Most Excellent Grand Superintendent EComp Norman Eric Heaviside Address to Annual Convocation – 2017 – Lancastrian Suite, Dunston
Good afternoon Companions and can I first of all bid you all a very sincere welcome to our Annual Convocation here in Dunston. We have in recent years been holding this event at Rainton Meadows, but unfortunately we haven’t been able to use their facilities this time. By way of explanation, the Management at Rainton have, for the past 3 years, been advising us that they were to build new premises on that Site. At this time last year we enquired about booking this year’s Convocation with them but they indicated that the Premises would be closing in December of last year, in order to start building the new facility. We therefore had to take a decision to go elsewhere, and that is why we are here today. Strangely, Rainton Meadows is still functioning and last week, when I asked them when they expect to start building the new facility, they replied saying that they will be closing the current facilities in June of this year. May I now express my sincere congratulations to those Companions whom I have had the privilege and pleasure of Appointing and Promoting in Provincial Grand Chapter today. Each of you have made an outstanding contribution to your individual Chapters over many years, and today sees the reward for your endeavours. Believe me Companions, my Chapter Executive take these appointments very seriously before they make the final decisions and I do hope that you are all very proud to receive your respective honours. Whilst your respective honour is a recognition of your past efforts, it also brings with it an expectation of further commitment and support of your Chapter, as well as giving support to the various Provincial initiatives we engage in, to improve the Royal Arch Experience for all Companions. I also charge each of you to encourage those of your Craft colleagues who have not as yet taken that final step by joining the Royal Arch Degree. We have 42% of our Craft members who are Members of the Royal Arch, but it would be even better if we can aim to have 50% of our Brethren able to share and enjoy the Royal Arch experience. Grand Honours Companions, at the Annual Investiture of Supreme Grand Chapter in April, we were privileged to have some of our Companions recognised for their outstanding support of our Order, and I would now like to introduce them to you. I would ask each of them to stand when I mention their name and remain standing until I have completed the List, and then we can give them our richly deserved applause.
First Appointments Ex Comp John Halshaw as PGStdB Ex Comp Dr Paul Mundell as PGStdB Ex Comp George Boys-Stones as PGStdB Ex Comp Godfrey Hedley as PAGDC
Promotion Ex Comp Malcolm Ross to PAGSoj
First Principals For the first time at this Event, we have invited each of the 1st Principals of our Chapters to attend, and indeed it was a delight to see them Processing into Provincial Grand Chapter today. To each of those Principals may I extend my grateful thanks for coming along today and enhancing our Convocation. I congratulate each of you on your appointment and it is my sincere wish that you have a most successful year in Office.
Talking Heads For the last few years we have had a small team of people attending Craft Lodges, with what we refer to as Chapter Road Shows. We now feel that we should change that format and we are aiming to introduce a new initiative called Talking Heads. In March of this year we received a Demonstration Team from Metropolitan Grand Chapter, at Trinity Lodge in Darlington, who gave us their version of providing an insight into the Royal Arch Degree. This initiative is aimed at Craft Members who have yet to join the Royal Arch, and I have to say Companions, it was a total different way of encouraging the interest of non-Chapter Masons. Such was the interest it created, that we have now taken their advice, and are currently in the process of editing their script to suit our requirements. It is our intention to make this Demonstration available from early September and, in due course, we will be communicating with Lodges as to how to apply to receive this demonstration in their Lodges.
I must stress Companions that any Lodge that wishes to hold a Talking Heads Demonstration, must undertake to encourage as many non-Chapter Masons to attend on that evening.
Masonic Charitable Foundation – MCF
As part of the Tercentenary Celebrations this year, the MCF are donating £3m to 300 Charities across England Wales. We in Durham have been awarded a total of £89k to be divided amongst 8 different Charities that we have submitted to the MCF. Although this is primarily a Craft Initiative, I mention it here because we have the opportunity to take part in a Public Poll, which will decide how much each of those 8 Charities will receive. Please look out for the announcements of how to Vote and I will say more about this at the Craft Annual Meeting in June.
November Convocation
On Wednesday 8th November we are to have a Provincial Trip to the Supreme Grand Chapter Convocation and I hope that about 60 Companions from this Province will support that event. It is to be a rather special occasion, because to celebrate the fact that our First Grand Principal, HRH The Duke of Kent, has been our First Grand Principal for 50 years, there is to be an Investiture of new Grand Chapter Officers. Each Province are to be given 1 x First Appointment and 1 x Promotion and it is anticipated that HRH The Duke of Kent will preside at that Meeting. Companions this is an opportunity to see the Splendid Grand Temple hosting a very special Convocation. Following the Convocation, we will adjourn to the Freemasons Arms for Lunch, where we can enjoy a 3 Course Lunch and one third of a bottle of Wine for £29.50. We will shortly be advertising the details of how to apply to join our trip to London and you can have an excellent day out for under £100.
Chapter Visiting
One item I would like to encourage you to support, is that of Visiting other Chapters around our Province. It is becoming increasingly obvious, nowadays, that fewer Companions are Visiting other Chapters, than used to be the case 10 and 20 years ago. Part of enjoying the Royal Arch experience is to see how other Chapters perform their Ceremonies, because it can be boring at times if you only attend your own Chapter Meetings. One of the real privileges that the Acting Officers of the year have experienced, is to Visit a number of Chapters around the Province, on what we call Full Team Visits. We arrange at least 8 Visits per year and we have seen some remarkable Ceremonies. At this point I would like to formally express my sincere appreciation to all those Acting Officers who have retired today, not only for their support in such Visits throughout the year, but above all for their friendship.
Dedication Service Can I briefly mention our Tercentenary Dedication Service, which will be held in Durham Cathedral, on Thursday 7th September at 7pm. Please put this date in your diary and we will shortly be advising you of the detailed arrangements and how to apply for Tickets. We feel that we need to make this a Ticketed Event, in order to ensure that we don’t have twice as many people attending as can be accommodated.
Companions I am sure that you are well aware that events like today don’t just happen. Many people are involved in Planning this Convocation and on your behalf I must express our grateful thanks to the Provincial Scribe E and his team and the Provincial Grand D of C and his team. The Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge have also played a major role and in particular our thanks go to Ex Comp Gavin Rowell for all the preparation he has undertaken for many weeks, in collating all the Festive Board applications. Companions, I am most grateful for the attention you have given to my Address and I sincerely hope that you will continue to enjoy your Royal Arch Masonry.