Dear Brethren All,
Here we are with another Bank holiday weekend, Pat and I are off on a short cruise just to relax for a few days. Pat has been very busy in the garden, having lost some of her seedlings, she is now trying to recover the situation. Tomatoes are doing quite well. Sweetcorn has been planted out but something has destroyed most of them. Lettuces and broad beans are doing well. There is plenty of fruit on the redcurrant bush and an abundance of flowers on the raspberries and blackberries. Hope that the birds do not pinch most of them. The rain over the last few days has helped as we had the lawns scarified and reseeded.
I attended a Royal and Select Council meeting on Monday last and Stan Rickeard was in attendance, thanks to his son, Michael, giving him a lift. It was great to see Stan and he sends his best wishes to all.
It has been interesting to see on the television recently articles encouraging us all to consider attending CPR courses, these can be accessed on line. I have been involved with First Aid since about 1954, when I became a St. John’s Ambulance cadet for a while. Then on Joining the Police Force in 1962 we all had to qualify for First Aid Certificates. I did also for a number of years instruct Scouts and Girl Guides in First response, as it was known, in those organisations.
Why do I mention this, well, if one suffers some form of heart attack or failure at anytime the person most likely to save you is standing next to you, as long as they know what to do. Are you up to date with CPR? Should we as a caring group encourage members to take this on board. I know that many masonic centres have a requisite for trained personnel to be present at every meeting but I have seen no publicity regarding this recently. I am of the opinion that we need to be more aware of this. Just a little thought for today because I care for all of you.
The other subject was an article by the RNLI where they are trying to get people to be more aware of the dangers of water and when one may get into difficulty. There is again, on line information or courses that one can attend. The message is, to stay calm, not easy when being overwhelmed by water or fear, lay on your back, putting your arms out to the sides so that you become buoyant. Sounds easy but needs plenty of practise and courage. This is mentioned as we have a large amount of sea and water surrounding us, and in the Province, we should be mindful of the safety of all those around us and whom we love, especially the children, most of whom love the water.
Please keep those lines of communication open. Pick up that phone now and again and have a chat with someone that you have not seen lately. We are all precious to one another.
Please attend the Meeting on 3rd August if possible and support those brethren being honoured.
Malcolm Lloyd, P.G.S.D., Prov. Grand Almoner