FORUMThe Suffolk Freemasons Newsletter Winter 2011

Provincial Grand lodGe 2011Full story on page 3

The Suffolk Freemasons Newsletter Summer 2011

FORUM

Provincial Grand Lodge was held, as is our custom, at the Royal Hospital

School, Holbrook. We were again very lucky with the weather, it was a

glorious day. The Province has received very many letters of thanks from our

guests who all recorded what an excellent day they had enjoyed and how

hospitable they had found our Suffolk Brethren.

There was a variation this year with Graham Butland, the Chief Executive of

EACH, being invited to receive a further cheque from the Provincial Grand

Master which also provided an opportunity for him to thank us for our

donations. He told me after the meeting that when he was welcomed into

Provincial Grand Lodge, it was one of the most impressive sights he had

witnessed and he felt quite overwhelmed. He was very appreciative of our

efforts and most gracious in his reply.

The members of the Province can feel rightly proud of the sum we have

raised for such a worthy cause and in such a short time.

I imagine that many Lodge Charity Accounts could be rather low on funds

and perhaps it would be a good idea to have a period of consolidation. I

suspect it will not be that long before we are asked to embark on another

Festival Appeal and I am sure that Lodge Charity Stewards will be conscious

of the amount of money that has recently been given away to good causes.

Some of our Masonic Centres have either recently carried out or are about to

start on some major improvements to their facilities and I commend them for

doing so. I would suggest that now is a good time for all of us to look at the

state of our buildings and to put them on a sound financial footing.

As we start our summer break, I would like to thank all the Brethren who freely

give of their time to work on behalf of the Province and in particular WBros

Trevor White and Harvey Spindler for producing this excellent magazine.

JOTTINGS FROMTHEP.G. Secretary

Editor’snotesAs a rule, Forum does

not publish obituaries

or in memoriam

notices not least

because if we

did so, they

would fill most editions. However,

the passing of RWBro Richard

Tydeman has caused us to bend

this rule. He was such an important

figure in post-war English

Freemasonry and so beloved in his

native Suffolk that we felt some

mark was needed. Every active

member of a Suffolk Lodge,

Chapter or other order will no

doubt by now have been reminded

of his achievements. From all that I

have heard the common thread

seems to have been his humanity

and ability to build a rapport with

everyone he met of whatever

rank or distinction. He will be

sorely missed.

Last year we published an article

about the willingness of our

Provincial Organist, WBro Graham

Colthorpe, to help those wishing to

try and play the organ during

Lodge ceremonies. The offer is still

open and he would be pleased to

hear from anyone interested

(Tel: 01394 275824) and he also

asked me to repeat his plea for

Tenors for the Provincial

Choir - go along and be a

Farmer’s Boy.

send your news items to:

H spindler,

12 st Mary's Close, Bramford,

Ipswich Ip8 4Dl

spindler@globalnet.co.uk

2

editor: WBro H Spindler 01473 740882

news gatherer:WBro P King 01473 310385

Information officer:WBro T J White 01473 622580

editorial news to: WBro HarveySpindler, 12 St Mary’s Close, Bramford, Ipswich IP8 4DL

layout Design: WBro Colin BarberOld Newton Graphics 01449 675548codge@btinternet.comwww.codge.com

printed by: Boswells Printers, Ipswich

Website:www.suffolkfreemason.org.uk

Provin

In MeMorIaM

RWBro Revd Canon Richard Tydeman, MA OSM PSGW(Eng)

1916 - 2011

Rising to eminence by merit he lived respected and died regretted

Once again the Provincial Grand LodgeMeeting was held in glorious sunshine atthe Royal Hospital School at Holbrookwith a near capacity attendance.

Highlights included the presentation of theSuffolk Provincial Order of Merit to WBros

Kenneth Blake, David Pilgrim and DennisThomas. The Provincial Grand Master,RWBro Barry Ross, congratulated themall for their contributions to Suffolkmasonry and presented each of them withtheir framed Orders of Merit, acommemorative paperweight and thenewly designed lapel badge. He went onto appoint and invest the officers of theProvince including the new APGM, WBroIan Yeldham, well known in the Provincedue to his service as Provincial DC inearlier years. He replaces WBro BarryRackham as APGM whose hard work forthe Province included chairing theCommittee for the MSF Festival.

In his general address the PGM said howdelighted he was to see so many inattendance and congratulated all theProvincial Officers he had appointed. Henoted that, in spite of the currenteconomic climate, membership in theProvince had slightly increased.

He was delighted with the success ofthe Mentoring Scheme so ably managed

by the Provincial Mentor, WBroKeith Huxley.

Reporting on the Treehouse Appeal, hewas delighted to note that over£140,000 had been raised by membersof the Province.

He thanked WBro David Boswell whowas standing down as Provincial DC toconcentrate on his role as GrandSuperintendent of the Royal Arch inSuffolk. WBro David Deal had beenappointed as the new Provincial DC.

He also congratulated the members ofthe Province who had been appointedto, or promoted in, Grand Ranks, as wellas all the other appointees.

The new initiative, Freemasonry Cares,was also mentioned and is reported inmore detail elsewhere in Forum.

Once Provincial Grand Lodge wasclosed, the Provincial Grand Masterasked for Graham Butland, the ChiefExecutive of East Anglia’s Children’sHospices to be escorted into the Templewhere the PGM presented him with acheque for £40,000 for the TreehouseAppeal which is in addition to the£100,000 donated in March. MrButland then thanked the Province anddelivered an update on the progress ofthe appeal and the new Hospice which,

thanks to the generosity of donors, hadbeen opened six months earlier thanoriginally planned.

The Provincial Grand Lodge meetingnext year will be held on Friday 8thJune 2012.

cial Grand lodGe 2011

£140,000 RAISED By MEMBERS

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The Abbot Baldwin Lodge, No 8656,which was consecrated in Bury StEdmunds on 25th October 1975, met onMonday 4th April 2011 to celebrate their200th regular meeting.

The Worshipful Master, WBro AndrewCatton, was delighted to receive 36visitors to his Lodge, chief amongst whichwas the Provincial Grand Master, theRWBro Barry Ross, accompanied by fourGrand Officers, his Deputy Provincial

Director of Ceremonies and sevenMasters of other Suffolk Lodges.

The ceremony performed during theevening saw Bro Daniel Plummer passedto the 2nd degree by, amongst others, hisfather WBro Jeremy Plummer. During themeeting the members voted unanimouslyto donate over £2,000 to local non-Masonic charities, beneficiaries includedthe East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices andthe St Nicholas Hospice in BurySt Edmunds.

After a most enjoyable ceremony themembers assembled for dinner, thedining room having been festooned withbunting and balloons. The WorshipfulMaster, accompanied by the ProvincialGrand Master, were received into dinnerto prolonged applause, crackersexploding, balloons and streamers flyingand an ear-splitting fanfare ofvoovoozelas. During the dinner a toastwas proposed to the Abbot BaldwinLodge on its 200th meeting and theWorshipful Master received, and cut, acelebration cake.

Gippeswyk Lodge, No 4154, raised£290 towards the Grand Master ofQueensland's Flood Appeal and LodgeCharity Steward Tony Leeson presentedthe cheque in person. On a recent cruisehe stopped off at Brisbane and was ableto present the cheque to the GrandSecretary, John Rawlinson, at the AnnStreet Masonic Memorial centre.

Many Suffolk Brethren will recall theTravelling Gavel was presented to

Suffolk Masonry by Ipswich EndeavourLodge, No 169, in Queensland.Unfortunately Endeavour Lodge is nolonger, but Tony presented a copy of theTravelling Gavel Rules to John Rawlinsonfor their records. Following a tour of thebuilding the presentation was made inthe Grand Temple.

Picture shows the Grand Secretary(left) receiving the cheque fromTony Leeson

Pictured is Bro Peter Pryke of CorinthianLodge, No. 3093, piping in the haggis ata Burns Supper.Although he goes into the Chair in Octoberthis year he still intends to play in thehaggis at his own Lodge’s Burns Supper!He has piped in the haggis at manymeetings this January in Ipswich,Colchester, Wivenhoe and Hadleigh.If you are looking for a Piper for your nextBurns Night then give Peter a call onIpswich 01473 625060.

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Dear Sir, Subject: TLC at West Suffolk

HospitalMay I give my thanks to thosebrethren in Suffolk who contributedto the TLC appeal and providedteddies at the West Suffolk Hospital.I only recently became aware of theTLC Appeal whilst trying to researchlodges in Nottinghamshire, andthought what an excellent idea. I didnot realise how close to home itwould come!My 3 year old grandson suffered anaccident at home and was taken toA & E in a very distressed state, thestaff there gave him one of yourteddies and he (now named Frankie)has helped him through his ordeal,not only at the hospital but also onhis return home. He required a change of dressing tohis wound and it was only throughFrankie having had a bandageapplied to his foot by the staff in A &E that we were able to persuadeAaron to allow his 'nanny' to look atand change his dressing.Thanks again. As a member of aLondon lodge I will be asking why Ihave not heard of the appeal in theMET GL area.Best regards, WBro JohnShrewsbury LGR

Dear Sir,I write to you on behalf of SeligLodge, No 9459, meeting inSouthwold, which was founded in1992 as a ‘daylight lodge’ with theparticular object of providing afocus for retired or retiring Masonswho wanted to resume or continuetheir Masonic activities. Becauseour main body of members hastended to be older than average,our numbers and attendance havediminished through death orailment. We now want to make amore positive appeal to recruit newmembers, especially those, ofwhatever age and seniority, whowould prefer to attend a daytimelodge rather than go out at night.Anyone interested in coming alongas a visitor and seeing how weoperate should contact the LodgeSecretary, WBro E H Thompson,whose details are in the ProvincialYearbook.Fraternal Regards, John Edmonds,WM, Selig Lodge

Letters...

On the first Saturday of every month theFriends of Cornwallis Court hold a coffeemorning for the residents at which allMasons and their families are welcometo attend. It is a chance to meet theresidents and have a chat. There arecakes as well! The raffle raises money toprovide little extras for the residents.

On Saturday 7th May two specialpresentations were made. The first wasof an oak garden seat made and expertlycarved by Bro Paul Smith, SW of theLodge of Virtue and Silence, No.332, anddonated by the Allied Masonic Degrees,District of East Anglia, by the DistrictGrand Prefect RWBro Tom Auber and hisdeputy WBro Chris Bowles and othermembers of the District in recognition ofthe services rendered by RWBro PaulNorman to the District of East Anglia.

RWBro Paul retired as DGP in 2010 after5 years when he was appointed the PGM

for Mark Master Masons in East Anglia.The bench bears a representation of theGrid Iron, the symbol of the AMD, andthere is a brass plaque on the back ofthe bench denoting the dedication andalso the maker's ‘Mark’.

Unfortunately due to his congested diaryRWBro Paul was unable to attend the Maypresentation, but a date in June wasarranged when he could attend with RWBroTom, WBro Chris and WBro Geoff Keer,District Secretary, for the photographshown. On the bench are RWBro PaulNorman, PGM for Mark Master Masons ofEast Anglia and Past District Grand Prefectthe Order of the Allied Masonic Degrees forEast Anglia, and Lynda Whittle CornwallisCourt House Manager. Behind the benchare, from left to right, WBro Chris Bowles,Deputy District Grand Prefect, RWBro TomAuber, District Grand Prefect, and WBroGeoff Keer, District Grand Secretary, all ofthe Order of the Allied Masonic Degrees forEast Anglia.

The second presentation was of anhonours board shown in the photograph,also made by Bro Paul Smith, from theLodge of Virtue and Silence by the WM,WBro Mike Heath, to mark theBicentenary of the Lodge on 1st March.Many members of the Lodge attended.

Lodges, organisations and individualswill qualify as Gold, Silver and BronzePatrons by donating £1,000, £500, and£250 respectively. The Lodge of Virtueand Silence also donated £1,000 tobecome the first gold patron.

A cheque for £250 was presented toHeartbeat East Suffolk by Ray Olding ofGippeswyk Lodge, No 4254. ChairmanTony Hawes is pictured right and

receiving the cheque is Treasurer MikeFarthing. Ray Olding encouraged theLodge to support this cause followingtheir support to him over many years.

Cornwallis

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8

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The June meeting of St Luke’s Lodge wasgraced by the presence of an unusualguest - RWBro Michael Gwynn, ProvincialGrand Master of Natal in South Africaunder the Irish Constitution. Over here onholiday he was introduced to the Lodgeby WBro Paul Ketteringham. Addressingthe Lodge and bringing fraternalgreetings from all Irish Freemasons in theProvince of Natal, he congratulated allwho had taken part in the business of theevening, the raising of Bro Richard Head,and thanked all the Brethren for a warmwelcome and most enjoyable evening.Later the Brethren were also delighted tohear that the Lodge Golf Day had raised£1,000 which was to be donated to theGuide Dogs for the Blind.

The picture shows, left to right, RWBroMichael Gwynn, WBro ‘Den’ Drillot (WM)and WBro Paul Ketteringham

Out of

On 19 January 2011, WBro GrenvilleClive Burton PAGDC, PGStwd wasinstalled by the MW Pro Grand Master asthe 276th Master of Grand Stewards’Lodge. This is a great honour for Clive aswell as for the Province. There have nowbeen five Suffolk masons in just overtwenty years who have becomeWorshipful Master of Grand Stewards’Lodge and four of them are in LaconicLodge, No 9771. Jervis Kay and hisfather Pip Kay were both WMs of GrandStewards’ Lodge and Clive’s father-in-lawwas also WM, so it is beginning tobecome a family business.

Clive was initiated in 1970 into ShakespearLodge, No 99, where his father–in-law was

a PM and where his ownson is now a MM. Hebecame a Grand Stewardin 1978, has been WM ofhis school lodge twice andis presently SW of Laconicof which he was thefounder treasurer.

Outside masonry, Clive is married withtwo children and four grandchildren, isthe owner of a Daimler Dart and a Bristol410 and enjoys fishing, gardening andreading. As a youngster he lived inGreat Chesterford, near Saffron Walden,but for the last twelve years was inFelsham and is now in Bildeston whilstlooking for a house in Lavenham.

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st Margaret’s keep sea CaDets aFloatWBro Colin Dixon, IPM, and Bro MitchMackay, Charity Steward, are shownpresenting Lt Cdr (SCC) RNR WendyTheobald, Commanding Officer, ofLowestoft Sea Cadets, £1,000 fromSaint Margaret's Lodge, No 1452, "50Club" hoping to keep them afloat aftergovernment cuts threatened to scuppertheir activities.

9

The first day of March marked twohundred years of Freemasonry inHadleigh and the Bicentenary of theLodge of Virtue and Silence. Themembers of the Lodge, their guests anda glittering array of representatives fromGrand Lodge and Provincial GrandLodge met at the Town Hall in Hadleighto celebrate the event.

After receiving the Provincial GrandMaster, RWBro Barry Ross, and theProvincial delegation, the WM, WBro MikeHeath, received the Deputy Grand MasterRWBro Jonathan Spence and the GrandLodge party. Among the Lodge guestswere representatives of all the Lodgeswhose members had played a role in thefoundation of the Lodge in 1811- AngelLodge, No 71, from Colchester andBritish Union, Perfect Friendship andPhoenix Lodges from Suffolk.

WBro Gordon Spindler, who hadprepared a new full Lodge history, readout a brief history for the purposes ofthe meeting. The Bicentenary Warrantwas read in his own inimitable style byVWBro Graham Redman, the Grand

Assistant Secretary, followed by a mostthoughtful and moving oration by ourProvincial Chaplain, WBro George Pipe.

Bicentenary jewels were presented tothe DGM and PGM as personalmementos with extra ones for theLibrary and Museum at Grand Lodgeand for the Provincial Archives. Casedjewels were presented to the Masters ofCourt Knoll and Brett Valley Lodges,daughter lodges of Virtue and Silence.

The WM then presented cheques, eachfor £1,000, to the DGM for theSamaritan Fund and the RMTGB and theDGM thanked the Lodge for itsgenerosity. A cheque for £5,000 waspresented to the PGM for the Children’sHospice Tree House appeal. The PGMinformed the Brethren that the appeal hemade in January 2010 to SuffolkFreemasons on behalf of the Hospice

had raised in excess of £100.000, andhe thanked the Lodge for theirgenerosity. WBro Peter Gosling, theProvincial Charity Steward and Chairmanof the Friends of Cornwallis Court, thenaccepted a cheque for £1,000 on behalfof Cornwallis Court, and also a board tobe hung in the Court to show donatingPatrons to the Court.

Finally, the Lodge presented its own giftto itself. This was a full sizedreproduction of a third degree oil-on-canvas floor cloth found in the Lodgememorabilia in the Suffolk RecordsOffice, which had been painted in 1815.

The formal meeting was followed by asumptuous banquet to mark this uniqueevent and followed the Lodges normalpropensity for singing – the DeputyGrand Master even sang his response tothe WM when taking wine with him!

After the effort which went into theBicentenary Meeting of Virtue andSilence the previous week everyone feltreluctant to revert to the normal Lodgeagenda. Accordingly, and as there wasstill outstanding business, not leastsaying a thank you to our wives andpartners, the Lodge decided to hold aWhite Table meeting in March.

After the necessary business of theLodge had taken place and the Lodgeclosed, the guests were invited into theTemple to hear something of therespective roles of the Lodge officers.Having arranged a talk from a Beefeaterafter dinner, the only possible menuincluded roast beef and Yorkshirepudding and on this occasion WBroTrevor White, the Provincial Orator,agreed to deliver his Ode to theYorkshire Pudding after it had been‘sung in’ to the strains of Rule Britannia.

As well as having the talk on the work ofa London Beefeater from Bro DavidChenier the opportunity was taken topresent outstanding cheques totalling£7,000 to local charities as part of theLodge’s Bicentenary Celebrations.Accordingly, the WM, WBro Mike Heathpresented donations to the East AnglianAir Ambulance, The Shelley Centre for

Therapeutic Riding, The Hadleigh Mayor’sCharity, St Mary’s Church Trust, HadleighFirst Responders, the Friends of AngelCourt and the Ipswich Blind Society.

Later in the month, on 26th March, theLodge arranged to join with thecongregation of St Mary’s Church inHadleigh for a Parish ThanksgivingEvensong service marking the LodgeBicentenary and 200 years ofFreemasonry in the town. The servicewas organised by the Provincial Chaplin,WBro George Pipe and the Dean ofHadleigh and Bocking, the V Revd MartinThrower. A most thoughtful andinteresting address was delivered byWBro the Revd Canon KevanMcCormack, Rector of St Mary’s ParishChurch in Woodbridge. This address ispublished elsewhere in this magazine asit was felt it should have a wider audienceamong members of the Province.

Virtue andSilence...

...BICentenary

...WHIte taBle anD CoMMeMoratIve CHurCH servICe

10

I want to suggestthat virtue, andsilence, only havevalue in a religious

sense, if they are underwritten by truth.I believe in God. Strange you might think that

I should begin by saying that! I believe in JesusChrist too and I believe in the Holy Spirit.

At a luncheon party a few months ago acommitted non-churchgoer decided she wouldtake the opportunity to make it clear to me that shewasn’t a churchgoer. ‘I don’t believe what youbelieve’ she said. So I said, ‘What is it that I believethat you don’t believe?’ ‘You know perfectly well’she said. ‘Yes, I know’, I said, ‘but how do youknow what I believe?’, ‘I just do’ she said. I wasexasperated. I couldn’t win. I gave in. So, facedwith a group of people here this afternoon whom Ido not know, I feel safer if I can lay the foundationof what I believe to be true, so that everything Igrow into saying has the right context.

I do not believe in an old man sittingquizzically above the roof of the sky, who looksdown from time to time, patting the good on theback, while the devil stokes up the firesunderneath for those of us who are not so good.It goes without saying that I do not believe theworld is flat, as Jesus probably did, so I do notbelieve that heaven is a place high up above thedome of the sky, and hell, be it hot or cold, aplace down there, beneath us. I believe in a mindor consciousness, an energy that is at the heart ofall things, with whom, as Jesus tried to convincehis generation, it is possible to relate to andengage with. I believe that it is possible and evendesirable to have a personal relationship with himor her even. I believe firmly that the Christianchurch does not have the monopoly ofrelationship and that all religions point towards acentral being of goodness and light, and all haveto be respected for the age and culture theyaddress. It follows by extension that I believe allpeoples have to be respected, even if culture,lifestyle and purpose in living are far removedfrom my own.

I want to divide you into three groups.Anecdotally, Bishop Edward King, Bishop ofLincoln until he died in 1910, once asked one ofhis archdeacons what the clergy in Lincolndiocese were like. ‘You can divide them into threegroups’ he said to the bishop. ‘One group are

going out of there minds, one group have goneout of there minds and one group have no mindsto go out of !’ I could invite you to tick one ofthose boxes, but there is a strong possibility youmight tick the wrong one!

There will be, more or less, three groups ofyou here this afternoon. There are those of youwho represent the Lodge of Virtue and Silence,and freemasonry in general. There are those ofyou who are here to officially or unofficiallyrepresent this fabulous community of Hadleigh,and those of you who are here because you arehere, worshipping, supporting and just being partof the community. I want you to tick one of thoseboxes in your mind. When you’ve ticked the boxinto which you fit, I want you to tick one ofanother three boxes. Either you believe in God,and not everyone who does will believe the samething necessarily, or you don’t, and that’s fine, oryou’re not very sure what you believe in, or whatto believe in. So, the I believe box, the not surebox, and the don’t believe box. It doesn’t matterreally, but by ticking the box in your head you willbe identifying yourself in relation to all that thisservice is about. Clearly, it is important to find acommon thread amongst us all; commonality it isthe buzz word, so that when we leave here we canhonestly say that this service has been of value.

I am not here to convert you, certainly not inany conventional sense. But I want you instead,to consider the possibility that there may be moreto life than meets the eye; that physics suggestsanother possible world, unseen butmathematically proposed, that indicates that aproper intellectual enquiry is not lacking in sense,and that perhaps, theology and science are morecontiguous than had previously been thought. Inother words it is not stupid to suppose that theremay be some underlying truth which underwritesour existence and one to which, by nature, we aredrawn. For the Christian this is quest and journeyand longing. It is a reaching out to the other inorder to find contentment for that which is withinus. Perhaps this is axiomatic for some andparadox for others. But for me it is the reasonwhy I value so much the Masonic tradition whichI feel highlights and enhances significant aspectsof my faith. Freemasonry is not a religion. It isnot a faith. Neither is it a peculiar institution ofhalf secret symbol and dress, but rather a dramaof values that reinforce my commitment to the

God I believe to be true, and a reminder of thecommitment I have in Jesus, to care for mybrother, whatever sex, age or condition in life, andto do so, regardless of the cost.

By the same token, those of you here who may beunsure about the God stuff, and the curiosities offunny aproned men, yet who are committed to town,council, community, welfare and social cohesion, theneeds of the marginalised and excluded, are actingout, in a different but just as valid a way, a desire tofind within yourself an expression of integrity thatfinds its truth in the well being of community, andthis community in particular.

Of course, it is only in relation to the other, beit God, or man, or both that we recognise thetruth about ourselves and each other. I wouldargue that virtue is doing what you believe to beright in any given situation; guarding a moralstandard based on sound ethics, yet flexibleenough to breed compassion, tolerance andunderstanding. It is the agent of love. Silence isthe place of love: embedded in the internal deepdown space where we find the inner resource, anddiscover the truth about ourselves. This can be alonely place, and a dark place, as also a place ofprofound loving and peace. I believe that Godlurks in that place, quietly and unassumingly. Soit is truth therefore, in my view, which underwritesthe value of virtue and silence, and givessubstance to both. Interesting, isn’t it? that it isthe truth that Pilate was searching for yet couldn’trecognise standing in front of his face.

Whatever the box you ticked earlier, never let itbe the last word, the last tick. Always be open tothe quest for new way of thinking, a new way ofunderstanding, a new way of expressing the truthas you variously and from time to time perceive it,so that the truth becomes a living dynamic,changing shape and colour as it responds to yourrecognition of the value of the moment.

The Lodge Virtue and Silence Lodge No. 332,A History 1811 - 2011 written and compiled byWorshipful Brother Gordon Spindler is atestimony to the integration of lodge into localcommunity, not least because the lodge seems tohave made a home in every single public house inthe locality! I pray you will continue the workthat is begun in you; that you will continuallydirect your mind towards the truth, and in sodoing find that it underwrites the value of virtue,and silence.

Babergh DoubleThe March meeting for Sudbury’sBabergh Lodge was one full ofsurprises, and not just for the brotherwho was raised!

Suffolk’s PGM had recently decided toaward lapel badges to recipients of ‘TheOrder of Merit’ for Suffolk Masonry.Such an insignia would thus distinguishthe unique honour afforded suchbrethren and would indicate their right toprocess out behind Grand LodgeOfficers.

Babergh Lodge was particularlyhonoured by having two such recipients,

WBros Lionel Bell and Norman Gray.Their combined service to the ordertotal some 116 years!

The awards were presented by WBroJohn Rice, Group 5 Representative, andWBro John Sharp Provincial Treasurer.

So special was this particular meetingthat Talbot (a black Labrador guide dog)escorted his master Bro Ian Parkin fromMildenhall Lodge to bear witness tosuch a memorable occasion. Talbots3rd degree collar had been made andpresented by Baberghs DC some yearsback in Mildenhall.

address given at the Parish Thanksgiving evensong for the

Bicentenary of the Lodge of Virtue and Silence on 27th March by WBro the revd Canon Kevan McCormack

11

The installation of a new ProvincialGrand Superintendent is alwayssomething to see. A team from SupremeGrand Chapter travelled to Ipswich toinstall Excellent Companion DavidBoswell. The installation of the newGrand Superintendent was a delight towitness. It was an honour to welcome

the installing team, led by the MostExcellent Pro First Grand Principal, PeterGeoffrey Lowndes, and consisting ofthree Deputy Grand Directors ofCeremonies, the Deputy Grand Scribe Eand the Grand Janitor.

The Pro First Grand Principal wasassisted by two current GrandSuperintendents, in this case ME CompMichael Bailey of East Kent and MEComp Richard Neale fromBuckinghamshire. The team of DGDC'sheaded by Sebastian Madden instructedthe Provincial participants with bothpatience and persistence. There was afeeling that the ceremony would be donevery well. The Grand Janitor, MalcolmBrooks, was particularly noticeable ingiving advice to people. One phrasestood out 'Don't look down - your feet

are still attached to your legs and theground will not open up under them.Keep your head up.'

The Province was also honoured by anexceptional number of visitors - 12Grand Superintendents including thosefrom Somerset and South Wales who

had made the long journey at thepersonal invitation of David Boswell. Wealso had 12 Deputy GrandSuperintendents and two past GrandSuperintendents including GrahamBracewell, Grand Superintendent ofSuffolk between 1987 and 1997.

One of his first duties after investing theProvincial Officers was to present acheque for £10,000 to the SuffolkProvincial Grand Master for the EACHTreehouse Appeal. The money wasdonated by Suffolk Chapters andadditionally by Strutt Chapter, No 1001(Hampshire), Cyrus and Darius Council,No 157, Sovereign Lodge of Malta,Ipswich Masonic Club and CardinalWolsey Tabernacle, No 169.

All our visitors seemed to enjoy the day,but perhaps not as much as our newGrand Superintendent who could not

stop smiling. His comment at the end ofa very successful meeting and dinnerwas that he hoped all the companionswho attended had also enjoyed the day.

The Masonic Season starts to wind downin May – but not for David Boswell. Notonly has he Craft responsibilities as theoutgoing Director of Ceremonies runningthe annual Provincial Grand Lodgemeeting at Holbrook, but also has beenhonoured by becoming the Master ofPhilip Jervis Kay Lodge. Whilst stillattending our Chapters in Suffolk, Davidintends to be visible and to keep busy.He is already returning visits to thosewho attended his installation by visitingProvincial Grand Chapters around thecountry. He has also announced plans tohold a reception for First Principals of allSuffolk Chapters at Felixstowe on 11thSeptember. He also asked us not toforget the Carol Service on 11thDecember at St Mary's Church inWoodbridge.

And finally, for the diaries, the next meetingof Provincial Grand Chapter will be held on17th May 2012 at the same venue.

Alex Workman

Photos: Top left - Provincial Grand Principal, ECompBill Hagger, the Deputy Grand Superintendent,EComp Michael Caddock and the Second ProvincialGrand Principal, EComp Michael Richards.

Above - Provincial Grand Superintendent, ECompDavid Boswell.

The Annual Convocation of Suffolk Provincial Grand

12

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A chance meeting in 2008 by WBro ‘Ruffy’Ruffles of Felix Lodge, No 2371, and abusiness colleague from India who was alsoa member of a Lodge in Cochin, with thePGM of Suffolk, has led to a very happy andfraternal outcome.

During the discussions the PGM suggestedthat they should try and establish a ‘twinningarrangement’ between Felix Lodge and theLodge in Cochin and so it came to pass thatWBro Ruffles started a process which led tothe twinning being finalised in December2010. To start the ball rolling he discussed thematter with WBro Bill MacGregor, theSecretary of Felix Lodge, who suggested thathe write to UGLE. Through the great andwelcome help of Bro Peter Roberts, for theGrand Secretary, matters were graduallybrought to a head and final confirmation thatGrand Lodge India had no objection to thetwinning was received on the 11th May 2010. WBro Ruffles’ wife Noreen was born in Cochinand they had been travelling and touring inIndia since 1968. Having attended a Lodge inVishakhapatnam he was keen to developfurther Masonic contacts. He was pleased, onNovember 16th 2007, to attend LodgeVembanad, No 319, which meets in Cochin(now Kochi) in the State of Kerala in southwestIndia. This Lodge was consecrated on 25thSeptember 1998, and meets on the thirdFriday of each month of the year in theSarvothama Masonic Temple, Mundamveli,Kochi. It has a large number of Round Tablersand 41 Club members amongst its ranks -there is not yet a Round Table Lodge in Kerala.A well known and highly respected member of

Lodge Vembanad is ex-Tabler WBro JosePalathinkal who was Worshipful Master in2006-7 and a strong bond of mutual friendshipand respect was quickly built up with Jose byWBro Ruffles after they first met in November2007. Another member of Lodge Vembanadwas RWBrother Himatlal who was the DeputyGrand Master of the Grand Lodge of India andwho, somewhat amazingly in a country with apopulation of more than one billion people, hadknown Noreen’s late father over 50 years ago!Very sadly RWBro Himatlal was summoned tothe Grand Lodge above, on the 24th January2009 at Bangalore. He had travelled toBangalore to attend the Regional Grand Lodgemeeting and had attended briefly the morningsession on the 24th when he was taken ill andthus did not see the twinning confirmed.Meantime, WBro Jose made a couple ofbusiness trips to UK and was able to attendseveral Lodges of Instruction at Felix Lodge. Hisvisits though never coincided with a regularLodge meeting. Eventually, the Secretary ofFelix Lodge received a letter from the Secretaryof Lodge Vembanad dated 16th September2010 saying: “Delighted as we are by theproposal to twin our two lodges ascommunicated by your Lodge through theGrand Lodge of India, the Brethren of LodgeVembanad have resolved to accept this honourand declare ourselves to be so twinned withFelix Lodge, No 2371”. The letter invitedBrethren from Felix Lodge to go out to Cochin totake the twinning forward and so WBros DavidEarle and Ruffles travelled out for the meetingon January 21st 2011, and delivered greetingsand tokens to mark the occasion. Some ladiesof the Vembanad members attended the FestiveBoard and a very happy evening was had by all. Felix Lodge arranged a special extra meetingfor May 2011 and WBro Jose Palathinkalarrived bearing gifts, tokens and greetingsfrom Lodge Vembanad. He made an amusingand sincere reply to the Visitor’s toast and thetwinning relation was firmly ‘cemented’ by allconcerned. The next visit to LodgeVembanad is planned for January 2012 whenBrethren from other Lodges, especially theRound Table Lodge of Suffolk, are cordiallyinvited to come out to Cochin with theBrethren from Felix Lodge.

Felix TwinningA major new initiative from

the Masonic CharitiesWhen the unexpected happens some of us mayhave the ability to cope. Others, less fortunate,will not. Some are fully aware of our MasonicCharities and how they can help in times ofneed. Equally a large number of our Brethrenand their dependents are completely unaware.

you might ask why? Is it because they don’tknow how to enquire, or think they wouldnever qualify?

It may be that they are reticent or too proud toapproach a member of the lodge directly. Thisis why the Province has joined in withFreeMasonry Cares.Contact: Freephone 0800 0356090 andWebsite www.freemasonrycares.org

We all hope that we will never face financialhardship or major health problems, or needhelp in supporting our children or requireextra care in our old age. In reality, thousandsof people every year need a little extraassistance. As Freemasons we are fortunate tohave that support to hand.

Freemasonry Cares is there to make sure thatFreemasons and their dependents who needthat support are able to get it.

This is a joint initiative involving all four Masoniccharities and is a gateway to the help that theycan provide. It aims to increase awareness of thathelp and to make it easier to access by aNational Freephone number, and a new website.

This initiative provides a unique opportunity tomake sure that those who have not been well-versed in our Masonic Charities, especiallywives, partners and widows of masons arebrought up to date on the Masonic helpavailable to them.

Our Provincial Grand Master, Barry Ross tellsus: “I have always recognised the difficulty inreaching those who are outside our lines ofcommunication. Please ensure that thesedetails are passed on to your families so thatthey are available in times of need.”

“Please remember that this will not replace thelodge Almoner, it will supplement his work. Itis planned that this message will get to peoplenot reached before so it is highly probable thathis workload will increase.”

Included in this Forum is a leaflet with fullinformation and a card showing contact details.Please ensure that your wife, partner andfamily are aware and put it safely with yourfamily papers so that it may be available inyour time of need.

remember: “Don’t bin it - use it”

Dr Mac Speake, the Provincial Almoner, isalways available to assist with enquiries ifneeded and he can be contacted bytelephone on 01449 740635