Tessellated Tales - December 2022

TESSELLATED TALES Periodical of the District Grand Lodge of North Island New Zealand

Dec 2022

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 21st April 1926 - 8th September 2022

In this issue……

Contents A Message from our District Grand Master .................................................................................................................. 3 Attending the Grand Invstiture and Quarterly Communications ................................................................................. 4 Interviews with new Masters........................................................................................................................................ 5 Pictures from our Lodges and Chapters........................................................................................................................ 7 60 Up, Bring on 70! ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 A Letter from Cystic Fibrosis NZ .................................................................................................................................... 9 A Day to Remember at Freemasons’ Hall ................................................................................................................... 10 A Christmas Tale.......................................................................................................................................................... 11 Ukraine Refugee Fund Update .................................................................................................................................... 12 Wellington Communications ...................................................................................................................................... 13 Masons Helping Masons ............................................................................................................................................. 15 A Letter Received from Kilpatrick House .................................................................................................................... 16 A safe place ................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Introducing the DGLNINZ Lodge Companion .............................................................................................................. 19

Page 2 Periodical of the District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand

DISTRICT GRAND LODGE of NORTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND UNDER THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ANTIENT, FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS OF ENGLAND

A message from our District Grand Master Dear brethren, As Christmas approaches and I look out the study window at a magnificent Pohutukawa tree coming into flower, while nearby the last of a cherry tree’s blossom falls, it is not hard to be reflective about the past year. We have had some great times and sad times. Our celebrations included our District Communications held in Petone in November. The work that was done by the brethren of Wellington and Aorangi Lodges and the Board of General Purposes enabled this to be both a memorable and a really enjoyable weekend. Nothing but favourable feedback has come back. In like manner, in early December Prince of Wales Lodge celebrated their 150th anniversary with a formal dinner and dancing at The Northern Club. All brethren who attended with their wives, had a fabulous time and the photographs from the event certainly confirmed this. Again, even earlier in the year the revitalised Sir Donald McLean Lodge celebrated their transformation into a Travelling Lodge with a wonderful weekend in the Wairarapa At the same time, 2022 has seen the passing of our dear Queen and a number of brethren who have very much been part of the history and fabric of the District including W.Bros Bruce McMurtrie and Garry Spooner. Other brethren and their family members have been much effected by the ongoing effects of COVID or other illness. It has been a year where our lessons of the Third Degree have very much been to the fore. The seasons of life, the joy, the sadness is played out and made visible in the cycle of nature. What I am certain of it is not the length of life that matters but the width and depth of a life that counts. The width being measured in the circle of people we touch in living and its depth being the level of good we able to achieve and leave behind.

As Christmas trees are decorated, presents wrapped and food prepared it is good to be able to reflect on what is important in life. The values of family, of friendship and faith is what gives life it's continuum and us the strength to try and make this world a better and happier place. It is good to be able to reflect on what we as Freemasons and a District have done in endeavoring to try to assist in alleviating some of the pain and suffering occurring about us while we celebrate.

This includes the £1,000,000 raised by Grand Lodge for the Ukraine refugee crisis, to which you and your District contributed over $27,000; the $10,000 donated on your behalf through the Freemasons Foundation to the Auckland City Mission for food parcels and the $2,000 donated as the first installment of a $6,000 grant by our Charitable Trust to assist families with newly diagnosed babies with cystic fibrosis. This does not begin to include the many other outstanding charitable efforts individual lodges have completed in their own communities.

Families have their own special traditions of celebrating this festive time. Some with formal Christmas dinners and others with BBQs at the beach. Wherever you may be over the Christmas period, may you have time to enjoy all those who are special in your life and be able to reflect on how precious they are. May we also take time to reflect on the needs of others beyond our immediate family and acknowledge our Masonic responsibilities to assist wherever we can. Jan and I will be spending the period in Australia with grandchildren we have not seen in the last two years. May we wish you and your families the absolute best of Christmases wherever you may be and look forward to catching up with you all up in 2023.

Kind Regards Warren and Jan Weir

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Attending the Grand Investiture and Quarterly Communications On 14 September 2022 three Masons of this District ventured to Great Queen Street, London, to visit Freemasons Hall to be part of the Quarterly Communications meeting of United Grand Lodge of England. They were W.Bro Clynton Hardy PAGDC of Waitemata Lodge, W.Bro Roger Johnstone PAGSwdB of Alexandra Lodge and W.Bro Dr Mike Kearsley PAGDC of Corinthian Lodge.

This was a special occasion because, as well as the usual business matters to be attended to, Grand Lodge was investing a new set of the most senior ‘rulers’ of the Craft. M.W.Bro Peter Lowndes was retiring as Pro Grand Master, and R.W.Bro Johnathan Spence was taking his place. Unfortunately, only a week before, the Queen had died and thus the MW Grand Master, the Duke of Kent, could not attend as he would normally have done, and most Masonic activity was cancelled and in mourning. Black ties were required for all meetings and all brethren were to stand for two minutes silence as a mark of respect before any other activity.

After M.W.Bro Spence had been Obligated and Invested, his position as Deputy Grand Master was taken by R.W.Bro Sir David Wotton, whose own former position as Assistant Grand Master was taken by R.W.Bro John Medlock, former Provincial Grand Master for Somerset.

After the splendid ceremony which attracted around 2,000 attendees in the Grand Temple, with overflow screens in several other lodge rooms, the brethren dined in the Connaught Rooms or in nearby hotels and restaurants many joining together in their various provinces. Bros Hardy, Johnstone and Kearsley joined the brethren from their former English provinces to renew old links. A truly splendid occasion for all.

M.W.Bro Johnathan Spence. the new Pro Grand Master

The crowds starting to arrive

Bros Clynton Hardy, Roger Johnstone and Mike Kearsley

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Interviews with new Masters W. Bro Steven Elliot of Aorangi Lodge No 2300, continues the interviews of the new Masters, on behalf of the District. If you are going into the chair soon, your turn will come

W.Bro Jesse Faraon, Aorangi Lodge No.2300 Q: Where were you born?

A: I was born and grew up in Baler Aurora, Philippines.

Q: Can you tell us something about your father?

A: My dad was a retired police colonel. He was also a Freemason.

Q: Do you have brothers and sisters?

A: I am the eldest of seven brothers and sisters.

Q: Where did you go to school?

A: I attended school at Mount Carmel College, Philippines. I achieved a Bachelor of Science in Commerce, majoring in Accountancy.

Q: Would you like to tell us about your family?

A: Definitely, my wife Gina and I have one daughter Diana. We were married in the Philippines over 20 years ago.

Q: What kind of work did you do in the Philippines?

A: I served in the police for 19 years in Olongapo City and received significant merit awards for my work there.

Q: When did you come to NZ? A: I came to New Zealand in January 2009.

Q: What kind of work do you now do?

A: I’m working as a Courier Contractor with Post Haste at the moment.

Q: Can you tell us about your Masonic history?

A: In the Philippines, I was in Teodoro R Yangco Lodge 351. This Lodge operates under the Grand Lodge of the Philippines. My father was with the Pinatubo Lodge which is also under the Grand Lodge of the Philippines. I was Initiated into Freemasonry in 2007 in the Philippines and joined the Aorangi Lodge in 2010. I was proposed by W.Bro Elliott. Some of my mentors in the Craft were W.Bro Bill Lowe, and W.Bro Elliott, and they have always provided me with excellent advice and guidance.

Q: What are some of your personal interests?

A: Naturally, my family, and of course Freemasonry is a major interest. I used to play basketball when I was young. I enjoy listening and playing all kinds of music. Music is my life. I love singing, guitar; I’m not a pro, but I know the basics of music.

Q: What is the best Christmas present you ever received?

A: I’m not a ‘material person’, I cherish whatever I am presented with. The very best Christmas gift for me is anything from my family! They’re the best!

Q: Where do you like to spend your holidays?

A: I love travelling and if there is an opportunity, I want to travel overseas, hoping to visit the Grand Lodge of England in London. We have travelled to many places here and we spent our holidays driving around the South Island about a year ago. That was one of my fondest New Zealand experiences.

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Q: What do you like about Freemasonry?

A: The good family relationship and camaraderie of the Brethren are the primary draw for me in the Craft. I even changed our Aorangi Christmas lunch to a picnic so we could bring our families with us. Family is very important to me.

Q: What would you advise younger people about the Craft?

A: I would advise younger people that Freemasonry is a force of good because some of the people who join are pretty good, and the intention of our fraternity is to make good men better men. That is my most important advice to anyone. My own daughter Diana has great interest in the Craft and has studied a lot about it, in depth.

Q: What is your secret to a happy life?

A: The secret to a happy life is to be honest in all ways, don’t be shy to admit mistakes, and learn how to say ‘sorry’ when appropriate. ***********************************************************************************************

W.Bro Garth Clarricoats, United Manawatu Lodge No.1721 Q: Where were you born?

A: I was born in Rotorua in 1961 and have lived in New Plymouth for more than 35 years.

Q: What kind of work did you father do?

A: My father was a coach driver. He said it was the best way to leave home every day and still be able to come back.

Q: Would you tell us about your family?

A: I come from a large family, 4 sisters and 2 brothers. They live in Australia as well as New Zealand.

Q: Where did you go to school?

A: I attended school at St Michaels Primary School and Edmund Rice College, both great Catholic schools. My parents worked really hard to give me the best education they could.

Q: Could you tell us about your lovely family?

A: Bridget and I have been married 33 years and I have two children, a daughter and a son. My son, Alex, is also in the Craft and loves it.

Q: What about your career?

A: I originally trained as a chef when I left school but progressed to hotel management in between stints as a volunteer social worker while considering a call to priesthood. Nowadays, and for the past 30 years, I am a selfemployed financial adviser and company and not-for-profit director.

Q: What kind of professional education have you achieved?

A: I achieved a NZ Diploma in Management in 2002 along with a number of industry-related qualifications in hospitality, retail and financial services. I also currently hold a NZ Certificate in Financial Services.

Q: What’s a day’s work like for you?

A: I spend an extraordinary amount of time hiding behind a PC and talking to a lot of people.

Q: What about the best book you ever read?

A: I’m an avid reader and I’ve read so many, many incredible books. Probably one of the most impactful was The Old Man And The Sea (Hemingway). I also find the Bible to be a pretty good read.

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Q: What about your hobbies and interests?

A: I like to eat, have quality time with family and friends and travel with my son, I enjoy the company of others and I love to cook. My favourite sport has always been couch-surfing, although I enjoy cycling, and enjoyed a good game of squash back in the day. Alex and I enjoy riding a tandem bike and get out fairly regularly.

Q: Where do you like to go on holidays?

A: Holidays are a state of mind, rather than a place, but Alex and I have toured Viet Nam, China, Singapore and the Australian outback on both the Indian Pacific and the Ghan. We’ve seen the sun rise over the Oriental Pearl in Shanghai, set behind Uluru (Ayers Rock), and travelled on the world’s fastest train in 2014.

Q: Is there any Masonic history in your family?

A: There is no history in my family that I know of although we may have had a couple over for lunch once and not known about it.

Q: What drew you to the Craft?

A: I was press-ganged to the Craft by one W.Bro Owen Jarrett. From there I was influenced in a positive way by many of our members, W.Bro Kevin Armstrong, W.Bro Elliott, to name but a few. I believe the organisation has a great deal of relevance. It provides a place for community and charity. For me, life is about service, community and charity.

Q: Can you share any wisdom for younger people?

A: There is, of course, a place for younger people and when it’s ‘time’, they should be made to feel welcome and respected. Many young people are time-poor and being a part of the Masonic community is not a priority, even if they know about it. But when the time comes for them to seek out like-minded community and opportunities to belong, we need to be prepared to meet that need. There will always be a place for a “Gang” of good guys with secrets and funny handshakes who don’t do drugs and bark.

Pictures from our Lodges and Chapters

Aorangi Lodge No.2300 Installation of W.Bro Jesse Faraon on 19 November was honoured by many friends of Jesse (centre) and of W.Bro Elliott (at right). There was live music, customary dress standard from Philippines, and a great Festive Board in the Philippine style. Every one of the nearly 100 attending agreed they felt very privileged to partake in the entire day and all had a great time as well with the live music and dancing afterwards.

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60 Up - Bring on 70!

That was the comment from W.Bro Alan Scott at the Duke of Albany regular Lodge meeting in Helensville on Wednesday 28th September 2022, when he was presented with his ‘60 years in Freemasonry’ Certificate and pin by W.Bro Barry Holland, the previous DVO of ‘The Duke’.

Our DGM, W.Bro Warren Weir was struck down with Covid the day before the meeting and was extremely disappointed in not being able to make the presentation in person, something he has pledged to do at every possible opportunity. In addition, W.Bro Andrew Cochrane, the current DVO was also feeling a little unwell and withdrew, in order to ensure any infection he may have had would not be transmitted to the mature lodge members present - their health being paramount! W.Bro Holland was happy and very honoured to be asked to step in and carry out such an important yet very pleasant duty on behalf of the DGM. W.Bro Alan then addressed the brethren in open lodge and regaled stories of his Masonic career in a most amusing and informative way. It was apparent that W.Bro Alan is a font of knowledge on the people of Helensville, having spent a considerable part of his life in the town.

After the presentation a group of Lodge members (including W.Bro Alan) read sections of the 1st degree Tracing Board.

W.Bro Alan was the final participant and when his turn came, he proceeded to recite his part from memory, having been a regular presenter of that Tracing Board as a regular attendee at lodge meetings. His ritual has lost none of its style and his delivery was exceptional!

At refectory, W.Bro Scott was given the honour of being the first member of the Lodge to propose the loyal toast to "The King and the Craft" following the lamented death of our former Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II, earlier in the month. He was further toasted and honoured during refectory and as is always the case at the ‘Duke’, a good time was had by all and the enormity of the occasion well celebrated!

W.Bro Alan Scott is now determined to reach 70 years in the Craft and judging by his fitness and demeanour, will achieve it with ease!

W.Bro Alan Scott (centre) receiving his 60 year certificate from W.Bro Barry Holland (right) accompanied by the Lodge IPM, W.Bro Norm Rogers

W.Bro Alan Scott (centre) with his 'old' lodge friends (From L to R) W.Bro Grev Walker, W.Bro Chas Holst, W.Bro Graeme Bodle and W.Bro David Leach ADGM

Officers and Members of The Duke of Albany Lodge celebrating this momentous occasion with W.Bro Alan Scott!

Barry Holland PDGDC

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A Letter from Cystic Fibrosis NZ Dear Russell and Trustees

We are so grateful for the kindness and generosity of your donation in supporting our organisation with newly diagnosed family packs.

We couldn’t do our work without wonderful support like yours, thank you on behalf of Cystic Fibrosis NZ and all our people with cystic fibrosis and their families. The gifts we receive enable us to continue providing the best possible support that deliver quality of life and wellbeing for our CF community.

I also wanted to confirm regarding the ongoing funding for future years. Your email notes that it is for the next three years and when I talked to Warren, he mentioned two. It would be good to confirm so we are able to record it accurately.

Please find attached your official receipt.

We wish you well for the holiday season.

Ngā mihi nui Lisa

Lisa Burns Chief Executive / Cystic Fibrosis NZ M/ +64 021 283 0051 P/ +64 09 308 9161 E/ ceo@cfnz.org.nz

Page 9 Periodical of the District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand

A Day to Remember at Freemasons’ Hall Brethren of the District will have received the notification of the Installation of the new Pro Grand Master at Quarterly Communications that took place last Wednesday. Our own W.Bro David Allan PSGD PAPGM Communications Team Chairman has provided a report on the event which is shown below.

“It was a privilege to receive a ticket for, what is a relatively rare experience, the installation of a Pro Grand Master.

After thirteen years, MW Bro Peter Lowndes stepped down in favour of his successor, now the Most Worshipful Bro Jonathan Spence.

MW Bro Peter Lowndes had served Grand Lodge in a number of capacities having been appointed as Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies in 1984, Grand Director of Ceremonies from 1995, a role he held for eight years, and in 2004 was appointed Deputy Grand Master until his promotion to Pro Grand Master in 2009 a total of nearly forty years in active service, for which the Craft is very grateful.

The sad passing of Her Majesty, the Queen, prevented the Most Worshipful, The Grand Master, HRH the Duke of Kent, from performing the Installation ceremony himself, due to the Royal Family being in mourning, and so Peter Lowndes was the officiating officer on the day, a ceremony performed with aplomb.

RW Bro, Sir David Wootton, was promoted to Deputy Grand Master and was installed by his predecessor, our new Pro Grand Master.

RW Bro David Medlock, the Immediate Past Provincial Grand Master of Somerset, was installed as Assistant Grand Master with each part of the ceremony being executed in first class style from the Grand Stewards, Junior and Senior Deacons, Past Grand Wardens and Provincial Grand Masters, who took part in the ceremony, as well as the Installing Officers.

There were four areas in which one could watch the ceremony, the Grand Temple as well as the Gallery and Temples 9 and 10, the latter three being remotely, but it was an atmosphere of old, with Freemasons’ Hall being so full.

2,200 were in attendance in the building to witness directly or by tele-link this important ceremony and included, at the request of the new Pro Grand Master, a high proportion of those who had not yet been appointed to Provincial or Metropolitan Grand Rank. Eighteen Grand Masters from other Constitutions as well as Provincial and District Rulers from the United Grand Lodge of England were also present.

The final piece of business was the Investiture of the new Grand Secretary, and in keeping with recent tradition, V.W.Bro Adrian Marsh was invested at the Quarterly Communications of Grand Lodge immediately after his appointment to the Office. V.W.Bro Marsh comes from a background in the paper industry.

Over 700 dined in the Grand Connaught Rooms and enjoyed a good lunch, short and amusing speeches and the promise of an exciting future”.

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A Christmas Tale Santa loaded up his sleigh; it would soon be time to go The night was cold the moon was bright as he set off through the snow He knew his trusty reindeer would see the journey through They’d made it many times before; the track was tried and true.

But Santa wasn’t feeling well as he set off that night To make his annual journey and make this Christmas bright For all the children waiting, snuggled up and fast asleep And those that tried to stay awake, to have a crafty peep.

He covered many miles that night, but he felt so tired and worn He knew the time was going fast and soon it would be dawn But he stopped his trusty reindeer; he had no strength at all And rested on the wooden steps outside the Mason’s hall Just then he heard an enquiring voice say, “Can I help you friend” He looked up to see a smiling face, and a friendly hand extend “Oh, I have so much that must be done, so many stops to make” Santa told the friendly stranger, “but I have to take a break” The stranger listened patiently then helped Santa to his feet He then said come inside with me, there’s some people you should meet As they walked into the foyer all activity stopped dead Men looked in stunned amazement at the figure dressed in red All was hushed in silence as Santa told his tale of woe Of all the children waiting, and the many miles to go The Master said I have a plan, one of the very best Our Brotherhood is worldly spread; let’s put it to the test And very soon the word went out, to all points far and wide Come to our aid you Masons, and help save this Christmastide To every Lodge throughout the world wherever Masons meet The message travelled onward, along every highway, every street Every Mason everywhere, upon that Christmas night Gladly helped out Santa, to make that Christmas bright Santa was well cared for, his reindeer tended well When he was fully rested, he bid a fond farewell.

The Masons went about their task, delivering all the gifts Instead of using chimneys, they used stairways and the lifts They called on every town and house, they didn’t miss a one And had every gift delivered before the morning sun.

Not many know this story, not many people know How the Masons helped out Santa on that Christmas long ago We know that Santa was delighted, for he was heard to say “Bless you Masons, everyone, for saving Christmas Day”.

Bro J L Bau ©

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Page 12 Periodical of the District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand

Wellington Communications

November 2022 District Communications The November 2022 District Communications was held in Lower Hutt and Petone. One of the joys of Lower Hutt from an Aucklander’s perspective is the lack of traffic and most things being within walking distance. And if car travel was required there was generally free parking right outside where you wanted to go.

Ground Zero’s were the Angus Inn and the Udy Street Masonic Centre both in Lower Hutt. The Angus Inn looks a bit dated from the outside but inside it is spacious, the staff were very friendly and helpful, and we had the place almost to ourselves. The Udy Street Masonic Centre is also looking a bit tired and dated but inside it is spacious and had a well setup kitchen and refectory to complement the Lodge room that could cater for our numbers. Overall, the venues worked well for us.

The weekend kicked off on Friday night with a meet and greet at the restaurant/bar of the Angus Inn with around 30 in attendance. Drinks and tasty food were available throughout the evening as and when required. The ladies were treated to a game of Meet and Greet Bingo to help them get to know one another and connect for their Saturday events.

On Saturday the ladies had a range of local activities to choose from with most of them going for a meet up and viewing at the Dowse Modern Art Museum which was walking distance from the Angus Inn. This was followed by a leisurely lunch and then free time to relax till dinner. The Dowse had some fabulous displays including crochet 3D Māori figures and sculptures in iridescent colours. You had to be there to appreciate how spectacular it was.

For the men it was on the bus down to Udy Street for morning setup and rehearsals before the two meetings in the afternoon. A sumptuous lunch and refreshments were organised and catered for by Andrew Vincent along with the help of three Entered Apprentices. Our thanks to them: Matthew Nicholls, Kevin Kuizon and Chester Amatoria from Aorangi Lodge. The Masonic day ended at 5pm with some racing off to catch flights and the rest of us joining the coach back to the Angus Inn. The Chapter convocation had just over 50 attendees which included E.Comp Richard Taylor, Grand Inspector for the South Island New Zealand. E.Comp John Walworth was promoted to Second Principal and the outgoing Second Principal E.Comp Mark Crawford was thanked for his contributions over his years of service.

The Craft communications had around seventy attendees which again included R.W.Bro Richard Taylor, District Grand Master for the South Island. Key appointments were W.Bro Graeme Martin to Deputy District Grand Master and W.Bro Kevin Armstrong to Assistant District Grand Master. The outgoing Deputy District Grand Master Graeme McKandry and outgoing Assistant District Grand Master W.Bro David Leach were thanked for their contributions. A 40 year certificate was presented to W.Bro Roger Everest and a 60 year certificate was presented to W.Bro Ron Penhale. A charity collection was held with a total of $536 received.

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Dinner was held in a private function room at the Angus Inn where we were treated to a very tasty ‘as much as you could eat’ smorgasbord meal. On arrival we were each greeted at our tables with a lapel pin showing the Queens Platinum Jubilee medal in memory of the HM Queen which was kindly donated by an anonymous brother. Glenn Forber was the MC for the night and took us through the formalities of the evening being the formal toasts including the toast to the Ladies by Murray Macdonald and reply by Wendy James. The North Island English Masonic Charitable Trust was also donating $6,000 over 3 years to Cystic Fibrosis so we were lucky to have Andrew Cameron from CF to receive the donation from Bill Andrew. Rounding out the evening was the raffle draw for two wooden bowls prepared and donated by Farouk Khan. Gareth Hollows sold the tickets during the pre-dinner drinks, and we made $400 for charity. This brought our charitable collections for the weekend to just under $1,000.

Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend thanks to the people that attended and participated in helping. Thanks needs to go to Bob McKillop, Andrew Vincent, Steve Elliot, Glenn Forber, Russell Chilton, David Leach, Warren Weir, Tim Warren, Tim Stansfield, Gareth Hollows.

Michael James - President, Board of General Purposes

The Queens Platinum Jubilee Medal

Memories from yesteryear Roger and Hélène Everest Those of you who attended the District Communication in Petone will have been witness to the presentation of my 40th Year Certificate. It doesn’t seem like 40 years since I stood in the ladies’ toilet at the Tinakori lodge rooms in Wellington dressed only in underpants, socks and a sort of karate suit. There was a bottle of whisky and a glass supplied, “for courage” I was told. Being mid-winter it was cold – who heats toilets anyway? I was further advised we wouldn’t be troubled by the goat that evening. I was probably the last initiate to have to dress in the karate suit as I never actually saw it again. 40 years ago? No, it was yesterday...

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Masons Helping Masons In our first meeting, at our initiation, we are taught one of the most important tenets of Freemasonry, Charity. The importance of this has been recently highlighted in our District in the following example.

A brother has suffered from the deterioration of a couple of his leg joints to the extent that they needed replacing. He was suffering severe pain which steadily became more debilitating. This started to affect his ability to carry out his employment.

The health service agreed that he needed two joints replaced and he was put on the waiting list. As we are all aware these lists are always long and have become even longer following COVID-19. They were unable to give him a date but intimated that it would be many months. As a result of this he enquired about the cost of getting this done as a private patient. This was in excess of $20,000 which was far beyond his means, so he turned to the District for help.

A large sum of this nature is outside the scope of our local charity, so he submitted an application to the Masonic Charity Foundation in London. After studying this together with all of the supporting evidence the MCF agreed to pay the majority of this with a small contribution from himself.

This example emphasises the importance of our donations to charity. If we expect to be able to benefit from such assistance, we must ALL make donations within our means. Some can afford generous amounts whilst others on limited income can afford little. Like ourselves, if the charity had no income, it could not afford to spend.

I urge all brethren to look at their giving. If you are already making regular donations, when did you last assess this?

Can you consider adjusting this amount? If you are not presently making a regular donation, please give serious consideration to do so. Even if your means are limited can you consider making a small sacrifice of a cup of coffee or a glass of beer a week?

Brother Charity Stewards I hope that you are going to be busy acceding to the requests for donation forms in the next few weeks.

Roger H Johnstone District Grand Almoner

TO DONATE TO THE DISTRICT CHARITABLE TRUST SIMPLY MAKE AN ELECTONIC PAYMENT TO

03-0243-0167251-02 EITHER AS A ONE-OFF OR REGUALARLY EACH WEEK OR MONTH

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A Letter Received from Kilpatrick House

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KIRKPATRICK HOUSE

Kirkpatrick House was started in 1926 as a result of a bequest from the Estate of the late Samuel Kirkpatrick. At the time of his death in 1925 Kirkpatrick was managing director of S Kirkpatrick & Co canning and jam factory in Nelson. As a Freemason, W.Bro Kirkpatrick held the rank of Past Deputy District Grand Master, Westland Nelson District, United Grand Lodge of England.

The remainder of Kirkpatrick’s considerable estate was to be used to fund a residential home to support and educate the daughters of deceased Masons. This home was established at his residence in Mount Street.

The Public Trustee is responsible for the Estate assets and a Board of Governors manage the Trust. This Board consists of representatives from Southern Star Lodge, Trafalgar Royal Arch Chapter and the four Masonic Constitutions operating in New Zealand. Over the years, the Board has widened the terms of eligibility to include girls from solo parent and dysfunctional families. All girls must be sponsored by a Masonic Lodge.

Kirkpatrick House originally catered for up to 22 girls at one time, and hundreds have passed through its portals. A change of Government policy saw subsidies for this type of home withdrawn in 1991 and the Board had to reappraise its operations. This resulted in a winding up the boarding establishment, selling Kirkpatrick House, and placing the girls into CJ House as boarders at Nelson College for Girls.

These days the Trust supports girls from Year 9 through to Year 13. This support provides school uniforms, educational aids, travel costs and pocket money. The KH girls are encouraged to participate fully in school activities and develop any special talents. The cost per girl (2021) is in the order of $15,000 per year.

Over the past 30 years, more than 70 girls from all over New Zealand have been accommodated by Kirkpatrick House.

In all, some 400 young women have received the benefit of the House’s support since 1926. This equates to (roughly) a total of 1600 school years or $24,000,000 in today’s money.

The Public Trust manages the investments from Kirkpatrick’s Estate and the Trust receives the income. The Trust also has income from bequests received since 1926, and annual donations from Lodges around NZ. The income from these two sources, is sufficient to cover the cost of six girls per year.

The Board is always interested to hear about potential candidates for the KH program.

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A Safe Place W.Bro John Leyland’s address to the brethren after Installing his successor:Worshipful Master may I address the brethren?

Good evening again brethren, I will keep this short and sweet, and I’d like to begin, as I look around this Lodge tonight, with the most important people: the Entered Apprentices, the Fellow Crafts and the pale blue Master Masons.

To those Brethren that I inherited when I started my Mastership, and to those Brethren that I have assisted in their Masonic journey through being Entered Apprentices to Fellow Craft and onwards to Master Mason, I’d like to say thank you. This Lodge is my safe place, it’s a safe place because we as Brethren treat each other equally and enjoy each other’s company with a common goal, which is to enjoy our ceremonies, whilst maintaining the solemnity, of what we do.

During my Mastership, I have not been a prolific visitor to other lodges unfortunately. But I’ve hardly missed a practice, maybe having missed one or two in three years. As I look around the lodge this evening, I see many familiar faces, friendly faces, as we prepared for tonight‘s Installation and we needed to ask assistance from senior brethren, those senior brethren all made it easy to be approached, and to be asked if they could assist with our ceremony.

That’s a safe place when you can speak to everybody you know, and the answer is likely to be yes.

As I look to the East, again I see familiar faces, all of those faces, friends, we all had a job to do, and a position to hold and represent, but once completed, we all equally enjoy each other’s company at the festive board. I’m happy to report that I have been involved in Installations with a lot of the lodges from other Constitutions which have been a highlight of my Mastership. And I would like to thank those brethren from the other Constitutions for again, making their lodges a safe and happy place to be and visit.

A safe place, is where you can be yourself, enjoy the differences that we in personality, ethnicity, and backgrounds, and then, unite in our ceremonies and procedures with distinction.

As I looked through the Brethren of Lodge of Harmony, it’s wrong to select anyone over above anyone else, but I cannot walk past W.Bro John Robinson and W.Bro Craig Harris without being speechless with regards to how much I think of them for the work that they’ve done for me. Earlier my Mastership I was also First Principle of Chapter of Harmony, and they realised that my plate was well and truly full, and they very subtly, assisted in making changes to allow me to ease my start up in the blue lodge so that I could flourish in the Chapter.

During my Mastership, they have understood my strengths and weaknesses and have supported me so thoughtfully and kindly, to the point where “thank you” is all I can say because there are no words that I can find to fully express my gratitude for what they’ve done for me. To have one guardian angel in your life looking over your shoulder, is remarkable place to be. I have two guardian angels, W.Bro John Robinson and W.Bro Craig Harris. Thank you to those Brethren from the bottom of my heart, I’m lost for words with regards to ever been able to repay you for the kindness and thoughtfulness that you show me.

This Lodge remains a safe place for me, and the fraternity is a safe place for me to be, with regards to visiting and being amongst Brethren from all walks of life.

Thank you, Brethren - thank you all

Page 18 Periodical of the District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand

Introducing the DGLNINZ Lodge Companion MOBILE APP FOR ANDFROID AND IPHONE

THE CENTRE DGLNINZ’s own social media space. Upload images, comment on posts or send messages to other brethren.

DISTRICT NEWS This is District’s space. Come here to see the latest news from the DGM or the DGLNINZ Executive.

FIND LODGES Visiting an unfamiliar town or Lodge and need information or directions?

Everything you need, including a map and a turn-by-turn guide to the Lodge can be found here.

CONTACTS A list of current App users, Lodge friends and send them private messages.

RITUAL Practice ritual at any time with the aid of your mobile phone. At the moment only the First Degree ritual is there – for obvious reasons....

NOTIFICATIONS Check this repository for a history of notifications sent by the District to all users.

REALTIME CHAT Join a Lodge chat room (visible to all users) or create a private chat room where you can send text messages and images to others in these rooms.

DGM MEDIA Our District Grand Master is keen to broadcast regular video messages to the Brethren. This is where you will find them.

LODGE NOTICES Your Lodge Secretary can post notices, summonses, and meeting minutes into your Lodge storage area. No more digging through emails.

EVENTS Reserved for a special event that District may wish to advertise to the Brethren.

CALENDARS This space is reserved for the various DGLNINZ meeting calendars and other representation information. A work in progress....

LISTEN We will publish interesting audio content or perhaps Masonic lectures here. The possibilities are endless....

MORE...

Here you will find a place to remember Brethren who have recently passed to The Grand Lodge Above or visit a buy and sell marketplace. Perhaps you have a particular skill that may assist a Brother and wish to advertise it.

OTHER ORDERS Need information about another Order? We have you covered.

BOOK Intending to visit a Lodge and need to book a meal? Select the Lodge and the date you intend to visit, and Lodge Companion takes care of it for you. Still under test until we have contact information.

YOUR ACCOUNT

Page 19 Periodical of the District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand

Register here as a Lodge Companion user. Your information is securely held on a private server located in Wellington.

IT’S ABOUT STAYING IN TOUCH...

What methods do we currently use to communicate with other Brethren?

When we are not at our various Lodge meetings most of us remain in touch to some extent with members of our own lodges, or with DGLNINZ officers and friends in other lodges using the following methods: • Email • Facebook • WhatsApp Email is by far the most common means of communicating these days, but unless one is superorganised the information or attachment that an email may contain soon becomes very difficult to find. Also, many of us prefer not to use a mobile phone for sending or receiving email.

Facebook has become ubiquitous as a means of sharing information (social media). The way most of us use Facebook however is limited to posting the occasional image or comment to a Facebook group representing our own lodge. How many of us search out or are members of more than a few DGLNINZ Lodge groups?

Facebook users should be aware of its intrusive ability to monitor a user’s online activities for targeted advertising and other commercial purposes.

WhatsApp is great as a mobile communications or chat tool BUT be aware that a user’s private information is held overseas, and is vulnerable to misuse. It is not really a multi-functional tool in the true sense.

What about our Lodge websites or the District website, are they not also a means of communication? Of course, but how many of us regularly visit our own lodge websites? Many sites have content that is months out of date and often they contain incorrect information. Our District website has had a recent update, and now we need to ask ourselves who the target audience is for our various sites. In many cases, a visitor to a website is a prospective member checking you out.

Isn’t Tessellated Tales also an efficient means of communicating with DGLNINZ Brethren? It sure is, and it is an important part of our overall strategy of ensuring that communications are targeted correctly.

Tessellated Tales provides a creative outlet for

DGLNINZ members who wish to share items of interest with other District Brethren.

INFORMATION IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND So where does the District App fit into the strategy?

Provided you carry a mobile phone, Lodge Companion is always in your hand. It will alert you to new messages or important notifications. It will allow you to chat with friends, upload photos, refer to documents, listen to Masonic Audio content, navigate to lodges, and refer to a wealth of user-generated material.

Is Lodge Companion safe? Lodge Companion is probably safer in a cyber-security sense than other social media applications we use. We built it and we have full control of the server it runs on. The App server is SSL protected and runs on dedicated hardware in a residential situation in Wellington, i.e. it is not running in a leased, virtualised environment like most Lodge websites. Of course, this means if the power goes off then the server will go down.

Access to any information or documents on the server, including a user’s private details, e.g. telephone number etc. is password protected. Yes, it is theoretically possible that the server could be hacked, but if that were to happen it would not be the end of the world.

How do I get Lodge Companion, and then what do I do?

It’s easy (and free), but you will need to be familiar with navigating the ‘App store’ on an iPhone, or the ‘Play store’ on an Android phone: Search for Lodge Companion – DGLNINZ • Install the App (it may not work on really old phones) • Swipe up to ‘MY ACCOUNT’ create an account.

As it is our App you can be as truthful as you wish - just as long as we recognise you. Send an email to the District Grand Communications Officer (email address below) if you wish to use a pseudonym.

• Click ‘Yes’ to the enable notifications message.

Please forward any bugs or questions regarding the App or suggestions for content to:

dgco@freemasons.org.nz (W.Bro Andrew Vincent)

Page 20 Periodical of the District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand

IMPORTANT: You will not have access to some App features until your registration and your membership has been verified on the backend server.

Looking for Regalia Contact the District Grand Secretary first, as there may be some second-hand regalia that will meet your needs from the store at Ellerslie Masonic Centre secretary@freemasons.org.nz

If you would like to contribute to the next issue of Tessellated tales, please email your article or photos to steveglew@xtra.co.nz before 15th March 2023

Page 21 Periodical of the District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand