Pro Grand Master Installs New Leader for Essex

The Pro Grand Master, Lord Northampton, recently installed and invested John Webb as Provincial Grand Master for Essex at a ceremony at Freemasons’ Hall, London. About 1,600 Brethren were in attendance, including Grand Superintendents from several Royal Arch Provinces.
    In his inaugural address, John Webb paid tribute to the Province. ‘This marvellous Province has been my life for nearly forty years and during that time, I have had the great privilege of serving under three Provincial Grand Masters’. He spoke of the importance of ritual in Freemasonry.
    ‘Ritual is what makes Freemasonry work; it helps us in our relationships with others and it gives us as Freemasons a sense of identity and helps us to understand the tenets and principles of the Craft.’
    He also spoke of the importance of the mentoring system, saying that it was the back-up, but not a substitute, for the responsibility of the proposer and seconder to their own candidate. ‘We must all ensure that once we have initiated a Brother we take great care of him and guide him through the intricate ceremonial and precepts of the Order. It is not good enough to leave him in complete isolation until the lodge’s next regular meeting. That can potentially be the recipe for losing another Brother.’

MASONIC BIOGRAPHY John Michael Webb
1965	Initiated Goodwill Lodge, No. 7904
1968	Exalted Kings Cross Royal Arch Chapter, No. 1732
1971	Master Goodwill Lodge, No. 7904
1974	First Principal, Kings Cross Chapter, No. 1732
1976	Provincial Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies
1980	London Grand Chapter Rank
1981	Provincial Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies
1984	Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies
1984	Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies
1987	Past Grand Standard Bearer, Royal Arch
1990	Assistant Provincial Grand Master
1991	Past Senior Grand Deacon
1995	Master Essex Masters Lodge, No. 3256
1995	Past Assistant Grand Sojourner
1996	Master Bear & Ragged Staff Lodge, No. 8527
1999	Master Goodwill Lodge, No. 7904
2004	First Principal, Ambresbury Chapter No. 5099

Assistant Grand Master at Cambridge Installation

The Province of Cambridgeshire were honoured recently by the presence of David Williamson, Assistant Grand Master, who installed and invested Rodney Wolverson as the new Provincial Grand Master for Cambridgeshire.
    Many distinguished Brethren from neighbouring Provinces came to support the new Ruler, including 10 current Provincial Grand Masters and 4 Past Provincial Grand Masters.
    In his inaugural address, the new Provincial Grand Master said that he was a very lucky man. ‘I have inherited from my greatly respected predecessor Colin Hutchinson a very happy and successful Province’, he said. ‘With only 27 lodges, we are one of the smallest Provinces, which gives us the substantial advantage of being able to get to know each other so much better, and to be the truly happy masonic family which we are.’ We must never ignore the core values of masonry, he said, ‘but we should also bear in mind that whilst masonry should not only be uplifting and spiritually rewarding, it should also be an enjoyable experience and our evenings together should be fun.’

MASONIC BIOGRAPHY Rodney Wolverson
1978	Initiated Thirkill Lodge, No. 7333
1981	Exalted Fidelity Royal Arch Chapter, No. 441
1982	Perfected Cantabrigia Rose Croix Chapter, No. 112
1987	Master Thirkill Lodge, No. 7333
1987	Founder, Three Virtues Rose Croix Chapter, No. 972
1988	Joined Alma Mater Lodge, No. 1492
1992	First Principal Fidelity Chapter, No. 441
1993	Founder Cambridgeshire First Principals’ Chapter, No. 7429
1996	Master Alma Mater Lodge, No. 1492
2004	First Principal, Cambridgeshire First Principals Chapter, No. 7429
2005	Founder Concordia Ducum Lodge, No. 9798

Provincial Grand Master for Norfolk Installed

The Deputy Grand Master Peter Lowndes recently installed John Stuart Rushmer as the twentieth Provincial Grand Master for Norfolk. To start the proceedings, a deputation was formed to escort the Provincial Grand Master Designate into the temple. This deputation consisted of the Masters of the seven most senior Lodges in the Province, with Brother Rooksby, Master of Union Lodge, No. 52, Brother Rushmer’s mother Lodge, bearing the Chain of Office on a cushion.
    In his address, Brother Rushmer reminded the Brethren that at the forefront of their minds must be the 2006 Festival for the RMBI. ‘It is part of our duty,’ he said, ‘indeed obligation, to support masonic charity.’ He said that he looked forward to visiting all the lodges in the Province, in due course, but intended to visit more ordinary meetings than installations. He reflected on the importance of maintaining lodge history books so that, not only was a record of facts kept, but it would also be useful for new initiates to learn more about the lodge of which he has become a member. He concluded with the words ‘I hope that during my term of office you will be contented, make your daily advancement and enjoy yourselves to such an extent that you will wish to bring in your friends and family to our great Brotherhood.’

MASONIC BIOGRAPHY John Stuart Rushmer
1972	Initiated Union Lodge, No. 52
1975	Exalted Royal George Royal Arch Chapter, No. 52
1980	Master Union Lodge, No. 52
1986	Provincial Assistant Grand Secretary
1987	First Principal Royal George Chapter, No. 52
1988	Provincial Grand Secretary
1988	Joined Maid’s Head Lodge, No. 8558
1989	Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies
1989	Provincial Scribe Nehemiah
1989	Joined Norfolk Installed Masters Lodge, No. 3905
1991	Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies, Royal Arch
1994	Provincial Senior Grand Warden
1995	Founder Old Norvicensian Lodge, No. 9583
1997	Second Provincial Grand Principal
1998	Past Junior Grand Deacon
2001	Past Assistant Grand Sojourner, Royal Arch
2003	Provincial Grand Chaplain
2005	Founder Ian Bruce Lodge, No. 9797

New Leader for Nottinghamshire

At an impressive ceremony recently, Robin Wilson was installed and invested as Provincial Grand Master for Nottinghamshire by the Deputy Grand Master Peter Lowndes. The new leader of Nottinghamshire said that he was taking over an already successful Province from his predecessor. ‘I have today been given the ultimate honour,’ he said, ‘of being installed as Master of a Province where I know of nothing significant that is broken, and where there is therefore nothing significant for me to fix.’
    He spoke of encouraging new initiates. ‘In my opinion, we have an ideal opportunity with our members before they even become initiates, by introducing the Craft to a candidate some time after he has expressed an interest in masonry and before his initiation. I have therefore asked our Training and Education Officer to devise a programme of introductory seminars in each masonic centre in the Province, to which each candidate for every lodge meeting there will be invited and encouraged to attend.’
    He also spoke of the need for deeper understanding of the ritual. ‘To accept only the face value of our ritual is to deny ourselves the chance to seek its true meaning, which surely can only be revealed if we lift the veil that is the allegory and observe the true face of the morality which the symbolism is illustrating.’

MASONIC BIOGRAPHY Robin K Wilson
1966	Initiated Isaac Newton University Lodge, No. 859
1972	Perfected St. Edwin Rose Croix Chapter, No. 812
1973	Founder St. Peter’s Lodge, No. 8493
1974	Master Isaac Newton University Lodge, No. 859
1974	Exalted Broxtowe Royal Arch Chapter, No. 3648
1975	Master St. Peter’s Lodge, No. 8493
1982	Past Provincial Senior Grand Deacon
1983	First Principal Broxtowe Chapter, No. 3648
1990	Provincial Junior Grand Warden
1990	Joined Nottinghamshire First Principals Chapter, No. 3595
1994	Past Assistant Grand Registrar
1995	Assistant Provincial Grand Master
1996	Senior Grand Deacon
2002	Advanced Galway Lodge MMM, No. 940
2005	Deputy Provincial Grand Master