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'This page has been approved by the United Grand Lodge of England’
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INVESTITURE MEETING - 9 FEB 2002 The Investiture Meeting just concluded had the Morning assemblies of District Grand Chapter, Conclave and Mark in the Freemasons’ Hall No.1 Temple at Ethiraj Salai, Egmore and the Craft assembly at the Hotel Savera. Altogether just under 300 Brethren attended the Craft meeting and all Lodges, and Chapters, were represented without exception. A list of current officers of the DGL for the year 2002-2003 is attached. The Banner Lodge, Perfect Unanimity No.150 made excellent arrangements to receive, and accommodate all the Brethren from around the District. P.U. provided an excellent lunch at Freemasons’ Hall, and a Buffet Dinner at the Hotel Savera, besides refreshments. An excerpt of the R.W. District Grand Master’s address is provided here, while a full version was printed, and circulated after the Meeting. The next (Half-Yearly) Meeting will be held in Coonoor (Nilgiris) under the banner of Anchor of Hope Lodge No.1093, in August 2002.
Excerpts from the address of Brethren, WELCOME It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the City of Chennai that is Madras and especially to this Annual Investiture Meeting of the District Grand Lodge, the first after my installation as your D.G.M. I am confident that the Brethren of Lodge Perfect Unanimity have done their very best to see to your accommodation and other attendant comforts and courtesies. The Brethren of Lodge P.U. took up this responsibility of being the Banner Lodge at relatively short notice so do forgive them any minor blemishes in their executing their duties as hosts. First of all let me congratulate all the recipients of honours this evening, given not only for devotion to Masonic duty in the past but in the hope of renewed vigour in the discharge thereof in the future. My most sincere good wishes to all of them. GRAND LODGE : We have received intimation that R.W. Bro. James Wallace Daniel, PJGW, Grand Secretary is retiring from Office and that W. Bro. R A H Morrow, PADGC will take over from him as and from 1 March 2002. I am sure you will all join me in wishing R W Bro Daniel happy years of retirement and welcome W Bro Morrow and assure him of our best support in the years to come. INITIAL OBJECTIVES My first year has been exciting in that I was able to set about achieving some, if not all, of my initial objectives. Firstly, I wanted to visit all the Lodges in my jurisdiction, if possible at Installation Meetings, within twelve months of assuming office. I am glad to report that by the end of this month, I would have more than achieved this objective, as in some cases for one reason or another, I have made more than one visit. I wanted thereby to inter-act with as many of our Brethren in the District as possible, to have their views on our Masonic activities, and to see how we in Madras could improve our administrative and support systems. In addition these visits allow a personal understanding of the standards of ritual working, record keeping etc., of the various Lodges in the District, and of what improvements may be suggested in this regard. Secondly, I wanted to disseminate some of my own views on our Relief initiatives and activities as this most important aspect of our Masonic obligations needs to be more substantially implemented. A major project undertaken by the District Grand Charity, namely the Cornwallis Old Age Home Project near Bangalore is also being keenly pursued. Certain legal formalities which had to necessarily precede the obtaining of sanctions of building plans have just been completed and we expect that the approvals to be fully in hand, in about a month’s time. Meanwhile, a study by an independent consultant on various aspects of the Project including its size and the management structure as well as putting in place a stream of income for maintenance in the long term, is under way. I have been advocating that each lodge should take up some Relief activity of its own in its neighbourhood, so that the brethren and their families get involved. Lodge of Rock in Trichy have, for quite some time now, been running a Clinic which caters to a section of the public and has been growing from strength to strength. Recently, this Lodge has put up a commercial Complex in its premises and proposes to apply the income therefrom to improving its charitable activity. Similarly, Lodge Cochin has done some wonderful work in one of the oldest Hospitals in that city and a Government Primary School in the Fort area, and this would make a mark in the minds of the public on this most important note of Freemasonry. More lodges should come forward to actively pursue such activities and propagate the genuine ideals of our great Order. We are hoping that we can settle all the outstanding issues relating to the Chennai property in an appropriate Masonic manner with the incoming Regional Grand Master, as we have been requested by the RGL to await his installation for the amicable resolution of the outstanding issues. Let me assure all our Brethren that I shall not rest until a satisfactory and permanent solution of this matter is achieved, as envisaged in the Freemasons’ Hall Trust Deed under which we have been operating in Chennai all these many years. Such matters as this, I might remind Brethren, are most appropriately left to the District administration to handle. The D.G.L. has also put up to the Premises Committee, as prepared by our D.G. Superintendent of Works, plans to renovate the rest of the Premises to accommodate a Hospitality Centre, the DGL/RGL Offices, the cost of which will be met by us over a period of time and which we hope will be another source of income to support maintenance expenditure. These plans can be seen at the DGL offices with the cost estimates, as I do not wish to burden you by going over these details in my address. Let me once again remind Brethren, however, that substantial funds will be required for not only the renovations envisaged but for the Premises Committee to continue to maintain the renovated Buildings with the improved amenities provided such as air-conditioning etc. We are examining the legal Trust structure required to collect and channel the required funds, and we will need the active fiscal support of all our Brethren, in this endeavour. ADMINISTRATION We have recently appointed a new District Grand Assistant Secretary, W.Bro. Jacob Mathew of the Lodge of Perfect Unanimity, who is an experienced Chartered Accountant. He has moved into the quarters of the Assistant Secretary and will hold additional charge as Superintendent of the Premises of the Premises Committee. We wish him luck in carrying out the duties of his appointment. We have now fully computerized our record-keeping at the District Headquarters which it is hoped will, besides ensuring greater efficiency, reduce staff requirements for the future. We are also intent on standardizing the Masonic procedures followed by Lodges in the matter of reporting on their activities, for instance, so that our own reports to Grand Lodge can be more representative. INSTALLATION MEETINGS : I attended the Installation Meetings of the following Lodges during the half year ended 31st December 2001. Date Lodge and No. 15.3.2001 Lodge Minchin No.2710 I also attended a Meeting of Lodge Southern Brotherhood to felicitate Past District Grand Master, R.W.Bro.A.P. Tampi, O.S.M. on his 90th Birthday on 24.9.2001. Regrettably our Past D.G.M. suffered a slight indisposition on the day and the celebrations had to be carried out without his physical presence. However, I am glad to report that he has fully recovered from that temporary setback. CONCLUSION Once again I thank all of you for your attendance at this meeting, and the W.M., Warden and Brethren of Lodge P.U. for their excellent efforts in organising this meeting and the Hotel Savera for their arrangements for our Craft meeting and Banquet. To the distinguished Brethren of the deputations we offer our thanks for their participation and request them to join us at the festive Board to follow. Till we meet again in August, for our Half-Yearly Meeting in the salubrious environs of Coonoor in the Nilgiris, I bid you all adieu.
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Designed and maintained by
H. L. Ratan for
the DGL - Madras |
