Tessellated Tales - December 2012

December 2012

TESSELLATED TALES

Volume 1, Issue 6

Newsletter of the District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand

Christmas Message from our District Grand Master Right Worshipful Brother Brian James Westhead

Brethren, as we come to the end of another year it is time to look back on all the good things that have happened during the past 12 months, and go forward to the New Year with positive attitudes.

I know we have all had times during the year that we could have done without, but it is time to remember the good, rather than dwell on the bad.

We will all have fond personal memories of the year just gone, but let me dwell on matters Masonic in this message of good will.

Our Brothers in Christchurch, while they haven’t had any major earth tremors this year, they have still suffered smaller quakes, and our hearts go out to them with the hope that things are slowly getting back to normal in their fine city.

Up here in the North Island, I and my team of Executive Officers, have been pleased to have been welcomed most warmly into your Lodges at your annual installation meetings, and we look forward with great expectations for a similar year in 2013. It is always a pleasure to meet with our many friends around the Island, some of whom we don’t get to see too often.

We had a very successful Communication and Chapter Convocation in Auckland in May, but the highlight of the year must have been the sesquicentenary celebrations of the Port Chalmers Marine Lodge No. 942 in Napier in November, which was held in conjunction with the annual

Communication of District Grand Lodge.

Our Brethren in Napier are to be congratulated for the enormous effort and planning they put in to ensure a splendid and well run weekend for their many visitors to this historic occasion. I was extremely pleased to be able to dedicate their very first banner with the ladies in attendance (and what a magnificent banner it is); I know that all who were there appreciated the whole event.

Finally, on behalf of Desré and myself I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful, healthy and happy New Year.

Brian Westhead District Grand Master

The Fellowship We Share

The mystique of the unsaid word The tokens we bestow

The guarded secrets that we take Everywhere we go

Carry them with honour Nurture them with care

So future men may comprehend The fellowship we share.

J. Bau

This short poem, along with over 30 more, have been published by the Prince of Wales Lodge in a collection titled “Hand on Heart”, to raise money for charity.

Copies are available at $12.40 each, including postage. To get your copy and support the District Charity, please contact Tony Mansfield at tonyman@xtra.co.nz

Inside this issue

The design for the banner was produced

by W Bro Bob McKillop, and the Companions of the Aorangi Chapter who were responsible for its production were present and were able to present it to the Lodge during the ceremony while clothed in their Royal Arch regalia. The presentation of the banner by this Chapter was a truly generous and Masonic gesture.

A Christmas Message from the District Grand Master An Anthology of poems From the Pen of the Grumpy DGS A Bequest from your Estate Port Chalmers Marine Lodge Sesquicentenary and Banner District Visiting Officers Appointed Report from NIEMDCT Upcoming Events

December 2012

Page 2

From the pen of the Grumpy District Grand Secretary

In the last newsletter, I talked about the wearing of jewels but did not mention that the same rules apply to the Royal Arch.

coming out of the chair would be doing so for the first time and, at the time of writing, it would not have been envisaged that Past Masters would be going through the chair for a second This time, I intend to speak about time, as is the case in many Lodges collars, and the wearing of same. today.

Again, the same rules apply to the Royal Arch (Just read First Therefore, if the outgoing Master is a Grand or District Grand Officer, there is principal in place of Master). a case to argue whether or not he First and foremost, no Lodge should be invested with a Past Master’s Officer’s collar may be worn at collar remembering that this is not an any meeting other than at the Officer’s collar. However, I don’t intend Lodge at which you are the to go there, but at future meetings it is Officer, except for the Master and totally unnecessary (and wrong) for the Wardens who must wear their Immediate Past Master, if he be a collars at District and Grand Lodge Grand or District Grand Officer, to wear a Past Master’s collar over the top of meetings. the collar of his District rank.

Master without any District rank, he should wear a Past Master’s collar (being the collar of his rank) under the collar of his Lodge Office.

When a Brother, other than the normal Lodge Officer, stands in

for a ceremony, he only wears the Lodge

Officer’s

collar

if

the

regular Officer is absent, as the Master will have appointed him to

the Office for the night. If the regular Officer is in attendance,

the Brother standing in for the ceremony does Officer’s collar.

not

wear

the

Grand, and District Grand Officers have the option of wearing dress or undress regalia and it is important that the appropriate dress or undress collar be worn to match the apron.

There is also confusion among many members as to the so called, Immediate Past Master’s collar. This is a Past Master’s collar and must be worn by every Past Master until such time as he may, or may not, be invested with a District Collar.

As an aside, I notice a number of Lodge Officers wearing Past Master’s collars with the Officer’s jewel attached. This is wrong; Lodge Officer’s collars are plain whether or not the Officer is a Past Master. He will have the collar of his In the next newsletter, I will talk about, "got to think about that". rank under the Officer’s collar.

Every Past Master is improperly dressed if he is not wearing a collar.

The ritual for the investiture of the Immediate Past Master would have been written on the assumption that the Master

Lodge Officers to be correctly dressed must wear the regalia of their rank which, if they be a Grand or District Grand Officer, includes the collar with the Lodge Officer’s collar over the top.

Strictly speaking if the Officer be a Past

Set your Estate to give a Bequest

Should you wish to support the North Island English Masonic District Charitable Trust by considering a Bequest to the Trust, you should contact your solicitor and ask that the following Clause be included in your Will: “I bequeath free of all duties to the NORTH ISLAND ENGLISH MASONIC DISTRICT CHARITABLE TRUST for the general purposes (or for a specific purpose) of the said Trust, the following amount (in words) or the following percentage of my residuary estate (percentage in words) or the following property or possessions (in words) and I direct that the receipt of the Secretary or other proper Officer of the Trust shall be good and sufficient discharge to my Trustees” The Trust understands that your will is a private and confidential document and while it is not necessary for you to advise the Trust that it has been mentioned in your will, it would be helpful to the Trustees were you to indicate that you have done so.

December 2012

Page 3

The Dedication Ceremony for the Lodge Banner on the sesquicentenary of the Port Chalmers Marine Lodge No 942.

The recent bi­annual district communications took

The Crest

dedication of the Lodge Banner for the Port Chalmers

history. The Lymphad in the upper left quarter is an

place in Napier to coinside with the ceremony for the Marine Lodge, on the occasion of the sesquicentanary of the Lodge.

The Lodge The

Port

Chalmers

Marine

Lodge

No

942

was

established in Port Chalmers in 1862, having been sponsored by the Dunedin Lodge No 931, which likewise celebrated its sesquicentenary in 2012, in Blenheim. Both are English Constitution Lodges which were

formed

in

an

otherwise

environment, the settlement of

Otago

having

undertaken

by

the

very

Scottish

The crest seeks to illustrate aspects of the Lodge’s

heraldic ship that alludes to the maritime origins of the Lodge in Port Chalmers.

In the upper right quarter, the stars of the Southern

Cross remind us that the Lodge is domiciled in New Zealand, the rose that it is on the register of the United Grand Lodge of England and the thistle alludes to

the

of Otago.

Scottish

character

of

the

settlement

The lower left quarter holds

been

a

Free

golden

square

and

compasses on a dark blue

Church of Scotland in 1848.

background.

The Lodge ceased labour in

In the lower right quarter is

was

stylised pavement to remind

Port Chalmers in 2005 and moved

Auckland

initially

where

domiciled

under

it

a cornucopia resting on a

to

was

that

the

domiciled

Mastership of W Bro Robert Fricker.

In

2008

it

Bay,

was

been

under

the

to

W Bro Michael Jensen, W Bro

Bruce McConnell.

Hawkes

renowned

RW

Bro

Westhead,

John Hume, W Bro Andrew W

the

now

for

its

The Banner was presented

Bro David McCulloch Miller,

and

in

is

The Donor

successive masterships of W

Renton­Green

lodge

bountiful harvests.

moved to Napier where it has

the

Master

Bro

Brian

District

by

James

Grand

Excellent

Companion Thomas Forster, and

Excellent

Companion

Andrew Renton­Green, the

The Banner

First and Second Principals

The Lodge had aspired to the

of the Aorangi Royal Arch

dedication of a Banner to

Chapter

No

2300,

having

mark the milestone of its sesquicentenary, and the

travelled up from Wellington.

No 2300, in Wellington resolved to meet the cost of

The ceremony was one of antiquity and dignity. It was

Aorangi Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons of England, such a banner. The Banner based upon a crest which

was developed for the Lodge in 2010 by W Bro Robert McKillop,

was

made

by

Paul

Robert

Embroiders Ltd in Palmerston North.

of

Robert

The Ceremony

one of those rare occasions during which a Masonic

ceremony was conducted in the presence of those who are not members of a lodge of Freemasons.

It was a special occasion that the members of Port Chalmers Marine Lodge were delighted and proud to share with family and friends.

December 2012

The North Island English Masonic District Charitable Trust

District Board of General Purposes District Visiting Officers for 2013

Page 4

One of the more pleasurable duties for those bretheren appointed to the District Board of General Purposes, is to represent the District at Lodge At this Festive time of the year, meetings. The following W Bros have been appoinded as District Visiting our thoughts turn to those Officers for the Lodges shown: widows and senior masons less 670 Mount Egmont Lodge New Plymouth Bryce Smith fortunate than ourselves.

An appeal was made to all Lodge Almoners

for

the

names

689

of 705

Waitemata Lodge Tongariro Lodge

widows or senior masons in need 942 Port Chalmers Marine who might benefit from a helping hand by way of a small cash 1188 Alexandra Lodge grant for Christmas. This appeal

has resulted in 5 names being

1338 Prince of Wales Lodge

advised – all in the Auckland 1480 Turanganui Lodge area.

1521 Wellington Lodge

that all but 5 of our widows and senior

masons

North

Island

sufficiently financially

District

taken

this

really

picture.

at

as

not

care to

of

this

1655 Corinthian Lodge

a

true 1721 United Manawatu Lodge 1801 Saint George Lodge

Christmas Grants for 2012 are 1878 Northern Light Lodge now closed but please remember 1930 Opotiki Lodge the Trust relies on Lodge

Almoners to let the District Grand 2072 Zealandia Lodge Almoner know of cases of hardship, not only as Christmas 2073 Duke of Albany Lodge draws near, but throughout the 2138 Lodge Franklin year as well; so that that these cases can be carefully and 2180 Lodge of Harmony

appropriately considered by the 2221 Te Awamutu Lodge Trustees.

2300 Aorangi Lodge A Merry Christmas to all and may many positive thoughts prevail in the New Year.

Chairman

of

your

Charitable

Trust, W Bro A J M (Murray) Macdonald DGChStwd

Hamilton

Auckland

Gisbourne

Whangarei Thames

Auckland

time,

represents

Roger Everest

1646 Sir Donald McLean Lodge Waitara

our 1647 Star of the North Lodge are

Taradale

Wanganui

Auckland

need 1710 Remuera Lodge a 1711 Rodney Lodge question lingers as to whether assistance

so

throughout

Jonathan Brooks

Wellington

Whereas it is pleasing to feel 1530 Eden Lodge from Lodge Almoners’ response

Auckland

Warkworth

Palmerston North Auckland Auckland Opotiki

Kerikeri

Helensville Hikurangi Auckland Auckland

Wellington

Upcoming Events

Roger Catlin Ron Agnew

Murray MacDonald Tony De Costa Mike Jensen

Tim Stansfield Roger Catlin

Warren Streater Keith Edmonds Martin Lazell Mike Lea

Pat Lenihan

Farouk Khan Bob Fricker

Tony De Costa Dennis Turner Barry Holland

Wayne Maday Bob Fricker

Shane Farley Mike Jensen

District Communications:

Next year the first of the District Communications will be held at the Ellerslie Masonic Centre on the 4th of May. The November Communications are to be

held in Kerikeri, and consideration is being give to expanding this weekend to include group activities such as golf, sightseeing and fishing.

If you have an interesting or amusing masonic related story you would like to share, we would like to hear from you.

Contact Us Editor: W Bro Tim Stansfield (tim.stansfield@vodafone.co.nz) Co Editor: W Bro Derek Sendrove (dsendrove@gmail.com) Freemasonry Today, the Official Journal of the United Grand Lodge of England is now available online at www.freemasonrytoday.com