GRAND MASTER’S
Hello brethren and welcome to my final Grand Master's Newsletter...
My last newsletter as Grand Master and wintertime has been a busy time for our Craft.
I thank all those who have represented me at installations and other special events, and I thank the Ceremonial Team who have been kept busy attending many installations, re-consecrations, open days, and charity events.
As I come to the end of my term as Grand Master and I reflect on what has really been a very busy, enjoyable and particularly humbling part of my life, I will leave the office with some wonderful memories – memories that I will cherish until the day I die.
The duties of a Grand Master are many and varied, from representing and supporting our lodges throughout the jurisdiction, to board meetings, committee meetings, community events, and administration duties. One of the greatest privileges over the past three years was that of sharing quality time with so many masons, and while I guess we didn’t always agree on every issue, I can honestly say that I never met a mason that I didn’t like.
I have also had the privilege of working closely with some truly incredible men who have given up a large part of their life to make a positive difference to our Craft, and I do thank all those men and women who are currently giving up their
time and making the effort to support our various boards and committees. You all do an incredible job and I am so proud to have been working alongside you during my term as Grand Master.
Of course, a special mention also goes out to all the volunteers who work so hard in different capacities to make this place what it is.
THIS ISSUE OF THE GRAND MASTER’S NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY MASONICARE
i MW Bro Les Hicks
I also thank those who have served this Grand Lodge over many years and are now retired or are about to retire from important roles of responsibility. Your skill and dedication have made a huge impact on the NSW and ACT masonic community, and you’ve built a strong platform for the future.
Brethren, over the past three years we have all done our best to enjoy the present and to create the future, and I feel that we have made some very positive steps forward. When I came to office it was my firm belief that there was an urgent need for serious change throughout the organisation if we were to be in any way competitive with regard to sound governance, competitive workplace practices, and reining in our spending. We are a membership-based organisation, and we MUST work FOR and WITH our members. It’s as simple as that!
In my mind, there was a serious need for the effective re-structure of our committees, boards, administration and technology if we were to compete in the modern world and if we were to rein in costs to benefit our members and enable the Craft to continue providing ongoing benefits to our community.
We are a state-wide organisation, and it was my belief that we needed to see sincere, strong leadership from our most senior officers. Grand Lodge assistance and support had to grow throughout the entire state, and I knew that some hard calls needed to be made if we were to have any chance of creating and implementing the changes that I believed would set us on a path to future growth and success.
Fast forward, and we have now seen some serious re-structuring of our various boards and committees. There has been a conscious lean toward youth and enthusiasm, while at the same time we’ve maintained a healthy balance of experience and talent. We now look to the future, and we have set goals that will create a happier meeting environment and achieve outcomes that we could only dream of.
We started by re-structuring our Grand Lodge administration, because we needed the administration to get behind us and work with us to improve and implement technology. We knew that we needed to be smarter, stronger and leaner in all facets of our management systems, and I have to say that the current Grand Secretariat structure now plays a major part in that success. I really thank our Grand Secretary RW Bro Stephen Green and his team for all that they’ve done and all that they continue to do.
Next, we had to develop and introduce all new technology that was to be Craft specific. Technology is key to survival in the modern world; there was no doubt that we were falling way behind with our technology to the extent that, if we kept operating the way we were, our management and admin costs would
just keep rising. It was clear to us that without serious tech changes, ongoing pressure on our capitation fees well above the normal CPI increases would continue, so we needed a system that would be Craft specific and work for us. Our system needed to provide us with the ability to administer, store records, educate, promote, recruit, assist with retention, and provide us with a new financial transactional platform that we could use for decades to come. The new system needed to be much less costly to maintain, it had to understand Freemasonry and it had to be quick and easy to upgrade.
The development and introduction of the Grand Lodge CMS (Content Management System) is, in my opinion, the most serious and major change made to this organisation in living memory. The cost savings and the impact it is now having on our Craft and the benefits toward long term survival cannot be overestimated.
Leadership was also something that I believed needed to be addressed. I was left a legacy from our Past Grand Masters, a legacy of hard work and conviction. It was important to me that, as Grand Master, I immersed myself in the masonic community throughout the state, and I needed to meet as many masons as possible. Our leadership team and I have done hundreds of visitations during my term, that have given us a clear idea of what is important, and what needs to be done moving forward. As senior officers, we need to be more prolific with our visitations to our city and country lodges that will help us keep up with the evolving dynamics of a world that does not stop changing.
The introduction of a Three Year Term for a Grand Master was also imperative. Elections and Installations are costly, time consuming and stifle momentum. All Grand Masters start their masonic journey as Entered Apprentices, and we remember our initiation with great pride. As I walked through the Grand Masters Gallery on level 3 of the SMC, it occurred to me that we (masons) do always get it right when we choose our leadership. I have always
believed that the leadership selection process should be the responsibility of all of us, and should never just come from the top end of town. The Craft belongs to us all so decision-making is something that all of us should be involved in.
The decision to change our constitution to allow for a three year term for Grand Master now provides us with much greater leadership stability, and that is vital for success in any organisation. It was pleasing to see that the brethren overwhelmingly supported what was a serious change to our constitution. Congratulations and I’m sure that the benefits of your decision will benefit our Craft greatly moving forward.
And finally, it’s imperative to have a smooth and seamless transition between Grand Masters, and I thank our Grand Master Elect RW Bro Khris Albano for his understanding and commitment to that process. I look forward to Khris’s leadership; he’s a first-class individual, he’s got my utmost respect, my full support, and I look forward to him being my Grand Master.
There’s no doubt in my mind that we are on a path to a bright successful future; we’ve got some incredibly talented masons leading us in an exciting direction, and I leave the office of Grand Master looking forward to the future. I guess history will judge whether we’ve all done enough but, I really appreciate the support that YOU have provided US as we’ve gone about making the difficult decisions that have brought about some much-needed change.
Three years ago, you allowed me to stand on a platform of Humility, Kindness and Generosity, and it is with a healthy dose of Humility that I thank you for your support. I thank you for your kindness and I thank you for your generosity, but most of all brethren, I thank each and every one of you for your Friendship. GAVEL
Les Hicks
Grand Master 2021 – 24
Freemason – Our official magazine
You will have received your July–September 2024 edition of Freemason magazine through the post. Remember, all issues of our magazine can be viewed, searched and downloaded from FreemasonNSW.com
In this issue: UGL’s new organ; Grand Lodge goes to Victoria; A mason in China; Student awards; ANZAC wreath-laying; What is ANZMRC?; Welcoming the GM-Elect; SS John Oxley; Lodge Army Navy’s centenary; 200 years young; and much more
