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Fraternal Salutations

Brethren,

First and foremost I take this opportunity to congratulate WBro Neil Clark Connolly, PSGD, Assistant Provincial Grand Master, on his appointment as Provincial Grand Master for Hertfordshire from 1st June 2020. I very much hope that you will all treat him with the same courtesy and friendship that has been exhibited towards me during my tenure as ProvGM.

It is expected that Neil will be installed at the Provincial meeting to be held on 23rd September 2020 and during the intervening period VWBro Dick Knifton will take control of the Province as Deputy Provincial Grand Master in Charge.

This will be my last opportunity to address you all through our monthly newsletter in 2019 so as the year draws to a close we should take a moment to reflect on some of the events that have taken place during the last few months.

In June a number of us were invited to be present at Freemasons' Hall when the MW The Grand Master dedicated the Victoria Cross Memorial which now proudly stands in one of the niches in the Tower Entrance at Great Queen Street.

July was dominated by the very successful Festival Banquet held at Guildhall when the MW The Pro Grand Master was guest of honour and where the magnificent Festival total was announced.

The less formal but most enjoyable Craft Golf Day was held in August. It was very well supported with a record number of players taking part.

August brought news of the successful bid made by Fleet House Light Blues Club to host the Annual New and Young Masons Conference which will take place in St Albans over the August 2020 Bank Holiday weekend. I shall exercise my much coveted Honorary Membership of FHLBC to attend those celebrations and I wish them well in their endeavours.

The date of my retirement has been confirmed as 31st May 2020 and I will remain in office until then. I have enjoyed immensely my time as your Provincial Grand Master and I will miss my deep involvement with the Province although I will not, of course, disappear entirely from Hertfordshire Freemasonry. Barbara, without whose love and support I could never have achieved half of what has been done during my term of office, and I are looking forward to a more relaxed time with some long overdue vacations but for the moment we both take the opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy Festive Season and a peaceful and successful New Year.

Yours sincerely and fraternally,

R W Bro Paul Gower
Provincial Grand Master

Christmas Jubilation

Jubilation Lodge No 8831 are to host a very special festive White Table for their December Meeting.

The event will take place at Ashwell House, St Albans on Friday, 20 December with a Regular Meeting for Masons starting at 5pm; followed by a lecture entitled 'Hearts of Oak - The Victoria Cross Story Part 2' which is open to all partners, family and friends. The lecture will be delivered by Mark Smith, who is the medals and militaria expert on BBC's The Antiques Roadshow.

After the meeting, a sumptuous four-course Christmas Festive Board will be served whilst musical entertainment is provided by 'Under the Thumb'.

The cost of the dining at the meeting is £25 per person and the dress code is evening wear (though not Black Tie). For further details and to book your places please contact W Bro Neil McKenna

Royston Cave and the Knights Templar

Royston Cave is an enigma. No records of its age or purpose exist. Some theories suggest it was used by the Knights Templars, others by King James I and the Freemasons.

Join Halsey Hall as they host a fascinating talk on this historic local monument, presented by the curator for North Herts Museum, Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews, on Wednesday, 22 January. Tickets for the event are completely free (though donations to cover expenses are welcomed). The doors open at 6.30pm and guests are invited stop by for a drink beforehand.

Those wishing to attend are requested to kindly register their interest by clicking here (to assist with planning numbers)

FHLBC Annual General Meeting

The Fleet House Light Blues Club held its Annual General Meeting at Mayflower Place last month and took the opportunity to celebrate what has been an incredibly successful year for the club; with membership standing at now over 120 Brethren and the announcement, earlier in the year, that the Club had been selected to host next year’s annual New and Young Masons Conference. This event will see delegates from all over the country visiting the Province and provides an opportunity for us all to really show off what Freemasonry in ‘Happy Herts’ is all about.

The evening was not without its sadness, however, as those present took a moment to remember Club member Charles Wandrag, who tragically took his own life at the beginning of the year. The time had also come to say goodbye to some of the members of the Club’s committee, W Bros Tom Golds, Lee Cannon and Rocco Miragliotta; they having all now received their Provincial honours. The evening was also the Provincial Grand Master’s final AGM as President of the FHLBC, after he announced that he will be stepping down in May 2020.

As a token of their esteem for the Provincial Grand Master and his continued support for the Club, the members voted to create the honorific of ‘Honorary Member’ and were pleased to nominate him as the first recipient. They also voted to nominate W Bro Tom Golds an Honorary Member, in recognition of his role in setting up the Club as a founding member, and his full support since its inception.

The club continues to welcome new masons in the province, who are looking to exlpore reemasonry, and meet new people and socialise. To find out more about the FHLBC and what 2020 has in store for its members, please click here.

Park Street Waterways Experience

Park Street Lodge No 8556 recently hosted a Lodge social with a difference - hiring out a canal boat for the afternoon with special needs charity, Waterways Experience.

The event, which took place on the Grand Union Canal just south of Hemel Hemstead, included a lunch, cash bar, raffle and games. Most importantly, guests at the event enjoyed the opportunity to steer the boat!

The raffle raised £250 which was donated to Waterways Experience; money which they will use, alongside a portion of the event cost, to host children with special needs on day or weekend activity outings.

The event was such a great success that a second one has already been planned for Spring 2020!

To find out more about the fantastic work that Waterways Experience do, or to find out more about booking your own trip, please click here

Casting Off for the Community

The MTSFC (Masonic Fishing Charity) held their last event of the year at Rib Valley Ware on Wednesday, 2 October; hosting children with special needs for a day's fishing.

The event, which was sponsored by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Hertfordshire, saw 32 young people fishing one-on-one with casters; catching an impressive number of fish, including a couple of large carp!

Although the weather was chilly, a great time was had by all who attended; with many already inquiring after next year's dates. To that end, the Worshipful Master and Secretary of Walnut Tree Lodge No 5192, W Bros Terry Clark and Nick Burns, presented a cheque in the amount of £500 to MTSFC Chairman, John Clark to provide sponsorship for an event in the new year. John thanked Terry for the generous donation from the Lodge and their ongoing support of the charity over many years. He added that their donation will go a long way to furthering the charity's work of taking Freemasonry right into the community.

Click here to find out more about the MTSFC and its work.

New Year’s Eve at Halsey Hall

Halsey Hall in Watford invite you to join them on Tuesday, 31 December to see in the new year in style at their black tie dinner dance.

Tickets for the evening cost £47 per person and include bubbles on arrival, a sumptuous four-course meal and music and dancing from Disco Mania. Your MC for evening will be Brian Handley, who will ensure you have a night to remember! A raffle will also be held, with all proceeds going to the Watford Street Angels.
The dress code for the evening is black tie and carriages will be at 1am.

To book your tickets, please click here to be taken to the online booking form.

What’s Happening in the Province?


Do you or your Lodge have any events or news that could feature in this newsletter? We are keen to feature as much of the goings-on in Happy Hertfordshire as we can manage, so please send your stories to news@pglherts.org

All stories should be between 100-300 words and we would love it if you could include a photograph too. We look forward to hearing from you!
Copyright © 2019 Provincial Grand Lodge of Hertfordshire, All rights reserved.


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