PHOTOGRAPHS

Provincial Grand Masters Address

Most worshipful Grand Master, Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master, Right Worshipful Assistant Grand Master, honoured Guests and Brethren. Brethren today is a day for thanks, for renewing old friendships making new friends, and above all of new beginnings. We have already welcomed the Grand Master and his team, however may I extend my personal thanks to him and the Officers of Grand Court for the magnificent and generous way that I was Installed this morning as Provincial Grand Master. It has been said many times, but it is well worth repeating that days like today don’t just happen, an immense amount of work has gone into the planning of todays proceedings, both from Grand Court and our own Provincial Team. It would be remiss of me if I didn’t express our especial thanks to our Deputy Grand Master, Right Worshipful Brother

Roy Leavers, who for the last few months as Deputy Grand Master in Charge has led our Province with foresight and distinction. He has been an inspiration to us all and has provided the icing on the cake by today taking his rightful place as Presiding Officer. Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master we have been friends for many years, and it has been a privilege once again working closely with you. In recent times, I seem to have spoken to the Grand Secretary almost daily and I and the Province thank Wayne for all that he has done to smooth the way and for invariably providing pragmatic and sound advice, and we wish him a swift recovery following his operation. Our Provincial Grand Secretary George Paskins has been an absolute rock and to him, above all others, must go our grateful thanks for the planning and preparation leading up to todays meeting. George please pass on my special thanks to Vera for allowing me to take up so much of your time. Similarly our Provincial Treasurer, Tony Pinnell has managed to make the funds available to pay for todays proceedings, and Tony I promise not to deplete Provincial funds further until our Provincial meeting in April. Special thanks to my good friend the Grand Marshal, Very Worshipful Brother John Evans and his Deputies for ensuring that the Ceremonial today was of such a high standard. Brethren, I am sure you would wish me to extend a hearty welcome to all our Visitors. It is wonderful to see so many visitors from our sister Provinces and I look forward on your behalf to visiting them all in the months and years ahead and Brother Visitors we look forward to your company at lunch. Brethren, I have saved the most important thanks till last and that of course is my thanks to you the Brethren of Wessex. I cannot begin to tell you what a privilege it is to be Installed as your Provincial Grand Master. In the few months that I have been back in the Province, I have been overwhelmed by the warmth of welcome I have invariably received when visiting our Courts. I spoke earlier in this address of new beginnings. New beginnings Brethren are most effective when built on a solid base, and for that I must thank those who have contributed in forming the foundation on which we as a family of Athelstan Masons will build in the years ahead. So much of our current Province was established and nurtured by Right Worshipful Brothers Malcolm Burns and his Deputy Brian Wright admirably supported by Mervyn Western. Right Worshipful Brother Roger Freeman then led the Province in admirable fashion until the Province was reconstituted into the Province of Wessex in the North and Dumnonia in the South. Ian Crowe then took the reins in Wessex until his wife’s ill health forced him to stand down and then Very Worshipful Brother Peter Hughes generously agreed to act as Deputy Provincial Grand Master-in-charge until a new Provincial Grand Master was appointed. Our thanks are due to each of these Brethren for all that they have done for the Province and it is wonderful to see most of them here today. What then of the future, how are we to take our Province forward?, and how are we to build on the foundations so well laid by those who have gone before us. The answer Brethren is teamwork. If we work together as a family there is absolutely nothing that we cannot achieve. In the last few months I have experienced a growing optimism in our Province. We have new Members coming into our Courts. We have two new Courts on the Horizon and a possible third Court perhaps in a year to eighteen months. I am planning a series of social events so that we can involve our families, and in Order to help raise our ritual standards, I have authorised the formation of a Court of Instruction and a team of Brethren to help Courts with various parts of the Instruction Ceremony if required. I have now spoken to all the heads of Order in our local Provinces and without exception have received a warm and genuine response. The White table meeting which I addressed recently when we hosted Royal Arch Masons has resulted in two Candidates, with a third in the wings. When the Deputy Grand Master and myself arrived in Wessex we had 54 members in 4 Courts. We have already increased that to 67 and with your help Brethren our next objective is to achieve a membership of 100. Brethren, look around you for quality Craft and Royal Arch masons who would enjoy Athelstan Masonry, remember we are an Invitational Order and are therefore able to invite men of quality to join us. We need to develop good relationships with all the heads of order within the boundaries of our Province and never miss an opportunity to create an awareness of our Order within the wider Masonic Community. Brethren our Annual Meeting this year will be at Stroud on 25th. April. I am planning a dinner on the Friday when we may entertain our wives and Partners and also of course extend a welcome to our guests and their partners. There is a Sunday lunch planned for next year and at least one other social function where we can involve our families. Brethren we have a busy and potentially very rewarding year ahead. I look forward to visiting all our Courts in the coming year and hopefully welcoming many new Brethren into our Order. I have already drafted a letter to all the Brethren who have left us in recent years, to encourage them to re-engage with our Order and I will follow this up with a personal phone call to each of them. Brethren, the very best way to retain Brethren is to offer them an impressive ceremony of Instruction. There is no problem at all in delegating parts of the ceremony, in fact oft times it is good to have a change of voice. Brethren I look forward to engaging with each of you in the future, if you have concerns or ideas of how we can improve our Athelstan experience, my door is always open and please feel able to contact me, Finally, may I wish each and every one of you and your families a successful and healthy New Year and may God Bless you in all your endeavours. R.W.Bro. Keith R.D. Waters, KAG Provincial Grand Master