D R Attwater 100 Avonmouth Road Bristol BS11 BS11 9NA 0117 938 0271 Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, It was just before our last Annual Assembly that I learned that our then Provincial Grand Secretary, Worshipful Brother Barry Chalkley, was to be promoted to Deputy Grand Secretary, in October 2016, and that I was in the frame to take over from him in the Province of Wessex. My sincere thanks go to Worshipful Brother Barry for his sterling work for the Province and for keeping me abreast of Provincial matters, prior to my appointment and for his assistance and advice. A hard act to follow but, at least, I was given a fighting chance to hit the ground running when appointed. Prior to my appointment, the Grand Registrar had advised me that the main Athelstan Database was being upgraded and I was given access to the information held in respect of my Court, with a view to reporting on its usefulness, or otherwise, to a Court Secretary. This was duly carried out and most, if not all, of my suggestions and recommendations were put in place prior to it being rolled out across the country. It has been seven very busy months since I received a Field Promotion to the Office of Provincial Grand Secretary and the learning curve has been very steep. My thanks also go to the Court Secretaries for their forbearance, support and patience. At the end of last year, I was tasked with producing Court membership spreadsheets in a similar format to one for Past Masters that was provided by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, Worshipful Brother Keith Waters, that he used as Assistant Provincial Grand Master in the Craft. With his assistance, a template was

produced that served our requirements. On being appointed as Provincial Grand Secretary, I was then enabled to access all of the Wessex Courts information held on the main Athelstan Database, and this was the source of most of the information required for our spreadsheets. This, however, highlighted that some of the information held on Grand Court’s Database was inaccurate or out of date. Numerous MEM2 Change of Membership Forms then ensued to get the details updated. I would ask the Brethren that, if their personal details change, such as a change of postal address, email address or to landline and mobile telephone numbers, please advise your Court Secretaries accordingly. And, Brother Court Secretaries, please complete and send me the appropriate forms. I thank you for your co-operation, as this will be of great assistance. Although I have authorisation to edit the Wessex Courts Members details on the Athelstan Database, I still have to send the appropriate forms to the Grand Registrar and let him know what details have been edited. My thanks also go to our Provincial Grand Marshal, Worshipful Brother Craig Cox, for his hard work and assistance in the preparations required for today’s meeting, and to our Provincial Grand Treasurer, Worshipful Brother Mike Daniels for his work in preparing a financial statement and report for this meeting – not an easy task as the Order’s financial year does not end until 30th June. Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, your Courts are in good heart and we thank you for your continued support and dedication. Since my appointment, I believe that you have attended every Court meeting in the Province. In conclusion, Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, I thank you for the trust placed in me and the honour of serving the Province of Wessex as Provincial Grand Secretary. Dave Attwater W.Bro. David R. Attwater Provincial Grand Secretary (Wessex)