ADDRESS  -   DISTRICT GRAND LODGE 27 SEPTEMBER 2008

Brethren, welcome to the Second Half Yearly Communication of our District Grand Lodge for this year. Thanks for taking the time to be here this afternoon to fulfil this pleasant Masonic duty of attending our District Grand Lodge when summoned. On your behalf and also for myself I welcome our Brethren under the Grand Lodge of Scotland, here today led by their distinguished District Grand Master, Bro Steve Backer, all happily bedecked in thistle green.

Brethren, I do not propose to philosophise today, but rather to deal with some more down to earth topics that impinge in meaningful ways on our lives as Freemasons particularly in this District.

I shall be leaving in the next ten days or so for the island of Bermuda to attend the now annual meeting of District Grand Masters of the Commonwealth Caribbean which is being held there for the first time. You will recall that last year the Inspectorate of Bermuda was transformed into the District of Bermuda and is therefore a fully fledged District under our Constitution.

The Most Honourable the Pro Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother the Marquess of Northampton will be attending as will the Grand Secretary Very Worshipful Brother Nigel Brown. Apart from attending the conference it provides me with an opportunity of interacting with these distinguished Brethren and of raising issues that can benefit the progress of this District.

At the same time it also exposes me to a certain degree of discomfort in that we have recently had a communication from the Grand Secretary in which he points out that several lodges have been delinquent in forwarding Installation Returns for several years. These lodges have been informed of their dereliction and I sincerely hope that I will be able to take the missing Returns with me to Bermuda and thus save me any unnecessary blushes.

Brethren, I have said before and it bears repeating that when the time comes to appoint the Secretary and to elect the Treasurer of any lodge the choice should fall on an experienced Brother, preferably a Past Master, since then we are unlikely to hear pleaded by way of mitigation that he did not know that this or that thing was required of him.

Another issue in the same vein is the question of Dispensations.  As you know whenever it becomes necessary to suspend the operation of certain of our regulations that are amenable to such suspension it is necessary to apply to me for a Dispensation to permit an alternative way of performing or complying with the regulation in question. I am empowered by the Book of Constitutions to consider such an application and if I find it to be appropriate to grant a Dispensation. In recent times I have discovered that lodges requiring a Dispensation have taken it for granted that it will automatically be granted when they apply and have fixed meetings and informed Brethren or otherwise taken action before the Dispensation has even been applied for so that my role is reduced to being that of a rubber stamp. Apart from the discourtesy to me such action is unconstitutional and highly improper and I would like it to stop. Brethren must not anticipate my discretion in this way and I have told the District Grand Secretary to inform lodges that there is no guarantee when this is done that a Dispensation will result as expected.

Brethren, as you are aware, the Caribbean area has recently suffered tremendous buffeting and destruction from a series of catastrophic storms in rapid succession. In particular our Brethren in the District of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands were heavily discommoded and experienced traumatic loss and damage to their property including their Masonic Temple. Their District Grand Master Brother Bain appealed to all the Brethren in the Caribbean to offer them assistance in their distress and as you know it our duty to aid our Brethren whenever we perceive that they are in distress. As a result you will be happy to be informed that the District Grand Charity in your name has made a donation of just over a million dollars as a first effort on our part to help them. We propose to start a fund whereby Brethren my make personal donations to this cause and hopefully we can soon forward another significant monetary gift to help to assuage their suffering.

Brethren, our Secretariat which has been some time in getting off the ground has now been set in motion. We have employed Ms Yvonne Olive Campbell as a part time Clerk Typist, with effect from Monday September 15, 2008. Bro. Oliver Insanally has installed the computer and all the accessories and is now working on installing e-mail facilities. There are however, still a few items of furniture to be had and the acquisition of these is being worked on by Worshipful Brothers Dr H B Davis and K A Evelyn. Anyone who wishes to contribute meaningfully to this venture in cash or kind should contact the District Grand Secretary. This development should significantly improve the efficiency of the District administration and we would welcome any meaningful suggestions in that regard.

Charity continues to be our watchword and a key element of our profession. You have heard the report of the District Grand Charity Steward which is a tribute to the hard work and successful endeavours of W Bro Reis and his dedicated band of brethren and also a testimony to the generosity of Lodges which have almost universally been generous in their approach to our appeals for charitable giving. I again call upon all of us to support the fund raising ventures of our District. We can do much better and so we ought if we are to be true to our calling as Freemasons.

Brethren, on your behalf, we express our thanks to all the members of the various Boards of this District Grand Lodge who give yeoman service during the year and we admire their devotion to the ideals of this wonderful profession. We urge those returning to the task to redouble their efforts and those undertaking it for the first time to give of their best for the cause. O what a good and joyful thing it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity.

Finally, Brethren I thank you for the manner in which you have received my address and I greet you all well!

Richard B Fields SC

District Grand Master

Dated the 27 September, 2008