Interviews with new Masters

W.Bro Mark De Jesus, Eden Lodge

Q: Where were you born?

A: I was born in Quezon City, Philippines fortysomething years ago.

Q: Can you tell us about your father?

A: My dad was a Chemical Engineer by profession and a businessman. He traded raw cotton and is now retired at 82-years-old.

Q: Do you have a family history of Freemasonry?

A. Yes, my father is a Freemason. He was Initiated in the Craft sometime in the 70s and became the Master of his Lodge, the Capitol City Lodge No.174, in 1982. He is a Past District Grand Lecturer. He is also 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, and a member of the Shriners, the social side of which he enjoys very much.

Q: Do you have any brothers or sisters?

A: I am the youngest of three boys and two girls and for now I’m the only Mason amongst my siblings, one of whom will be shortly joining. My brother-in-law was recently raised to the 3rd Degree in November 2022.

Q: Where did you go to school?

A: I attended primary and secondary school at the Claret School of Quezon City, which is an exclusive boys school in Manila run by the Claretian Missionary Order. I finished a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and a Master of Science in Management at the University of Asia in the Pacific. I also completed a Post Graduate Diploma of Business Administration at the Auckland Institute of Studies.

Q: Did you attain any academic achievements?

A: When I graduated with my Master’s degree, I received the Best Business Academe Partnership Project Award under the Human Resources Track, which is equivalent to a best thesis award. I also received an Academic Excellence Award during my studies at the Auckland Institute of Studies.

Q: When did you come to New Zealand?

A: I came to New Zealand about six years ago in order to study, and upon completion I became a Resident. I was particularly attracted by the lush green environment and laid-back life here.

Q: What did you pursue in your career?

A: I commenced my career upon completion of my Master’s Degree in Management and was then hired by the University to teach various management courses in the Graduate Management program for the next three years.

My next job was Senior Segment Marketing Manager in a telecoms company. After a couple of years there I decided to establish my own business, which was a call centre service. Four years later I decided to return to corporate and I was re-employed by the same company as previous.

In 2016 I worked as an Infrastructure Manager at Glory League Stats Ltd, a New Zealand-based sports technology company developing software for amateur basketball.

Q: Are you married?

A: Just recently married last November 2022 in Queenstown.

Q: Are you interested in sports?

A: I was mainly athletics-inclined in my early years of school. Upon finishing my elementary education, I received an athletics award, for being part of the school’s football varsity team and for being able to simultaneously maintain good academic scores. I’ve also enjoyed golf since I was 14-years-old, and I’m just getting serious about it again. I also play the piano and like DIY crafts.

Q: What is your Masonic career?

A: I was Initiated in 2018 at the Eden Lodge No.1530. I am also active in the Royal Arch Chapter sitting as the 3rd Principal, as well as being a member of the Kintore Sovereign Chapter Princes Rose Croix No.51.

Q: How did you come to join Freemasons?

A: I have always been interested in Freemasonry as I was exposed to it through my dad. When he visited me in New Zealand in 2016 he took the opportunity of visiting several lodges and met some of the brethren. W.Bro Gol Custodio eventually invited me to attend the Eden Lodge’s harmony night. My good friend and former classmate at the Auckland Institute of Studies, W Bro Jon Mendoza was also there and was thinking of joining the Eden Lodge as a joining member - the rest was history.

Q: What keeps you in the Craft?

A: I like the ritual work, not to mention being with my brothers and getting to meet other Freemasons.

Q: What’s the best book you ever read?

A: I like books on strategy, my favourites being The Art of War by Sun Tsu, and the Prince, by Machiavelli.

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

District Grand Lodge Ladies Festival

MARCH MEETING OF THE SIR DONALD MCLEAN LODGE No.1646

W.Bro Bob McKillop Date: 18 March 2023

In accordance with the new schedule of meetings as a peripatetic lodge, the Sir Donald McLean Lodge No.1646 (SDM) planned to visit Napier during the weekend 10-12 March 2023. The District Grand Master decided to replace one of the District Grand Lodge Communications with a Ladies Festival and it seemed a very practical solution to combine the two events.

The SDM planning was already underway and the programme for the weekend was left in the hands of W.Bro and Mrs D J M Miller and W Bro and Mrs M J Jensen. Recognising that much was to be gained and learned by letting the ladies arrange to programme, John, Yvonne, Michael, and Julie became motivated little knowing that the weather was to become an important matter as Cyclone Gabrielle worked its way out of the tropics towards the East coast of the North Island.

Twenty-eight brethren and ladies made their way to Napier on Friday 10 March 2023; some had found it necessary to fly to the Hawkes Bay because the Napier-Taupo Road among others was not able to be used. Those coming from South were able to use both State Highway 2 and the alternate inland route by State Highway 50, both of which showed all the signs of the flood damage and slips that had caused such real problems elsewhere. The weekend was based on the East Pier Hotel on the waterfront in Port Arhuriri.

Friday evening saw everyone foregather in the East Pier Hotel for a meet and greet and on this occasion as the majority were visiting from out-of-town, it was well subscribed and a great opportunity to get acquainted or reacquainted as the case may be. A very good range of finger food was supplied as part of the weekend cost.

Saturday morning, like Friday dawned bright and sunny! A cooked breakfast started proceedings and was followed by a formal meeting of the SDM Lodge No.1646. It was a predictably short affair with the tour bus scheduled to uplift everyone at 1015. Our driver Graeme took us first to the Faraday Museum of Technology in Faraday Street in Napier.

The Faraday Museum of Technology began in 1979 as the Hawke's Bay Museum of Technology. Several individuals discovered that a Fullagar Engine used by the Municipal Electrical Department was no longer needed and was destined for the scrap yard. Rather than seeing this happen, this group which was passionate about preserving this engine and many other items of technology, formed a Society. They initially based themselves at McLeod's Vineyard, but after a couple of years moved to a more-roomy site at the bottom of Milton Road, Napier. The word spread fast around the community that the group was looking for interesting items from previous decades and the collection grew rapidly. A museum of technology society was formed and many of those items formed the core of the collection that is on display today. The next move for the museum was to Faraday Street to where the centre is located today. It was renamed as The Faraday Centre in 1995 when it merged with the Hawke's Bay Cultural Trust. Faraday Street is named after the great 19th century scientist Michael Faraday who made significant discoveries in science, particularly in electricity generation.

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

Napier’s Faraday Centre houses one of the few remaining examples of a unique stage in the evolution of internal combustion engines. The Fullagar engine is basically a two-stroke diesel that has four cylinders, each housing a pair of opposing pistons linked by oblique rods. The object of the design was to provide a high power output (by the standards of 1912) in a compact space, ideal for marine use but also adaptable for use as generating plant. As far as we are aware, it is the only remaining example of a Fullagar engine of this particular specification and layout. Installed in Napier in 1925, it became relegated to back up duties once Napier was connected to the National Grid in the late 1920s but carried out these duties until 1970. It no longer runs due to absence of fuel supply and silencer. However it has been fitted with a friction drive, Perspex crankcase windows and internal lighting to enable the unique mechanism to be seen in motion.

But the museum was not just for the boys with a wide range of items from the past that held the attention of everyone, even those addicted to horse-riding!

The next stop was the St George Restaurant in Havelock North. We suspect that our driver was able to take us by a longer route to Havelock North via Fernhill and we were able to see the devastation to vineyards and orchards, the damage to the Napier Golf Club’s course, the rubbish stacked up on the roadside for collection and sadly the damage to the Silky Oak Chocolate Factory (which brought a tear to Michael Jensen’s eye as did the cost of his glass of Pinot Gris at lunch time!).

After lunch, a short bus trip through the newer parts of Havelock North to the Arataki Honey Company which has a very well developed visitor centre. We were well received and introduced to the complexities of running an apiary of considerable size. This is really a start to finish operation with hives distributed throughout the Hawkes Bay, as well as in two other sites in the North and South Islands. In addition to honey, they manufacture a wide range of cosmetics and other bee related products. It was a thoroughly informative and enjoyable visit that ended with a free sample to take home!

The next visit was to Te Mata Figgery on the main road between Hastings and Havelock North. The first part of this visit was afternoon tea, all pre-planned by Yvonne before we were taken in hand by Murray Douglas who with his wife established the orchards in 2007 or thereabouts. They grow 30 varieties of figs, although there are about 600 cultivars in the world. We were treated to a fascinating introduction to figs and the growing of this quite special fruit. In New Zealand they can only grow varieties which do not require pollination because it requires a very tiny wasp, not present here, for that.

Fig trees grow to full size in about six years and require quite savage pruning because the fruit only grows on new wood. They have a variety of products for sale in their shop; John Stewart’s wife Shirley went home with a whole tray of fresh figs – John hasn’t been the same since!

On Saturday evening we were able to have a pre-dinner drink outside the dining room in what could only be described as wonderful weather. We were able to see as many as five ships waiting to enter the port although the log ships did not have much cargo to uplift for obvious reasons. The evening meal was very enjoyable; the steak was particularly tender and as a served BBQ it was something of a success. Just two toasts to The King and to The Ladies with grateful thanks to Yvonne Miller and Julie Jensen for another well organised and thoroughly enjoyable weekend.

It is assumed that the story of the fruit cakes will be taken up by someone else, but there are now rumours that the District Grand Master is assessing the area in front of the EMC for a figgery and apiary as well as the appointment of a District Grand Figgiest and Apiarist [Russell Chilton? – Ed].