Communication from the Most Worshipful Grand Master Kerry P. Grills - August 20th, 2008

Good evening Brethren,

Let me extend to each of you a warm welcome to this, the first Communication for the 2008 / 2009 Mark year and let me also thank each of you for supporting your Grand Lodge by being here this evening.

Since our last Quarterly Communication, which, of course, coincided with our Grand Installation in May, there have been 24 Mark Installations, and 11 Royal Ark Mariner Enthronements.

I must thank here the Deputy Grand Master, the Senior and Junior Grand Wardens, and Past Deputy Grand Masters, RW Bros John Turnbull and Ted Webster, for representing me at the Installations and Enthronements which I was unable to attend myself.

Just three weeks after our own, very successful, Grand Installation weekend, I was very proud to be the leader of a large delegation of Victorian Mark Masons, and their Ladies, to attend the Grand Installation of MW Bro Alan Pearson as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of South Australia and the Northern Territory.

I would like to thank our contingent of 28 Grand Officers who attended for the considerable effort and expense they each went to in supporting the Deputy Grand Master and me in forming our delegation.

Even if I do say so myself, Brethren, your Grand Lodge Officers were far and away the best of any of the delegations in attendance, and brought plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" from the audience when we made our entry into their Grand Lodge.

I could not have been prouder than to have been the leader of such a fine delegation.

As is always the case with these interstate visits, that Grand Installation in Adelaide provided a wonderful opportunity to renew already existing friendships, to make new friendships, and equally important, to further cement the strong fraternal relationship which already exists between our respective Grand Lodges.

Unfortunately and regrettably, Brethren, other commitments prevented me from attending either of the recently held Annual Assembly of the Grand Imperial Conclave of the Knights of the Red Cross of Constantine, or the Grand Conclave of the Order of the Secret Monitor.

However, notwithstanding that I was not able to attend, this Grand Lodge was more than ably represented, respectively, by VW Bro John Glover, Grand Secretary, and MW Bro Ian Chittick, Past Grand Master, and I thank each of you for doing so on our behalf.

But, Brethren, I was able to attend the 80th Anniversary Celebratory Dinner of the Mark Masters' Association of Victoria which was held on 12th July at the Mt. Waverley Masonic Centre.

It really was an excellent night, and Wor Bro Paul Lacey and his always hard-working Committee are to be congratulated for putting on such a great night of friendship and entertainment for everyone who attended.

What is also worthy of a special mention about that evening, Brethren, and indeed, a very big thank you, was the presentation to me of the donation of $1,000 the Mark Masters' Association has made to the We Care Charitable Trust.

To Wor Bro Paul, to the Committee, and to the members of the Association, I thank you sincerely on behalf of the Trustees of the Charitable Trust for your substantial donation, and say to each of you, "You have truly Marked Well".

On Wednesday, 6th August I had the great honour and pleasure of presenting a jewel to MW Bro Glen Stuart Johnston, Past Grand Master, to celebrate his 60 years of outstanding service to Mark Masonry.

MW Bro Glen was our Grand Master from 1974 to 1977.

It also was an excellent night in Mark Masonry, and the members of the Edward Coulson Mark Lodge are similarly to be congratulated for the way they organised it.

Unfortunately, due to health concerns at the moment, MW Bro Glen is not able to be here with us tonight. So, I am sure you will all join with me in wishing him a speedy recovery.

Earlier this evening, as most of you would be aware, our Mark Demonstration Team, led by the Grand Inspector of Workings, VW Bro Geoff Goodes, showed us the correct way to conduct an Advancement Ceremony in our Lodges.

Of course, as VW Bro Geoff pointed out very early in the piece, it is up to each of us to learn our own part in the Advancement ceremony before we go to the Lodge rehearsal, or indeed, before we carry out the ceremony itself at a Lodge meeting.

I am sure you are aware, it is only by presenting good ritual, and by displaying good work on the floor of the Lodge when we do an Advancement ceremony that we will sufficiently impress our new candidates to help them to want to learn more about what Mark Masonry has to offer in their daily life.

Thank you Geoff and each of the members of the Team who participated in tonight's demonstration.

Speaking of candidates, during the Address I presented after my installation as Grand Master, I made mention of the fact that only about 20 per cent of the membership of the Craft also have membership in Mark Masonry.

I mentioned also that it is to be my prime goal during my first year as Grand Master to seek appropriate funding from our Board of General purposes to establish a marketing program to let those who are not already Mark Masons see the benefits of joining us in this wonderful Degree of ours.

At this point, I would like again, Brethren, as I did at the Grand Installation, to record my sincere thanks to our Grand Master in the Craft, MW Bro Garry Sebo, and to the Deputy Grand Master, RW Bro Vaughan Werner, for the way they are always taking the opportunity to remind Craft Masons that Rule 86 of the Constitution tells us that Freemasonry in Victoria consists of five Degrees and that Mark Masonry, Brethren, is a significant one of those five degrees.

So, as part of getting the marketing program going, I am pleased to report to you tonight that I have appointed Wor Bro Arthur Selman to head a Marketing Committee for this Grand Lodge.

Of course, it is probably needless to say, but I will say it anyway . . . . "It is the responsibility of all of us as Mark Masons to seek out new and potential members to Mark Masonry".

However, I nonetheless felt it was sufficiently important to have a focus with which we could work towards ensuring a steady supply of new members.

While the excellent Mark Man ceremony we already use will continue to be a major plank in our efforts for securing the future of Mark Masonry, the new Marketing Committee is now there to look at ways we can complement that excellent work.

In doing that, just a few weeks ago, Wor Bro Arthur made a presentation to our Board of General Purposes in which he outlined a number of ways we can better marshal our resources to attract men to join Mark Masonry.

So, at the next meeting of the Board of General Purposes, I have asked the Marketing Committee to present for consideration a costed submission of the program they believe will secure a stream of new candidates to Mark Masonry.

Finally, to paraphrase what Arthur said at the conclusion of his first presentation to the Board, "Brethren, we have the product; we just need to show how good it looks inside the packaging.".

Thank you, Brethren.

Kerry P. Grills
Grand Master

Speech by the Most Worshipful Grand Master Kerry P. Grills at his Installation on May 17th, 2008

Distinguished Guests, Ladies, Gentlemen and Brethren

Please allow me to extend to everyone here my own personal warm welcome to our Grand Installation for 2008.

Let me say from the outset, in this very open forum, how immensely proud and honoured I am to have just now been installed as the 28th Grand Master of this wonderful degree in Freemasonry.

Let me say, also, that I am well aware of the great responsibility I now hold towards each and every one of our members here in Victoria, and to those who are members within our jurisdiction in Tasmania, too.

I can promise you all that I will do everything in my power to honour the trust which you have now placed in me.

At the very first Grand Installation of Mark Masonry in Victoria, which was held nearly 109 years ago on 30th May in 1899, there were just 15 lodges and 340 loyal and enthusiastic members.

Today, despite a falling in membership in our own Masonic organisation, and which is, of course, also being felt in all sorts of other volunteer organisations right across the wider community, we now have some 3,000 members belonging to 95 lodges.

That amounts to around 20 per cent of all Freemasons in Victoria

And at this juncture, I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to MWBro Gary Sebo, Grand Master of the Craft (who is currently engaged on other Masonic duties in the United States and thus cannot be with us today), and the Deputy Grand Master, RWBro Vaughan Werner (whom I am pleased to say is here), for their efforts in never ceasing to take the opportunity to remind all Victorian Freemasons that Rule 86 of the Constitution tells us that there are five degrees in Freemasonry.

For those of you with us who are not aware of what those five degrees might be, they are: The Entered Apprentice (which is where all Freemasons start their journey of knowledge); The Fellowcraft (which is the second step in Freemasonry); The Master Mason (the third step); The Mark Master Mason (which is the degree we are celebrating today); and finally The Royal Arch Mason (which is the fifth step in Freemasonry).

Now, all of that brings me to say publicly, and for the first time as Grand Master of this wonderful degree of ours:

My prime policy initiative over the coming 12 months is to seek appropriate funding from our own Board of General Purposes so that we can actively initiate and support the marketing of the message about this, the fourth step in Freemasonry.

Of the 27 Grand Masters who have preceded me, I am pleased to say that, here today, there are eight of them sitting just over to my right, and a brand new one who has just a few minutes ago joined their ranks. And he is sitting close behind me.

To each of you, I thank you for your ongoing support, and for your wise counsel to date.

I know that that ongoing support and counsel will be made generously available to me in the future.

I would like now to publicly thank Pam for the selfless way she hass supported me in my Masonic activities. Not only today, but throughout the time we have been together.

In fact, I will reveal now that today marks our 11th anniversary together.

Pam, without that support you have given me over the past 11 years, today's installation of me in the position I now hold just would not have happened.

For that perseverance, for your love, and for your loyalty, I will be forever grateful.

I would also like to thank the newest of our Past Grand Masters, MWBro Barry Colyer, for the very warm and sincere manner in which he installed me.

But, more than that, I would like to thank Barry and his wife, Karen, for the warmth of the friendship they have shown to both Pam and me during the term of our respective offices together.

I would similarly like to thank MWBro Bruce Bartrop for carrying out the task he will shortly perform in installing the Deputy Grand Master, RWBro Robert Paroissien.

To our Director of Ceremonies, VWBro Andrew Reading, to the six Escort Masters, to each of the members of the teams, to all of our musicians, and to the many who have helped behind the scenes to bring this all together, I give each of you my heartfelt thanks. In particular, I especially thank the Grand Choristers and Heralds from Grand Craft who have lent their support this afternoon.

Later this afternoon you will see the new Grand Officers invested. May I now thank all of the Grand Officers who are continuing in office for their valuable support so far.

I intend later today to catch up with each of you personally to express my thanks for the fine work you have done already, and for the work which is yet to be done.

Now there is more to come this afternoon.

So, in closing my remarks today, I would like to leave you with these thoughts:

At a time when the news we receive on a daily basis from our newspapers, from TV, and these days, of course, online is saturated with dreadful stories: of terrorism; about wars being fought in many parts of the globe; about violence being done generally.

How much better a world this would be: if there were less intolerance; if there were less lack of understanding; and if people right across this wonderful planet of ours - were to recognise that we are not all the same; that we can and do have different opinions on a whole range of issues; and importantly that those opinions can be held without necessarily becoming a threat to someone else's opinions.

So, the point I wish to make in saying all of that is that I believe the world must surely be seeking a re-awakening of the standards of decency which people can, and ought to show towards each other.

And perhaps, just perhaps, the world is looking for people, or an organisation, to lead the way; an organisation ladies, gentlemen and brethren such as we have in Freemasonry.

This organisation of ours called Freemasonry has at its core three very simple principles. They are: Brotherly Love; Relief; and Truth.

And those three principles in Freemasonry, I am happy and proud to say, span the world, just as our handshake does.

Brotherly Love is the showing of respect and decency towards each other, regardless of one's colour, race or creed, or indeed, gender.

Relief is giving freely to those whose needs are greater than our own, whether that be by the giving of money, or time, or both, and without in return wanting any reward or recognition for doing so.

Truth is the simple act of being honest in our dealings with each other, while at the same time keeping faith with ourselves.

These are simple little treasures as principles.

And we Freemasons say them all the time: Brotherly Love; Relief; and Truth.

But, they are merely words if we do not put them into action, and practise the application of them all day, every day.

By applying these three simple things in our dealings with each other, ladies, gentlemen and brethren, together we really can change the world.

I thank you very much.

Kerry P. Grills
Grand Master