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”.

Periodical of the District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand Page 10