END OF ACT II: START OF ACT III
I am pursuing my theme that my ten-year tenure is divided into five acts of two years each. It is a cliché that time flies when you are enjoying yourself; certainly the last four years seem to have flown past with unnerving speed. In that time I have visited 121 Lodges in the Province and can now make the proud claim that, since taking up active office as a Provincial Deputy DC in 1992, I have indeed been to each and every one of our Lodges. Again I thank those who have escorted me, and you, Brethren, for the warmth of your reception. This year I have attended quite a few meetings: of about ten other Provinces, of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys of which I am a Trustee, of our Rulers’ Forum Group (with Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk) of which I am currently chairman, and of the Rulers’ Forum itself in London. For four years I have been a member of the Panel for Clemency but never attended a meeting – I understand that names of those invited to attend are decided by the drawing of lots, a rather biblical process in which I fare as well as I normally do in raffles.
With much help from many Brethren – some of whom have contributed time and effort, others generously donated money – our new HQ is successfully operating. So attractively was it equipped that a couple of burglars smashed their way in on a Sunday evening and liberated three computers and a data projector. Happily the operation was a fairly surgical one: with the alarms ringing, speed was of the essence with no time for other damage. Happily, too, the computers contained no overtly sensitive information. Insurance has covered the damage and the theft but, of course, we have had to invest in better security. It is another cliché, but an accurate one in this case, to say that it could have been worse.
Hertfordshire Masters’ Lodge donated one hundred thousand pounds to the project. This money derives from the bequest of Roger Hodge and the meeting room in Fleet House which is named in his memory is now almost complete. Brian Tierney has found the time in his busy life as the senior APGM to catalogue the books and artefacts there, some of which are on loan from individuals and Lodges. In particular, I want to express my thanks to the Board at Watford for the loan of the jewels of members of the Halsey family who were between them Provincial Grand Masters for over eighty years. Thanks also to John Gandy whose expertise and generosity have been indispensable in this process.
Act III will culminate in our Festival for the Grand Charity. The Festival itself will be celebrated at the Connaught Rooms on Saturday 13 June 2009. We must all now redouble our efforts to make the Festival a success, to which end I am relying on the good work of Lodge Charity Stewards in particular.
Brethren, I am enjoying myself enormously. I wish you all a similar and continuing enjoyment from your Masonry in Happy Hertfordshire.
MIDDLE OF ACT III
Continuing my theme that my ten-year tenure is divided into five acts of two years each, you now find me half way through the performance. So far I have visited officially 157 different Lodges, leaving 50 whose Installations I have attended as an Assistant Provincial Grand Master but not yet in my present capacity. Again I thank you for the warmth of your reception and congratulate many Lodges on the quality of their organisation, their ceremonies and, most importantly, on their obvious enjoyment of Freemasonry. I thank all of you Brethren who have found time to attend this Annual Meeting and, in particular, the Masters and Wardens of Lodges for returning the compliment by visiting my most important meeting of the year.
You all know that the Provincial Headquarters (aka the Provincial Office) now extends to both floors of our building. The storage and sale of regalia for all our Orders is a developing facet of our new arrangements; the provision of seminars for Lodge DCs, Treasurers, Etc will be gradually rolled out during this coming Masonic year; an interesting exhibition of Mark related items (to celebrate the installation of our new Mark PGM and to express our appreciation of the sterling work of his predecessor) is currently on display in the Hodge Room. I am very grateful to all those working in the Office and to those other brethren who have by their actions, rather like buttresses in a medieval cathedral, supported it from without.
The Provincial Secretary, in the run-up to the Provincial Meeting, always urges me to beware of thanking anyone for “doing the job they were appointed to do” or of thanking individuals by name lest, by error, someone is omitted who has a rightful claim to be included. I do sometimes recognise good advice when I hear it and this is indeed good advice. But this year I want to say the biggest possible THANK YOU to Derrick Flowers as he retires as an APGM. So many good things in the Province can be traced to Derrick’s drive and commitment: Provincial Grand Stewards’ Lodge; the Provincial News; the template for the organisation of this Meeting; the protocols of operation of the Office where, as Secretary, he co-ordinated things for some nine years; his support and encouragement of many of us now in the Provincial Executive as we made our way through the ranks. His contribution has been unique and I hope that he will remain a visible presence in the Province for many years to come.
The Festival for the Grand Charity will culminate in a celebration dinner in the Connaught Rooms on Saturday 13 June 2009. I am so grateful to those Lodges – thankfully the great majority – for their sterling efforts in support of the Festival. I recognise that some Lodges are larger, that others may have as members some wealthier brethren, so that the crude statistics of the totals raised are not the important issue. What is important is that strong support has been given to this, our collective responsibility to the Craft. To my surprise and disappointment, a few Lodges have chosen to distance themselves from the Festival – I do appeal to them to get on board quickly if they wish to remain honourably within the Happy Hertfordshire fold.
This will be a busy year for many of us but, I hope an enjoyable one. I hope too that you will all continue to enjoy your Masonry.
End of Act III: Start of Act IV
I persist with my theme that my ten-year occupancy of this role is divided into five acts of two years each; or, to translate the title into plainer English, six down and four to go! Two
days ago, I dedicated the banner of Stability in Hertfordshire Lodge No 9102, making that the 193rd official visit I have made. As always, I thank the brethren of each Lodge I have
attended for the warmth of their welcome and for sharing with me their enjoyment of Freemasonry.
The Hertfordshire Festival for the Grand Charity secured the magnificent total of £3,130,000 and culminated in a wonderful evening of celebration in the Connaught Rooms on 13 June last. Thank you all for your contributions to this fine result and thank you to those who attended the banquet and helped by their presence to make the occasion such a success. Brian Tierney, the senior Assistant Provincial Grand Master, and Graham King, our Provincial Charity Steward, step down from office today. It was their consistent hard work and encouragement that catalysed our achievement in the Festival and I want to put on record our grateful thanks for all that they have done over the years in driving this project forward.
Our biennial Service in the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, so well conducted this year by the Sub Dean, Canon Stephen Lake, was a memorable ceremony which was much enjoyed by those attending and was again followed by a reception in the Dean’s garden with a marquee to protect from rain (of which there was indeed some). The whole event (like many others) relied on the Provincial Stewards who played their parts so well and who, together with wives, looked after guests after the Service. I very much welcome the work the Stewards and others have done too in acting as marshals for the Abbey’s annual ceremony of pilgrimage and, just four days ago, taking part in the Enthronement of the new Bishop of St Albans. These evolving links are important to all of us, whether Masons or not, and are a tangible example of our commitment to and involvement in our local community. Again I thank you all for attending this meeting, whether as visitors or as members of the Province and it is particularly good to see so many Masters andWardens of our Lodges here. Having got you all here, I hope that you enjoy the occasion; I hope too that you will all continue to enjoy your Masonry in Happy Hertfordshire.
Colin Harris
R.W. Provincial Grand Master