Provincial Grand Chapter was held at Thirsk Racecourse on Saturday 19 October and after calling off, a full assembly, including partners, witnessed the Investiture of Officers for 2024-5.

Provincial Grand Superintendent Dr David Chambers addressed Companions and Partners:

Ladies and Companions,

My first task is to welcome you to our Provincial Chapter Convocation at this new venue of Thirsk Racecourse. Slightly fewer than we would have been, were it not for the fact that Covid has once again reared its head with apologies being made by a number in the last couple of days.

Whilst it might be thought that our home is York Racecourse, in keeping with changes in the Province in a number of areas, we thought it right to explore alternative venues, ring the changes, to reflect the vast geography of our Province, and of course having done so to take your feedback , so that this can be fed into our planning for the future.

Now, my first task is to assure you that, having had an opportunity to address a larger audience in May, many of you having been there, you certainly don’t need to hear things in stereo, well not all of them. Coupled with that I had an opportunity to be interviewed by Chris Ansell, our Provincial Communications Officer, which led to my comments being published in the Yorkshire Mason, so today I can be mercifully brief but no less sincere.

Thank you to all our visitors from our neighbouring Provinces. They were introduced to you when they entered the Chapter so I will welcome them again collectively and trust that, having travelled some distance, they will appreciate a sit down!

The same is true of those who have joined us today in their capacity both as Chapter Masons but also as Heads of Other Orders, to emphasise that we are one Masonic family, one which of course starts with Craft Freemasonry and, in almost all cases joining another order has as a prerequisite Chapter membership. Can I welcome, Charles Mawer from Rose Croix, Steven Cox from the Order of the Secreta Monitor and Chris Ansell of the Ancient Masonic Oder of King Alfred the Great. If there are others present that I have missed them welcome but please accept that by not identifying you iis a sin of omission and not one of commission.
he interdependent relationships in Masonry will be a feature going forward, as we plan events which involve each Order supporting each other to ensure that all events are viable and even more importantly enjoyable. We all have a responsibility to ensure that Freemasonry continues to thrive and of course, it is a statement of fact, that if we as Craft and Chapter aren’t buoyant then the knock-on effect in the other orders is self-evident.

Turning to our non-Masonic visitors . If you were present at our Craft meeting in May, you may notice a slight difference in the room furniture and in the apparel!! I am sure that you will be able to ask questions on the way home about the layout of the room and why it looks as it does.

Also, if you were there in May, you will also notice a difference in timing. May was an experiment with families present and I took the view that there was a need to ensure that each person receiving an honour was fully recognised but , I confess , I took little account of just how hard a chair becomes when you are in the audience or what 126 long handshakes does to your wrist!! I hope no one felt short-changed today with a well done and a less robust handshake rather than entering into a conversation about the meaning of life.

So, what important messages do I need to impart, bearing in mind my self-imposed task of being brief.

The Province is in good shape. For those of you who have read the very recent advice from the Province you will know of certain changes afoot, which take effect from today. Our membership is growing, verified by the fact I am able to announce that, to continue our development, the Grand Master has taken the decision to mark our success with the appointment of an additional APGM. Now why mention this here in Chapter -- well because it has ramifications.

The confirmation of this appointment is fairly hot off the press, indeed we felt it was certainly sufficiently warm to the touch for us to not incorporate all the resultant changes here today, That said, following a speedy response from UGLE and Supreme Grand Chapter I can now confirm the changes.

You will have noticed that I appointed Trevor Collinson as Third Provincial Grand Principal. This is as a result of Mark Iveson being made Assistant Provincial Grand Master in the Craft, which cannot be actioned today, but Mark will be invested in the very near future in his own Lodge. He therefore leaves the Convocation today as Assistant Provincial Grand Master Designate. So, congratulations to Trevor and to Mark in their new offices.

We will also welcome to the Provincial Executive Martin Monaghan who has been invested as the Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principals and who will be taking the lead on progressing Archway across the Province.

Another dimension of membership for both Craft and Chapter are the places in which we meet, and we have already put in place a Facilities Provincial Support Group under the direction of APGM Steve Cox, the development of which is already attracting the interest of London. We also have our Lodge and Chapter Provincial Support Group which, having been developed thus far by Mark Iveson, will now come under the direction of Trevor Collinson, who will be assisted by E Companion Hiten Thacker who is today invested as our second Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principals.

Hiten’s appointment, and his becoming a member of the Provincial Executive, is another consequence of our efforts to enhance our membership. Just as the Grand Master rewarded us with an additional APGM, in his capacity as First Grand Principal, he has rewarded us with a further Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principals to assist in securing the future of Chapter across the Province. In collaboration with Mark Iveson, Hiten has developed the role of Lodge and Chapter Support Officers which we tried to introduce previously but the Covid-19 restrictions led to a set-back. Now is not the time to go into detail but the development is launched today so await Provincial wide details in the next couple of weeks.

What do I need to say specifically about Chapter. Well, membership increases but not as quickly as the Craft. And that is of course not surprising since Craft precedes Chapter, so there is a time lag. We do, however, have to unlock the potential for new Chapter members. At the moment with 3050 Craft members and 1346 Chapter members we have some 44% of our Brethren who are companions. In other words, we have a pool of some 1700 potential Chapter Masons to enrol to complete their Masonic journey.

You will of course be aware that from the 1st January all new candidates for Freemasonry will register for Craft and Chapter from the outset, so the message is clear from day one that Freemasonry is composed of four elements which follow one after the other. It is also the case , and if it is not abundantly clear let me say it now, that as a Province we fully take on board the concept of Craft and Chapter as one organisation. We will be taking steps to ensure that we make inroads into the 1662 Brethren who have one more personal step to take! The challenge is to pass the 50% mark and keep going onwards and upwards.

We are of course at the start of a five-year festival to support MCF and you will all have seen, and I trust read, how we will work over the next five years to do the Province justice in terms of our support for the Masonic Charitable Foundation. Just keep to the forefront of your mind that at the last festival, ending in 2018, we raised approximately £1.8 million but, over the same period, we received some £2.5 million in support, with very substantial amounts supporting our own members and families in need. In other words, we need to step up the challenge, punch our weight, and maximise our support for MCF. So , this becomes challenge number two.

You may have heard of potential developments in the context of two new Chapters being considered. Discussion is indeed taking place about the creation of two new Chapters, one linked to our military Lodge Invictus and, at a very early stage of consideration, is a Chapter linked to our Light Blues Lodge. Cornerstone. If, and we hope when the latter comes to fruition it will complement the way in which new members of the Craft come together to progress their Freemasonry, by offering an opportunity to develop their own take on the Royal Arch by possibly adopting the recently introduced Savage Ritual. Perhaps, if this were to be adopted this would be a first in the Province and would definitely make the Chapter a desirable port of call for visiting.

As a Province we have been active in trying to find new ways to involve members in developments into how we function and ways to recognise those who go above and beyond what is expected of a Freemason. Of course we show recognition, as we have today, by the award of Provincial Honours, which are not given indiscriminately but after much deliberation, but there are criteria attached, not least of which is the length of time after a Brother or Companion has vacated the chair of his Lodge or Chapter. So, there is a long time before the honours system kicks in. In fact, so long that an individual can perhaps justifiably think “when do I get recognition?”

To help to bridge the gap, Province has introduced a Certificate of Merit, to mark involvement above and beyond and these are linked to where a Lodge or Chapter can identify and importantly evidence over time, why a nominee is worthy of such recognition. These are similarly not given indiscriminately, but importantly only in circumstances were a Lodge or Chapter seek to have one of its members singled out for an award. I can assure you that where they have been awarded , they have been the surprise of the night and have been well received.

The award of Grand Rank perhaps also warrants a mention. Whilst the Province can to an extent manage the award of Provincial honours, Grand Ranks are very limited in number and scope so there are arguably many who are worthy, but a much smaller number can be accommodated. In any one year a Province has two, or very exceptionally three, new appointments and one or, and again exceptionally, two promotions, in both Craft and Chapter, so it is a fine balancing act to try to ensure that those appointed or promoted have not only been actively involved but importantly who will be actively involved in the future. Grand Rank is rather like the dog not being just for Christmas. Acceptance of a Grand Rank is a commitment for the future so, should the time come when it is offered, ensure that you recognise exactly what it entails, Which is another way of saying that it isn’t just about getting the badge and putting a tick in the box but rather what you do with it when you achieve preferment.

I make no apology for reiterating the point that for all those appointed and invested today to Provincial Rank you should reflect on your appointment. Active Officers will be aware of their obligations in terms of support for Provincial events and by your acceptance you have signed up to those. Those of you who have been appointed to Past Rank or Promoted in Past Rank also have obligations to continue to set an example within your own Chapters, so that those who come after you can aspire to achieve what you have achieved. To all of you I offer my congratulations and thanks for your acceptance of your ongoing support.
Recently we had a Provincial development day entitled “Where Next”. The point was made that this was a rhetorical question that didn’t stem from a lack of conviction by the Provincial Executive as to where the Province is heading , rather more an opportunity to set out those ideas and test them by feedback. As a Province our aim is to try to create a climate in which we can all enjoy our Freemasonry and feedback plus taking on board ideas from across the Province is centra to the aim.

The principles driving us forward are first and foremost based on a cohesive team and we sink or swim as a Province together. So, what is our direction of travel?

The most obvious is that we seek to increase our membership in both Craft and Chapter, and we have in place mechanisms to do that. As I have alluded to already what better testimony that we have got it right, at least at the moment , is that, as judged independently by Grand Lodge, and Supreme Grand Chapter, we have been rewarded by strengthening our team to take things forward. A first for the Province and, if my sources are correct, one f a small number of Provinces in this category.

Our second direction of travel is that of becoming even more family friendly and we think we are doing this by opening up our Provincial meetings and, where possible our Lodge and Chapter meetings, to involve our families. There may be other things we can do to achieve this, so if you have ideas voice them but be prepared to put your energy behind them.

Thirdly we need to ensure that we find ways to involve Brethren and Companions with skills in how the Province functions. You have heard me say before that if you have skills and a wish to put them to use put your hand up so that you can become one of the 170 and growing who are currently working on our collective behalf to ensure that we can all enjoy our hobby.

Part of the direction of travel is to look to find ways to help those managing Masonic venues to make decisions and to their viability and availability. This is not in any way an attempt to usurp the powers and duties of Management Committees, as this will not happen.
What we can do and will do is to offer advice on how they might deal with issues which face our Masonic Halls, share good practice and, where possible, offer a reality check on where things can be improved following debate.
So, the challenges which face us all are to continue to grow, so that we can be as relevant in the future as our three hundred years of history demands, and in particular that we change with the times becoming even more family and community friendly. Indeed , we must become a more indispensable part of our local communities . Above all we have to live up to the ideals that we signed up to when we joined and professed to admire. These ideals, just like the obligations which an honour confers, are not a moveable feast to be applied when it suits but ignored when things don’t always work out the way we think or wish for.

Think back to the phrase that a dog is for life, and this is true for Freemasons. You professed to admire our principles when you joined so uphold them, enjoy your Freemasonry, contribute to the team effort and spread the word that Freemasonry is a good thing, and Freemasonry in the Province of Yorkshire North and Est Ridings is particularly good. Thank you for hearing me out!