At a recent "20 years-on" reunion of 19 professional ladies, 16 of them had married a graduate from Cambridge University. Today, many of these ladies are better qualified and earn more money, than their highly qualified husbands.
    Obviously, these ladies expect to participate in family activities on equal terms because it has become the accepted social norm in such families.
    Therefore, freemasonry is trying to buck an existing social trend. No wonder it has become rare for doctors, teachers, solicitors and other professional men to join our Lodges.
    Recently my son and his wife joined 'Roteract' and a local tennis club, while their teenage sons are members of the nearby rowing and fishing clubs. All these are family activities in which their highly qualified 'mum' can participate on equal terms.
    Freemasonry must realise our society has an ever-increasing number of 'two profession' families where women are treated as true equals and have a great influence on what type of voluntary organisation their husbands and sons join.
    Worse still, my grandsons are absorbing negative attitudes towards freemasonry during their teenage years. Thus, as potential professionals themselves, they are unlikely to join the Craft. Surely, we have enough problems without this one?
    As the old saying goes, "If you cannot beat them - join them!" So how do we do that?
    Could we create a top quality Provincial Masonic Choir - including ladies - and might this improve the situation? If the choir achieved local television/radio fame, their frequent appearances might recruit more candidates than all our internal efforts combined.
    How many family activities can we find that will expand our social and charitable aims and involve our families in freemasonry?
    One possibility is for Provincial officers to persuade their newly elected Worshipful Master to hold a number of family occasions, as well as the traditional Ladies Night. Let us remember that ladies can attend on a regular lodge night, provided lodge rooms are suitable. How are such occasions organised?
    There is nothing to stop the brethren attending a regular lodge ceremony in the temple while their ladies attend a lecture or other interesting activity in another part of the building. Both parties can then enjoy a slightly modified festive board afterwards. This has become a regular feature in one lodge, and everyone looks forward to that night.
    Likewise, there is nothing to stop the Worshipful Master's wife arranging a ladies dinner in a local hotel, on the same night as her husband's installation. Both parties can keep in touch by mobile phone and later enjoy a drink together at the masonic bar.
    Why not create mixed masonic golf, sailing, shooting and line-dancing clubs? We need to seriously revise our social image and actively involve our partners. Crafty head teachers always get the 'mums' on their side and arrange courses in computers, craftwork, swimming, first Aid, sailing and resuscitation, where parents can qualify as instructors.
    Two years down the line that part of the children's education becomes the responsibility of the parents!
    I know of a parents' sailing club that had six Royal Yacht Association senior sailing instructors and ran an annual sailing week for their children on the Norfolk Broads. Is freemasonry completely incapable of being as innovative as that? If so, let's all pack-up and die off!
    Ladies are more than capable of organising a St. Valentine's Day or St. George's Day Sunday lunch where young children and friends can attend. Why not hold it in conjunction with the local Womens' Institute and their husbands? Then invite the local media along to show we don't grow tails and carry pitchforks!
    Our normal publicity efforts consist of a small photograph in the local paper showing a brother giving away money. What sort of organisation do young, honest, hard-up, family men think we are? We project an out-of-date family image.
    For 15 years one lodge has held a Noel Night, where wives and teenage children enjoy Christmas festivities together. Sometimes lodge funds benefit.
    There is nothing to stop our families raising lodge funds for charity on masonic premises via a simple 'after church' Sunday gathering to celebrate a brother's birthday or similar occasion. This enables wives to socialise together. Everyone enjoys good company!
    How about a masonic hog roast, jointly organised with the ladies and children - perhaps in fancy dress? How many lodges encourage the children? Why not a costumed 'Old English Night' plus food, dancing and entertainment?
    Another good fund-raiser is the occasional 'Silent Auction' where families raise money on those items they keep as second best or 'will come in handy one day'. Just swapping your family's rubbish for some one else's rubbish comes at a cheap price! A ladies version of this might work very well.
    We should abandon our all-male concept of social activities and develop a more family-orientated approach that frequently includes our partners and children.
    This view of family freemasonry seems an ideal subject for a Provincial 'think tank' to construct new ideas that encourage whole families to imbibe the basic principles and practices of freemasonry.