Devastated New Guinea Lodge Needs Help


    The Rabaul Lodge No 4468, which meets in Rabaul, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, is appealing for help following the total destruction of the Masonic Hall by two simultaneous volcanic eruptions in September 1994. Three quarters of the town, often called the 'Jewel of the Pacific', was completely destroyed during the eruptions and is still in the same devastated state today. Rabaul was also the Provincial capital of the New Guinea Islands. The Lodge was buried under 2.5 metres of volcanic ash and lost most of its furniture and fittings. Very little was found after a few dedicated members went digging down through the ruins. This is not the first time disaster has struck the Rabaul Lodge. During the Japanese invasion of Rabaul in World War II the Masonic building was destroyed and 49 members of the Lodge were either executed or lost their lives as a result of the occupation, with a further 30 members still unaccounted for. Peter Leggett, Secretary of the Lodge says, "One of the volcanoes still erupts regularly after three years, making ash fall-out an on-going problem.
    Roads are in a dreadful state and often shut. Communication and electricity supply are also continuous problems and very unreliable. The new airport, which is still being built, is a long way away and often closed." Despite these appalling conditions the Lodge is determined to keep Freemasonry alive. Since the initial eruptions, the Lodge has initiated six new members and affiliated a further three joining members. The Lodge has managed to obtain temporary accommodation within the devastated town of Rabaul which has drained most of the Lodge's funds for repairs to the building. Law and order is also a problem, and the temporary masonic hall has already been burgled. "If there are any Craft Lodges or Royal Arch Chapters which have returned their warrants or amalgamated, and no longer need any of their furniture or other Lodge or Chapter items, we would be most grateful for any donations and be forever indebted," says Bro Leggett. Morale, however, remains strong and Lodge members have bought a steel A-frame of a church which was being built in Rabaul at the time of the eruptions. This has been dismantled and Lodge members soon hope to buy a new property in a safe area to build a new masonic building, as a permanent hall needs to be established. Funds have, however, run short, and the Lodge is also appealing for help and donations to obtain building materials.
    A full list of what is needed can be obtained by writing to Bro Leggett at PO Box 108, Rabaul, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Fax: (675) 982 7226.

New Lodges in Moldova

The Regular Grand lodge of Italy (RGLI) has set up a Lodge in the Republic of Moldova, formerly part of the Soviet Union, with the authorisation of the country’s President, Petru Lucinschi.
    The Alliance Lodge (No 113 on the RGLI’s register) was consecrated on 7 June at the Hotel Condru in Chisinou. The consecration followed the initiation (using Emulation working) of 32 Moldovan candidates which lasted more than 11 hours.
    During the initiations, the Grand Master of the RGLI, Professor Giuliano Di Bernado, held a press conference for journalists and television networks from many of the republics of the ex-Soviet Union and other East European countries. He explained the principles of Freemasonry and pointed out that the RGLI is recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the Grand Lodge of Scotland and other Grand Lodges connected with these.
    Moldovan state television broadcast a report on the foundation of Freemasonry in the country which was later broadcast in Russian to all the republics of the ex-Soviet Union.
    A spokesman for the RGLI said, “Comments were so positive they surprised even those who had been expecting a favourable reaction. Freemasonry was presented, without any reservations or irony, as a way of conceiving mankind and life that can ethically improve people who have recently emerged from the dictatorial regime of the former Soviet empire.”
    The Russian and Moldovan press have described the introduction of Freemasonry as “one of the most significant events in recent years” and Professor Di Bernardo has been invited to give lectures on Freemasonry at universities.
    The day after the initiations and consecration, a concert was given in honour of Freemasonry in the State Opera Theatre, with the stage decorated with Masonic columns and a first-degree tracing board. The concert was followed by a buffet for some 300 people, including 20 ambassadors (including those of Russia, China and Japan), five ministers of state, journalists, artists, businessmen and heads of universities.
    The RGLI is due to return to Moldova in September to pass and raise the candidates and plans will be made to create suitable conditions for consecrating a Lodge in the Ukraine. Other Lodges will subsequently be consecrated in other republics.

Knights Templar Conference

The new Most Eminent and Supreme Grand Master of the Masonic Knights Templar in England and Wales and its Provinces Overseas is Leslie Felgate Dring.
    ME & S Kt Dring was installed on 21 May 1997 by the Grand Master of Ireland, Norman Pellow, at Birmingham in an impressive ceremony attended by 800 members of the order including the Grand Masters of Scotland, France, Greece, Germany and Belgium. He succeeds Harold Devereaux Still, who died last December, having served as Grand Master for 21 years.
    Among the first duties the new Grand Master will perform is to attend the Fourth International Conference of Masonic Knights Templar in Stockholm between 12 and 14 of September.
    The agenda includes discussion of problems of common interest to all Great Priories throughout the world, such as procedures for recognising other Great Priories and the aims and purposes of Knights Templar Freemasonry.
    Also included for discussion are ways forward for charitable giving. The Great Priory of England has for many years helped the Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem and over the past five years has donated £300,000.
    In addition to the conference there will be a presentation of all 10 degrees of the Swedish Rite in authentic settings and a church service in Stockholm Cathedral.
    The conference, held every three years, was hosted in 1991 in London by the Great Priory of England during the bi-centenary celebration of the order.
    On 14 November, ME & S Kt Dring, together with 43 other members of the order will go to Barcelona at the invitation of the Great Priory of Spain (constituted in 1993 by England as a daughter Great Priory) to intall their new Grand Master, Thomas Sarobi. He succeeds J Crozet, who took over from the first Spanish Grand Master, Louis Salat, who was the architect of the revival of Freemasonry in Spain after the death of Franco, and who died in 1995.

Iowa Visit Delights Midlands Masons

The Moseley Masonic Hall, Birmingham was filled to capacity when Mosaic Lodge No. 5028 played host to Iowa Grand Master, M.W. Bro. D.Dean Johnson and his able team of brethren on 8 July. Masons from all over the Midlands arrived at Moseley’s impressive facilities to be captivated (in spite of the intense heat) by an exact, and exacting demonstration of the first and second sections of the Grand Lodge of Iowa’s Third Degree ceremony : a ceremony only rarely witnessed by British brethren.
    Having observed an almost theatrical exposition of the Hiramic legend, including a literal search for the Master’s murderers and apprehension before the wisdom of King Solomon, Provincial Grand Master of Worcestershire, Barrie Cooper commented on the visit : “I think it’s absolutely fabulous. The universal strand of the ritual is there, and while different, we can easily identify with it.”
    According to Iowa’s Grand Master, M.W. Bro. D.Dean Johnson - who wore a black top hat throughout the ceremony in good-old Iowa tradition : ”Our Third Degree ritual came, I believe, out of Ohio and Missouri from the pioneering days. It was passed on by word of mouth.” The connection with Mosaic Lodge goes back 20 years, when W. Bro. A.G. Walker formed the link between the two lodges of the same name.
    Our reporter asked W.Bro. Johnson (left) about the state of the craft in Iowa. “Well, we’re aging. We lost a generation, more or less, to the hippy crowd. Now we’re beginning to get it back. In the meantime, those who came in after World War Two are now Fifty Year Masons, and I have the dubious distinction of having presented almost 1100 Fifty Year certificates this year. Most of those will not be here in ten years, and we can’t keep up with the leavings. We’re trying to initiate younger people.”
    The extensive buffet dinner after the working also gave Freemasonry Today a relaxed opportunity to speak to Worcestershire’s Provincial Grand Master about a number of current masonic issues.
    What did ‘Openness’ mean to him? “Openness means that we’re prepared to talk about Freemasonry first to our families, then to the public, and to demonstrate that we’re an organisation based on charity. We raise a tremendous amount for charity. Tonight’s event has raised money for the Appeal 2000 which began seven years ago. I can’t pretend it’s been easy, but we’ve raised about £1.1m so far.
    “Regarding Openness, there’s a blur area among many masons. What we want is to get from Grand Lodge the total area of Openness, so that our brethren know just how far they can go with their family, friends and everybody else.”
    How did he respond to the recent Commons Select Committee’s deliberations on the craft, the police-force and the judiciary? “We’ve had some problems with local authorities in the West Midlands who have put the bullet in the head of some of our members in asking them to register their interest in Freemasonry, while at the same time verbally informing them that unless they resign from the craft, their promotion in the future is in doubt. I think it’s time we took a more pro-active attitude generally. We’ve got to go on the attack. We can’t be kicked about by politicians any longer.”
    July 8th’s special Emergency Meeting of Mosaic Lodge No. 5028 at Moseley Masonic Hall provided a notable opportunity to glimpse not only some of the problems of the contemporary craft, but also to gain an imaginative and stirring sense of its universal potential. T.C.

London Internet Site

London Freemasons now have their own internet web page. The site, which went live on 1 September, includes a full list of all 1,600 or so London Lodges, details of how London Masonic honours work, information about the new Visiting Grand Officers scheme and contact details of the more popular meeting places.
    In addition there will be forums where ideas can be exchanged about many subjects, such as how to improve dining arrangements or what to do if there are no ceremonies.
    The Assistant Grand Master, the Marquess of Northampton, who oversees Freemasonry in London, says, "It is high time that London Masons had their own web page. It will enable people to be better informed about London Freemasonry and to share ideas on some of the challenges we face."
    The London Freemasonry web page can be found at: http://www.london-lodges.org