ADDRESS OF THE PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER, R.W.BRO. PETER CONNOLLY,

AT PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE HELD AT SOUTHPORT ON WEDNESDY 4^TH MAY 2011

Brethren, I again welcome each of you to Provincial Grand Lodge this afternoon ‑ our second here at Southport. I hope that you are enjoying our meeting and thank you for your support of the Mark Degree in such goodly numbers here today.

There are nine Special Representatives in our West Lancs Mark, seated on the stage. They assist the Executive in the running and administration of the Province. Each has responsibility for Lodges in a geographical area. Brother Special Representatives will you please stand. At our previous meetings I have introduced you individually, but time does not permit this today. I thank you most sincerely for all your work.

Three Special Representatives are retiring today ‑ who, between them, have given 42 years service just in this role. V.W.Bro. Colin Moxey, you have looked after lodges in the Blackpool and Fyide area for 18 years and I know they are grateful to you for your advice and support. So also is the Committee of the Blackpool Festival, which has had increased popularity in your time.

V.W.Bro. Sidney Hale, the Southport and Ormskirk Lodges have been fortunate that you have looked after their interests for over 13 years. We are delighted to see your return to good health this year, and enjoyed the second Southport Festival last week in its new, rejuvenated form.

Finally brethren V.W.Bro Keith Dowell has overseen our Liverpool Lodges since 2001 when retired after 10 years service as our Deputy Secretary. Some retirement !

To these three very special brethren I offer my personal thanks and invite you all to show your appreciation.   

For the first time their successors have been working in tandem with them and were announced last autumn. They are W.Bro. John Forster for Blackpool & Fylde; W.Bro. Brian Molyneux for Southport & Ormskirk and W.Bro. Michael Winterbottom for Liverpool.

I do thank the Secretaries, Treasurers and DC.s  of each of Mark Lodges for all THEIR enthusiasm and hard work which keeps the Mark Order so buoyant in West Lancashire.

I thank W. Bro. David Connor for his work as Provincial Secretary last year, prior to his retirement. I am now, especially grateful to W.Bro. Geoffrey Lee for all the work he has put in to establishing a Provincial Office. He has been ably assisted by W.Bro. Arthur Robinson, Deputy Prov G.Sec and I thank Bro. Colin Bayliss as Assistant G.Sec. The new Provincial office has been manned by an unofficial, but enthusiastic team comprising W.Bros. Rod Bennison, John Bicknell and Bro. Colin Mills, to whom the Province is also grateful.

Today, marks the retirement of our Provincial D.C. W.Bro. Terry Maybury. He has been a most capable and efficient D.C. He has ensured our ceremonial, particularly on our 8 Team Visits each year and of course here at Provincial Grand Lodge, have been to the highest standard ‑ and looked after me as well. I thank him and congratulate him on his very successful term of office. I am also grateful to the Acting Deputy and Assistant D.C.s, particularly the senior Craft masons who are working on the floor today.

During the past year our Provincial Team has been led by Senior Warden W.Bro. Eric Picton and Junior Warden David Rotheram. I thank them for their support and the many other duties they have undertaken during their year. Always with the dignity due to the Office, but also with humour and fun ‑ the hallmark of this Degree.

I know they will join me in thanking all the other Acting Officers for the Province this year. We have never had less than 30 Acting Officers present at our Team Visits ‑ and on one occasion there were 38 accompanying me ‑ contributing to Festive Boards in excess of 80. I am sure that the Active Team have enjoyed their travels around this Province. I am grateful for their enthusiastic participation.

Brethren, last year I announced our Family Fun Day as a Centenary event. It really was most successful and the Committee, Chaired by W.Bro. Rev Graham Halsall have worked very hard to repeat the event this year ‑ with more rides, afternoon teas, burgers and hopefully as much, if not more fun. It is on Saturday July 9^th. I know those who brought their children and grandchildren last year will be coming again: if you didn't I urge you to come along with or without, your youngsters to Bamber Bridge on July 9th, MY first impression of freemasonry was as a 10 year old child at a Masonic Christmas party. I am sure your youngsters will have a similar, very favourable impression of our organisation, if they come to the Fun Day.

Tickets for the Fun Day are on sale at the desk, just outside this hall ‑ as also are our ties, cufflinks, socks etc at the adjacent stand. I am grateful to W.Bro. Jimmy Rogers for running our commercial arm throughout the year. I also appreciate his contribution to the Mark by taking the lecture “The Building of King Solomon's Temple” all over the country. He is assisted in this by W.Bro. Jeffrey Smith, whom I am to appoint to Provincial Grand Rank today.

We have already had two successful Mark Festivals this year at Cleveleys, and Southport. Our third Festival at Liverpool was due to take place on Wednesday 18^th May. Unfortunately for administrative reasons it has had to be postponed until the autumn. Details of the new Liverpool arrangements will be circulated.

Last year the sale of Mark poppies enabled me, on your behalf, to make a worthwhile donation to the BLESMA Home in Blackpool. I am delighted to say that you have continued to support our Mark Poppy sales to such an extent that a further donation of a special TV and fittings for the residents recreation area is about to be made.

In some areas of our Mark Province brethren regularly visit other Mark Lodges. Visitors always enhance any ceremony and Masonic meeting. To encourage visiting throughout West Lancashire we are to introduce a Travelling Keystone. This idea works in other Provinces and I hope it will generate interest with you brethren. Full details to follow. I am grateful to W.Bro. Ian Nairn for getting the project off the ground.

In case you missed it last year brethren, the three chairs which the Wardens and I are using today were especially made and carved by Welsh masons in the 1930s for use by HRH Prince of Wales as Grand Master of the Mark. However, following Edward's abdication, the chairs were left to rot in a damp London cellar. Bro. Harry Barlow of Southport was approached in the 1950s to renovate them; which he agreed to, so long as he could use his Southport workshop. One of my predecessors R.W.Bro. Shepherd Eastwood arranged for a lorry to transport them. I am grateful to the Southport Group who now owns them, for lending them to us and arranging their transportation, with other furniture, for our comfort today.

Very soon I will have great pleasure in appointing and promoting our members in this Provincial Grand Lodge. Time only allows me the briefest comment to the recipients ‑ but I publicly congratulate each and every one of you to be invested. When you return to your Lodges I know that you will continue to give service but I do also charge you to PROMOTE the fellowship of this happy degree and to enjoy Mark Masonry in your new ranks.