Kernow Masonic News

Issue No 6.
Comment The following has been sent by W. Bro. Revd. Dr. Peter Blackwell-Smyth, Provincial Grand Chaplain. Possibly well worthy of some thought? Landmarks and Ancient Usages In his Address to the Quarterly Communications of Grand Lodge on 14th September 2011, the Deputy Grand Master, Rt. Worshipful Brother Jonathan Spence said this. We need to be absolutely clear that when we discuss our pure Antient Masonry that we belong to a secular Organisation, that is to say a non-religious Organisation. It is however a secular Organisation that is supportive of religion: it is an absolute requirement for all our members to believe in a Supreme Being The full text of his speech is well worth reading but it seems to me that there is some confusion here. Many of us believe that the requirement for all candidates to express a belief in God is one of the Ancient Landmarks of our Order. What about the requirement to have the (or a) Volume of the Sacred Law always open when our Lodges are at labour? Is this not another Landmark or at least an Ancient Usage? We certainly dont do this in Rotary nor, I believe, in Probus. Both these requirements do not seem to me to denote Freemasonry as being a secular Organisation with Landmarks and Ancient Usages. Many of the words we use in our Ritual are not only beautiful but are also meaningful. How often do we really think about them? Passing of Brothers It is with regret to announce the passing to the Grand Lodge above of the following Brethren. Our thoughts are with their relatives and friends. W. Bro. B.G. Wood Towan Lodge No. 7684 W. Bro. C.R. Prisk Tregenna Lodge No. 1272 W. Bro. P. T. Clay Pendennis Lodge No. 7520 W. Bro. A.A.E. Toye St. Gluvias Lodge No. 7936 W. Bro. A.H.J. Eva Lodge of Love & Honour No. 75 Bro. J. Penaluna St. Lukes Lodge No. 5371 Bro. A.C. Floyd Mount Edgcumbe Lodge No. 1544 Bro. C.R. Dunn Lodge Lyonesse 6014 W. Bro. J. H. Gilbert Granville Lodge No. 3405 Bro. C. Barber Mount Edgcumbe Lodge No. 1544 W. Bo. C. Faull Druids Lodge No. 589 W. Bro. D. Morrell-Davies St. Annes Lodge No. 970 Bro. S. Tabbs Peace & Harmony Lodge No. 496 W. Bro. D. A. Gribbin Three Spires Lodge No. 9245 W. Bro. A.E. Douglas Restormel Lodge No. 856 Bro. R. F. Knowles Three Spires Lodge No. 9245 Bro. W.C. Nicholls The Lodge of Fortitude No. 131 W. Bro. G. Trewinnard A special mention must be made here about W. Bro. Geoffrey. He passed away on the 7th. January aged 105. An Honorary member, he was one of the two remaining representatives of the Trewinnard family after which Trewinnard Lodge No. 6157 is named. The Lodge was the first to be consecrated in Cornwall after the 2nd. World War. Welcome to the Craft Since our last Newsletter the following have become members of the Craft here in Cornwall. A warm welcome to you all and we hope you enjoy many happy years in the Fraternity. A.S. Brenton St. Georges Lodge No. 7953 M. Brown Beacon Lodge No. 9425 A. Butler Eagle Lodge No. 9472

February 2012

M.H.T. Channon P.D. Chin L. Durrant M.J. Eslick M.A. Etherington T.A. Graves N.A. Hoblyn S.B. Horrocks A.J.P. Knight C.S. Letheren R.D. Mann P.J. Mayhew K.J. Moon J.S. Moorfield K.L. Pearce S.J. Reed G.S. Richardson I.J. Thorp J.J. Walker N. Wickett

Three Grand Principles Lodge No. 967 Sir Humphrey Davy Lodge No. 9327 St. Enodoc Lodge No. 9226 Carlyon Lodge No. 7392 Druids Lodge 589 Greystone Border Lodge No. 9449 Three spires Lodge No. 9245 Tregenna Lodge No. 1272 Essa Lodge No. 6278 St. Lukes Lodge No. 5371 Trenwith Lodge No. 6309 Carlyon Lodge No. 7392 St. Annes Lodge No. 970 Earl of St. Germans Lodge No. 7031 Lodge of the Chisel No. 9398 St. Levan Lodge No. 5134 Caradon Lodge No. 8543 Duke of Cornwall Lodge No. 1529 Lodge of The Three Grand Principles No. 967 Agricultural Lodge of Cornwall No. 9342

Bouquets.... Many thanks for the large number of calls and emails that I have received since our last Newsletter. It would appear that a great number of you enjoy our little literary chat. ....and Brickbats But of course very few of us are perfect and it has been brought to my attention that I inadvertently omitted to insert the name of a new Brother who had been initiated into the Craft. To Brother B. Aindow of St. Budocs Lodge No. 8445, you now have your own personal entry! A little insight No doubt most of you will now be aware of the many changes that will take place at the Provincial meeting on the 31st . March. Of course, our new Provincial Grand Wardens will make their presence felt, but in the meantime I thought that it may be a good idea if you knew a little bit about them. Consequently I asked them just one or two questions of which they were only too happy to oblige me with their answers. Senior Warden Vivian Stratton of Tregenna Lodge No. 1272 was Initiated into Freemasonry in 1976. He is also a member of the Holy Royal Arch, Rose Croix and was also in the Mark Degree for many years. Married with two children he has a son who is a doctor in Nuclear medicine in Australia and a daughter who is a restaurant manager. His favourite food (fortunately), is roast beef so he should be extremely happy at the Festive Boards. His favourite likes are Natural History and the countryside, whilst his pet dislike is those who mistreat other people, children and animals. Vivian has a few proudest moments; in July at the Headlands hotel, he received the Lifetimes Achievement Award from amongst 3,000 staff employed by Cornwall College for 30 years of Grade 1 teaching as well as the Development of New Qualifications for Construction and Civil Engineering with the Awarding Body, which is not only relevant to the UK but to all our Colonies and Dependencies. Vivian was also placed in Whos Who as one of the top 50 Ornithologists in the world. Finally his proudest moment to add to a rather long list was when he received notification that he was to be appointed as Provincial Senior Grand Warden. Junior Warden W. Bro. Andrew Orchard of Greystone Border Lodge No. 9449 was Initiated into his lodge some 21 years ago, and is also a member of the Holy Royal Arch. He has two boys, the oldest of whom is now the Junior Warden of Greystone Border Lodge, and is due to go into the chair in 2013. W. Bro. Andrews main hobby is Motor Sports of which he is the team Co-ordinator of the Honda ATV racing team. The Festive Boards may prove a little hard to supply as his favourite food is French cuisine! His favourite thing is country life and he dislikes people who are pretentious.

Proudest achievement was to be the South West rally champion for the years 1981, 82 and 83. We all look forward to seeing you both during the next season.

Determined efforts
Congratulations to W. Bro. Tony James, who having suffered from a debilitating stroke and severe health problems including kidney and liver, last year managed to walk approximately 2.2 miles from Kingswood to Pentewan. This magnificent effort raised the sum of 1000 of which W. Bro. Tony donated 500 to the Childrens Hospice South West and this year donated the remaining 500 to the 2013 Festival fund. The picture shows W. Bro. Tony with Sarah North a fund raising member of the Childrens Hospice receiving the cheque. Also showing great courage and resolve, credit must be given to Bro. Roy Davey of St. Lukes Lodge No. 5371 Camborne. Bro. Roy suffers extremely badly from Parkinsons disease, which at times makes it almost impossible for him to control his tremors. Despite this he has become a very talented artist and recently made a booklet comprising some of his pencil drawings and his own composed poems. He then went around the local shops and businesses and sold so much of his work that he was able to donate the sum of 590 to Shelterbox. This enabled the charity to fully equip another box for those in need. Well done Bros. Tony and Roy for your courage and steadfastness. Charity continues The Duke of Cornwall Lodge No. 1529 recently donated the sum of 1000 for the 2013 Festival and was presented with their gold certificate by the Provincial Grand Master. The Lodge also donated the sum of 1,360 to the Childrens Hospice at Little Harbour. The Victory Lodge of Mark Master Masons No. 1030 at Callington presented a cheque for the sum of 500 to the Liskeard Eventide Care Home. Eventide is a non profit making home that will celebrate 60 years this year. Ellie Libby Many of you will recall of the donations from Cornwalls Masons not only of money but of land to form Ellies Haven, a haven in South East Cornwall for seriously ill children and their families. Ellie was born in January 2005 suffering with a rare brain disorder which resulted in her needing round the clock care. She passed away in January just a few days before her 7th. birthday. Her Brother aged just 14 months, had previously died from the same condition which is so rare that it has not been named by Doctors. I had the privilege of going to Looe to visit Ellie and her parents Nigel and Julie on several occasions and always came away feeling proud of the support being given by our organisation. Did you see The article in the Telegraph where our Grand Charity was mentioned. Keele Polytechnic in North Staffordshire will be the first to grow; new stem cells in the ear that become lost or damaged with age. Age related hearing loss affects more than nine million people with over half of people aged 60 and over affected to some degree. Dr. Dave Furness, from Keele Polytechnics school of life sciences, has been working for three years on a study founded by Deafness Research UK and the Freemasons Grand Charity to look into the causes of age related hearing loss. Bronze, Silver and Gold I am sure that the word has been spread by your Charity Stewards and Secretaries that our Provincial Grand Charity Steward W. Bro. Tony Evans has requested one last final push towards the 2013 Festival. Bearing in mind that this year is somewhat special in the sporting world, and that many countries will be trying to win a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal, why not try to get your own Lodge a well deserved recognition of your efforts by qualifying for a certificate at the moment 33% of our Lodges have not qualified for a Bronze.

A Teddies poem The following little verse was given to me by a Brother who said that he felt so proud that we continue to have the Teddies at Treliske scheme. With lots of love and different colours Teddies arrive at Treliske from Cornwalls Brothers. With yellow, green, red, pink and blue These little Teds were donated by you. The children love to cuddle them and take them to their beds With Ted beside them at night they rest their little heads. A Masonic gesture is this deed, a fine example to us all In fact perfect gifts that wont drive us up the wall. Where the child goes so does Ted a constant companion it is said There is never need to be apart, These Teds are given from the heart. So Bill and Brothers we thank you for what you do We surely do look up to you, The fine example that you all make To me is better than chocolate cake. Flying the flag A very proud man indeed is W. Bro. Desmond Buckingham of Zetland Lodge No. 1071 in Saltash. His son Edward was recently the first Cornishman to conquer Mount Everest and who raised the Cornish flag when reaching the summit. Although not a Freemason, Ed does a lot of charity work, this latest achievement raising the sum of 1,500 toward the British Heart foundation. Any chance of your son joining our ranks W. Bro. Desmond? Masonic Bowling Association The CMBA continue to not only do well on the green but also on their fund raising. The sum of 500 was recently donated to the 2013 Festival and a further 500 to the childrens Hospice South West. To add to that, the President of the Ladies section Mrs. Maureen Jenkin, was delighted to donate the sum of 400 to the Neonatal Unit at Treliske Hospital. Reaching for the heights Bro. Derek Wilton, of Mount Edgcumbe Lodge No. 1544, has registered to trek and climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in September to raise awareness and funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care. In order to raise the money required for this event (4,000), Bro. Derek will be organising events and activities for the general public and private Masonic social gatherings. If you wish to support Bro. Derek, then he can be contacted via www.justgiving.com In due course media coverage will hopefully be given highlighting Freemasonry and charitable causes. A good anniversary party As part of the 75th. anniversary of its Consecration meeting, Truro School Lodge No. 5630 hosted the AGM of the Federation of School Lodges at Truro School itself the first meeting of the Lodge at the School since 1946. The Federation of School Lodges is a national organisation and has in excess of 170 Lodges as members, the majority of which are situated in England, though some are in Wales and even one in the Isle of Man. Competition to hold its AGM is very strongly sought after, with venues for the next ten years already booked. The AGM was held in the Burrell theatre and members of the Lodge were on duty from 11am to meet the visitors, which included RW Bro. J.W. Daniel a past pupil and Head Prefect of the school, 129 Brethren from all over the country and 48 Ladies. RW Bro. Daniel gave a most interesting talk entitled Truro Cathedral, School and Lodge, which was well received by all present. The day concluded with a Festive Board in the main dining hall which was

obviously enjoyed by all as 149 diners consumed 191 bottles of wine! The retiring collection and a raffle raised 1000 which was donated to the 2013 Festival and has enabled the Lodge to almost qualify for a Platinum Certificate. A further 250 was donated to the new Lizard Lifeboat. Still going strong

Brethren from all over our Province have recently received their well earned recognition of long service to the Craft. Regretfully space prevents me from giving all of their details, so I hope that the photos above will bring back happy memories to all concerned. Photo No. 1 shows a 60 year certificate presented to Bro. Alan Mitchell and 50 year badge to W. Bro. Chris Horner both of St. Michael Lodge No. 2747. Unfortunately due to poor health Bro. Bruce Longworth had to receive his 50 year badge from the Provincial Grand Master prior to the meeting. No. 2 is Bro. Eddie Smale of Zetland Lodge No. 1071 with his 60 year certificate. No. 3 is W. Bro. Eric V. Browning aged 92 of St. Martins Lodge No. 510 with his 60 year certificate, and No.4 is Bro. Jack Trevenna of the Duke of Cornwall Lodge No. 1529 receiving his 60 year certificate. Is there too much frivolity in Masonry? This letter has been sent in by our Provincial Grand Secretary, W. Bro. Alan Odgers I thought I would set my thoughts to paper regarding the latest Provincial Year which is quickly drawing to a close for the current active officers. The year started quietly enough with the new officers getting to know each other and finding their feet. The year has been in the main well supported by these officers who have gradually got more and more confident, particularly my 'former friends' the Wardens, Paul Higgins and David Tangye. This culminated recently in January at my Mother Lodge Boscawen's Installation in being 'dubbed and presented, by W.Bro. Paul Higgins, with a collar as, of all things the 'Provincial Grand P.A.T. Tester', the collar sported a gold painted 13 amp plug (of dubious origin) as a jewel and two electrical testing screwdrivers attached on either side. This originated from an innocent remark that I had recently taken a P.A.T. course. Things then went from bad to worse at Mount Sinai Lodge Installation, when the Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies, W.Bro. Roger (Grasser) Cargeeg learned that the Provincial Grand Master

had just enjoyed a significant birthday, although he was very sensitive about this; 'Grasser' took it upon himself to present the P.G.M. with a leather pension book case, I learned later he had 'halfhitched' it from his Mother, and also implicated me with the action! What 'Grasser' did very craftily was to focus so much attention on the rest of us that his own delicate birthday event almost, I say almost, went unnoticed. We move now to Fowey Installation recently when the Provincial Wardens struck again! This time W. Bro. Cargeeg was presented with a 'Zimmer frame' fully equipped with bell, light, horn and two clips for his wand. Now the reader must by now realise that the catalyst behind these pranks are the Wardens; I issue fair warning now that W. Bro. Roger and myself have cautioned them to keep looking over their shoulder because one day we will be there - their suffering is yet to come! O.K. this is the state of play at the moment, on a more serious note, should we even be doing this, are we letting down Freemasonry? I would argue and I hope that I have the support of the P.G.M. that this hobby of ours should be fun; there are the times in the temple when we are and should be serious and the ranks acknowledged and respected on their merit, but there is also times when we can have a little light-hearted fun, but I stress, always within the bounds of decency and good manners. Your rehearsals and Lodge of Instruction should be entered into seriously with a genuine wish to selfimprove, but at the end or the start we can still have fun. My father had an old adage, that I think works well for Freemasonry - 'Work hard and play hard'. Also more Senior Masons can have as much fun as the juniors, as illustrated above. So, is there too much frivolity in Freemasonry? I would like to think only 'in the best possible taste'. Diary dates Provincial Banquet/Ball Saturday 10th. March. Atlantic Hotel, Newquay. Tickets 28.50pp Ticket may be booked with any of the following; Peter Collins 01208-75094 Neville Don 01736-754729 David Lobb 01726-61232 David Pascoe 01326-317514 Martin Winchester 01579-363271 Alan McIntosh 01288-359511 Mike Williams 01736-351972 Martin Harvey 01872-540340 Provincial Grand Lodge meeting is Saturday 31st. March. Details will be announced shortly. And finally I thought that I may try to get a little more colour and interest into our Newsletter by inserting a couple of photos. This may have caused a little chagrin amongst one or two Secretaries if they have to print a Newsletter for each member, but dont forget that it can be posted by email or seen on our website, so hopefully the extra print will not cause too many problems. The next edition will hopefully be out in the beginning of June. Yours sincerely and fraternally,

Bill Mayhew