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FOR MARK MASTER MASONS and ROYAL ARK MARINERS OF SOMERSET

Founded in 2003, the charity ‘Hope for Tomorrow’ aims toalleviate some of the stresses & strains for patients receivingtreatment for Cancer by attending, Mobile Chemotherapy Units,(MCU).The first MCU was launched by the Charity in 2007 inpartnership with the National Health Service. Each Unitincluding one Nurses Support Vehicle, (NSV) costing in excessof £260,000 & staffed by highly trained NHS staff, allows patientsto receive their treatment in a restful & friendly atmospherecloser to their home saving long stressful journeys & shorterwaiting times.John Morgan, Provincial Grand Master for Somerset MarkMaster Masons, chose for his 2015/2016 charity to supply areplacement NSV for the Somerset M.C.Unit, whose name is ‘BigBumble’! It was hoped that £15,000 might be realised from verymany charity events held across the length & breadth of theProvince. Happily, by the 12th April 2016 - £17,548 had been

raised exceeding the original target of £15,000. Congratulationsbrethren of the Mark Province of Somerset.On Monday 25th April 2016, The Provincial Grand Master,accompanied by his Deputy Philip Voisey & nine members ofhis Provincial Team, travelled to Musgrove Hospital in Tauntonwhere the Somerset MCU is based. There they were delightedto meet their suitably marked Kia NSV called ‘Little Bumble’,for the first time & to join the unit staff & CommunityFundraisers. The Provincial Team were next invited to view thevery comfortable interior of the MCU. After a short explanationabout the various items of equipment within the unit & a fewhappily answered questions about ever improving the facility,John Morgan was pleased to announce, to the delight of thenursing & Fund Raising staff, that further funds for Big Bumblewould be forthcoming in the near future.A happy end to a very successful Charity venture. Copy/pics…Pat Morrisey.

Issue 20 Summer 2016 http:///www.somersetmarkmason.co.uk

Hope for Tomorrow The Conclusion

New

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Clockwise, from top

The new Kia Nurse Support Vehicle.

Handing over the key.

Thank you, so much!

Can we supply that for them?

Hope for tomorrow….continued

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Provincial Grand Lodge Meeting

earlier, & was on show to all at the meeting complete with itsMark Masonic logo proudly showing.Nikki gave a big vote of thanks to the brethren of Somerset fortheir amazing generosity & described the work of the charity &the part the new vehicle will play as a vital member of the unit.After much applause, the PGM thanked Nikki for her presentation& she was escorted from the Assembly; Nikki was an honouredguest at the following Festive Board.Provincial Grand Lodge was Called-On. The PGM then continuedwith his address.The Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master next addressed themeeting, during which he said that this would be the last time inhis present post, as he would be stepping down in the near future.

PGM John rose to thank the Deputy Grand Master, afterwhich, in his own right he gave his annual address to all

present.. The full report can be read on the Mark ProvincialWebsite……somersetmarkmason.co.uk

Taking the floor of Provincial Grand Lodge, PGM John next met& gave a personal Welcome to each new Mark Master Masonwho had joined us over the last year & presented every newbrother with a souvenir tiepin.The Grand Director of Ceremonies called the meeting to order &all rose as the Deputy Grand Master retired from the meeting.The closing hymn was sung & alms were collected.The newly appointed Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies,W. Brother Mark F. Golding called the meeting to order &Provincial Grand lodge was closed in due form, after which theProvincial Grand Master, his Deputy, escorted by the newProvincial Team & visiting Dignitaries retired from the assembly.Many ladies had accompanied the brethren to the meeting & hadbeen separately entertained by Mr. John Walker who recentlyretired as a film cameraman, his talk entitled “Behind theCamera” described many unusual, funny & amusing incidents hehad witnessed throughout his career.After a drink with their menfolk (if you could get near the bar),all retired to the Festive Board where minimum speeches &maximum enjoyment was the order of the day. A happy & specialevent on the Provincial calendar each year!Pics/Copy…Ed. More pictures…PTO

Under the banner of the Monument Lodge of Mark MasterMasons, No. 1295, the Annual meeting of Provincial GrandLodge met at its usual venue, the Webbington Hotel on whatturned out to be the hottest day of the year to date!The meeting, under the eagle eye of the Provincial Grand Directorof Ceremonies, Ray Johnston-Smith rose to receive the banner& members of the Monument Lodge, closely followed by visitingdignitaries & Provincial Guests.All rose to greet & applaud the entrance of The Provincial GrandMaster for Somerset, The Right Worshipful Brother John GrahamMorgan, his Deputy, The Worshipful Brother Philip Voisey &the full Provincial Team.The opening hymn was sung & Provincial Grand Lodge wasopened in due & proven form. A delegation of Royal ArkMariners dressed in their Rainbow Regalia representing thetwelve RAM Lodges entered & were warmly greeted by the PGM.Provincial Grand Lodge was called to order by the GrandDirector of Ceremonies to receive the Deputy Grand Master, TheRight Worshipful Brother Herbert Keith Emmerson, who wasduly saluted with nine, to which he duly responded.All Mark Lodges were next called upon each answering withmany voices from the lodge members present. Various reportswhich included the minutes of the 2015 meeting of Grand Lodge& the Treasurer’s Accounts were proposed, seconded & approvedby a show of hands.The PGM next re-appointed the Deputy PGM, after which bothrose for the main event of the meeting, that being to appoint &invest the new Officers of Provincial Grand Lodge; each greeted& invested individually by the PGM & congratulated by themboth. The Provincial Grand Master then addressed ProvincialGrand Lodge during which Provincial Grand Lodge was Called-Off, the PGM then welcomed Nikki Dodd, the Somerset &Cornwall Fundraiser for the Charity, “Hope for Tomorrow” thePGM’s Charity for the last year. The target was to raise £15,000to purchase a Nurse Support Vehicle (NSV) for the MobileChemotherapy Unit, (MCU) based at Musgrove Park Hospital,Taunton. When the appeal to the Somerset Brethren was closed,the total given was £17,830.47! The new vehicle was presentedto the staff & charity representatives at Taunton two weeks

Webbington Hotel, Loxton, Axbridge. Saturday 7th May 2016.

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Provincial Grand Lodge picture gallery

Ian Anderson, Provincial Grand SeniorWarden Toasts The Ladies

The Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master Keith

Emmerson addresses the meeting

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Provincial Team Annual BBQHappily, now part of the Provincial Calendar each year, thenew Provincial Team’s first ‘duty’ was a happy & worry freeoccasion when they all gathered with their ladies at ourDeputy PGM Phil’s spacious garden in peaceful Portbury forthe Annual summer BBQ.Our PGM John, & his lady Wendy cheerfully welcomed allas they arrived; leading the way to the drinks table! Phil,resplendent in shorts & his lady Gill were the hosts with themosts even if he did forget to replace the gas bottle on theBBQ & had to cook everything in the kitchen!Happily, unlike last year when the marquee blew down theevening before, all was well the food was wonderful, salads,chicken, beef-burgers, sausages, followed by a beautifulselection of desserts prepared by Gill & Wendy trifle,meringues, fruit salad, name it & it was there!Old friends met, new friendships were made & the wine, beer& drinks to suit everyone flowed freely. The happyfamiliarity ensured that the next meeting of the Team wouldrun smoothly.Everyone voiced their pleasure to be there on such a happyoccasion with sincere thanks to Phil, Gill & all her willingworkers. Many a smile noticed PGM John clearing away thedirty dishes & at the end of the day was one of the many‘experts’ who organised the dismantling of the marquee!Copy/pics…Ed.

Naughty Boy’s Table.

Fe e d M e !

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BBQ…..The Marquee comes down!

From left to right, clockwise.1…Fold it this way!

2…The ladies give advice!3…You broke it!

4/5…Many hands make light work6…What did you do Eric!

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Provincial Secretary’sCorner

A new Masonic year is about to commenceand I again take this opportunity to thank allLodge members for the hospitality extended

to me when visiting your Lodge, all Secretaries and Scribesfor their continued support in helping in the smooth runningof the Province.I look forward to meeting you all again soon.

For your Diary.Secretaries/Scribes and Directors of Ceremonies Meeting.A meeting has been arranged for Thursday 25th August 2016at Wedmore Masonic Hall commencing at 7pm, theProvincial Grand Master will chair the meeting on thisoccasion which is also open to Assistant Secretaries/Scribesand DC’s.

Provincial Grand Assembly of Royal Ark Mariners.The 12th Provincial Grand Assembly of Royal Ark Marinerswill be held at the Webbington Hotel on Saturday 3rdSeptember 2016 at 10.45. This very popular meeting is opento all Royal Ark Mariners. Members elevated since the lastmeeting will receive a personal invitation from the ProvincialGrand Master and Brethren promoted to Provincial RAMGrand Rank receive their collarette.Summons and luncheon booking forms are available fromLodge Scribes and may also be downloaded from the website. The ladies are also invited to attend the Luncheon

Provincial Meeting.The next Annual Meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge of MarkMaster Masons will be held at the Webbington Hotel onSaturday 6th May 2017 at 3pm followed by the ever popularDinner with the Ladies at 6pm.It is anticipated the Summons and dining slip will again beincluded with the spring edition of Triangle.

Reminders.Provincial Ties (Mark and Royal Ark Mariner) and Tokensare available from the Provincial Grand Secretary.

The PGM, DPGM, W. Master’s and W. Commander’swelcome your support whenever possible at Meetings orevents listed in the Future Events page of the web site:-Don’t forget the Camera for that special picture in yourTriangle!

S. John Smith. Provincial Grand Secretary.

Has anyone evernoticed that our

Provincial GrandMaster’s Collar Jewel

set at the bottom ofhis chain of office,

displays the Square &Compasses fixed in

the Fellowcraftposition?

Each Draw takes place at a different lodge each month.The winning numbers are selected electronically.

Prizes are 1st. £150, 2nd. £100, 3rd & 4th . £50.Entry Forms available from your Lodge Charity Steward.

DRAW NAME LODGEFeb. Miss Charlotte Nicholson 177

“ W. Bro. David Lions 155 “ Bro. Barry Renwick 1615 “ W. Bro. Roger Reina 781 March W. Bro. Peter Penfold 571 “ Mrs Francis Nicholson 177 “ Bro. Hilary Daniel 155 “ Mrs Mary Baker 1295 April W. Bro. Bob O’Malley-White 781 “ Bro. Chris Millard 102 “ W. Bro. Bryan Foster 162 “ Bro. Mark Dolman 781 May VWBro. Geoff Nash 191 “ Mrs Ann Smith 749 “ Bro. Jonathan Skeeles 1548 “ W. Bro. Alwyn Leek 177 June VWBro. Geoff Nash 191 “ Bro. Graham Baker 128 “ Miss Kizzy Haggett 1656 “ W. Bro. Bob O’Malley White 781

The idea of having a daylight Lodge in Somerset for the Mark Degreewas first raised in 2008/2009 as a potentially attractive alternative forthose Brethren who are no longer comfortable driving in the evenings,and who do not enjoy eating too late in the day.If we could perhaps gather in the summer months during the daytime itmight suit a goodly number of keen Mark Masons (and indeed potentialcandidates) to meet without the need for driving in the dark or worryingabout their digestion! The word spread and quite soon there were enoughbrethren committed to put it as a serious proposition to the then PGM,RW Bro. Brian Nelson who warmly embraced the concept, subject to ourmeeting all the prescribed criteria.Planning meetings were held in Wedmore as a central spot within theProvince and the prime movers, John Peters, Richard Farmer and the lateKevyn Rhys-Jones laid out their vision, along with prudent Provincialguidance. The Lodge meetings have in fact all been held at Wedmore eversince.The Lodge was consecrated by RW Bro David and the current ProvincialTeam in May 2010, a very memorable occasion for many who werepresent, most of whom had not before witnessed the Consecration of anew Mark Lodge.We have our Installation meeting annually at Wedmore on the 2nd

Wednesday in May, but we have now resolved after 6 years to hold oneor more of our meetings each year at another Masonic Hall in the Province,in other words taking the concept to the Mark fraternity rather justexpecting them to come over to Wedmore. We are at a cross roads after6 years and have been considering ways of making the Lodge moreattractive, and possibly varying our meeting pattern and routine.We will be holding our regular meeting in February 2017 at Weston-super-Mare, as the first to be held in a different environment, andhope to have local support from the adjacent Mark Lodges.

SincerelyIsle of Wedmore Lodge No. 1912.

Dear Editor……………

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Else Lodge champions the Owls

The Somerset Triangle Magazine is produced for the Provincial Grand Lodge ofof Mark Master Masons of Somerset.

The Editor Patrick Morrisey would be pleased to receive articles, news &photographs for possible publication. Please email

patmorrisey@btinternet.com…or gosnid@hotmail.co.uk

Provincial Mark Weekendat Sandbanks Hotel, Poole

On the occasion of their May Bank Holiday Open Day, WorshipfulMaster Clive Sutton was delighted to present a cheque on behalfof the officers and brethren of the lodge for £500 to Darren Jenkinson behalf of the Avon Owls Charity This brings the donationsgiven to the charity this year to a total of £720.It will enable Avon Owls to update and improve their mediacommunications to raise awareness of this very important facilityfor the protection of injured, abandoned and neglected birds ofprey.Avon Owls now has its own hospital wing with the services of alocal specialist vet. Prior to this the nearest bird specialist was atSwindon, a very long journey for an injured raptor to travel fromthe South West or South Wales. Injured birds of prey are notknown to travel well. We wish all at Avon Owls well for thefuture.

The 2016 Mark Provincial weekend was held at TheSandbanks Hotel, Sandbanks, Poole last April. The eventwas hosted by Right Worshipful Provincial Grand MasterJohn Graham Morgan and organised by Worshipful BrotherRobin Back, their hard work was appreciated by all.This event is an annual occurrence which enables all membersof the Mark Degree and their partners to get together andenjoy a weekend away. Some of us came down onthe Friday joined by many more for the formaldinner on Saturday.Those of us who were there on Saturday morningdecided to go in one of two directions, either to theHarbour and town of Poole or the town centre inBournemouth. Whilst queuing at the bus stops itwas noted only one of the brethren had to pay theappropriate fare while everyone else used their freebus passes! Unlike last year the weather was verykind to us over the weekend.It was a most enjoyable weekend thehighlight being the Saturday formal dinnerand entertainment a good time was had byall….Long may this event continue. Mike Fazackerley…pics.. Ed.