New District Grand Master for South Africa, Western Division

In May, the Pro Grand Master, Lord Northampton, accompanied by VW Bro James Daniel, the Grand Secretary, United Grand Lodge of England, visited Cape Town to attend the Bicentenary Celebration Meeting marking two hundred years of English Freemasonry in South Africa; and also to install RW Bro. Peter Ransom Duckworth as the new District Grand Master of the Western Division. Present were the District Grand Masters of South Africa, Easterrn Division, South Africa, Central Division, South Africa, North, Natal, Orange Free State, Sierra leone and the Gambia, Ghana, Zambia, and Nigeria. All work under the Constitution of the United Grand Lodge of England. As part of the celebrations 1.7 Million Rands were raised to support The Children’s Hospital Trust, a new lifeboat for The National Sea Rescue Institute, and other charities.

Department of Environment Register

The Department of Environment, Transport and Regions, the DETR, last year, produced a consultative booklet to establish a code of conduct for all members of local authorities: A Model Code of Conduct for Members. It arose out of the Local Government Act 2000 which allowed for a new statutory framework to govern conduct of local authority employees. Copies were sent to all relevant authorities. Within this lengthy document is a proposal for a register of Freemasons, it reads: "We therefore propose that members should also be required to register membership of…private organisations such as the Freemasons and other similar organisations (whether membership is secret or not)…". Grand Lodge registered objections, querying, for example, what “other organisations” are similar to Freemasonry? What does the DETR have in mind? Why was only Freemasonry singled out here? And Grand Lodge further pointed out that any other organisation could claim that they were not similar to Freemasonry and thus exempt themselves from the ruling. In any case, Grand Lodge stresses that Freemasonry is unique; there are no similar organisations.

Changing Attitude Toward Masonic Declaration

The attitude amongst local authorities towards the demands for all Freemasons to officially declare their membership is now changing. Only a minority of authorities have actually established a requirement for such a declaration. Recently, the Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council rescinded their requirement for a declaration of masonic membership as have councils in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Plymouth and Richmond upon Thames. Others are reconsidering their initial move towards such restrictive legislation, others are considering withdrawing it. The Worcester Borough Council recently rejected a suggestion that they should require any such declaration.
    Christopher Connop, said that there was a definite swing now towards caution by local authorities, in part, because such legislation may be in breach of the European Human Rights Act. Grand Lodge now sends copies of their masonic information booklets to all Councils; sometimes they have also sent copies of the Book of Constitutions.
    He added that Grand Lodge does not object to any general requirement for a declaration of membership in clubs or other organisations but does so when Freemasonry alone is singled out for attention.
    He further pointed out that in those groups which have required disclosure, Freemasons do not seem to have suffered. For example, there is "no evidence at present that disclosure has worked against anyone’s application for appointment to the Judiciary".

Freemasons Raise £1.87 Million in Leicestershire and Rutland

The Freemasons of Leicestershire and Rutland have raised £1.87 Million for charity with their 2001 Festival Appeal. Since 1993, in addition to its regular participation in masonic charities, local and national, the Province focussed its efforts towards their 2001 appeal. Through a range of Lodge-generated activities such as dinner-dances, garden parties and special collections, the Province pursued their target of a seven-figure sum. That they achieved this, and more, is a tribute to the 3100 Freemasons of the Province. It represents just over £600 raised for every mason.
    At a celebratory dinner held in the banqueting room at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, Birmingham, RW Bro. Derek Buswell, Provincial Grand Master for Leicestershire and Rutland presented a cheque for this sum to VW Bro. Raymond Lye, President of the Grand Charity.
    The dinner was a colourful event and was attended by over 1000 local Freemasons and their ladies. The guest of honour was the Deputy Grand Master, RW Bro. Iain Ross Bryce. Other guests included the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, the Mayor of Solihull and the Lord Mayor of Leicester together with many senior masons from other provinces. Masonic regalia was worn and the venue was adorned with the banners of the seventy-five lodges which meet in the province. The Band of the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, entertained during the meal.
    In presenting the cheque RW Bro. Buswell referred to the selfless devotion of local Freemasons who had contributed to the magnificent result through their covenanted payments and charitable events. VW Bro. Lye congratulated the Province and said that the funds would provide financial assistance to both Masonic and non-Masonic charities.

Oxfordshire Millennium Festival exceeds £1.3 million

The Province of Oxfordshire celebrated the achievement of raising £1,329,104.94 for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution by means of their 2001 Millennium Appeal. This Appeal was launched in 1996 and, from the very beginning, was guided by a very detailed strategy which defined its strategic objectives and the sales, marketing and communication techniques to be adopted in that pursuit. The core objective was to target every individual Freemason in the Province informing him of the aims, methods, events and the continued progress of the Appeal.
    A number of highly successful fundraising events were organised and these quickly became established as annual items in the Provincial entertainments calendar. Among these were "Last Night of the Proms" and Big Band nights; Race nights and Golf days, Clay Pigeon shoots, Carol nights and assorted Garden parties together with a very successful Festival Auction. All agreed that "fundraising can be fun".
    The presentation of a cheque for the funds raised was held at The Heritage Centre, Gaydon in the presence of the MW Pro Grand Master, the Marquess of Northampton and the Marchioness, RW Bro. Geoffrey Redman-Brown, Provincial Grand Master of Oxfordshire, RW Bro. Brian Smith, President of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution, W Bro. Peter Gray, Chief Executive of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution and many other distinguished masons and their ladies.
    Oxfordshire is a small province with only fifty-six lodges; to raise such a sum represents some £23,700 for each lodge, an effort which truly deserves great praise.