The New Grand Master At a Grand Lodge Conclave held on 9 May 2020, RW Bro John Smith OSM MSA, was elected as the next Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of South Africa.
By MW Bro Geoff Edwards OSM, Past Grand Master
R
W Bro John Smith OSM MSA was born in Graaff Reinet on 14 November 1955. His parents farmed in the Murraysburg district and John’s formative years were shaped in this almost idyllic environment. He attended the Union High School in Graff Reinet, where he played rugby, cricket, tennis and squash and participated in the debating and drama societies. He was elected as the Head Prefect in Grade 12 and matriculated with a University exemption in 1973. He was then conscripted in the SADF for two years, where he attended the Infantry School and attained the rank of Second Lieutenant. John, as most of you are well aware, has a legal background. After completing his military service, he read for a B Juris law degree at Port Elizabeth University, where he served on the SRC and then read for a LLB law degree at Rhodes University. From 1981 to 1984 John was employed as a Public Prosecutor and a Legal Adviser. He was then called to the Cape Town Bar and practised as an Advocate from 1985 to 1995. With the advent of the first democratic elections he decided to complete his Articles and he was admitted as an Attorney in 1996. He has practised at the Side Bar since then and he has owned and operated a highly respected Attorney’s firm since 2002. He was appointed by the Department of Justice as a parttime Commissioner of the Small Claims Court in 2000. The next year he was appointed as a part-time Military Judge (Citizen Force Reserve) by the Department of Defence with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In addition to his Attorney’s practice, he still regularly presides in both these Courts. As far as Freemasonry is concerned, both John’s father and brother were committed members of Lodge de Vereeniging in Graaff-Reinet and it was natural for John to join them at a young age. He was initiated in 1976, passed in 1977 and raised in 1978. He subsequently relocated to Cape Town where he joined Lodge de Goede Hoop in 1984 and served as its Presiding Master in 1990 and again in 2006. John joined the Royal Arch Chapter de Goede Kaap in 1985 and was elected as the MEZ in 1991 and again in 2012. He was a member of the AASR Chapter l’Esperance between 1986 and 1992. He was invited to join the Royal Alfred Sovereign Grand Chapter Rose Croix (SC) in 2014 and the Royal Order of Scotland (SC) in 2016. He has been awarded Honorary membership of Lodge St Jan, Lodge Isandlwana, Lodge Westerford, the British Lodge (EC) and Lodge Southern Cross (SC). John is, first and foremost, a leader and a contributor. His work on the Grand Lodge’s Ritual and Constitution Committees
RW Bro John Smith OSM MSA, with his wife Edelweiss and their daughter Andrae.
is legendary and he has made a real difference in both. It was inevitable therefore that once he really got started, he would progress rapidly through the ranks. He was appointed as the Provincial Grand Master (Southern Division) in 2008, a position which he filled with distinction. He was promoted to an Assistant Grand Master in 2012 and appointed as the Deputy Grand Master in 2017. In May 2020 he was elected to the position of Grand Master. Throughout his Masonic journey he has performed to an exceptional standard and the Order of Service to Freemasonry (OSM) was awarded to him in 2015. Nobody has any doubt that John will be an exceptional Grand Master and his tenure is much looked forward to. He has achieved similar success in the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of South Africa. He was appointed to the rank of Deputy First Grand Principal in 2015 and the First Grand Principal presented the Meritorious Service Award to Royal Arch Freemasonry (MSA) to him in 2018 for his exceptional contribution to this Supreme Grand Chapter. As far as his home life is concerned, John is happily married to Edelweiss, an artist with her own studio at the V&A waterfront. Edelweiss is very supportive of John’s Masonic activities and is a regular at our various functions. His eldest daughter, Teneille, was a teacher at Jan van Riebeeck High School and, in what must be the lowest point of John’s life, passed away unexpectedly in 2009 after suffering a stroke. His younger daughter, Andrae, is still very close to her parents and owns her own digital nomad company. The final and a very important part of the Smith family is Forest, their Border Collie who idolises John and gives him the sort of uncomplicated support and pleasure that only a “man’s best friend” can ever really provide. Right now, of course, the objective is to get our new Grand Master installed amidst all the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s frustrating, but I know that I am talking on behalf of everyone when I assure you that it will be well worth waiting for.
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