceramco” reassembled the remains of the sailboat and sailed to the finish line. The way they responded when things did not go well earned them the respect of their peers, and the world. Like all good teams they never gave up, and working against the clock they man-aged a respectable elapsed time. After the event, Sir Peter went back to the drawing board. He never gave up on his goal, and was always surrounded by a great crew of good sailors.

OPINION

“It’s about time”

Lesley and Michael Wooding are both involved in the sport of sailing and owned several yachts including dinghies, trailer yachts and a keelboat. Served on several club committees and extensively fundraised for regatta events.

The old Shirley Lodge clock which stopped working 4.34am, 4 September 2010 (7.1 earthquake).

What makes a great crew? Having a well-defined game plan, and a vessel that can be relied upon, is paramount. Every member has their position, understands their role, and accepts accountability. There is pride and good training. The likes of Blake’s crew did not get to go to sea unless they were good men to begin with. And finally there is good Communication, which must flow both ways to be effective.

But great sports teams, like this one, do not win all of the time, and it’s what they do when things don’t go their way (rather than when things do go their way) that truly defines them as great. John Lennon once wrote “Life is what happens to you whilst your busy mak-ing other plans”. Blake’s crew certainly learned what this phrase is all about.

The former Dean of Christchurch, The Reverend Peter Beck, wrote to the Christchurch Press recently saying that a sniff of change is in the air, and he praised what is being achieved and planned by folk in the community. A very positive outlook, during what has been a very frustrating time, through the impasse over the Christchurch Cathedral.

Recently I took the opportunity to pop back to Christchurch for a visit. Christchurch has had much change forced upon it by the earthquakes, and the Christchurch CBD rebuild is now in full swing. I was keen to see progress, and as I drove towards the CBD I noted many differences to the past. The one-way traffic system had been altered, ancient landmarks had gone, and road cones lay everywhere. I found myself a bit lost. However, I did see plenty of repair work taking place, along with many new buildings popping up, which

is wonderful to see. But it’s about time! Like my wife’s parents own Insurance settlement, the wheels of Insurance set-tlement in Christchurch turn very slowly. This is a disaster in its own right.

Freemasonry in Christchurch has not been left unscathed by the earthquakes either. Districts 25 and 26 have adapted well, and will continue to do so. A new Freemasons Centre has been built. It is a wonderful building, and credit goes to those who made it happen. And yet, whilst no design will please everyone, it is a focal point and that brings tranquil-ity for those who chose its final form.

That evening I attended the Installation of Worshipful Brother Clive Fletcher, and learned about Clive’s jour-ney to the Masters Chair. Clive had made Senior Warden before (in the UK and again in New Zealand) and, through no fault of his own had, to step back from going forward and accept change. But he never gave up on his dream. 28 years after starting out, he took the next step to the Masters Chair as his Father and Uncle had done before him.

Sir Peter Blake went on to eventually win the Around the World Yacht Race and then The America’s Cup. For those of you who remember the hey-day of New Zealand sailing, it was like we were all travelling through time together as part of the crew. We felt the anguish of failure, and then the sweetness of success.

We are living at a time of unprec-edented change. Sometimes a hassle and other times a blessing and we need to change and adapt. When change is forced upon us we need to keep moving forward. Likewise when we are faced with change by design we can embrace it or run the risk of being left behind.

WBro Michael Wooding

WBro Michael Wooding Past Master of The Avon Shirley Lodge No 185. Has been a Freemason since 2003. He is currently Dist GDC for Pegasus District No 25 in Christchurch. Michael’s career has mainly been as Air Traffic Controller previously working at New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Christchurch Airports now based at Woodbourne in Blenheim looking after both civil and airforce movements.

8

Making changes to the Ceremonial

Dear Editor

We could make our ceremonies more interesting, flow better, and less long-winded by adopting elements of other Masonic rituals.

Consider what happens when a New Zealand lodge raises a candidate to the Third Degree. It must typically spend 30 to 40 minutes opening and closing in all three degrees. The time spent open-ing and closing in the First and Second Degrees is totally unnecessary and serves only to make our meetings tedious. The Swedish Rite has a better approach. Swedish lodges can open in the Third Degree, transact business, Raise a candi-date, and then adjourn to the refectory after closing in the Third Degree.

Changes to the ritual must be avoided if they could potentially undermine the dignity of our ceremonies without pro-ducing any significant benefits.

For example, some Freemasons argue that the language used in our ceremonies needs to be updated. That argument is

dubious. True, the style does tend to be flowery, and it recalls an earlier time and place, but it is also beautiful and elegant. Many of the longer charges are master-pieces of metaphor and allusion. These qualities help preserve the mystique of our Masonic ceremonies and make the charges memorable.

The men who wrote our ritual in the late 19th Century were writing something that would bring the English and Scottish lodges in this country together. In the second decade of the 21st Century when membership is declining, the imperative is different. We need a ritual that younger and newer Masons will find more enjoy-able. This can be done quite easily, not by modernising or making innovations, but by adopting some of the interesting little practices to be found in the rituals of other Masonic jurisdictions.

WBro Robin Loomes

Editor’s Note: Submissions to the Cere­mo nial Review Committee can be made to crc@freemasons.co.nz

What I have achieved thanks to my Freemasons University Scholarship

Dear Editor

In 2011 I was honoured to be awarded a Freemasons Postgraduate Scholarship while I was undertaking study toward a PhD at the University of Canterbury. I am writing to reiterate my gratitude for this award and to let you all know of my progress since then.

My research centred on spectral CT, a nascent medical imaging technology that offers several exciting potential benefits. These include improved detection of dangerous plaques in blood vessels and reduced x-ray exposure, among others. I performed this research as part of the MARS Research Group at the University; this group is continuing to make pro-gress as a world leader in this field. After a little more than three years, several earthquakes, two international and sev-eral local conferences, and two weeks at Virginia Tech (USA) I was relieved in July 2013 to submit my PhD disserta-tion, entitled “Contributions to Spectral CT”. In early October I was thrilled to

successfully defend it.After completing my

studies I spent a few months teaching software engineering at the University whilst completing some research. Then I took a position as a Software Developer at ARANZ Geo Ltd, a Christchurch company that sells geological modelling software all over the world – moving from medical imaging to geology, that is transferable skills in action! I am still working there, taking on responsibility, and being recognised as a valuable mem-ber of a fast-growing team. In addition to writing software, I am reviewing the work of other developers and mentor-ing younger employees. I also volunteer as a tutor for Code Club Aotearoa, an organisation teaching children how to write software.

I would like to again thank the Lodge for your generous support during my studies. This support allowed me to focus completely on my work and has led to my success today.

Kindest regards, Alex Opie

LETTERS TO THE EDITORWhat the NZ Freemason magazine did for me

Dear Editor

Two months ago I came to the conclusion that Freemasonry here in NZ was nothing more than an expensive over0- 65s social club and for me here in the Waikato it was.

I looked around at my local and district lodges and asked myself what any of these lodges had done for its communities in the last 18 months, and the answer was very little, in fact, nothing. I know this is true because I asked many of them. I was questioning my own reasons for being a Freemason, were we not supposed to be a charitable organization to do acts of charity and benevolence?

As far as I could see we were doing nothing except a lot of self-important back slapping! I looked at what the local Lions and Rotary where doing in my local community and it put us to shame, I decided that was it. I resigned, no one really asked me why, and it was just ac-cepted, I guess that old adage of “Don’t ask and you won’t get upset” came into effect again.

In the period I was unattached, I read my NZ Freemason magazines from cover to cover and saw what many of the lodges throughout the country where doing and it’s marvellous, they were real Freemasons, I had to wonder why Lodges in my own district were not tak-ing these lodges lead and being proactive? Surely they read the NZ Freemason magazine, surely they too must ask themselves why they are not as active or at least trying to be as active as some of these other lodges. I would ask all brethren out there to ask yourselves what your lodge has done in the last year.

Projects in the community need not cost money, organizing a visit to the local old folk’s home and taking some of the residents out for a few hours, or doing some work on local community projects, maybe even teaming up with Rotary or Lions on a joint project. Stop calling yourself a Freemason and be one!

Ok, I know some people will say, our lodge donated $100 to this or $500 to that, but that’s just money, anyone can do that, we need to get out there, to show the public what sort of people we are and what we stand for, maybe if we did we wouldn’t be struggling for members like we are! If all you want to do is go to lodge sit amongst yourselves have a sandwich and go home, join the RSA it’s cheaper, they have courtesy transport, and subsidized meals and drinks too.

Thanks to the NZ Freemason magazine I have now re-joined my mother lodge with a rekindled passion that I hope that in the short time I have remaining here in this country I may be able to make a difference for the bet-ter of my community, like I see so many other lodges doing up and down our two islands.

WBro David Freeman

9

Run Fat Boy Run

District 19 has a project to raise money for the Kapiti Coast Coastguard’s new boat where we have agreed to provide money for the electronics suite (around $50k) and have come up with the “Run Fat Boy Run” concept.

The idea is a simple one “Run Fat Boy Run” is a concept that can be employed by any Lodge or District and piggybacks an existing event, such as a walk or a run, in the community on a sponsorship basis. It can be a model for fundraising and has many advantages such as:

� No organisation of the event itself � No risk in relation to existing funding � Requires Freemasons to engage with

the community at large to gather sponsorship and thus gets the mes-sage out there that we are engaged in useful community-centric projects

� Starts the conversation about Freemasonry and may potentially lead to more good men joining the Craft

� It promotes fellowship and fam-ily activity and the opportunity to

include other non Freemasons in our activities

� Ideally the activity would be under-taken in matching and obviously “Freemasonry” branded apparel getting further attention within the community

� Improved health of our own members � The opportunity to raise significant

amounts of money from what is ef-fectively a crowd funding model

We chose the Rimutuka Incline half Marathon run by the Trentham Harriers as the first event. Contained within the event were a 7km walk/run, a 14km walk/run and a 21km half marathon walk/run, so something to suit most ages and abilities.

It was a great day weather wise and small group of Freemasons and their wives and families turned up led by P Div GM Steve Salmon and participated in the various events. Around $2000 was raised for the project.

As this concept has replaced the “Live Life Lighter” event it would be

great to see a much wider participation from Freemasons and their families and friends, from both within District 19 and further afield, in our next event which will be the “Cigna – Round the Bays” on 21st February. This event has a 6.5km walk, a 10km run and a half marathon for the brave!

So Brethren, dust off those running/walking shoes, get the date in the di-ary and let Mick Turner (mick@zeus-international.com) know that you will be turning up. Remember, it’s a District project for a very good cause, lets get this done.

Editor’s Note: This would work in any District or Lodge.

FREEMASONS IN ACTION

Land Search and Rescue Northland tracking along thanks to Freemasons

Land Search and Rescue Northland (SAR) is a non-profit service helping to search not only for adventurers but peo-ple suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s, or autism.

Northland Freemasons donated just under $20,000 with the assistance of The Freemasons Charity to help purchase Wander Search tracking equipment. It started as a Lodge Hatea project that got extend-ed to all of Northland.

The equipment con-sists of radio tracking units including aerials, batteries and chargers and a number of locator pendants which can be worn as wrist straps or around the neck.

The pendant contains a small radio transmitter

which constantly sends out a pulse on its own individual frequency. If the person goes missing the radio pulse can often be detected up to three kilometres away by a trained operator using the direction finding equipment.

Grant Adams from Rescue far North stressed how effective the locators are – provided the users do not discard them.

The equipment does not depend on GPS or on cell phones. They are VHF radio transmitters.

Dementia patients do not realise they are lost and they behave in il-logical ways, going over hills rather than round them, heading for water, which can be danger-ous, and crossing roads rather than walking

along the side of them, and such people are quite unprepared for the weather.

One in ten searches is for someone with Alzheimer’s. If not found within 24 hours 6% of Alzheimer’s patients die.

Fifty thousand people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and this number is set to double in the next twenty years.

If you have concerns for a relative who is likely to wander into danger, contact: Northland Search and Rescue, PO Box 1361, Whangarei or Peter at 027 309 6909 email pj.smith@xtra.co.nz

The presentation was well at-tended with Her Worship the Mayor of Whangarei, Sheryl Mai; Grant Conaghan, Land Search and Rescue, Northland; Grant Adams, Rescue Far North; Bob Vartan, District Grand Master; Tim Barry, Master Lodge, Hatea; and 35 Freemasons and their partners.

Bob Vartan, Sheryl Mai (Mayor of Whangarei) and Grant Conaghan.

10

The answer is simple – lots thanks to The Freemasons Charity Country Concert!

In August this year on a wet Saturday night, the Lodges of Districts 19 & 21 and the Wellington District of the Royal Arch banded together to host a Country Charity Concert in aid of the Hutt Valley Hospital. Lead by Ray Keenan and his band of merry men and woman, they or-ganised a fabulous concert that was hard to beat. All the performers, mostly coun-try musicians, graciously volunteered their own time to come along and provide the entertainment. The local Hutt Valley businesses also contributed prizes for raffles and they too supported the event. Mr Frankie Stevens, television and stage performer, who happened to grow up in Wellington, was the MC for the night and did a wonderful of job of keeping the show flowing and making the night enjoyable for all.

Some of the performers included: Hutt Valley Ukulele Orchestra – This amazing group of maybe 40-plus musicians opened the concert and set the scene. Lead by the very able Justin Read, sang songs we all new and even invited members of the audience to come on stage and dance!

The Rimutaka Trail Band – This phe-nomenal band is made up of some of New Zealand’s finest country musicians. They not only played for their very own Tracey McAra but also provided musical accom-paniment for a number of acts. They were outstanding!

Kim and Dusty – Acoustic Duo, who have been bringing their whisky harmonies to Wellingtonian’s since 2013,

when Dusty moved to Brooklyn. The duo played a blend of Country, Blues, Bluegrass and Folk music. This couple were enjoyed by all and were kept very busy during the break.

The Harbour Capital Chorus – This group of blokes took a break from their National’s preparation weekend to en-tertain. They sang the two numbers they were going to use at the National compe-tition so the group was lucky enough to get a preview on what was the come! Our Chief Executive Laurence Milton was part of this group. Amazing voices and great harmonies.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, John De Burgh stepped up to the mic and mesmerised the audience some more. John runs the NZ Country Music Radio and is well known in the country music scene. His preference is for a laid back, easy listening style. John has been a Freemason.

Krista Thompson - Krista, originally from Christchurch, flew in from Australia just for the concert. She is a well experi-enced musician and has won awards from all over – including the NZ Golden Guitar.

The Miti Family – Closing the event was an outstanding family group of three performers. Well known for their tight harmonies, silky smooth notes and clev-erly constructed melodies. The Miti’s final number ‘Hallelujah’ bought some in the audience to tears. Wow!

So what were the results of all this talent? A great show for the 300 or so people who attended. A lot of fun for the performers. A most importantly, with the

Freemasons Food Vouchers

Rangitikei Lodge, through The Free-mason’s Charity and New World Supermarket Marton has generously do-nated a large number of $50 New World food vouchers destined for local people who suffered flood damage in June.

New World has donated a third of the cost of the vouchers, to complement the generosity of The Freemason’s Charity.

Mayor Andy Watson accepted them on behalf of the Mayoral Flood Relief Fund.

The mayor said, “It gives us the op-portunity to go back to homeowners who have suffered dramatically during the flood. Both the Rangitikei Lodge and New World Supermarket Marton are to be commended for their continuing gen-erosity towards the local community.”

Ashley Williamson

Marton New World owner Brendon Shoebridge, Master of Lodge Rangitikei No 38 Graeme Hill, and Mayor Andy Watson.

help of The Freemasons Charity, about $39,000 was raised for a new Ultra Sonic Wound Debriding machine for the local Hutt Valley Hospital. A machine that will bring new standards of wound care for all those in need from within the Greater Wellington Region.

Glen Houlihan

Country Music, Freemasonry and Local Businesses – what do they have in common?

11

“A Great Day for the Irish”

As it drizzled in Auckland last Saturday 24 October 2015, reminiscent of an au-tumn Dublin day, the Brethren gathered at the Airedale Street Lodge rooms to wit-ness the Installation of a new Provincial Grand Master for New Zealand under the Grand Lodge of Ireland.

Right Worshipful Brother Roland J. Whyte after fifteen years as Provincial Grand Master in New Zealand for-mally welcomed delegations from the Provincial Grand Lodge of South East Asia, the Districts in NZ under the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the United Grand Lodge of England and also Senior Brethren of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand.

Approximately 200 Brethren from all Constitutions rose to receive the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, Most Worshipful Brother Douglas T. Grey, accompanied by the Grand Secretary, Right Worshipful Brother D. Barry Lyons and after being welcomed by the outgoing Provincial Grand Master took the Chair of the Provincial Grand Lodge of New Zealand to conduct the Communications and to Install Andrew Gareth McGregor as the new Provincial Grand Master.

The ceremony was splendid and conducted in the usual Irish style of relaxed dignity which is always much admired by the other Constitutions. After Right Worshipful Brother Andrew

was obligated and raised he stood on the Centre and a musical item was beauti-fully rendered by WBro Donald Trott accompanied by WBro Brian Crone. This was an emotional point in the cer-emony and was a time of reflection for all of the Brethren present. Andrew was then invested with the insignia of his high office and placed in the Chair by the Grand Master. The implements of his of-fice were presented by the Past Provincial Grand Master.

The Provincial Grand Master then invested his Officers for the 2015/16 year. After he addressed the Brethren and undertook to maintain and even enhance the relationships which exist between Brethren of all Constitutions throughout the country. Before close of the Communications the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Ireland addressed the assembly and announced that Brother Roly Whyte was promoted to Past Grand Warden. He expressed his delight with the warmth of his welcome to New Zealand and his enjoyment of everything which had been arranged. While the fine ceremony was being conducted, many of the Ladies were being well entertained in the refectory with afternoon tea.

The formal Banquet in the evening at the Langham Hotel was a glittering affair attended by over 220 Brethren and Ladies during which interesting and humorous speeches (as expected from

the Irish) were given by Frank Griffin Provincial Deputy GM, the Grand Master Douglas Grey, the Past Provincial GM Roly Whyte and finally the PGM Andrew McGregor. Other activities sur-rounding this full day kept the visitors from Ireland, Kuala Lumpur, Adelaide and from around New Zealand busy and happy. It was a wonderful weekend and a satisfying win over the Springboks added a little more icing to the cake.

The last Grand Master to come to New Zealand was the 7th Earl of Donoughmore in 1970 and it was to be hoped that it would be less than 45 years before another Grand Master came from Dublin to visit.

Roly Whyte, Grand Lodge of Ireland – Provincial Grand Lodge of New Zealand

FREEMASONS IN ACTIONFreemasons racing to help Rescue Helicopter

The Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter Trust is cruising in style after a generous gift from the local Freemasons. The trust was donated a new car that will allow pilots to get to and from jobs at the helicopter base quicker. ‘‘It allows the

crew to respond a big faster,’’ says chief pilot Tim Douglas-Clifford. He said in the past it had been an issue when pilots were rushing to get to base in their own cars. ‘‘It’s pretty hard to say to [police] who they are and that they are bona fide in

what they are doing.’’ The new car was also about building awareness about the work the trust does. He said the Freemason had given the trust much support over the years. General manager Paula Muddle said it was fantastic that a group like the Freemasons saw value in what the trust did. ‘‘The car was something that was on our wish list.’’ The trust is still fundraising

for a new helicopter winch which the team says will help them save more lives around the region. Crew member and winch operator Paul ‘‘Ernie’’ Bryant said a winch was crucial to the helicopter’s operation. Many rescues involved people at sea, on mountains, or at the bush clad Sounds, where landing was impossible. Not being able to winch someone could mean a further wait of hours for rescue, involving other emergency resources and potentially putting people’s lives at risk as their health deteriorated or weather conditions changed quickly. ‘‘If you can’t land, it’s your only method of extraction – and there are a lot of places you go where you can’t land.’’

New Provincial Grand Master RWBro Andrew G. McGregor, flanked by the Grand Secretary, RWBro D. Barry Lyons and the Grand Master MWBro Douglas T. Grey, all Grand Lodge of Ireland.

12

Midland District Harmony at Work

The Midland District Masonic Choir had a new experience in September, when they became involved in a Charity Concert in the town of Waimate.

The Waimate District had instituted a fund raising effort to build a Community Stadium Complex in the area, and the organisers approached the Choir with an invitation to produce a concert as a contribution to this fund raising. We were informed later that the concert had realised close to $1500.00 towards the Stadium Complex.

The Choir Members readily agreed, and were then informed that the Catholic Basilica would be available for the performance and that some support-ing artists would be available for the oc-casion. Needless to say that the event was well patronised by the local residents and outlying districts, and in conjunction with two musical groups from Roncalli College in Timaru and a young guitar virtuoso, from Waimate, the evening proved to be a resounding success. The Choir also welcomed the assistance of

the delightful soprano voice of Mrs Rose Struthers, who joined in with three of the choir items, and the compare for the evening, Mr Noel Burns, with his own wit and then his solo “How Great Thou Art”.

This Midland District Masonic Choir has now been in existence for some 28 years, and enjoys the friendship and good fun associated with the learning and singing together. The numbers total around 20 members and the average age of the choristers is 76 or 77 years. The Choir pro-duces an annual concert which is performed both in Timaru and Ashburton, and the proceeds of each of these concerts is always donated to a local

charity. It must be mentioned here that the Midland Masonic Charitable Trust always make a generous donation of $500.00 to each of these concerts. It has been conservatively estimated that in excess of $50,000.00 has been realised through this Choir and given back to the District.

What a way to go, for those who enjoy the blending of voices together in harmony.

Coffee on the Brain

The Coffee Trailer of the Brain Injury Association is back in action.

Thanks to a donation of $25,000 from the Northland Freemasons the former trailer, used to foster public awareness

and to help raise funds and to assist in rehabilitation, has been replaced by a newer model. The Lodges raised $10,000 which was subsidized by another$10,000 from The Freemasons Charity and

the Grand Masters District Grant of $5,000 also from The Freemasons Charity.

On 10 October Freemasons and their wives were invited to see the trailer at Headway House, home of the Northland Brain Injury Association.

Bryan Wiig, former District Grand Master, praised the work of the Association volunteers and said it was well worth

community support. The Freemasons had enjoyed making a contribution and had learned something about the es-sential help provided for those who have suffered brain injury.

Everyone was impressed by the vehi-cle – and by the coffee!

Said Association President Iain Watkins, “You quickly lose customers if you don’t provide the quality – coffee drinkers are very discerning. You’ve got to get it right!”

The trailer was in action on Labour weekend and on bonfire night and over the summer it will be a familiar sight around Whangarei.

Midland Masonic Choir members performing at the Catholic Basilica, Waimate, including Mr Rose Struthers and Choirmaster WBro Alan Kerr OSM (fourth from right).

Bryan Wiig, Freemasons, Vikki Herdmann BIA Secretary, Alex Stewart BIA Founder (inside), Iain Watkins BIA President (inside), Don MacDonald Freemason, Rex Ford, Freemason, Carlo Lang Treasurer, BIA

Central Division ConferenceSaturday 5 March 2016 • Convention Centre, Palmerston North

Conference Pack and online registrations: www.themasons.org.nz/div/Contact divsec.central@freemasons.co.nz

13

FREEMASONSNew Zealand

They knew it would work. There was no doubt amongst the people at BLENNZ (Blind and Low-vision Education Network New Zealand) that an ‘outdoor learning environment’ would make a significant difference in the curriculum of the Homai school for blind youngsters.

The outdoors to blind children is a scary, foreign place. Very big. Without boundaries. No controls. No security. So anything that would help the pupils make their way in the unknown ‘outside’ would be a great learning tool.

They had the land. It was right outside the windows of their modern building, always beckoning to be filled with a park for their children. But with constantly tight operating budgets they could never afford the cost.

Then one day the Freemasons appeared and like magic, Freemasons Park, the dreamed-about sensory playground became a reality. Through the Freemasons of the South Auckland area, the Potter Masonic Trust was introduced to BLENNZ and a partnership of mutual benefit blossomed.

But the story has a second, equally exciting, chapter that is now developing. They said it would work but oh how it has worked! Freemasons Park was officially opened just six months ago in May this year but impact it has already made has been far greater than expected. The teachers are ecstatic about the remarkable influence it is having. The interaction between the children has improved beyond measure. The growth in their level of independence is amazing.

One of the main activities at Homai are the ‘immersion’ classes. These coach 13 – 20 year olds to cope with every-day living alone. They come from all over the country in groups of around 10 with their regular teachers and sometimes parents to spend a live-in week at Homai. They learn about cooking, cleaning and

shopping - and learning to be outside too. And they love Freemasons Park. Can’t get enough of it. Why so much enthusiasm to be outside? This too was forecast. It has captured their imaginations and provided freedoms that they haven’t had before. And they are relishing them!

Freemasons Park is a big space. It is designed with many sensory ‘guide posts’. Pathways that are marked by different textures and surfaces at measured spaces along their ways, so becoming oriented is eased. Being outside in a big space also allows another exciting experience – singing and shouting out loud! Then there’s the ‘Mound’ a low rise of earth with grass and three or four low levels. A roly-poly down the Mound is proving a real thrill. And there are many more special features in this place that is changing the lives of the special kids that come to school here. Many more!

FREEMASONS PARK - all the dreams come true

On the ‘Mound’

Looking over ‘the Hub’ feature at Freemasons Park with its tactile central compass and garden beds

Planting

A grateful Barbara Whitely, Senior Manager, School and Residential Services, said‘We needed a space that would provide all our children, whatever their needs, with a space to explore, experience and socialise, to build their independence but which protected and nurtured them too. In Freemasons Park we now have what we dreamed for.’

“The teachers are ecstatic”

“It has captured their imaginations”

Forty of the brightest secondary school science students have been selected to attend the inaugural event Powering Potential in Wellington 13–16 December, which will seek answers to some of New Zealand’s future problems.

Organised by the Royal Society of New Zealand and supported by Freemasons New Zealand, Powering Potential will bring New Zealand’s most promising science students together to work out how to solve challenging issues facing the country. They will be supported and guided by scientists and mentors. The students will work in teams of three to five on problems that have been sub-mitted by science organisations. They relate to a wide range of areas critical to New Zealand’s future, from the environ-ment to health.

The students will research, investigate and collaborate to solve the problems they have been given. They will also visit GNS Science to meet with scientists and learn about the skills they have used to solve science problems.

Freemasons New Zealand – Powering PotentialPowering Potential is a joint science programme by Freemasons New Zealand and the Royal Society of New Zealand.

The Royal Society of New Zealand of-fers expert advice to government and the public, recognises excellence in research and scholarship in science, technology and humanities, promotes science and technology education, publishes peer-reviewed journals, administers funds for research and fosters international scientific contact and cooperation.www.royalsociety.org.nz

“The students will need to think outside the square and use their cre-ative capabilities to find solutions. At the end of the four days each team will present its findings at a special function,” says Andrew Cleland, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Each student was required to submit an in-depth application, which focused on their own science research or outlined how they have contributed to an area of science in their school or community.

The students were selected because they are serious about going on to study science at a tertiary level and also have a passion and thirst for the world of sci-ence. Andrew Cleland says: “the calibre of the 80 students who applied was ex-cellent and some tough decisions had to be made by the selection panel to get the number down to 40.”

Grandmaster of Freemasons New Zealand John Litton said: “Freemasons New Zealand is absolutely delighted to be involved in Powering Potential in part-nership with the Royal Society of New Zealand. “Education is a cornerstone of freemasonry. Our organisation is all about self- improvement and having the courage to make changes for the benefit of all. Powering Potential is a perfect fit for us and we are excited about the next 3 years.”

All costs for the students, including social activities, are covered by the Royal Society of New Zealand and Freemasons New Zealand. Freemasons New Zealand via The Freemasons Charity is contribut-ing $30,000 per year for the next three years.

The students selected to attend Powering Potential are:

FAR NORTH: Isabella Francis, Grayson Javins and Shani Eisenmann, Kerikeri High School.CENTRAL NORTH: Emma Barnes, Whangarei Girls’ High School.

AUCKLAND: Alysha Johnson, Avondale College; Chantelle French, Onehunga High School; Sarah Liu, Epsom Girls’ Grammar School; Yasime Dai and Georgia Lala, Auckland Diocesan School for Girls; Parie Malhotra, Mount Albert Grammar School; Oxana Repina and Miranda Tong, Rutherford College; Michael Jessup, Pakuranga College; and Adam Good, Waiuku College.WAIKATO: Joshua Green, Cambridge High School; Alex Kennedy, Hamilton Boys High School; Scehnaz Hussain, St Peter’s School, Cambridge.BAY OF PLENTY: Clementine Davis, Mount Maunganui College; Devon Whitmore, Tauranga Boys’ College; Jonathan Everett, Whakatane High School; Loren Skudder-Hill, John Paul College, Rotorua.HAWKE’S BAY: Coco Kerkhoffs, Karamu High School; Grace Duncan, Hastings Girls’ High School.TARANAKI: Samuel Parker, Waitara High School.WELLINGTON: Tess Breitenmoser, Wellington High School; Catherine Pot, Onslow College; Cherie Vasta, St Oran’s College; Jonathan Wu, Wellington College; Dinura Perera Tawa College.NELSON: Kara Hamilton, Nayland College; Joshua Richards, Collingwood Area School; Sabine O’Neill Stevens and Lucy Watts, Nelson College for Girls.CANTERBURY: George Watson, Darfield High School.OTAGO: Philip Anderson, King’s High School; Meran Campbell Hood, Logan Park High School.SOUTHLAND: Timothy O’Neill, Verdon College; Brianna Nally and Michael Zhang James Hargest College, Invercargill.

14

FREEMASONSNew Zealand

They knew it would work. There was no doubt amongst the people at BLENNZ (Blind and Low-vision Education Network New Zealand) that an ‘outdoor learning environment’ would make a significant difference in the curriculum of the Homai school for blind youngsters.

The outdoors to blind children is a scary, foreign place. Very big. Without boundaries. No controls. No security. So anything that would help the pupils make their way in the unknown ‘outside’ would be a great learning tool.

They had the land. It was right outside the windows of their modern building, always beckoning to be filled with a park for their children. But with constantly tight operating budgets they could never afford the cost.

Then one day the Freemasons appeared and like magic, Freemasons Park, the dreamed-about sensory playground became a reality. Through the Freemasons of the South Auckland area, the Potter Masonic Trust was introduced to BLENNZ and a partnership of mutual benefit blossomed.

But the story has a second, equally exciting, chapter that is now developing. They said it would work but oh how it has worked! Freemasons Park was officially opened just six months ago in May this year but impact it has already made has been far greater than expected. The teachers are ecstatic about the remarkable influence it is having. The interaction between the children has improved beyond measure. The growth in their level of independence is amazing.

One of the main activities at Homai are the ‘immersion’ classes. These coach 13 – 20 year olds to cope with every-day living alone. They come from all over the country in groups of around 10 with their regular teachers and sometimes parents to spend a live-in week at Homai. They learn about cooking, cleaning and

shopping - and learning to be outside too. And they love Freemasons Park. Can’t get enough of it. Why so much enthusiasm to be outside? This too was forecast. It has captured their imaginations and provided freedoms that they haven’t had before. And they are relishing them!

Freemasons Park is a big space. It is designed with many sensory ‘guide posts’. Pathways that are marked by different textures and surfaces at measured spaces along their ways, so becoming oriented is eased. Being outside in a big space also allows another exciting experience – singing and shouting out loud! Then there’s the ‘Mound’ a low rise of earth with grass and three or four low levels. A roly-poly down the Mound is proving a real thrill. And there are many more special features in this place that is changing the lives of the special kids that come to school here. Many more!

FREEMASONS PARK - all the dreams come true

On the ‘Mound’

Looking over ‘the Hub’ feature at Freemasons Park with its tactile central compass and garden beds

Planting

A grateful Barbara Whitely, Senior Manager, School and Residential Services, said‘We needed a space that would provide all our children, whatever their needs, with a space to explore, experience and socialise, to build their independence but which protected and nurtured them too. In Freemasons Park we now have what we dreamed for.’

“The teachers are ecstatic”

“It has captured their imaginations”

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A ‘BEAUT‘ Day out

The six lodges in Marlborough combined to support the Blind Foundation pro-ject by holding an afternoon tea on 20 September 2015.

Billed as “A Beaut Idea” (an acronym for Big Entertaining Afternoon Undertaking”) a gathering of between 60 and 70 Freemasons including wives, partners and widows were entertained by members of the award winning Marlborough Sounds Chorus who performed a number of fa-miliar songs in close harmony.

The Grand Master, Most Worshipful Bro John Litton, accompanied by his wife

Diana, was warmly received on this, their first visit to the Nelson Marlborough District. Representing the Blind Founda-tion, Dennis Dixon brought along a Daisy Player to illustrate the uses and benefits of the equipment.

By way of a symbolic gesture, each of the Masters give the Grand Master a daisy, as illustrated in the picture accompany-ing this item. A collection taken during afternoon tea has yielded sufficient funds for the purchase of another daisy player.

Max Currie

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FREEMASONS NEW ZEALAND

125th Anniversary Celebrations

Warren (Rowdy) Robertson – Waitohi No. 111, Chris Hobbs (Eckford No. 334), Alistair Windleburn (Wairau No. 42) Nigel Kennington (Awatere No. 292), Andy Wrighton (Secretary) (Havelock No. 104) and John Crouch (Unanimity No. 106.)

Fantastic Franklin celebrates 125 Years

There is just something really nice about walking into a function and there is a buzz in the air, the room is full, people are chatting away freely to each other and generally enjoying the atmosphere. That’s what I experienced on arriving for my Lodges Installation on 15 October 2015.

Our ladies, including the Grand Masters wife Mrs Diana Litton and visitors were enjoying a movie at our local Accountants Office, yes you read right, the Accountants Office and from what I hear, that function was very well received.

Our Lodge was first known as Franklin Lodge No 2138, consecrated under the English Constitution in 1875 and trans-ferred to the then newly formed Grand Lodge of New Zealand in 1890, now cel-ebrating 125 years as The Franklin Lodge No 58.

To mark this auspicious occasion we invited The Grand Master to attended (through the appropriate channels of course) and to our delight, our invitation was accepted. Imagine the impact this alone had on our Master Elect Bro. Raad Jawad and the newer, younger Brethren of our Lodge. We had some trepidation as to whether we would have a good at-tendance and in fact if the night would go well, but our fears soon were put firmly to rest. The Lodge received a very good number of visitors representing Lodges from the District and beyond, filling just about every seat.

Our Master WBro Chris Leigh re-ceived the District Grand Master VWBro Michael Hattie, in the appropriate man-ner, welcomed him and handed over the control of the Lodge, not without a smile or two, as he relinquished the Chair after two years as Master. Our District Grand Master then received The Grand Master, MWBro John Litton. What a sight to see as the doors were opened wide and a procession of very distinguished and many high ranking Grand Lodge Officers entered lead by our own Districts Grand Stewards.

Then it was time for the Grand Master to enter and be received and I watched

our Master Elects’ chest swell with pride as the Grand Master was received in the manner befitting his status. This is some-thing not witnessed very often, I’ve been a Freemason for nearly thirty years, with a family membership spanning three gen-erations and 136 years. I have only seen a handful of Grand Masters entrances into Lodge; it’s a spectacle not to be missed.

The Installation Ceremony proceeded and Bro Raad Jawad was presented, duly installed as our Master. He was invested with the Masters Apron of my late Father and proceeded to invest his Officers with the confidence that I knew he was capable of. How many times have we seen newly installed Masters rise to the occasion and just take control of their nerves?

At the conclusion of the ceremony the Lodge rooms were vacated and prepared. The precision was amazing, chairs and furniture were moved, tables already pre-laid were then brought in one after another and the Refectory was set ready for the entrance of The Grand Master and Mrs Litton, who were welcomed with ap-plause. The nights speeches were well re-ceived, kept short and to the point. Again like the start of the evening there was a buzz in the air, people were chatting away and smiling and the general consensuses I heard was that it was a really good night, enjoyed by one and all.

WBro Alan Kelway DCBanquet held in Franklin Lodge rooms (rather than the dining room).

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Freemasons New Zealand 125 Years Exhibition

H eld at the Aotea Centre in cen-tral Auckland 9–15 October

2015, which involved the Square and Compasses Travelling Museum, being a reflective look at the last 125 years of The Grand Lodge of New Zealand. It

was organised by a number of Districts in Auckland and had a great number of visitors mainly the general public. The Square and Compasses Travelling Museum has since moved on to the Waikato Museum in Hamilton.

More support for the Blind and Visually Impaired by Freemasons

Funds to train guide dogs for the blind have been bolstered with money raised by the Freemasons Lodge Howick.

Theresa Liebenberg, the Blind Foundation’s community fundraising executive visited Howick, with retired guide dog Frayser, to accept a $3300 cheque raised by the 45-strong local group.

“Often we just see the money side of things,” Ms Liebenberg said. “As com-munity fundraisers we have to inspire people to donate. I am in awe. You are inspired and you inspire people.”

The Howick Freemasons have been making donations to the Foundation’s puppy training scheme for several years, Lodge Howick almoner, Noel Ryan says. This year’s donation was assisted by the Howick Freemasons Charitable Trust and The Freemasons Charity which is the national charitable arm of Freemasons New Zealand.

The Grand Lodge of New Zealand is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Given that the Blind Foundation is also 125 years old this year it chose the Foundation as the recipient of a national appeal to all its members and Lodges, Mr Ryan says.

Freemasons assistance programmes during the anniversary year have in-cluded major financial support to build a $1 million sensory garden for children at the BLENNZ (Blind & Low Vision Education Network) Homai School at Manurewa.

An appeal to Freemasons Lodges nationally has also provided funding for 125 ‘Daisy’ disc players. The players are borrowed from the Blind Foundation which operates a national library of recorded books. Other funds have been donated towards recording more spoken books for the Foundation’s library

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125th ANNIVERSARY

GUIDE DOGS: Theresa Liebenberg, the Blind Foundation’s community fundraising executive, accepts a cheque from Freemasons Lodge Howick almoner, Noel Ryan with eight-year-old retired guide dog, Frayser.Times photo Marianne Kelly

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FREEMASONS NEW ZEALAND

18

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125th ANNIVERSARY

125 years ago from The New Zealand Craftsman magazine

New Zealand in 1890

Economically, New Zealand had been experiencing a long depression – in the 1880’s for the first time there was a net flow of migrants out of the colony. Nevertheless rail and industrial develop-ment, and in particular refrigerated meat exports were helping to turn the country from reliance largely on wool. New Zealand was still a cluster of separate regional economies. Total population was around 660,000, including about 44,000 of Maori descent. Life was hard, particularly for new arrivals.

During the year a maritime strike in

Australia spread to New Zealand, involv-ing 8000 unionists, and a commission on “Sweating” reported on employment conditions.

In early December 1890, the first “one man one vote” election in New Zealand was held – with the first political party (Liberals), winning 56% of the 136,000 votes cast. John Ballance succeeded Harry Atkinson as Prime Minister – both were Freemasons, as were a num-ber of other Members of the House of Representatives.

New Zealand Freemasonry in 1890

At the beginning of 1890 there were about 143 lodges in New Zealand, under the English, Scottish and Irish constitutions, with a number of regional District or Provincial Grand Lodges. Some lodges were dormant, others were being formed. The establishment of new Grand Lodges in other territories, and in particular Nova Scotia, South Australia and New South Wales was known to New Zealand freemasons, and a group met in Wellington in February 1889 to promote and advance the establish-ment of a United Grand Lodge of New Zealand. There followed a period of intense debate, with some vehement in their opposition, instructions of disputed validity to lodges, and refusal to accept a majority vote of members, under a belief that any 3 members dissenting could retain the warrant and all property of the Lodge. In April 1890 the Grand Lodge of New Zealand was constituted with 41 Lodges with 1,236 members. By the end of 1890, 67 Lodges adhered to the Grand Lodge of New Zealand, including two (Rawhiti and Tararua) consecrated in November 1890. Recognition by other Grand Lodges was a major issue for the new Grand Lodge – by the end of 1890 recognition had been given by Grand Lodges of New South Wales, The Grand Orient of Italy, Grand Lodges of Victoria and Tasmania. Others soon followed, but it was to be some time before recognition

was granted by England, Ireland and Scotland – that took until 1913.

Lodges were spread through the country, and, as now, visits from neigh-bouring lodges were common. Visits from further afield were still difficult, with some visits by Grand Lodge offic-ers being arranged to cover a number of lodges with overnight stops. Rail was increasingly available, and coastal ship-ping was also often used – visits between lodges in main centres were regularly reported. Membership records indicate that many members moved for employ-ment reasons, becoming a member of another lodge. In 1890 membership was expanding – a sample of 25 lodges showed an average of 7 new members for the year, with an average age of initi-ates and joining members of 34. Double degree ceremonies were common, and there were a number of meetings where two different degrees were worked on the same evening – the ceremonies must have been shorter than now! Some Lodges organised Balls, which had good attendance; many lodges had their own musicians.

A French Connection

One of the matters considered at the first Communication of the new Grand Lodge in July 1890 was a Lodge established by the Grand Orient of France. Grand Lodge declared the Lodge to be irregu-lar – visitation was forbidden, and members given a month to resign or be struck off by GLNZ. It had been reported that the first Master was Sir Robert Stout, DDGM of Otago and Southland, EC, and the SW Bro The Honourable John Ballance.

Henry Thomson, First Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand 1890 and previously Past District Grand Master for Canterbury, English Constitution.

19

A generally accepted definition of leadership

is: the process whereby one individual influences other group members towards the attainment of defined group or organisational goals.

The role of leadership in a voluntary organisation presents a special challenge.

Freemasonry being a voluntary organisa-tion it is important to recognise that the formal power or authority relationship in the craft is one that is freely accepted by the members and cannot be abused. There is no employment (pay) relation-ship at play. Leadership or influence is accepted by members in part because of a positive relationship between them i.e. they respect, like or admire the leader. The latter part of the definition is the crucial part, I believe. The influence exercised by the leader must have a valid purpose that is aligned to the aims and objectives of the organisation and in line with its values, tenets and principles.

In an article in the NZ Herald in July 2015, Dr Michelle Dickinson, an Auckland University nanotechnologist, was quoted on her views on leadership following the receipt of a Blake Leader Award at this year’s Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards. “To me, leadership is ensuring I’m sure of my values, beliefs and

LEADERSHIP PILLAR

Leadership – a two-way street

priorities so those who might want to fol­low my path have an open door and clear direction to a place that empowers them to be the best they can be.”

It is important to recognise that influence does not only flow from the leader but operates in both directions. Leaders do influence but they are equally influenced by their assistants. A leader is defined by followers; without followers one cannot be a leader.

The consequence to the above is that as a voluntary and membership driven organisation we must all be leaders if freemasonry is to survive and succeed into the future. We all have a leadership part of play, be it by the formal office we hold in the lodge, the experience and knowledge we bring to the craft, by the maintenance of the tenets and principles

we profess to adhere to or simply by encouraging and supporting others on their masonic journey.

When a new member is raised he is admonished that ‘In the character of a Master Mason, you are henceforth author­ised to correct the errors and irregularities of Brethren and Fellows, and guard them against a breach of fidelity’. That is a call to leadership.

We face challenging times with an aging membership demographic and the challenges faced by all volunteer organisations – the competition for and the difficulty in recruiting new members. In the June 2015 edition of this magazine Warwick Bell showed how recruiting

new members can be made easier. It be-hoves us all to accept that challenge and be leaders in identifying suitable men and sow the seed of Freemasonry.

Another challenge faced by most lodges is recognising the value of plan-ning for the future. If we are to be an attractive organisation and retain the newly initiated members we should demonstrate that the lodge not only has a plan for its future but there is a plan for their future. Members will more likely be

retained if the lodge has a progres-sive vibrancy about it. This can be demonstrated by a plan for renewal of the lodge accommodation, an active benevolence programme, a well-structured rehearsal pro-gramme, an attractive refectory amongst the other important mat-

ters that must be continually reviewed and planned for. It is well recognised that an organisation that fails to plan, plans to fail. If there is no planning in evidence, I suggest that your personal leadership is to enquire why not and make construc-tive suggestions for a successful future.

Finally, none of us has all the answers; however, somewhere someone has the answer (or part of it) and the on-line Toolbox is a good place to start. It is our individual responsibility to be leaders, recognise where we can contribute and actively support other leaders in their respective roles.

Mark Hall, Leadership Pillar Chair

Southern Division ConferenceFriday & Saturday 11–12 March 2016 • Copthorne Hotel, Queenstown

Contact divsec.southern@freemasons.co.nz

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1

FREEMASONS NEW ZEALANDAnnual Report 2014–2015

‘FREEMASONS PARK’ opened at School

for blind

An outdoor learning facility which will dramatically improve the development of blind children, was officially opened late last month at the Homai school, Manurewa, Auckland. The new facility has been named Freemasons Park.

A major advance in learning and a joy for the children to use, the Park has been built over the last six months with major funding assistance from Freemasons, principally the Potter Masonic Trust. It has enabled BLENNZ – the Blind and Low-Vision Education Network of New Zealand, to provide a facility to give the children ‘Learners’ at their Homai hub, more support in the development of their physical and sensory abilities.

With assistance from The Freemasons Charity, local Freemasons in the South Auckland area have also made a substantial contribution to the three-year project of making ‘the dream come true’ for the administration and staff of the school.

Principal guests among the 200 who attended the opening function at the school included our Grand Master MW Bro John Litton, Deputy Grand Master and Chair of Potter Trust, RW Bro Mark Winger, Disability Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, Mr Paul Gibson, Principal of BLENNZ, Ms Karen Stobbs and Bob Clarke, Mana whenua Kaumatua of the school.

Many other Freemasons including the Trustees of Potter Trust, BLENNZ teachers and staff, ‘Learners’, their families and carers were present and all toured the new facility after the speeches, the unveiling of the Freemasons plaque and the ribbon was cut.

Freemasons Park is a feature of the 125th Anniversary celebrations of Freemasons New Zealand being officially marked in Christchurch this month. There, the blind community’s needs will be further recognised with a donation to the Blind Foundation of NZ, raised mainly by Lodges throughout the country, to fund 125 disc players (Daisy Players).

Testing the swings! Paul Gibson, Mark Winger, Karen Stobbs and the Grand Master

Clockwise from top left:

Scooters for fun! ; The Potter Trustees with the GM ; Full house ; Inspecting the plaque ; Fascinat-ing features ; The herb garden ; Bro Peter Howie guides Amandeep Singh at the sensory compass ; ‘This Park is Open!’ Alan Gibson with guests ;

FREEMASONSNew Zealand

Freemasonry makes the difference

Freemasons 2015 annual report.indd 1 4/12/15 3:51 PM

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CONTENTSGrand Master’s introduction 2

President’s report 3OverviewStrategy for growthThe Freemasons CharityThe year aheadAppreciations

Office holders 5Grand Lodge TrusteesBoard of General PurposesNational Leadership Team

Financial statements 6Summary statement of financial performanceSummary statement of movements in equityNotes to the summary financial statementsSummary of financial positionAuditor’s Report

T he Grand Lodge of New Zealand has this year celebrated 125 years of

Freemasonry.From its earliest beginnings when

Henry Thomson was the first Grand Master, through to the current day, Freemasonry has a proud record of achieve ments. As society changed, so too did the craft. New Zealand faced World Wars, a Great Depression, cultural changes within society, technical and en­gineering revolutions through modern­isation, and of course the opportunities and innovations of the electronic and computer age.

The craft has generally recognised those changes and adapted to the new environments, and as we celebrate our 125th anniversary, it is timely to reflect on

the successes of the past, and look to the opportunities of tomorrow.

Evolution is an integral phase of the continued success of an organisation, and as Freemasons we too must change with the times so as to remain relevant, effective, and vibrant. In recognising this change, we must not however un­dermine the fundamental principles on which Freemasonry is based as these are enmeshed into the fabric of civilised society and are as relevant today as they were 125 years ago.

I exhort each Lodge and every Free­mason to accept this challenge, and, as we collectively celebrate 125 years of achievements to date, we also plan for the progress we must make tomorrow.

John Litton, Grand Master

ABOVE At the restored grave of the first Grand Master is the 77th Grand Master of Freemasons New Zealand, John Litton centre, with past Grand Masters, from left: Selwyn Cooper; Mike Pope; David Mace; and Barry McLaggan. Near destroyed in the Christchurch earthquakes, Freemasons – particularly those from The Phoenix Lodge No 43 – restored the gravesite at Linwood Cemetery and gathered to acknowledge the service of Henry Thomson, the first Grand Master installed in 1890. Mr Thomson also served as Mayor of Christchurch from 1878–79 and was Member of Parliament from 1881–84 for the then Christchurch North electorate.

Grand Master’s introduction

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OverviewThe outstanding accomplishment of the 2014–2015 year was the celebration, by Freemasons throughout the country, of the anniversary of the first meeting of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand.

From smaller local initiatives through to the national project supporting the Blind Foundation, the anniversary was proudly and effectively promoted in a very public manner. Freemasons pledged to donate 125 DAISY players to the Blind Foundation. Digital Accessible Information Systems (DAISY) players are portable, easy to navigate reading devices. They help to give the visually impaired a reading experience similar to that enjoyed by the sighted. The player holds up to six books or 40 continuous hours of reading. Its CD lets you skip from page to page, chapter to chapter and book to book.

As at the date of this report, that total has been well and truly exceeded and donations continue to flow in.

In addition, The Potter Masonic Trust, in conjunction with the lodges of Counties Hauraki District and aided by The Freemasons Charity, contributed close to $500,000 towards an inter­ac­tive children’s playground facility at the Homai College for the Blind in South Auckland.

Other events occurred at venues around the country, all both celebrating 125 years, and assisting those who are visually­impaired. This created a sense of pride within the Lodges.

Strategy for GrowthThroughout the past 125 years, New Zealand has faced challenges and chang­es at both international and local levels, where the environment in which we op­erate faces new pressures and demands. The craft has adapted to the challenges over the years, and must continue to do so as we progress into the years ahead.

Part of this change has occurred within Grand Lodge itself by a recogni­tion of the need to separate Governance from Operations. This has resulted

in a slimmed down Board of General Purposes which now has a clear focus on Governance of the organisation, supple­mented by a beefed up Leadership Team managed by the Chief Executive which is charged with the Operational side of the craft.

The Leadership Team includes each Divisional Grand Master, who partici­pates as manager of the Division under his control. It is operational and has the resources of Grand Lodge at its behest, including, for example, access to the Grand Superintendent of Works should advice be needed on any Lodge building issue, or the Grand Treasurer if financ­es are an issue, or the Grand Registrar if some legal question is in need of consideration.

These changes within Grand Lodge will see a streamlined structure designed to ensure the needs of Lodges and Freemasons are in clear focus, and are the basis of the decisions and directions that are made.

The Board of General Purposes has, as part of its Governance role, identified

three principal areas of focus – Finance, Membership, and Communication.

� Finance – the Board wants to see fiscal prudence in all aspects of the Grand Lodge operation. Not merely cutting costs for the sake of it, but ensuring our modest funds are sparingly used, and then only for those outgoings which are essential for the craft.

President’s report

Learning to operate a DAISY player are Freemasons Tony Smith of Red Beach and Rick Pullin of Silverdale with the assistance of the Blind Foundation’s Community Development Manager, Joy McClintock.

Chief Executive Laurence Milton with the online Toolbox consisting of a collection of ideas and resources to expand Lodge activities and enhance the experience of being a Freemason.

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� Membership – it is trite to suggest that this topic is fundamental to our future. The Board has asked the Leadership Team to place this as one of the three top items of importance, to develop strategies to attract retain and enthuse members, to deliver the tools and resources needed by Lodges and Freemasons to achieve immedi­ate and positive results.

� Communication – the emphasis placed on two­way communication, to enable Freemasons to see and understand what decisions are be­ing made by the Board, and for the Board itself to have a clear line from brethren through their Divisions to the Board. Two way communication within the craft, but also the contin­ued emphasis on raising our profile externally so that the power of good that is being done in our name is known to the world.

The Leadership Team has the ability to call on the assistance of the Pillar Committees to assist it in delivering on these three objectives within each Division.

The Freemasons CharityIn this 125th Anniversary Year, The Freemasons Charity launched itself into the celebrations in the way it knows best, by con­tinuing the tradition of caring. Our charity sought projects worthy of the 125th tag, and with the support of local Freemasons, suc­ceeded on a number of fronts. The DAISY player project was a major focus, but so too the wide range of other activities actively pursued by The Freemasons Charity on our behalf through the year.

There is, by way of example, the day­to­day business that the Charity undertakes, the provision of support to those in need in our local communities, individuals both inside and outside our organisation, support to the Masonic

widows and to our aged Masons, con­tinuing to offer unswerving support for our local Lodges working on projects in their local communities, advising them on how to market their project to local media, and encouraging them to “speak louder about what we do”.

The growing support of education continued through a variety of scholar­ships. The range of students now offered support by Freemasons starts with the secondary school students (offered science scholarships through the Royal Society), includes the children and grandchildren of Freemasons attending secondary schools (through the grateful sponsorship of Heartland Bank) to the tertiary scholarships offered as the flag­ship Freemasons University Scholarships, and extending to the Post­Doctoral Freemasons Rutherford Scholarship (funded by the Freemasons Foundation).

Education is recognised by Free­masonry as a cornerstone of the good health of the world in which we live – knowledge and learning engenders understanding which in turn leads to tolerance and co­operation. These recip­ients are the leaders of tomorrow, and they will remember that Freemasonry recognised their talents early in their ca­reers and provided them with assistance on their journey.

Frankie Stevens played host to this Hutt Valley Country Charity Concert organised by several Lodges in the Hutt, Wairarapa and Kapiti-Wellington Districts. The show featured more than 15 local, regional and national acts including this year’s winner of the Gore Golden Guitar Award. Funds raised from the evening and contributed by The Freemasons Charity have enabled the purchase of a debridement machine for the Hutt Valley District Health Board. Debriding machines are used to enhance the wound healing process with wounds often healing up to 300% faster.

Charity Administrator Sheila Hicking with a selection of gifts which have been given to Masonic widows.

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The year aheadThe Governance and Operations of Grand Lodge have been set on a clear and firm footing. This will drive results which Freemasons and Lodges will see at a local level. The Pillar Committees have been very busy this year and they have been holding seminars and instructive forums in some Districts and have laid a solid foundation for that work to contin­ue this coming year.

Over 120 tools to assist Lodges to im­prove and develop have been published on the Grand Lodge website. The chal­lenge for the year ahead is to increase participation in the work that the Pillar Committees are doing and to focus Lodges and Districts on improving the three objectives identified by the Board of General Purposes: Membership; Finance; and Communication.

If each Lodge focusses on making these their own objectives, then we will see traction at all levels.

In the interim, the Divisional Conferences are recommended as the prime venue for Freemasons to commu­nicate their views, comments and sug­gestions. The craft has faced challenges throughout its 125 years, and has adapted its operations to meet those changes. We must not steer away from making brave decisions as to how we can modify our operations to better suit the environment in which we operate. Our fore­fathers overcame the challenges of their era, we must do the same today.

We look forward to the Grand Installation to be held in 2016 in Wellington. Freemasons and their ladies and partners should plan to attend that event as it is the showcase of Freemasonry in New Zealand, and as it only occurs

once every three years, it is another reason to take pride in Freemasonry and our organisation.

AppreciationsWith the passage of an­other year, we also look to record our appreciation for those who have played a role in the development of Freemasonry in New Zealand.

We record thanks to Rob Angelo for his six­year commitment to the role of Grand Superintendent of Works and particularly acknowledge his work post the Canterbury earth­quakes (which compelled building owners to look at their buildings in a completely different light). Jim Harborow, Divisional Grand Master (Southern), completes his three­year term in November 2015 and we record our indebt­edness for the considerable commitment he made in managing the vast Southern Division.

Appreciation to Terry McConnell who has completed an enthusiastic four­year commitment to the role of the Superintendent of the Freemasons Charity and to Warwick Roberts, who retired from the Board after six years providing valued input to Board deliberations.

After 125 years we have taken the lux­ury of reflecting on the achievements of the past, celebrating the many wonderful

Grand Lodge Trustees: Chair, Mark Winger; David Mace; Leslie Green; Selwyn Cooper; Barry McLaggan; and Michael Scott.

Board of General Purposes: President, Graham Wrigley; Grand Master, John Litton; Grand Registrar, John Pritchard; Grand Treasurer, Raymond Burgess;

Superintendent of the Freemasons Charity, Terry McConnell (retires November 2015); Divisional Appointees – Northern, Warwick Roberts (retires November 2015); Central, Russell Pratt; Southern, Terry Carrell. In attendance Chief Executive, Laurence Milton.

National Leadership Team: Chief Executive, Laurence Milton; Divisional Grand Masters – Northern, Tony Smith; Central, John Peryer; Southern, Rob Angelo; Grand Superintendent of Works, Graham Strez; Superintendent of the Freemasons Charity, Terry McConnell (retires November 2015); Grand Secretary, Richard Lodge.

Office holders As at 30 June 2015

The 2015 Freemasons University Scholars with keynote speaker Prof Emeritus Martin Devlin, Grand Master John Litton and Superintendent of the Freemasons Charity Terry McConnell following the presentation ceremony at the Transitional Cathedral in Christchurch.

Freemasons who have contributed time and energy in promoting the craft within this fine country.

We can learn from the past as we plan for the future. We can celebrate the milestones of yesteryear while we prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. And yes, we can make a difference if each one of us assumes personal responsibili­ty for the future of our Lodge, practises Freemasonry according to its principles, and works with peace, love and harmony in furthering this magnificent institution.

Graham WrigleyPresident

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� Membership – it is trite to suggest that this topic is fundamental to our future. The Board has asked the Leadership Team to place this as one of the three top items of importance, to develop strategies to attract retain and enthuse members, to deliver the tools and resources needed by Lodges and Freemasons to achieve immedi­ate and positive results.

� Communication – the emphasis placed on two­way communication, to enable Freemasons to see and understand what decisions are be­ing made by the Board, and for the Board itself to have a clear line from brethren through their Divisions to the Board. Two way communication within the craft, but also the contin­ued emphasis on raising our profile externally so that the power of good that is being done in our name is known to the world.

The Leadership Team has the ability to call on the assistance of the Pillar Committees to assist it in delivering on these three objectives within each Division.

The Freemasons CharityIn this 125th Anniversary Year, The Freemasons Charity launched itself into the celebrations in the way it knows best, by con­tinuing the tradition of caring. Our charity sought projects worthy of the 125th tag, and with the support of local Freemasons, suc­ceeded on a number of fronts. The DAISY player project was a major focus, but so too the wide range of other activities actively pursued by The Freemasons Charity on our behalf through the year.

There is, by way of example, the day­to­day business that the Charity undertakes, the provision of support to those in need in our local communities, individuals both inside and outside our organisation, support to the Masonic

widows and to our aged Masons, con­tinuing to offer unswerving support for our local Lodges working on projects in their local communities, advising them on how to market their project to local media, and encouraging them to “speak louder about what we do”.

The growing support of education continued through a variety of scholar­ships. The range of students now offered support by Freemasons starts with the secondary school students (offered science scholarships through the Royal Society), includes the children and grandchildren of Freemasons attending secondary schools (through the grateful sponsorship of Heartland Bank) to the tertiary scholarships offered as the flag­ship Freemasons University Scholarships, and extending to the Post­Doctoral Freemasons Rutherford Scholarship (funded by the Freemasons Foundation).

Education is recognised by Free­masonry as a cornerstone of the good health of the world in which we live – knowledge and learning engenders understanding which in turn leads to tolerance and co­operation. These recip­ients are the leaders of tomorrow, and they will remember that Freemasonry recognised their talents early in their ca­reers and provided them with assistance on their journey.

Frankie Stevens played host to this Hutt Valley Country Charity Concert organised by several Lodges in the Hutt, Wairarapa and Kapiti-Wellington Districts. The show featured more than 15 local, regional and national acts including this year’s winner of the Gore Golden Guitar Award. Funds raised from the evening and contributed by The Freemasons Charity have enabled the purchase of a debridement machine for the Hutt Valley District Health Board. Debriding machines are used to enhance the wound healing process with wounds often healing up to 300% faster.

Charity Administrator Sheila Hicking with a selection of gifts which have been given to Masonic widows.

Freemasons 2015 annual report.indd 4 4/12/15 3:51 PM

5

The year aheadThe Governance and Operations of Grand Lodge have been set on a clear and firm footing. This will drive results which Freemasons and Lodges will see at a local level. The Pillar Committees have been very busy this year and they have been holding seminars and instructive forums in some Districts and have laid a solid foundation for that work to contin­ue this coming year.

Over 120 tools to assist Lodges to im­prove and develop have been published on the Grand Lodge website. The chal­lenge for the year ahead is to increase participation in the work that the Pillar Committees are doing and to focus Lodges and Districts on improving the three objectives identified by the Board of General Purposes: Membership; Finance; and Communication.

If each Lodge focusses on making these their own objectives, then we will see traction at all levels.

In the interim, the Divisional Conferences are recommended as the prime venue for Freemasons to commu­nicate their views, comments and sug­gestions. The craft has faced challenges throughout its 125 years, and has adapted its operations to meet those changes. We must not steer away from making brave decisions as to how we can modify our operations to better suit the environment in which we operate. Our fore­fathers overcame the challenges of their era, we must do the same today.

We look forward to the Grand Installation to be held in 2016 in Wellington. Freemasons and their ladies and partners should plan to attend that event as it is the showcase of Freemasonry in New Zealand, and as it only occurs

once every three years, it is another reason to take pride in Freemasonry and our organisation.

AppreciationsWith the passage of an­other year, we also look to record our appreciation for those who have played a role in the development of Freemasonry in New Zealand.

We record thanks to Rob Angelo for his six­year commitment to the role of Grand Superintendent of Works and particularly acknowledge his work post the Canterbury earth­quakes (which compelled building owners to look at their buildings in a completely different light). Jim Harborow, Divisional Grand Master (Southern), completes his three­year term in November 2015 and we record our indebt­edness for the considerable commitment he made in managing the vast Southern Division.

Appreciation to Terry McConnell who has completed an enthusiastic four­year commitment to the role of the Superintendent of the Freemasons Charity and to Warwick Roberts, who retired from the Board after six years providing valued input to Board deliberations.

After 125 years we have taken the lux­ury of reflecting on the achievements of the past, celebrating the many wonderful

Grand Lodge Trustees: Chair, Mark Winger; David Mace; Leslie Green; Selwyn Cooper; Barry McLaggan; and Michael Scott.

Board of General Purposes: President, Graham Wrigley; Grand Master, John Litton; Grand Registrar, John Pritchard; Grand Treasurer, Raymond Burgess;

Superintendent of the Freemasons Charity, Terry McConnell (retires November 2015); Divisional Appointees – Northern, Warwick Roberts (retires November 2015); Central, Russell Pratt; Southern, Terry Carrell. In attendance Chief Executive, Laurence Milton.

National Leadership Team: Chief Executive, Laurence Milton; Divisional Grand Masters – Northern, Tony Smith; Central, John Peryer; Southern, Rob Angelo; Grand Superintendent of Works, Graham Strez; Superintendent of the Freemasons Charity, Terry McConnell (retires November 2015); Grand Secretary, Richard Lodge.

Office holders As at 30 June 2015

The 2015 Freemasons University Scholars with keynote speaker Prof Emeritus Martin Devlin, Grand Master John Litton and Superintendent of the Freemasons Charity Terry McConnell following the presentation ceremony at the Transitional Cathedral in Christchurch.

Freemasons who have contributed time and energy in promoting the craft within this fine country.

We can learn from the past as we plan for the future. We can celebrate the milestones of yesteryear while we prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. And yes, we can make a difference if each one of us assumes personal responsibili­ty for the future of our Lodge, practises Freemasonry according to its principles, and works with peace, love and harmony in furthering this magnificent institution.

Graham WrigleyPresident

Freemasons 2015 annual report.indd 5 4/12/15 3:51 PM

6

Financial statements

The full set of accounts for the 2014–15 financial year can be viewed or downloaded at www.freemasonsnz.org. Copies are also available from the Membership Administrator, Freemasons New Zealand, Level 6, Freemason House, 195–201 Willis Street, Wellington, PO Box 6439, Wellington 6141. Telephone 04 385 6622 or Email secretary@freemasons.co.nz

Freemasons 2015 annual report.indd 6 4/12/15 3:51 PM

7

Freemasons 2015 annual report.indd 7 4/12/15 3:51 PM

8

Freemasonry makes the difference

Freemasons 2015 annual report.indd 8 4/12/15 3:51 PM

Grand Installations over the last 125 years

Date Location Venue Grand Master 30 Apr 1890 Christchurch Oddfellows Hall Thomson6 July 1891 Wellington Freemasons Hall Thomson27 Apr 1892 Auckland Masonic Hall Niccol28 Apr 1893 Auckland Masonic Hall Niccol25 Apr 1894 Wellington Masonic Hall Bell 29 Apr 1895 Wellington Freemasons Hall Boulcott Street Bell30 Apr 1896 Dunedin Choral Hall Moray Place Barron 28 Apr 1897 Invercargill Masonic Hall Barron28 Apr 1898 Christchurch Choral Hall Seddon24 Apr 1899 Hokitikia Town Hall Seddon26 Apr 1900 Auckland Freemasons Hall Russell 25 Apr 1901 Christchurch Choral Hall Russell30 Apr 1902 Wellington Town Hall Williams 5 May 1903 Auckland Federal Hall Williams 4 May 1904 Dunedin Garrison Hall Burton 10 May 1905 Palmerston North Lyceum Theatre Burton9 May 1906 Christchurch Choral Hall Plunket 8 May 1907 Invercargill Victoria Hall Plunket 6 May 1908 Auckland Royal Albert Hall Plunket 5 May 1909 New Plymouth Theatre Royal Plunket 11 May 1910 Wellington Town Hall Griffiths 10 May 1911 Christchurch Choral Hall Griffiths 8 May 1912 Dunedin Burns Hall Thompson 14 May 1913 Auckland Town Hall Thompson 13 May 1914 Christchurch Choral Hall Dougall 12 May 1915 Wellington Town Hall Dougall 10 May 1916 Auckland Town Hall Nicholson 1917 (Invercargill) No Communication Nicholson due to national strikes 8 May 1918 Wellington Town Hall Herdman 28 May 1919 Christchurch Colosseum Herdman 3 May 1920 Invercargill Victoria Hall Ross 11 May 1921 Auckland Town Hall Ross 29 Nov 1922 Christchurch Colosseum Jellicoe 28 Nov 1923 Wellington Town Hall Jellicoe 26 Nov 1924 Auckland Town Hall Massey 28 Nov 1925 Dunedin Grand Festival Hall NZ Fergusson & South Seas Exhibition 24 Nov 1926 Wellington Town Hall Fergusson 30 Nov 1927 Christchurch Caledonian Hall Fergusson 28 Nov 1928 Dunedin Her Majesty’ Theatre Fergusson 27 Nov 1929 Auckland Town Hall Clark 26 Nov 1930 Christchurch Municipal Concert Hall Bledisloe 25 Nov 1931 Wellington Town Hall Bledisloe 23 Nov 1932 Auckland Town Hall Bledisloe 22 Nov 1933 Dunedin Town Hall Bledisloe 28 Nov 1934 Wellington Town Hall Esson 4 Dec 1935 Christchurch Civic Theatre Esson 25 Nov 1936 Dunedin Town Hall Galway 24 Nov 1937 Auckland Town Hall Galway 23 Nov 1938 Christchurch Civic Theatre Galway 29 Nov 1939 Auckland Town Hall Ronaldson 27 Nov 1940 Wellington Town Hall MacDiarmid 26 Nov 1941 Dunedin Town Hall MacDiarmid 25 Nov 1942 Wellington Memorial Hall, Wgtn College Teagle 24 Nov 1943 Christchurch Civic Theatre Teagle 22 Nov 1944 Dunedin Town Hall Newall 28 Nov 1945 Auckland Town Hall Smith 4 Dec 1946 Christchurch Civic Theatre Flavell 12 Nov 1947 Wellington Town Hall Girling

Date Location Venue Grand Master 24 Nov 1948 Auckland Town Hall Allen 23 Nov 1949 Dunedin Town Hall Allen 29 Nov 1950 Christchurch Civic Theatre Guiness 28 Nov 1951 Wellington Town Hall Barclay 26 Nov 1952 Dunedin Town Hall Smith 25 Nov 1953 Auckland Town Hall Campbell 17 Nov 1954 Christchurch Civic Theatre Thompson 30 Nov 1955 Wellington Town Hall Cavell 28 Nov 1956 Auckland Town Hall Faber 27 Nov 1957 Rotorua Regent Theatre Faber 26 Nov 1958 Wellington Town Hall Taylor 25 Nov 1959 Christchurch Civic Theatre Taylor 23 Nov 1960 Dunedin Town Hall Martin 22 Nov 1961 Auckland Town Hall Martin 21 Nov 1962 Rotorua Town Hall Prideaux 27 Nov 1963 Wellington Town Hall Prideaux 25 Nov 1964 Christchurch Town Hall Hawker 24 Nov 1965 Dunedin Town Hall Hawker 23 Nov 1966 Auckland Town Hall Redwood 22 Nov 1967 Rotorua Regent Theatre Redwood 27 Nov 1968 Wellington Town Hall Porritt 26 Nov 1969 Christchurch Civic Theatre Porritt 25 Nov 1970 Dunedin Town Hall Porritt 24 Nov 1971 Auckland Town Hall Porritt 22 Nov 1972 Rotorua Regent Theatre Bate 28 Nov 1973 Wellington Town Hall Bate 27 Nov 1974 Christchurch Town Hall Shuttleworth 26 Nov 1975 Dunedin Town Hall Shuttleworth 24 Nov 1976 Auckland Town Hall Donaldson 23 Nov 1977 Rotorua Town Hall Donaldson 22 Nov 1978 Wellington Town Hall Ashby 28 Nov 1979 Christchurch Town Hall Ashby 25 Nov 1980 Invercargill Centennial Hall Knox 25 Nov 1981 Auckland Logan Campbell Centre Knox 24 Nov 1982 Rotorua Civic Theatre Dick 23 Nov 1983 Wellington Michael Fowler Centre Dick 28 Nov 1984 Christchurch Town Hall Duncan 27 Nov 1985 Invercargill Centennial Hall Duncan 26 Nov 1986 Auckland Logan Campbell Centre McManemin 25 Nov 1987 Hastings Tomoana Showgrounds McManemin 23 Nov 1988 Wellington Michael Fowler Centre Richmond 22 Nov 1989 Dunedin Town Hall Richmond 30 Nov 1990 Christchurch Town Hall Orr 29 Nov 1991 Palmerston North Manawatu Sports Stadium Orr 27 Nov 1992 Auckland Aotea Centre Norton26 Nov 1993 Nelson Trafalgar Centre Norton25 Nov 1994 Wellington Michael Fowler Centre Holmes 25 Nov 1995 Hamilton Waikato Convention Centre Holmes 22 Nov 1996 Christchurch Town Hall Hammond 28 Nov 1997 New Plymouth TSB Stadium Hammond 27 Nov 1998 Auckland Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Pope 26 Nov 1999 Dunedin Town Hall Pope 24 Nov 2000 Wellington Michael Fowler Centre Ross 22 Nov 2002 Christchurch Town Hall Inder 13 Nov 2004 Auckland Town Hall Mace 24 Nov 2006 Wellington Michael Fowler Centre McLaggan 21 Nov 2008 Christchurch Town Hall Barker 19 Nov 2010 Auckland Town Hall Cooper 16 Nov 2013 Wellington Michael Fowler Centre Litton 19 Nov 2016 Wellington TSB Arena, Queens Wharf

8

Freemasonry makes the difference

Freemasons 2015 annual report.indd 8 4/12/15 3:51 PM

29

T he Order of the Red Cross of Constantine as worked today was

first documented in 1865, when its constitution was formally established by Robert Wentworth Little in England. The Order worked in New Zealand under the English Grand Imperial Conclave from 10 July 1931 until 11th August 2012 when the Grand Imperial Conclave in New Zealand was formed.

To become a Member of the Order of the Red Cross of Constantine in New Zealand a Brother must be, or have been, a Royal Arch Mason and subscribe to a belief in the Christian religion as re-vealed in the New Testament.

There are three degrees worked, namely:

1 Knight of the Red Cross of Constantine

The degree relates the legend of Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity after the Battle of Saxa Ruba in 312 AD when he saw a Cross in the sky. The core of the degree involves the secret doctrine involving the Labarum or banner of vic-tory. The lecture of the degree relates the Roman College of Architects.

2 Knight of the Holy Sepulchre

Christian tradition tells us that St. Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, discovered the True Cross on which Christ was crucified along with two others. It was by Divine intervention that she was able to discern the True Cross from the others. This legend is the basis of this degree and the candidate takes part in a vigil in the sanctuary of the Holy Sepulchre.

3 Knight of St. John the Evangelist

This degree is always conferred along with the preceding one and together make up the internal appendant degrees of the Conclave system. The ritual deals with the tradition of a certain discovery made at the ruins of the first Temple and the subsequent formation of the Knights of St. John. The Masonic interpretation of this legend is most interesting and at-tempts to explain the Craft and Chapter degrees in an exclusively Christian sense. There are also two further degrees, those of Viceroy of a conclave and Sovereign of a conclave.

The purpose of the Constantinian Orders are to com-memo rate the first elevation of Christ-ianity from the po-sition of a despised and proscribed heresy to that of a legally recognized and honoured re-ligion, to cultivate the social virtues, appeal to the intel-

lectual and moral qualities, preserve as far as possible the customs of the fra-ternity and bring about good fellowship and understanding between all branches of Masonry.

There is 12 Conclaves meeting under the Grand Imperial Conclave in New Zealand they are:

� Dunedin No.1 meeting in Dunedin � Auckland No.2 meeting in Otahuhu � Devon No.3 meeting in Stratford � Canterbury No.4 meeting in

Christchurch

� Southland No.5 meeting in Invercargill

� Hawkes Bay No.6 meeting in Taradale, Napier

� Wairangimoana No.7 meeting in Northcote

� Waikato No 8 meeting in Morrinsville

� Constantia No.9 meeting in Helensville

� Bay of Plenty No.10 meeting in Te Puke

� Pelorus No.11 meeting in Blenheim � Wellington No.12 meeting in

Johnsonville.

And under the English Grand Imperial Conclave:

� Te Awe Awe No. 247 meeting in Palmerston North.

The Masonic and Military Order of The Red Cross of Constantine

and the Orders of The Holy Sepulchre and of St John the Evangelist

The Jewels of the Order of the Red Cross of Constantine.

Most Illustrious Knight John David More Grand Sovereign, and Right Illustrious and Eminent Knight George Peter Rhode Deputy Grand Sovereign, at the Annual Communication at Helensville in September 2015.

30

E very one of our masonic lodges is supported by the three pillars of wis-

dom, strength and beauty: the wisdom of the Master and Past Masters, the strength of our younger brethren, and the beauty in our ceremonies and practice of broth-erly love. Imagine a Lodge with a wise Master and Past Masters who make re-ally good decisions on financial matters, communications within the Lodge and with other Lodges, future ceremonies and educational events, membership and every other topic – this would be a good Lodge to belong to.

Now, if that same Lodge was really active and every member was having a really good time at every meeting – would this attract new men to become Freemasons? And if in that same Lodge every member was eager to learn about masonry and the ceremonies, and play his part in every degree ritual, study groups, quiz nights and other social events – would this be a good Lodge to belong to?

On the other hand, imagine a Lodge in which no-one makes wise decisions, all decisions are poor for whatever reason. What is going to happen to this Lodge eventually? What if this Lodge never had any new younger members - what is going to happen to this Lodge eventually? And what is going to happen if the ceremonies are poorly performed, members don’t learn the correct actions and words, timing is poor and no-one re-ally bothers to get it right. What is going to happen to this Lodge eventually?

If you don’t have all three pillars of

Wisdom in our Past Masters, Strength in our newer members and Beauty in performing our ceremonies it is likely that the Lodge will fall down eventually.

In the Opening ceremony the WM turns to the IPM and asks him the Master’s place and why he is placed there. The reply is, “…. to open the Lodge and employ and instruct the Brethren in Freemasonry”. So I ask, does your Master do this? Yes he will open the Lodge but does he instruct you in Freemasonry? There are probably many Past Masters who will read this and think that because they have already been in the Master’s chair that they know enough about Freemasonry and don’t want to be “in-structed” any further.

The greatly respected German phi-losopher Goethe (who lived from 1749 to 1832) made a powerful point when he said that “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” We need the Past Masters to use the wisdom gained through their years of experience (in professional business as well as masonic) to lead our Lodges into a living future. There will be some tough calls to make for the good of

their Lodge’s future in particular and for Freemasonry in New Zealand in general.

One of the difficulties with using our experience is that we do use the same thinking over and over again. One of the greatest wise thinkers of our time Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”. So, we need our Past Masters to think outside the box that contains our financial and member-ship problems and that isn’t easy at all. We may need a fresh look at the strength of our newer Masons and how we some-times don’t listen to their needs and requirements for newer approaches to masonic evenings instead of repeatedly simulating degree ceremonies. Einstein went on to describe insanity as “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. The beauty of our ceremonies would be greatly en-hanced in some Lodges with members taking their Freemasonry more seriously in generating a greater personal ability to learn the work and understand the spirit behind our ceremonies.

Is the problem that Freemasonry doesn’t mean much to some men, that it is only a veneer, exists only in some ac-tions and not others? Is Brotherly Love only skin deep with some men and does not exist in their inner being? Brotherly Love must not be theoretical and just words, it has to work in practice and be real. It says so in the VSL (Book of St John).

George AllanChair of the Education Pillar

Wisdom, Strength and BeautyFreemasons will be familiar with the three pillars of Wisdom, Strength and Beauty and their representations of King Solomon for his wisdom as told in the VSL, Hyrum King of Tyre for his strength in supporting King Solomon with materials for the building of God’s house and Hyrum the Widow’s son for the beautiful workmanship he introduced into the construction of the building. Did you know that it takes a minimum of three pillars to support a structure and prevent it from falling down? Try it for yourself.

Northern Division ConferenceSaturday 9 April 2016 • Novotel, Auckland Airport, Manukau

Contact divsec.northern@freemasons.co.nz

31

This conference, managed by Ko Awatea, attracts hundreds of delegates and is Asia Pacific’s premier healthcare conference.

Delegates attend APAC to meet and hear from some of the great minds in health improvement, share the work they have been doing, and learn from leading-edge initiatives taking place in healthcare organisations across the world.

As a major partner we made the introductions of the ‘STAR’ speakers on stage in the main auditorium at the Sky City Conference Centre. On behalf of the Foundation and Freemasonry, W Bros Rick Pullin and Logan Waite not only carried out the task of introducing the speakers but also had something to say about Freemasonry and our connections with the health care sector!

Ko Awatea was created in 2011 with the aim to bring about a transformation of the health system to achieve excellent healthcare using a collaborative approach to encourage innovation, quality improvement and knowledge transfer.

In the Minister’s announcement, on the official website of the NZ Government beehive.govt.nz, Mr Joyce said ‘This year’s recipients are ten of New Zealand’s most outstanding emerging researchers, working in fields from health to marine ecology.

The success of this year’s Auckland Writers Festival has convinced us to continue our association with this community cultural project, again committing to being the major supporter of the Schools and Family part of the programme for 2016.

The inaugural recipient of the Rutherford Foundation Freemasons Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship in 2009, Dr Nicola Jackson of Auckland, keeps in touch with us regularly. Nicola has recently returned to New Zealand and joined Caldera Health as a Senior Scientist to work on the development of prostate cancer diagnostic tools using next generation sequencing technology.

Freemasonry on show at Ko Awatea conferenceThe on-going support from Freemasons Foundation for Ko Awatea, the centre for health system innovation and improvement at Auckland’s Counties Manukau Health, was on display at the APAC Forum in September.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce has announced the recipients of the prestigious 2015 Rutherford Foundation Trust Awards including the latest Freemasons Fellowship.

REPORT

W Bro Logan Waite (right) introduced Star speaker Emeritus Professor Charles Vincent from London, an eminent and renowned clinical psychologist who has spent a lifetime in healthcare safety - with our David Mace and Judith Miller

He served us well - Kerry Hoggard

On behalf of the current Trustees of the Foundation we express our deep regret at the passing, last month at Auckland Hospital, of W Bro Kerry Hoggard, a previous Chairman of Northern Masonic Association Trust Board. Kerry was 74.

As one of New Zealand’s most successful businessmen over a long period, his death attracted considerable comment in the media. Recognised for his vision and astute commercial business mind, his reputation was built on the growth and success of the international listed entity NUFARM in which he had spent his working life. He stepped down as its chairman in 2010 after 53 years with the company. Kerry was named New Zealand Business Leader of the year in 1998.

Harness racing was also a passion and he bred and raced horses for many years. At his death he had been on the Board of the Auckland Trotting Club since 2003 and President since 2013. He was the driver of the change to secure the Club’s future financial

security with the residential and commercial developments now taking place at Alexandra Park Raceway at Greenlane. They will remain a legacy to his vision.

Kerry was a Past Master (1981) of The Lodge of Peace No 322 and became a Trustee of NMATB in 1992. He succeeded Jack Christie as Chairman in 1996 when change was in the air and directed the Board through the difficult decisions that needed to be made about our resources and capabilities in continuing to operate both the Redwood and Roskill Villages. He completed that task and concluded his term in 2006.

A quiet but efficient manager, he always had time to listen to other opinions. A man of great intelligence, outstanding business talent and a loving and generous family man. He served us well.

We offer our sincere sympathy to his wife Marilyn, son Andrew and the Grandchildren.

New Freemasons Post-Doctoral Fellowship Announced

PROUD TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS

PROGRAMME & FAMILY DAY

GOLD PARTNER AUCKLAND WRITERS FESTIVAL

INSPIRING YOUNG WRITERS & READERS

ARTS & CULTURE | MEDICAL RESEARCH EDUCATION | GERONTOLOGY | HOSPICE | COMMUNITY

Inspire

A programme to support young musicians aged from 13 to 25 years, in partnership with the University of Auckland School of Music and supported by the Freemasons Foundation.

Artwork: “Sound of the generation” – Gabriella Morton

Writers Festival support to continue

Orchestra programme inspires young talent

Inaugural Fellow update

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

Charity Registration No CC27639

Freemasons Foundation is fostering new opportunities in tuition, composing and performance for young orchestral musicians as a major supporter of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s INSPIRE programme.

Begun in 2013, the programme gives the players the chance to sit alongside the real professionals while they play in rehearsal and perform in concert. They can attend master classes, compete in instrumental competitions and talk to visiting soloists among many other activities all providing invaluable experience for their future careers.

The Foundation’s support of young orchestral musicians began some years ago with a small contribution to The Lodge of the Liberal Arts annual concert of fine music by the Auckland Youth Orchestra. Our help lifted this community project into prominence at the Auckland’s Town Hall. Now with the APO ‘INSPIRE’ programme directly targeting not only the talent in the Youth Orchestra but the University School of Music too, we are happy to be making a real difference to young musicians throughout the wider Auckland area.

OBITUARY

The awards will allow them to further hone their knowledge and skills, and New Zealand benefits from the high quality of science they are able to produce”.

The Rutherford Foundation Trust was established by the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2008. It aims to develop the skills of New Zealand’s most promising young researchers by providing them with early career support It is supported by $1 million in annual government funding along with contributions from the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, the Cavendish Laboratory, Antarctica New Zealand, and Freemason Foundation.

The Freemasons Postdoctoral Fellowship enables recipients to undertake a fulltime research programme on topics concerned with aging. The 2015 recipient is Marsilea Harrison who will study at Imperial College London, for researching the treatment for osteoarthritis to find ways to stimulate cartilage cells to grow and repair damaged joints. Marsilea attended the University of Auckland and completed a PhD in science in 2013.

32

This conference, managed by Ko Awatea, attracts hundreds of delegates and is Asia Pacific’s premier healthcare conference.

Delegates attend APAC to meet and hear from some of the great minds in health improvement, share the work they have been doing, and learn from leading-edge initiatives taking place in healthcare organisations across the world.

As a major partner we made the introductions of the ‘STAR’ speakers on stage in the main auditorium at the Sky City Conference Centre. On behalf of the Foundation and Freemasonry, W Bros Rick Pullin and Logan Waite not only carried out the task of introducing the speakers but also had something to say about Freemasonry and our connections with the health care sector!

Ko Awatea was created in 2011 with the aim to bring about a transformation of the health system to achieve excellent healthcare using a collaborative approach to encourage innovation, quality improvement and knowledge transfer.

In the Minister’s announcement, on the official website of the NZ Government beehive.govt.nz, Mr Joyce said ‘This year’s recipients are ten of New Zealand’s most outstanding emerging researchers, working in fields from health to marine ecology.

The success of this year’s Auckland Writers Festival has convinced us to continue our association with this community cultural project, again committing to being the major supporter of the Schools and Family part of the programme for 2016.

The inaugural recipient of the Rutherford Foundation Freemasons Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship in 2009, Dr Nicola Jackson of Auckland, keeps in touch with us regularly. Nicola has recently returned to New Zealand and joined Caldera Health as a Senior Scientist to work on the development of prostate cancer diagnostic tools using next generation sequencing technology.

Freemasonry on show at Ko Awatea conferenceThe on-going support from Freemasons Foundation for Ko Awatea, the centre for health system innovation and improvement at Auckland’s Counties Manukau Health, was on display at the APAC Forum in September.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce has announced the recipients of the prestigious 2015 Rutherford Foundation Trust Awards including the latest Freemasons Fellowship.

REPORT

W Bro Logan Waite (right) introduced Star speaker Emeritus Professor Charles Vincent from London, an eminent and renowned clinical psychologist who has spent a lifetime in healthcare safety - with our David Mace and Judith Miller

He served us well - Kerry Hoggard

On behalf of the current Trustees of the Foundation we express our deep regret at the passing, last month at Auckland Hospital, of W Bro Kerry Hoggard, a previous Chairman of Northern Masonic Association Trust Board. Kerry was 74.

As one of New Zealand’s most successful businessmen over a long period, his death attracted considerable comment in the media. Recognised for his vision and astute commercial business mind, his reputation was built on the growth and success of the international listed entity NUFARM in which he had spent his working life. He stepped down as its chairman in 2010 after 53 years with the company. Kerry was named New Zealand Business Leader of the year in 1998.

Harness racing was also a passion and he bred and raced horses for many years. At his death he had been on the Board of the Auckland Trotting Club since 2003 and President since 2013. He was the driver of the change to secure the Club’s future financial

security with the residential and commercial developments now taking place at Alexandra Park Raceway at Greenlane. They will remain a legacy to his vision.

Kerry was a Past Master (1981) of The Lodge of Peace No 322 and became a Trustee of NMATB in 1992. He succeeded Jack Christie as Chairman in 1996 when change was in the air and directed the Board through the difficult decisions that needed to be made about our resources and capabilities in continuing to operate both the Redwood and Roskill Villages. He completed that task and concluded his term in 2006.

A quiet but efficient manager, he always had time to listen to other opinions. A man of great intelligence, outstanding business talent and a loving and generous family man. He served us well.

We offer our sincere sympathy to his wife Marilyn, son Andrew and the Grandchildren.

New Freemasons Post-Doctoral Fellowship Announced

PROUD TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS

PROGRAMME & FAMILY DAY

GOLD PARTNER AUCKLAND WRITERS FESTIVAL

INSPIRING YOUNG WRITERS & READERS

ARTS & CULTURE | MEDICAL RESEARCH EDUCATION | GERONTOLOGY | HOSPICE | COMMUNITY

Inspire

A programme to support young musicians aged from 13 to 25 years, in partnership with the University of Auckland School of Music and supported by the Freemasons Foundation.

Artwork: “Sound of the generation” – Gabriella Morton

Writers Festival support to continue

Orchestra programme inspires young talent

Inaugural Fellow update

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

Charity Registration No CC27639

Freemasons Foundation is fostering new opportunities in tuition, composing and performance for young orchestral musicians as a major supporter of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s INSPIRE programme.

Begun in 2013, the programme gives the players the chance to sit alongside the real professionals while they play in rehearsal and perform in concert. They can attend master classes, compete in instrumental competitions and talk to visiting soloists among many other activities all providing invaluable experience for their future careers.

The Foundation’s support of young orchestral musicians began some years ago with a small contribution to The Lodge of the Liberal Arts annual concert of fine music by the Auckland Youth Orchestra. Our help lifted this community project into prominence at the Auckland’s Town Hall. Now with the APO ‘INSPIRE’ programme directly targeting not only the talent in the Youth Orchestra but the University School of Music too, we are happy to be making a real difference to young musicians throughout the wider Auckland area.

OBITUARY

The awards will allow them to further hone their knowledge and skills, and New Zealand benefits from the high quality of science they are able to produce”.

The Rutherford Foundation Trust was established by the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2008. It aims to develop the skills of New Zealand’s most promising young researchers by providing them with early career support It is supported by $1 million in annual government funding along with contributions from the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, the Cavendish Laboratory, Antarctica New Zealand, and Freemason Foundation.

The Freemasons Postdoctoral Fellowship enables recipients to undertake a fulltime research programme on topics concerned with aging. The 2015 recipient is Marsilea Harrison who will study at Imperial College London, for researching the treatment for osteoarthritis to find ways to stimulate cartilage cells to grow and repair damaged joints. Marsilea attended the University of Auckland and completed a PhD in science in 2013.

33

Gisborne remembers Brother William Grant

O n the 30th of August 2015, brethren of Lodge Abercorn-Tuahine No. 76

and special guests joined parishioners of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Gisborne, to honour our late Brother William Grant who was killed at Gallipoli on the 28th August 1915. At the time of volunteering for army service, the 55 year old Brother Grant was the minister of St Andrew’s Church in Gisborne and also Junior Warden of Lodge Abercorn No. 76.

As part of wider WWI centenary commemorations a service was held in St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Wellington, on the 28th August 2015 in honour of Services Chaplains who paid the supreme sacrifice. This service was attended by brethren of the Masonic fraternity and the date, August 28th was deliberately chosen as it was on that date in 1915 that William Grant lost his life, the first chaplain to do so.

The guests of honour at the Gisborne service on Sunday, 30th August were descendants of Reverend Grant, principally his grand-daughter Mrs Joyce Buckley accompanied by her daughter, two sons and younger members of the family. Chaplains from the three branches of the armed forces were present to lead the service.

Brother Grant volunteered for ser-vice as a chaplain and left Gisborne in August of 1914. By April of 1915 he had arrived at Gallipoli and it was here that his true mettle as a man and a freemason came to the fore. He gave assistance to any soldier who needed it, regardless of rank and irrespective of whether they were ally or enemy. Here was a man who truly met everyone on the level.

While serving at the front, Chaplain Major Grant did not seek privileges of age or rank, happily living and sleeping alongside those soldiers he set out to serve, no mean feat for one his age.

Brother Grant was a prolific cor-respondent, writing a series of letters to the local newspaper as well as to friends and family in New Zealand. Consequently his legacy lives on in the letters he wrote to the Poverty Bay Herald and they give a clear and concise picture of conditions at the battle front. In his last letter to the Lodge Secretary he expressed his regret at not being able to attend the Lodge Installation where he would have been invested as Senior Warden. He did, however, arrange for a donation of One Pound to the Widows and Orphans fund to be sent on his behalf by a friend based in Cairo. He also wrote of losing all his kit upon landing at Gallipoli including his Masonic Bible, and he requested a replacement volume to use in his min-istry to the troops.

Sadly, Brother Grant was killed before his letter and financial contribu-tion arrived in Gisborne. It is believed

he was shot while tending to a wounded Turkish soldier.

As a mark of respect the chair of Senior Warden was left vacant for twelve months and a photograph of the lamented brother was hung above the chair and it remained there for some 70 years, surely a mark of a man who lived respected and died regretted. The pound note was never banked and Reverend Grant’s letter, along with the banknote, is still held in the Lodge archives.

The collected letters of Chaplain Major Grant were first printed in 1915. Thanks to the efforts of Miss Marie Burgess and financial support from Lodge Abercorn Charitable Trust, the book was re-published and launched at a gathering following the commemora-tive service at St. Andrew’s Church.

Copies of the book are available from St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 176 Cobden Street, Gisborne, 4010 (ph 06 868 5513) at a cost of $25.00 plus p&p.

Researched and written by WBro R J Bos, Lodge

Abercorn­Tuahine No 76.

Members of Lodge Abercorn-Tuahine No.76 after the service.

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History of the New Zealand Registered Nurses’ Medal

The NZRN five pointed star medal dates back to when New Zealand first introduced the Nurses’ Registration Act on 12 September 1901, being the first country in the world to legally require nurses to be registered.

All nurses who train and qualify for Nursing Registration in New Zealand are awarded with the NZRN medal. It is worn with honour, distinction and pride and the deep meaning and history behind it is held close to many Kiwi Nurses hearts. The medal has always been a great way to pick out the Kiwi Nurses when working abroad too!

Designed by Mrs Grace Neill, the ap-pointed Assistant Inspector of Hospitals in New Zealand in 1895. Mrs Neill was successful in having the State Registration for Nurses Act passed. A block at Wellington Regional Hospital is named after her.

The star encloses a Red Cross as an emblem of the blood and the Cross of Christ. The white background stands for the purity expected in the life of a nurse; blue stands for honour and loyalty, and gold for charity. The Medal was designed as a symbol of service in the alleviation of suffering.

Nurses who qualified for registra-tion received the Five Pointed Star badge (sometimes referred to as the NZ Registered Nurses’ Medal). Originally, to register nurses had to be 23 years of age and have had three years’ training as a nurse in a hospital, including training in theory and practise and to sit a State Examination. On passing the examina-tion and upon payment of one pound the nurses received a certificate and a badge inscribed with their name and the date of registration.

Mrs JJ McNab and Mrs GM Sides of Timaru designed “The Creed” below, outlining the meaning behind the NZRN medal.

The Five Pointed Star

The Hand: That my hand shall ever extend to help, comfort and relieve the sick and suffering.

The Foot: That my feet shall not falter, loiter nor linger, when journeying to alleviate the suffering of the sick.

The Knee: That my knee shall bow to the Almighty Creator in asking for guidance and aid in my endeavour to relieve the suffering of the sick.

The Breast: That my breast shall be a safe and sacred repository for any secret en-trusted to me or divulged through sick-ness or delirium or otherwise obtained.

The Head: That I will constantly pursue and study the secret arts; that I will exercise my knowledge to the benefit of those suffering bodily or mental distress, and will disseminate such knowledge amongst others as my preceptors author-ise and direct.

Bryan Wiig

Editor’s Note: The Five pointed Star Creed sounds very masonic!

Otago commemorates a lost masonic son

A dedication ceremony by the Lodge Peninsula Kilwinning No 696 on the Register of the Grand Lodge of Scotland who undertook to commemorate the death 100years ago at Gallipoli of a lodge member Lance Corporal John Geary a Junior Deacon in our Lodge at the time of his death.

The lodge with the approval of the Geary family undertook this memorial service exactly 100 years after his death on 8 August this year, it consisted of a gathering at the local bowling club of

family members, Freemasons from a variety of constitutions in Lodge Regalia, the local fire service in dress uniform and the local Kaumatua, the assembly left the bowling club at 12.45 and marched the 400 metres to the Portobello Historical Society rooms on the main Portobello Road led by a Masonic Piper, in all there were approx 200 people in attendance, where a dedication service was under-taken and a brass plaque unveiled on the Anzac memorial stone on the grounds of the Portobello Historical Society rooms.

This was covered and reported on by the local paper the Otago Daily Times and gave very good exposure to the craft in general in the com-munity, and was hugely successful for the local lodge with the support of the many sister lodges attending.

Brian Swift Lodge Peninsula Kilwinning No 696 SC

New Zealand nurses and doctors at a military hospital in France.

35

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What does Freemasonry mean to you?

I believe Freemasonry is a way of life, it’s not a hobby or a club where you get together once a month for a gathering, rather a way of being. It’s about thinking of others before oneself, helping another person who needs assistance or simply being there for companionship.

How are you involved in Freemasonry?

I was raised in my family with my father and Grandfather of Lodge Te Puni No. 315. I then married into the Houlihan family of Freemasons of Lodge Mana No. 352

For the last two years I have been the wife and proud supporter of the Hutt Wairarapa District Grand Master.

Why is Freemasonry important to you?

It wasn’t until earlier this year at the Central Divisional Conference that I learnt the magnitude of support the Freemasons of New Zealand provide to New Zealanders after viewing the video of University of Auckland’s appreciation

of the contributions to their neurology research; it was very humbling to know that I am part of this organisation.

Do you think Freemasonry is relevant in today’s society?

Absolutely, more so now than in the last 125 years. Today’s society is so focussed on what’s the next big thing at such a fast pace and in my opinion, without a great deal of consideration for one another.

Take a moment to reflect on what hap-pened in the Christchurch communities after the big earthquakes how neighbours considered one another and local com-munities are now more considerate than years before. If young New Zealand men where to become Freemasons I believe our society would be the better for it.

What would you say to other people whose partners are looking at joining?

What have you got to lose? Have more opportunities to go out for dinners, lots of events to attend and make new friends. Your partner will enjoy the comradery of belonging to this organisation and you can be as involved as you want or not at all.

What has been the highlight of your involvement so far?

Now you have put me in a tricky situation so I am going to offer two highlights. The first one is sitting in the gallery watch-ing my husband being installed as the District Grand Master and the second was being in attendance as my father was awarded the Roll of Honour.

Andrea Houlihan

Hello, my name is Brigita Sehgal and I am the wife of the 125th Master of The Ponsonby Lodge No 54, WBro Jeasy Sehgal.

Freemasonry plays an im-portant role in my husband’s life and he is truly committed to its principles, which I completely support as well.

I consider the foundation principles of freedom and all-in-clusiveness within Freemasonry even more important in the glob-al society of today, where people from different cultures and background invest themselves towards the better-ment of the whole society.

Through various means of charitable and sponsorship roles. This is a worthy cause, which supports personal, ethical and spiritual values of its members as well.

Often I’ve been asked ‘how do I feel about my husband’s involvement (in Freemasonry)’ and I’m always happy to clarify how I truly support him. Despite of being a male only organisation, there are a lot of activities running in the back-ground that are done by Freemason’s

wives and partners. Via these social activities and gatherings ladies establish good connections and get involved in some of the charitable activities themselves.

If someone’s partner is look-ing to join, I would advise that it is most commendable as they will find friends with likeminded members that will offer support whenever it is required.

As a couple we’ve established many friendships of true value. Five years ago, we got married in

the first ever masonic wedding in a ma-sonic lodge and with masonic ceremony, which shows our dedication and has been a great highlight of our involve-ment. These memories will be always genuinely cherished.

Brigita Seghal

Partners in Freemasonry

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

According to Ministry of Health forecasts, by 2022 there will be a severe shortage of care beds in parts of the country. Some say the crisis will arrive earlier. It will have its greatest impact on frail older people with limited financial resources.

Warick Dunn, chief executive of The Masonic Villages Trust, says few new care facilities are being built because government funding for residential care hasn’t kept up with the cost of providing that care.

“A recent independent review of the economics of the sector suggests that current revenues are 20% below the levels required to rebuild and renovate existing facilities or to fund new developments. Indeed, many smaller providers have become so uneconomic they are being forced to close their doors,” he says.

“In response to this financial reality, more than half the country’s aged care providers are now providing facilities that are intended for

Aged care crisis looming The failure of the government to properly fund aged care is likely to become a crisis in the not too distant future.

residents who can afford to pay for extras that are not funded by government. We are doing this with our care suites at Horowhenua Masonic Village and Glenwood Masonic Hospital in Masterton, as are other providers in their new village developments.

“These premium facilities help satisfy the growing expectations of more affluent residents for space, privacy and choice and help providers to balance their books. But it raises questions about how dignified, quality care will be provided to older New Zealanders who can’t afford the extras.”

At present, a person in DHB-funded residential care has their accommodation and care paid for bythe government. To offset this, the government gets the resident’s national super, less a small amount for personal spending, says Dunn.

“Those whose only income is national super cannot afford to pay for

Residents and carers getting some fresh air outside the care suites at Glenwood Masonic Hospital, MastertonBy 2022, it is predicted there will be a severe shortage of care beds in parts of the country. It will have its greatest impact on frail older people who can’t afford ‘extras’

38

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

Like to join?The trustees of The Masonic Villages Trust would like more people who support its work to become members.

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

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

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

In The Masonic Villages Trust’s 2015 annual report, chair Bill Arcus says the merger has resulted in cost savings and has enhanced the professionalism of the whole operation. The Trust now has 227 care beds and 348 retirement villas and apartments, making it one of the largest charitable retirement village operators and aged care providers in the lower North Island.

The directors believe it is in the interests of the Trust to expand its operations so that older New Zealanders can continue to choose a charitable provider for their care and accommodation in retirement.

As part of this strategy, the Trust has this year completed stage 1

Trust merger goes well The retirement facilities operated by the Manawatu Masonic Association Trust have been successfully merged into The Masonic Villages Trust.

of Woburn Apartments in Lower Hutt and has begun groundworks on stage 2. Elsewhere in Hutt City it is looking at whether it could provide the suburb of Wainuiomata with a retirement village and hospital. It is also working with the Taranaki Masonic Trust, with which it may one day form a closer relationship.

In the annual report, Arcus said he was disappointed by the Trust’s financial results for the 2015 year which, because of a change in accounting policies, resulted in a comprehensive deficit of $4.2 million. This was largely due to a $6.3 million write down in property assets. The Trust made a $1 million cashflow surplus and an underlying profit (EBIDA) of $906,000.

care in excess of DHB requirements. For their part the care facilities can’t afford to build facilities that are solely reliant on DHB funding.”

He says the looming crisis has been deferred by a recent emphasis on caring for older persons in their own homes through what is known as the ‘ageing in place’ policy. This policy, which is fully funded through DHBs, has social and fiscal advantages.

“But caring for people in their own homes for longer is not a permanent solution to a lack of residential aged care beds. Ultimately many of the frail elderly get to the point where they can no longer live safely in their own homes and need residential support, such as that provided by Masonic Care rest homes and hospitals.

“Already, our staff are finding that people who, under this policy, have stayed much longer in their homes have much higher levels of dependency than those who entered residential care only a few years ago. Many need facilities like electric hoists, mechanised beds and sophisticated wheel chairs. These are expensive and only partially funded by the DHBs. Only with the support from generous donors like local Lodges and the Freemasons’ Charity can our Trust afford to fund these.”

Dunn says that if under-funding is to be addressed, it needs to provide for both ‘business as usual’ as well as the higher dependency levels of residents.

“In addition, it needs to address the deplorable situation applying

to wages and salaries for care facility staff across the sector. Government underfunding means their pay does not reflect the commitment, skills and responsibilities associated with caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

“When the Terra Nova equal pay case is concluded, it is likely the government will have to substantially increase its funding. While this is entirely proper, it will doubtless make it more difficult for the government to find the funds to bridge other aspects of the funding shortfall.

“Our society has high expectations of how all citizens should be treated when age, declining health and frailty mean they are no longer able to take care of themselves. So I certainly hope the government of the day will see the justice of our case.

“But if current funding models remain, quality residential aged care will eventually only be assured to those who can afford to pay for it.”

Those whose only income is national super cannot afford to pay for care in excess of DHB requirements. For their part the care facilities can’t afford to build facilities that are solely reliant on DHB funding.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015

• TRUST OFFICE63 Wai-iti Crescent | Lower Hutt 5010T: +64 4 569 8512 | E: trust@masonicvillages.co.nz

• GLENWOOD MASONIC HOSPITAL74 Upper Plain Road | Masterton 5810T: +64 6 377 0221 | E: glenwood.inquiries@masonicvillages.co.nz

• HOROWHENUA MASONIC VILLAGE685 Queen St East | Levin 5510T: +64 6 368 8144 | E: hmvadmin@masonicvillages.co.nz

• MASONIC COURT PALMERSTON NORTH13 Clausen Street | Palmerston North 4412T: +64 6 358 9399 | E: Barbara@manawatumasonic.co.nz• TE AWAHOU MASONIC VILLAGE

79 Main Street | Foxton 4814T: +64 6 363 5888 | E: villagemanager@manawatumasonic.co.nz

• WAIRARAPA MASONIC VILLAGE35 Edith Street | Masterton 5810T: +64 6 378 7391 | E: irene.bull@masonicvillages.co.nz

• WOBURN MASONIC VILLAGE63 Wai-iti Crescent, Lower Hutt 5010T: +64 4 569 6839 | E: christine.townsend@masonicvillages.co.nz

39

M y brother Alan is a pretty typical Kiwi bloke in many ways – had

a job at a local service station, enjoyed flicking on the TV at the end of a shift and relaxing on the couch for the even-ing. In the weekends he’d watch movies or get into a good book. Every now and then he’d organise an outing for a couple of elderly residents in a local rest home. He’s a bit of a softie like that.

It was always a bit of a family joke that Alan had only one favourite vegetable – the potato. And the more deep fried the better! True, his diet was pretty shoddy. Takeaways for dinner five nights a week and chips, sausages and pies in between.

He wasn’t really looking after himself and doctors had warned him that his high-salt, high-fat, overly processed diet was making his blood pressure danger-ously high and that he needed to make some major changes to avoid the real risk of a stroke or worse.

Alan, as many 32 year olds would, figured there would be plenty of time to sort it out … after all, he was still a young man in the prime of life, right?

On the day that it happened, Alan had taken his folks out on their Sunday

outing during the day and went to bed as usual, but must have woken in the early hours and known sovmething was wrong.

Just before his speech went completely he managed to call out loudly enough to wake Mum. She arrived in his room to find that he had tried to get out of bed only to have both legs collapse under-neath him, leaving him slumped against his desk. Fortunately, Mum immedi-ately recognised the signs of a stroke and called an ambulance.

When the ambulance arrived Alan was lapsing in and out of consciousness and by the time they got to hospital he was totally non-responsive. The doctors advised us that Alan had suffered a seri-ous stroke. The haemorrhage in his brain was so severe that it was pushing one half of his brain into the other side of his skull.

The doctors prepared us for the worst – Alan was in a bad way and his prognosis was grim. Even if he did pull through, he would possibly remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. We were pretty much preparing to say our last goodbyes when thankfully he rallied and his condition began to stabilise. But

he still took a full month to wake up from his non-responsive state.

That was July 2013. Today, Alan still hasn’t fully recovered his speech. The entire right side of his body is paralysed and he needs help with washing, getting dressed and just getting around each day. He uses a wheelchair now and lives in a home as he needs pretty constant care just to do the most basic day-to-day stuff.

We were introduced to a Community Stroke Advisor while Alan was still in hospital. She has been very helpful in pointing out what services are available – both in caring for Alan but also helping the rest of us understand and come to terms with what has happened.

I had experienced high blood pressure with both my pregnancies and I guess I always knew that losing weight was a good idea – but it took what happened to Alan to really galvanise me into action. First, I’ve quit drinking alcohol – not that we were big drinkers but I knew it was just extra calories I didn’t need so that was relatively easy. I also joined Weight Watchers so I had some encouragement to make the changes to my diet that needed to be made.

Then just 2 weeks after Alan’s stroke I

Strokes just happen to old people – right?

Christina Lloyd shares the story of her brother Alan, who had a devastating stroke aged just 32.

40

Strokes just happen to old people – right?

heard an ad on the radio for a half mara-thon for charity. The idea got stuck in my head that day and pretty soon I’d man-aged to persuade my younger brother to join me and together we completed our first half marathon.

I feel great and I know that I am mak-ing immediate and beneficial changes to both my blood pressure and general wellbeing. I already knew that making these changes was a good move but Alan’s experience has given me a renewed focus … and so many more reasons to keep up the good work.

Reducing risks and improving outcomesReduce your risk of stroke

1. Check your blood pressure regularly 2. Don’t smoke3. Reduce your salt intake4. Eat healthily (limit fatty, sugary, salty

foods)5. Move more - be physi-

cally active for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week

6. Maintain a healthy weight7. Limit your alcohol intake8. Check your cholesterol

level and follow any treat-ment advised by your doctor

9. Get checked for atrial fibrillation (a type of ir-regular heartbeat) and follow any treatment advised by your doctor

10. If you have diabetes, man-age your condition well.

Act FAST and save lives

‘There’s nothing you can do about stroke.’ That’s what many people think - but they’re wrong. Up to half of all stroke cases could be treated with clot-busting drugs (thrombolysis or tPa) if they arrive within three hours of the stroke’s onset at a hospital where they can be scanned and given the drugs. In many cases this can reduce the damage done by the stroke or even reverse the symptoms entirely.

Even if tPa isn’t an option studies show that the faster you get help the better your outcomes after stroke. Speed really is of the essence which is why it’s so important that as many people as pos-sible can recognise a stroke when they see one.

The FAST message is an effective way for people to recognise three key stroke signs and to act fast if a stroke is suspected.

See a stroke. Look for these signs:

F – FACE – Is their face drooping on one side? Can they smile?

A – ARM – Is one arm weak? Can they raise both arms?

S – SPEECH – Is their speech jumbled or slurred? Can they speak at all?

T – TIME – Time is critical. Call 111 immediately.

If you see any of these signs, get help fast. A stroke is an emergency. Call 111.

For more information on the FAST message see strokewise.org.nz/see/

Help us save lives and improve outcomes

The Stroke Founda tion is the national or-ganisation in New Zealand dedicated to reducing the incidence of stroke, improv-ing treatment outcomes, and supporting those affected by stroke. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that supports a team of Community Stroke

Advisors and dozens of stroke clubs throughout New Zealand.

We run education and aware-ness campaigns and Stroke Foundation Community Stroke Advisors throughout most of New Zealand work with stroke sur-vivors, their family, whānau and carers to ensure people achieve the best possible outcome after stroke. We provide this service for free.

The vast majority of our fund-ing comes from donations. If you would like to help us continue and expand our work, you can donate at stroke.org.nz/donate or phone us on 0800 78 76 53.

With thanks to Fraser Pettigrew, National Communications and Promotions Manager, Stroke Foundation of New Zealand

41

Let’s nail our colours

A lthough you will be reading this some time in December, at the

earliest, I am writing it in November, and November is the annual White Ribbon Month in New Zealand.

I hope you know what White Ribbon is but if not, here’s an explanation taken from the White Ribbon website (whiteribbon.org.nz):

The White Ribbon campaign in New Zealand is a meld of the White Ribbon Day movement in Canada and the United Nations International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, which is celebrated on 25 November each year.

Our aim is to eliminate men’s violence towards women by encouraging men to take ownership of this important issue and model good behaviour that can change attitudes and behaviour. In 2015 our focus is on sexual violence and the issue of consent.

The campaign has activities through -out the calendar year with an increased focus in Novem ber. White Ribbon is driven by a campaign team and com mu nity groups in towns and cities throughout New Zealand, while events and activities are in-creasingly supported by busi nesses, cultural groups, sporting teams, local government and a wide range of community and government agencies.

With the goal of eliminating men’s violence towards women, White Ribbon “aims to change men’s attitudes and behaviours, predominantly through men talking to men”. It asks individual men to “make it clear to other men that you do not tolerate violence towards women”. White Ribbon is a deliberate attempt to undermine the social norms of men who sup-port violence, and strengthen male norms that are non-violent.

Here are a few of their statistics to give you some idea of the extent of the problem of men’s violence to women

in New Zealand. (These figures are from 2013, but sadly, the anecdotal evidence is that there has been no improvement.)

White Ribbon Trust patron Judge Peter Boshier, former Principal Family Court Judge (and newly-appointed Chief Ombudsman for New Zealand) summed it up like this in a recent magazine article:

“White Ribbon is simply put, a cam-paign operated mostly by volunteers such as me in New Zealand which asks men to accept responsibility as the per-petrators of most family violence, and to start exerting pressure to achieve at-titudinal change. For as long as we have ‘mates’, friends or acquaintances who think it is all right to abuse their partners because there is no social pressure to the contrary, we will continue to experience family violence in epidemic proportions.”

What has this got to do with Royal Arch Masonry or Freemasonry in general?

Well, this is a men’s problem. And we are an organisation of men. I suggest that we could perform a great service to our communities, and showcase the values

of Freemasonry, by stepping up, as men, and helping to do something about it.

We are not only an organisation of men, but we are one of men with high ideals and strong values, in every aspect of our lives. We are men with a strong commitment to Charity, and Charity is not just about money. As Craft Freemasons we have this to say about the practice of Charity: “Our tradi-tions occupy a unique place in our society; we employ our resources, experience and knowledge in the promotion of excellence” (Strategic Direction 2013-2018).

Another Pillar of our Strategic Direction is Community Engage-ment. Here we recognise that Freemasonry does not exist in a vacuum: “to maintain, grow and develop our image and brand within the community we need to build sustainable, long-term and

By First Grand Principal Geoff Davies

One in three women will experience partner violence at

some point in their lives.

Less than 20 per cent of abuse cases are reported.

Over 3500 convictions are recorded against men each year

for assaults on women.

On average, 14 women a year are killed by their partners or

ex-partners.

Police attend a family violence incident every five and a half

minutes.

Family violence accounts for half of all reported serious crime.

In 2013 Police recorded 95,101 family violence investigations (provisionally 94,300 in 2014).

42

positive partnerships with key commu-nity stakeholders”.

Over the next few months I will be asking our Chapters to consider under-taking an initiative, at any level they con-sider suitable, to show our communities what sort of people Freemasons are.

We have networks, we have build-ings, we have men of all stripes who are husbands, fathers, grandfathers etc – but most of all, men of integrity and strength who stand for doing the right thing. This is a “right thing” for us to do.

I am asking Royal Arch Companions to take the initiative in this, but to me, it is one for all Freemasons, and so I am also suggesting to Chapters that their first step is to talk to the main Lodge or

Lodges in their communities with a view to a joint activity.

At this point, you might well be saying “What is it that we can actually do? Is it about donating money?” We can donate money if we wish, but there is much, much more that can be done with the resources at our disposal.

Have a look at the White Ribbon website. It has a wealth of suggestions to suit any configuration of people and resources, and what White Ribbon itself can provide, such as speakers for local events. Many such speakers are official White Ribbon Ambassadors, in addi-tion to their day jobs. The long list of leaders in their fields who have accepted the role of White Ribbon Ambassador

includes Prime Minister John Key, Police Commissioner Mike Bush and the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant-General Tim Keating.

We all want to attract good men to join Freemasonry, and once members, when they are qualified and ready, to take the next step and join a Royal Arch Chapter.

I believe giving an example of what be-ing a good man actually means in prac-tice, will reflect well on both the Royal Arch and the Craft in the public eye.

But most of all, we just might help address an appalling problem that exists in every single New Zealand community. Wouldn’t that be something!

to the mast

SUPREME GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF NEW ZEALAND124th ANNUAL GRAND CONVOCATION

Waipuna Hotel and Conference CentreMt Wellington, Auckland

18, 19 March 2016www.royalarch.org.nz

43

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South Otago $4869Balclutha Kindergarten Electricity into Technical RoomClutha United Swimming Club Purchase Stop WatchesKaitangata Primary PTA Assn Basket swing for playgroundLitchfield Park Clutha RDA Horse CrushMilton Kindergarten Maori Resources = Books/Puzzles

Greater Dunedin $24,530Dunedin Women’s Refuge Replace Water HeaterCarers Society Otago 2 x lightweight transit WheelchairsRoyal Dunedin Male Choir 2 x new Pieces of musicKaikorai Valley College Library BooksOtago Model Engineering Freestanding StoveDunedin Gymnastics Academy Safety Crash MatDunedin Senior Chinese Assn Drums & Uniforms &

Computer/PrinterTS Nimrod Sea Cadets Repairs to Boat Shed (Doors)Palmerston Guiding Club Compass’s & TablesOtago Heritage Bus Society Restoring a newly purchased Bus Special Olympics Otago T-Shirt topsDunedin Red Cross Choir Materials to make new uniformsKings High School Rowing 4 pairs sculling oars for QuadFortune Theatre Electrical testerDunedin Tap Dancing Portable Sound SystemVolunteering Otago 2 x Laptops & a Desk-top ComputerMornington Scout Group Kitchen crockery

OtherFive Foodbanks in North, Central and South Otago $4000“Elwing” Youth Development Course $7190Port Chalmers Marine Lodge Bursary $5000Dunedin School of Art = Fred Staub Open Art $10,000Boock Estate Fund – last 10 months $38,846

Grand Total to Date $125,153

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Masonic Trusts punch above their weight

2015 Otago Masonic Charitable Trust Grants

We have many Masonic Charitable Trusts throughout New Zealand (probably numbering nearly 50) who are doing similar good work in the community. We publish this particular list to show the breadth of giving by Freemasons to non-masonic community organisations and the share diversity of those groups and to hopefully generate ideas for future charitable projects and giving by Lodges and Districts throughout New Zealand. A separate article shows by way of example the length of service many Freemasons put into these Masonic Charitable Trusts.

The Dunedin Senior Chinese Association was one of the many happy recipients of a Otago Masonic Charitable Trust grant.

44

Phone 04 577 2127 or 027 282 7557Email steve@qpgltd.co.nz

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Freemasons New Zealand!

For work in the greater Wellington region

The end of an era

The formation of The South Auckland Masonic Charitable Trust Inc was the brainchild of the late RWBro Frank Woodward, PDep GM and came to life in the early 1970s. Approximately 35 years ago Bro Mark Bridgman, a young Freemason from the Sir Walter Scott Lodge No 15 in Thames decided to join in the activities of the Trust. He was appointed as a Trustee and shortly thereafter became the Deputy Chairman. On the retirement of RWBro Woodward, Mark served a lengthy term as Chairman of the Trust, maintaining his role as a Trustee when he eventually stepped down from that position.

With the formation of the Retirement Villages Act in 2003 it was decided to trans-fer the property assets of the Trust to South Auckland Masonic Properties Limited and Mark was appointed a founding Director of the company, meanwhile maintaining his role as a Trustee of the Trust.

Such has been the involvement and commitment of RWBro Mark Bridgman PGW to the benevolent activities of the South Auckland district in all its various forms over the years.

Early this year Mark decided that it was time for him to take a well-earned rest and at the recent AGMs of the Trust and the Property Company a presentation was made to Mark in recognition of the faithful service he has given.

It should be noted that during this time he also served terms on the old Board of Benevolence (now The Freemasons Charity) and he still shares his musical talents as Organist at selected Installations throughout the South Auckland region.

During the time of his involvement Mark has seen the Trust value grow from zero to an asset base of some $19m and he can be most justifiably proud of what he has helped to establish and maintain.

Derek Meredith

GRAND INSTALLATION 31 MARCH - 3 APRIL 2016

Our principles make a difference

and you are invited!

Freemasons Victoria invites you and your guests to the Grand Installation of RWBro. Don Reynolds as Grand MasterYou are also cordially invited to the Grand Banquet and associated functions . Book your tickets today!

Ticket information and details can be found at http://www.hpe.com.au/freemasonsvic.htm or call High Profile Events on (03) 9596 6662

GI2016Ad_NZ.indd 1 4/11/2015 2:23 pm

RWBro Mark Bridgman PGW with the Chairman of the South Auckland Masonic Charitable Trust Inc., WBro John Lukaszewicz, P Asst GDC presenting a Certificate from the Trust.

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O n 13 May 2015 RWBro Arnold Bloxham PDepGM was invested with his 50 Year Service Badge.

It was a badge which was presented to his Uncle Spencer (Penny) Watson in 1979 an occasion when Arnold was present.

Spencer Watson joined Freemasonry in Opunake at the Ikaroa Lodge No 115 in 1929, was Master in 1939 and was called up for the Second World War before he finished his term as Master. Spencer also received a Bar to his 50 Year badge. The badge is sterling silver and gold plated.

Spencer’s father and brother were Freemasons and Arnold’s father, another uncle and brother in law were all Freemasons too. Arnold’s father and brother in law also attained the Chair.

Arnold was his father’s senior steward in St Matthews Lodge No 355 (now closed) when his father passed away a year later.

The highlight of the evening was Arnold having his wife and fam-ily present to witness the special occasion.

A ugust 2015 heralded the magnifi-cent achievement of 70 years’ ser-

vice in Freemasonry for RWBro Dr Roy Wade PGW.

Roy joined Freemasonry as an initiate of Cashmere Lodge No 271 while he was a Medical student training to be a doctor.

Early in his masonic career Doctor Wade moved to Methven where he was the sole GP for the town as well as being a busy Freemason and during his recollec-tions he commented on the many nights he was at lodge and a knock on the door saw him excusing himself and speeding off to deliver a baby or at-tend an accident or attend some chronic illness in the town.

In later years he and his family moved to Christchurch where he continued to practice medicine and at the same time he involved himself deeply in Freemasonry.

Roy has been very involved in the research aspect of Freemasonry and has during the decades been instru-mental in the Masters and Past Masters

(M&PM) Lodge No 130 where he undertook to critique, write and review the Questions and Answers volume that many Freemasons admire and rely on. He has over the years mentored a num-ber of younger Freemasons in Masonic education and etiquette, and was at the forefront of the Canterbury Masonic Education programme in the 1980s.

Of interest, the M&PM library in the new Shirley Freemasons Centre has been named the Roy Wade Masonic Library in honour and respect of the magnificent work done over the decades by RWBro

Wade.RWBro Wade has

held a number of posts in Grand Lodge, notably Grand Lecturer, Assistant Provincial Grand Master and received elevation to Past Grand Warden in 1994. He is also involved in the Rose Croix and is a 33 Degree Mason.

A dinner was held to mark the occasion of achieving 70 years in

Freemasonry and one of RWBro Wades daughters and other members of the

family were able to be present to witness the event and at the same time get a full appreciation of the love and respect that Freemasons have for Roy Wade. A mixed gathering of 60 people including Freemasons and their wives, family and Roy’s medical research colleagues at-tended the evening where a great time was had by all.

One of the unique aspects of the presentation was that the bar to the Service badge was presented by MWBro Ray Duncan PGM. That in itself was not unique however as it turns out MWBro Duncan presented the 50 year, 60 year and now the 70 year presentations to Roy, a Masonic trifecta.

Brian O’Neill

Freemason heirloom passed on

A Freemason of the Canterbury hills and the plains

LEFT WBro Spencer Watson in Uniform. RIGHT RWBro Arnold and his family.

Roy Wade with Ray Duncan PGM.

Roy Wade with daughter.

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NEW INITIATES

Initiations between August and October 2015

Fitzgerald Flores New Zealand Pacific No. 2 Stephen Chapman Lodge of Unanimity Sumner No. 3 Nathan James Lodge of Unanimity Sumner No. 3 Jermaine Presquito Southern Cross Lodge No. 6 Adam Farr Manukau-Westmere Lodge No. 24 Philip Martin The Saint Andrews Lodge No. 32 Jason Bartle The Lincoln Lodge No. 33 Christopher Vizor Waihenga St Johns Lodge No. 37 Nathaniel Cross The Manawatu Kilwinning Lodge No. 47 Derek Brown The Te Aroha Lodge No. 52 Richard Heald The Greytown St Marks Lodge No. 53 Jason MacKenzie The Ponsonby Lodge No. 54 James Loretan The Advance Mawhera Lodge No. 61 Murray Otway The Alpha Lodge No. 81 Stuart Banks Lake Lodge of Ophir No. 85 Eric Tanghal Lake Lodge of Ophir No. 85 John Souter Lake Lodge of Ophir No. 85 James Stevenson The MacKenzie Lodge No. 93 Bernard Nunez Lodge St John No. 94 Jason McColl The Cromwell Kilwinning Lodge No. 98 Iain Warren The Havelock Lodge No. 104 Campbell Wood Lodge Winton No. 108 Carl Findlater Lodge Winton No. 108 Jeramaine Marsh Lodge Waihi No. 112 Kirby Gue Thistle Lodge No. 113 David Mitchell Te Awahou Lodge No. 133 Jeremy Marshall The Crown Lodge No. 138 Brent McKinnon The Crown Lodge No. 138 Kristian Cabrera Lodge Rotorua No. 153 Rhys Meredith Lodge Rotorua No. 153 Kenneth Hunt Lodge Ahurewa No. 181

Ryle Dela Cruz Lodge North Harbour No. 182 Ronnie Paltao Lodge Clinton No. 183 John Montero Lodge Takapuna No. 202 Derek Cornwell Lodge Manurewa No. 222 Herbert Hesketh Lodge Nelson No. 288 Bougette Galicia Lodge Switzers No. 223 Jason Akehurst Lodge Doric Brighton No. 236 Peter Catt Lodge Arawhaiti No. 267 Timothy Crace Herbert Teagle Lodge No. 300 Clint Cooper Herbert Teagle Lodge No. 300 Paul Buddle Lodge Howick No. 314 Neil O’Brien Lodge Te Papa No. 316 Mohammed Al Jiab Lodge Pa-Ka-Ma No. 319 Kurt Buckingham Lodge Herne Bay United No. 340 Jonathan Ball Browns Bay Lodge No. 346 Kenneth Powe Lodge Windsor No. 377 Adam Gibbons Lodge Arawa No. 406 Jonathon Davis Lodge Kawerau No. 422 Darin Peters Lodge Kaimanawa No. 426 Joseph Cross Lodge Hatea No. 431 Anton Strydom Lodge Whitianga No. 443 Ben Fitzgerald The United Lodge of Otago No. 448 Michael Goodman The United Lodge of Otago No. 448 William Mahon The United Lodge of Otago No. 448 Daniel Moran Lodge Idris No. 452 Alan Hay United Horowhenua Lodge No. 464 Iglecio Bontilao Lodge Arowhenua No. 473 Franklin Masagca Lodge Arowhenua No. 473 Rolando Tan Lodge Arowhenua No. 473 David Nelson The Lodge of Enlightenment No. 502

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47

The Back PageNot a Freemason?

Interested? Freemasons are ordinary men in the com munity, 21 years and over, of all religions and backgrounds, who share a concern for hu-man values, moral standards and the rights of individuals. Ask one to be one… or enquire at Freemasons New Zealand: www.freemasonsnz.org, secretary@freemasons.co.nz, 04 385 6622 or write to P O Box 6439, Marion Square, Wellington 6141.

The first ten people to email editor@freemasons.co.nz with the make of this car – which picked up the Grand Master in Nelson recently – will receive a small prize.

Jolly knight and former editor of New Zealand Freemason Morris Robertson, with his issue of the magazine, somewhere in France. Find the Freemasons Toolbox at www.freemasonsnz.org/tools

48

SERVICE AWARDS

*Presented prior to their passing August – October 2015

70 YEAR BADGE WBro Harry Grimshaw Booth PM The Ponsonby Lodge No. 54

RWBro Roy Taylor Wade PGW Unity Lodge No. 271

60 YEAR BADGEWBro David William King PM The Ashley Lodge No. 28

Bro Nelson Sargood Webster MM RH The Belmont Albion Lodge No. 45

WBro Basil John Gimblett PM Lodge Otangaki No. 70

WBro William Raymond Logie PM Lodge Dunstan No. 103

WBro Albert William Crow PM Lodge Winton No. 108

RWBro Ian James Nathan PGW The Taupiri Lodge No. 118

Bro Gladstone Thomson Hall MM Hinemoa-Kairangi Lodge No. 122

Bro Leslie Bruce Orr MM Roslyn Morning Star No. 192

WBro Godfrey Ian Francis Thorpe PM Lodge Te Puke No. 261

WBro Anthony David Delves PM Lodge Mt Maunganui No. 376

Late WBro John Curtis PM * Lodge Kaimanawa No. 426

VWBro Ian Stanley Bundo PG Lec The United Lodge of Otago No. 448

Late WBro Maxwell Roy Styles PM * Meridian Lodge No. 449

WBro James Victor Reilly PM Meridian Lodge No. 449

WBro Peter James Scowcroft PGBB The Henderson Meridian Lodge No. 463

Late WBro Neville Mark Winiata PGD * United Horowhenua Lodge No. 464

WBro James Douglas Sjogre Strong PM

The Ara Lodge No. 1

WBro Kenneth John McLennan PG Std B

Scinde Lodge No. 5

WBro Wallace Owen Soal PM The Caledonian Lodge No. 16

WBro Peter William Morris PM Hercules Lodge No. 36

VWBro Graeme Sydney Hill PG Lec Lodge Rangitikei No. 38

WBro Ronald James Hanley PM Lodge Wairoa No. 55

VWBro James Desmond Sweeney PGDC

The Advance Mawhera Lodge No 61

WBro Alan Hunt P Asst GDC The Lion Lodge No. 114

WBro David Aynsworth Cullen PM The Waipa Lodge No. 119

WBro Edward William George Green PGBB

Hinemoa-Kairangi Lodge No. 122

WBro Alan James Polaschek PM Lodge Otaihape No. 142

Bro Graham Nash MM Lodge Otaihape No. 142

WBro Maurice Ashley Walker PM Golden Bay Lodge No. 144

WBro Leonard John Hodren PM Rongotea Lodge No. 146

WBro William Lewis Arnold Spittle PM

Waikaka Lodge No. 151

WBro Desmond King Macartney PM

Lodge Rotorua No. 153

WBro John Osler Gemmell PM Lodge Waikaremoana No. 158

WBro John Taggart PM RH Lodge Timaru No. 196

Bro Frank Allan Peter Holder MM Lodge Omarunui No. 216

WBro Graham Arthur Gilbert PM Lodge Omarunui No. 216

WBro Francis Ian Ralph Wiseman PG Swd B

Lodge Manurewa No. 222

WBro Reginald Alfred Herb Mansford PM

Taia-Raukawa Lodge No. 229

Bro John Michael Culmer MM Lodge Te Puke No. 261

WBro Gavin John Cook PGD Lodge Arawhaiti No. 267

WBro Terence Walter Lucas PM Unity Lodge No. 271

WBro Trevor John Barker PM Lodge Katikati No. 295

VWBro Samuel Joseph Burns P Asst Prov GM

Lodge Howick No. 314

WBro Graham Fisher Kent PGBB The Lodge of Peace No. 322

WBro Martin Berridge Spencer PM The Lodge of Peace No. 322

Bro Alexander Mair Dow MM Lodge Waiheke No. 367

WBro William Francis Malin MM Lodge Orewa No. 370

WBro Maxwell T Kimball Gray PM Lodge Mt Maunganui No. 376

WBro William Smith PM Lodge Windsor No. 377

WBro Christopher Wyn Billing P Dist GDC

Lodge Albany No. 404

VWBro Lindsay M Roycroft P Asst Prov GM

Lodge Hamutana No. 437

WBro Thomas Richard Whittle PG Std B

Lodge Whitianga No. 443

WBro Brian Arthur Lawson PM Pegasus Daylight Lodge No. 450

Late WBro Dennis Frederick G Whittle PM*

The Hawkes Bay Daytime Lodge No.453

VWBro Ivor Charles Wesley PG Lec Lodge United Taranaki No. 456

WBro Graham Leslie Morow-Griffin MM

United Horowhenua Lodge No. 464

50 YEAR BADGE

49

Invest in the Freemasons Deposit Scheme* to invest in New ZealandHeartland Bank is proud to be the Freemasons Deposit Scheme partner.

With roots stretching back to 1875, Heartland Bank has a proud history of providing families, small-to-medium sized businesses and farms with fi nancial solutions to help them achieve prosperity.

Through our partnership built on shared values, Heartland Bank is working with Freemasons New Zealand to support the Craft in local communities, while providing Freemasons and their families with competitive interest rates on their deposits.

To fi nd out more about Heartland Bank and the Freemasons Deposit Scheme, see the inside front cover of the New Zealand Freemason. Alternatively you can contact a dedicated Heartland Bank Freemasons Deposit Scheme representative on 0508 FREEMASONS (0508 37 33 62) or email freemasons@heartland.co.nz.*

Call us 0508 FREEMASONSwww.heartland.co.nz Email: freemasons@heartland.co.nz

*Freemasons New Zealand is not a promoter of and does not guarantee the obligations of Heartland Bank Limited in relation to Heartland Bank deposits. Copies of Heartland Bank’s Disclosure Statement and Investment Statements are available from www.heartland.co.nz or by calling

0508 FREEMASONS (0508 37 33 62).