Dear Brethren All,
It was good to share last Saturday morning with so many of you during the Virtual Business meeting of the Provincial Annual Assembly of Royal Ark Mariners. Our Provincial Grand Master was on good form together with the Deputy Grand Master. Thank you to those who were able to be with us, this was all thanks to the Provincial Grand Senior Warden who looked after the technicalities for the day; thank you Patrick.
Dear Brethren All,
I start off today with the sad news that W. Bro. Larry Harding was called to the Grand Lodge above yesterday afternoon. Larry was a well-respected member of many Orders throughout the Province and had held important and influential offices in many. From personal experience I was grateful for his guidance and advice at times.
Dear Brethren All,
Well Christmas Festivities are over and Pat and I have cleared all of the decorations away and returned the containers and plastic tree to the loft. This 80 year+ old body is not as agile as it used to be, still it will be another 49 weeks before I have to get the decorations down again.
Dear Brethren All,
May I take this opportunity, on behalf of Rt. W. Bro. George Deacon and myself, and the Mark Executive, to wish you and your families, a Very Healthy, Peaceful and Safer New Year.
Dear Bretrhen,
It is with great sadness that I have to record the death of Rt. W. Bro. Brian Clifford Wareham, after losing his battle with cancer. He was Past Prov. Grand Master of the Mark Province of Sussex. He held many senior offices in different Orders throughout Masonry and was very well respected.
Brethren,
Charles Dickens wrote “It was the best of Times, it was the Worst of Times”. How appropriate are those words for this year? This time last year, no one could have predicted the months ahead: this has been a turbulent and surprising Year. There has been tragedy for those who have lost loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have suffered the loss of loved ones and unable to pay their proper respects at the appropriate time. There have also been extraordinary acts of kindness and charity to those in need; as a Nation we have pulled together to help one another come through this awful Pandemic.
Dear Brethren All,
What a mixture of restrictions the Province is now in, but we will be resilient and come through this. We are fast approaching Christmas and it will be different for most of us this year. There may not be the usual family gatherings but we can keep in touch in other ways. The main thing is to stay safe and look after yourselves. In spite of this have a good time, at the same time think of those who may be alone at this time. Pick up the phone and call someone to show they are not forgotten.
Dear Brethren,
The Provincial Grand Master is delighted to announce that following last nights Zoom meeting of the Grand Master’s Special Awards our very own W. Bro. Patrick Burridge, Prov.G.S.W, received appointment to Mark Grand Rank as P.G.St.B. in recognition of his outstanding community service during Covid-19. This is one of only 18 appointments across the whole order.
I am sure you will all wish to congratulate Pat on this very special appointment.
Dear Brethren,
You will be aware that the 2020 Mark Benevolent Fund Festival was due to be held by the Mark Province of Kent on Saturday 13th June but had to be cancelled due to the Covid Pandemic. Some of you were Festival Stewards and many others purchased the Kent Festival badge. The result of all the Fund raising for the Festival has just been announced and the final total was a phenomenal £2,080,000. This is by far the highest amount any Province has raised for a Festival. The actual Festival event will now take place 4th September 2021 and a number of us will be attending.
Dear Brethren All,
I thought that we had seen, maybe, the last of inspirational people but no, this week we saw the news that Kevin Shinfield had run seven marathons in seven days to support MND and his good friend in Rugby League, Rob Burrow, who has been struck down with this disease. What an achievement and dedication for someone special.