NEWS for the

FREEMASON

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE DISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF JAMAICA AND THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

VOLUME XVII JULY 2010 NO.2

DGL Pays Tribute to RW Bro Afeef Lazarus PDGM

"At the Half Yearly Communication in

January 2010 District Grand Lodge

paid tribute to Past District Grand

Master RW Bro. Afeef Lazarus. The

Celebration continued at the banquet

which followed when the DGM RW

Bro. Waiter Scoff made a special toast

to RW Bro Lazarus and made a pres­

entation to him and his wife, Maggie,

for their unselfish service to the Craft

over 17 years. At the Communication,

the District Grand Director of Cere­

monies, W Bro. Dr. Orrin Barrow,

gave the following citation. "

RWDistGM and Brethren all: As a pro­

logue to today's formal tribute to our

Immediate Past District Grand Master,

I would like to recall an incident that oc­

curred at the beginning of what in Eng­

land is known as the Edwardian period.

After the death of Queen Victoria in

1901, her eldest son Edward Albert be­

came King of England ten months be­

fore his 60th birthday, and chose to

reign under the name Edward VII . The

Edwardian period which covered his

reign and was named after him, coin­

cided with the start of a new century

and heralded significant changes in

English society.

Also in 1901, another Edward - Edward

William Elgar the preeminent British

composer of his generation -later to be­

come Sir Edward Elgar, 1 st Baronet and

Master of the King's Musick, wrote the

RW Bro. Afeef Lazarus Past District Grand Master.

first of his six Pomp and Circumstance

Marches. In the following year - al­

legedly at the suggestion of the King,

words were provided for a section of

that march, and the result incorporated

into the final movement of an Ode he

was asked to compose, to mark the

Coronation of the King and Queen

Alexandra. Due to the King's illness the

Coronation was postponed, and during

the hiatus Elgar rearranged the words

and music of the finale of the Ode to

create a separate patriotic song entitled

'Land of Hope and Glory'. I doubt there

is anyone present who attended primary

or secondary school when our countries

were part of the British Empire, who

does not remember singing on Empire

Day: "Land of Hope and Glory, Mother

of the Free, How shall we extol thee,

who are born of thee"? Today brethren,

for us as well as for the Immediate Past

District Grand Master, other words of

the song become relevant 'How may we

extol thee, praise thee, honour thee'?

I will begin by saying that historians

will opine that 1948 was not a prosaic

year. It is true that for lovers of music

the most popular song was arguably Nat

Cole's 'Nature Boy' , and for lovers of

Westerns the most popular movie was

undoubtedly 'Red River' starring John

Wayne -a striking and dramatic change

from its forerunners which featured the

likes of Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy,

Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers.

But at a different level, successful coups

were engineered in Venezuela, Peru and

El Salvador, Mahatma Gandhi was as­

sassinated, the State of Israel came into

being, and in contrasting examples of

man's inhumanity to man President Tru­

man ended racial segregation in the US

Military, while the National Party won

the general election in South Africa and

immediately enacted institutionalized

racial discrimination - apartheid.

Cont'd on Page 6

NEWLY INSTALLED MASTERSJanuary 2010 – July 2010

NAME LODGE INSTALLATION DATE

W Bro. Alan Deans Kingston 1933 February 3rd 2010

W Bro David Braham Friendly 239 February 9th 2010

W Bro Michael Muirhead University 7128 February 12th 2010

W Bro Stainton Clarke Ewing 3258 February 27th 2010

W Bro Howard Lewis Portland 7740 March 6th 2010

W Bro Robert Lawson Jamaica College 7254 March 8th 2010

W Bro Garth Jackson Phoenix 914 March 16th 2010

W Bro Deryck Hay Adair 7146 April 10th 2010

W Bro Calvin Brown Harmony 3603 April 17th 2010

W Bro Justice Horace Marsh Royal 207 May 3rd 2010

W Bro Dr, Gordon Robotham Hamilton 1440 May 6th 2010

W Bro Alan Beckford Collegium Fabrorum 1836 June 10th 2010

W Bro Leonard Hew The Brac 9470 June 11th 2010

CreditsPhotographs: W. Bro. Trevor Jones & W. Bro. Christopher Issa

Administration: W.Bro. Robert Forbes PAGDC, DistGSec.

Proof Reading: W.Bro. S. LeRoi Lorde PDistS.G.W.

Typing: Ms. Sandy Hewitt

Printing: Gentle Printers

Editorial Committee: W.Bro. J. Paul Morgan PDepGSwdB, PresDistBGP

W.Bro. Robert Forbes PAGDC, DistG.Sec.

W.Bro. Winston Wright PDistJGW

Edited by: W.Bro. Winston Wright PDistJ.G.W.

Published by:

The District Grand Lodge of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands

45-47 Barbados Avenue, Kingston 5, Jamaica, W.I.Phone: (876) 926-6018 Fax: (876) 960-7776

E-mail: fmaj@cwjamaica.com

WELCOME! - NEW MASTER MASONSJanuary 2010 – July 2010

NAME CRAFT LODGE

Bro Christopher Cargill Friendly 239

Bro Jordon Wong Friendly 239

Bro Michael Buchanan Sussex 354

Bro Justin Barrow Collegium Fabrorum 1836

Bro Patrick Casserly Collegium Fabrorum 1836

Bro Michael Walker Moore Keys 2519

Bro Christopher Townsend Moore Keys 2519

Bro Carlton Brown Kingston College

Bro Orville Byfield Kingston College

Bro Harrison Bothwell Cayman 8153

Bro Robert Edwards Francis Haddon Bowen 9238

OBITUARIESJanuary 2010 – July 2010

NAME CRAFT LODGE

W Bro Keith Osbourne Portland 7740

W Bro Jerry Bell St.Thomas 4338

Bro Gerald Heron Kingston 1933

W Bro Ferdie Pitter Harmony 3603

W Bro Lloyd Cundy Kingston College 9469

W Bro Canon Hector McDonald Harmony 3603

W Bro Sydney Small Royal 207

W Bro R. Anthony Williams University 7128

2

Bro. Andrew Irwin was installed in his 89thyear as W.M. for the first time in his Masoniclife. Brother Irwin joined Freemasonry inOctober 2005, and had the pleasure of seeingtwo of his brothers receive their 50 year jew-els. Since joining Freemasonry, Bro. Irwinhas also become an affiliated member of

James Chambers Masonic Lodge No. 318, sitting alongside his brother,W.Bro Bob Irwin and son-in -law W.Bro Sandy Mutch. Brother Irwinwas installed by his son-in law, W.Bro Sandy Mutch, following whichhe proceeded to install his Officers from memory in a most impressivemanner. Furthermore he had the pleasure of presenting W.Bro. TomHumphreys with his 50 year jewel, and commented that he lookedforthat he looked forward to the time when he would receive his 50year jewel; this was greeted with some laughter. Cavehill MasonicLodge expressed theirngratitude to the Installing Officer, W.Bro. Mutchbut they felt the best appreciation should go to W.Bro. Irwin for themanner in which he installed his Officers and conducted the closingbusiness of the Lodge at this young age!!!!

The Brethren of Cavehill Masonic Lodge believe this is a first in IrishFreemasonry and possibly in the world .

IRISH

LODGE

“YOUNG”

MASTER

News for the Freemason regrets the untimely death of

Ms. Sheryl Plunkett who was the supervisor in the office

of the District Grand Lodge.

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The Western Lodges Committee of theDistrict Grand Lodge of Jamaica andthe Cayman Islands will again host

the Masonic Family Retreat at the all-inclu-sive Riu Club, Negril from October 16 – 18,2010, National Heroes week end. The aimof the retreat is to bring together freemasonsand their families for a holiday weekend oflively discussion, masonic fellowship andfamily fun. Following on the tremendoussuccess of the first retreat held last year, theDistrict Grand Master R.W. Bro. Walter H.Scott determined that the retreat should beheld this year and requested that W. Bro.Russel Hammond of Hope Lodge 2813form a committee to organize it.

Venue: The Riu Club, Negril.

The all inclusive Riu Club Negril has of-fered the following specially discountedrates which include GCT and ServiceCharge:

Standard Rooms :

Single Occupancy : US$150.00 per person per night.

Double Occupancy : US$ 90.00 per person per night.

Triple Occupancy: US$85.50 per personper night.

Ocean Front Room :

Add US$ 12.00 per person per night tothe above standard room rates.Junior Suites Ocean Front:

Add US$30.00 person per night to theabove standard room rates.

Children ages 6-12 years pay only 50% ofthe adult rate and ages 0-5 years stay freeof cost in the same room with two full pay-ing adults.

These rates will still apply if brethrenand/or their families wish to arrive a fewdays earlier or depart a few days later. Brethren may also take full advantage ofthese rates by booking additional roomsfor family and friends.

Day Passes: US$50.00 per person per day(10:00am - 6:00pm) includes all meals,drinks, entertainment , etc .

Night Passes: US$50.00 per person pernight (6:00pm - 2:00am) includes allmeals, drinks, entertainment etc.

THE DEADLINE FOR BOOKING AND

PAYMENT IS SEPTEMBER 16, 2010.

Sinclair Session Tickets: $2,000.00 perticket available from W. Bro. Russel Ham-mond at 381 0780 or W. Bro. JosephSmith at 357 2264.

Reservations and Payment:

Brethren may also contact W. Bro. JosephSmith of Hope 2813 at 357 2264 or 9570387 or joealsmith@gmail.com to maketheir booking.

Panel Discussion on Violent Criminal Be-havior by young Jamaican males – HowFreemasons can contribute to a solution.

Moderator: Bro. Lloyd Moore, R.W. Dis-trict Grand Master of the District GrandLodge of Jamaica (SC)

Panelists : W. Bro. Rear Admiral HardleyLewin, former Chief of Staff of the JDFand former Commissioner of Police;

W. Bro. Hon. Justice Seymour Panton,President of the Court of Appeal; V. W.Bro. Hon. Justice Patrick Brooks, Judge ofthe Court of Appeal, and Deputy DistrictGrand Master.

FUN AND FELLOWSHIP

Located in beautiful Bloody Bay on Ne-gril’s seven mile beach, The Riu Club,Negril offers a wide array of entertain-ment, sports and games, European Spa,kids club and play area and food and bev-erage.

The Negril area also boasts several wellknown attractions such as the Cool Run-nings Water Park, the Royal Palm Reserve,romantic sunsets on the cliffs of the WestEnd, the Jungle Night Club, horsebackriding at Rhodes Hall Plantation and zipline and canopy adventure tours at ChukaAdventure Tours in Sandy Bay.

MASONIC FAMILY RETREAT 2010

3

RIU Club, Negril

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Everything you thought about the Ma-sons is wrong, says the man out tochange their image. The first thing

you notice is the handshake — firm, dry andapparently, orthodox. No odd grips, slidingthumbs or other obvious digital manipulation.Nigel Brown laughs. “One of my jobs is toget rid of these misconceptions,” he says. Heis the new public face of Freemasonry, sincehis appointment as Grand Secretary, UnitedGrand Lodge of England, in 2007.

In its near 300-year history, the Duke ofKent, Grand Master and overall head of theLodge has served for 43 years in the role.The Grand Lodge is at Freemasons’ Hall, offKingsway, Central London. Millions of Lon-doners and tourists will have walked past thewhite walls of this gigantic Art Deco land-mark, which contains 11.5 acres of corridors.“It’s always been open to the public — wehave managed tours,” says Brown. One ofthe top ten film locations in London, it hasfeatured as the HQ in Spooks on TV, in thelatest Sherlock Holmes film and as one ofSaddam Hussein’s palaces in The GreenZone.

Among the other misconceptions: Masonsdo not collude with each other to gain ad-vancement in business. They do not use hid-den signs, the “grips” or “tokens”, as theyare known, to do this. It is not a religion oran order. But yes, women cannot join men’slodges, and yes, they do wear the relevantclothing — “regalia” — for ceremonies.

Freemasonry has, in its three centuries, at-tracted the hatred of the Roman CatholicChurch, Hitler and most communist

regimes. Brown, 62, is the 13th Grand Sec-retary since 1813. He was brought up theson of a district commissioner in NorthernRhodesia, now Zambia, educated in SouthAfrica, went to Sandhurst and became acaptain in the Grenadier Guards. He wentinto business and became a Mason in 1985— his father was not one, but an uncle, anArmy officer, was. “A good friend who wasa Mason invited him to join. He found heenjoyed the ritual. In 2007, he went througha month of interviews at the Lodge for theGrand Secretary’s job, the organisation’schief executive. “They wanted somebodywho would run it as a business and openFreemasonry up so that people would re-alise what it was all about.”

Application for some public sector jobs re-quired a Mason to declare his membership,a disclosure that would not extend to a golfclub or other social network but this waschallenged by Italian Freemasons anddeemed contrary to the European Conven-tion of Human Rights.

The Roman Catholic Church is, however,opposed to Freemasonry as irreconcilablewith its beliefs. Before he became PopeBenedict XV1, Cardinal Ratzinger said:“The Church’s negative judgment in regardto Masonic association remains unchangedsince their principles have always been con-sidered irreconcilable with the doctrine ofthe Church and therefore membership inthem remains forbidden. The faithful whoenrol in Masonic associations are in a stateof grave sin and may not receive Holy Com-munion.” In this he was following the ac-

cepted doctrine, and the declaration was ap-proved by the Pope in 1983.

Many public sector bodies have restrictionson Freemasonry. The police, however, donot. And there is the issue of women. Thereare about 50,000 members of the Women’sOrder of Freemasonry, which celebrates itscentenary this year. “They are happy to re-main independent. We acknowledge them,”Brown says. You can join a lodge only byinvitation, so it’s hard to see how anyonelacking a Y chromosome could infiltrate themale side. Matching organisations meanssex discrimination laws do not apply.

There are three requirements for a Mason,he believes. “Thespian” — you must enjoythe ritual. “Sociable” — there is a dinnerafter each meeting. And “mindful of theneeds of others.

The Grand Lodge has control over masonryin England and Wales, through the Metro-politan Lodge and 47 more in the provincesand another 33 “districts”. Scotland and Ire-land have their own networks. It is as hardto judge the number of Masons worldwide,though some put it at six million. At GreatQueen Street, 1,000 are employed by itsfour charities based there — the Lodge isthe second biggest charitable donor outsidethe National Lottery, handing out more than£20 million a year. £100,000 went out to thevictims of the 2004 Asian tsunami.

Edited from an article byMartin Waller in the

‘London Times’,

Grand Lodge Highlights

4

At the Quarterly Communications ofGrand Lodge held on the 28th. April2010, the following appointments wereannounced:

V. W. Bro.Hon. Justice P. A. Brooks,Deputy District Grand Master of Jamaicaand the Cayman Islands, was appointed tothe rank of Past Grand Sword Bearer,PGSwdB.

W. Bro. Billon Young-Chin was also ap-pointed a Past Grand Standard Bearer,PGStdB.

R. W. Bro. Maj-Gen. R.G.E.Green, C.D.,J.P.,O.S.M., was promoted to the rank ofPast Grand Junior Warden, P.J.G.W. Hewas also honoured by the Supreme Coun-cil 33o of England and Wales with theOrder of the Eagle and the Rose.

At the Quarterly Convocation of GrandChapter of the Holy Royal Arch, whichwas held on the 29th. April E. Comp. HonJustice P. A. Brooks,PDSN, was ap-pointed Past Assistant Grand Director ofCeremonies, PAGDC.

The delegation was lead by R. W. Bro.Walter Scott, Dist. G. M. of the DistrictGrand Lodge of Jamaica and the CaymanIslands.

GRAND LODGE HONOURS

THE NEW FACE OF FREEMASONRY

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The third International Conference inthe History of Freemasonry (ICHF)will be held at the George Washing-

ton Masonic National Memorial, in Alexan-dria, Virginia USA., from the 27th to the29th May 2011.

As Freemasons in Jamaica would know thefirst ICHF was held at the Headquarters ofthe Grand Lodge of Scotland in Edinburghin May 2007 when several Freemasons andtheir wives and sons, attended the confer-ence. Jamaica was also represented at thesecond ICHF which was also held in Scot-land.

The first call for papers from freemasonsfrom Jamaica and around the world hasnow been made and Masonic scholars andresearchers were requested to send extractsto the Conference Secretariat by 30th June2010.

The online facility for submission of suchextract is; ichf@nothernnetworking.co.uk.

Since its inception in 2007 the ICHF hasbeen the primary conference for academics,

and Masonic researchers in the English,Scottish and Irish Constitutions on all as-pects of Freemasonry.

2011 marks a milestone in the historygrowth of the conference not only by at-tracting participants, lecturers and panelistsfrom all over the world but it will be thefirst time that it will be held in the UnitedStates.

The George Washington Masonic NationalMemorial is more than a colossal museum,it is also a research centre and library, per-forming arts and community centre concertand banquet hall for countless visiting Ma-sonic lodges and organizations. The monu-ment perpetuates the memory, characterand virtues of a true mason – Bro. GeorgeWashington. Alexandria is also a perfectplace for shopping.

Jamaican Freemasons who plan to attendthe ICHF in the U.S. next year may contactBro. Editor.

THIRD ICHF IN U.S.A.

George Washington Masonic National Me-

morial, in Alexandria, Virginia USA.

MARK MASONRY IN JAMAICACont’d from Back Page

A few of such highlights are hereunder

indicated:

He is particularly proud of the fact thatduring his administration, and based on hisrecommendation, W. Bro. Sir HowardCooke, former Governor General of Ja-maica and a Past Master of Cornwall Key-stone Mark Lodge No.1232, was honouredby Grand Lodge as a Past Grand JuniorWarden of Mark Masonry and thus be-came Right Worshipful Bro. Cooke – afirst for Jamaica. In addition it was underR.W. Bro. Taylor’s leadership, and to hisgreat satisfaction, that an Assistant DistrictGrand Master for Mark Masonry, V.W.BroDr. George Hylton was appointed in 1992another first for Jamaica.

Similarly W. Bro. Taylor records with nos-talgia and pride, the occasion on which hewas invited to assist in the Consecration ofa Mark Lodge in Barbados, acting as GrandSenior Warden, during the ceremony.

His interest in the promotion of charity andthe welfare of the Brethren in the Mark

District has been demonstrated in his over-seeing the establishment of Mark Benev-olence Fund in the District for membersand for others.

A highlight of his District Grand Master-ship was the celebration of the one hun-dred and thirtieth anniversary of theexistence of Mark Masonry in Jamaica in1998 – highlighted by a Banquet at theKnutsford Court Hotel in Kingston wherethe Past Grand Secretary V.W. Bro. PeterGlyn Williams was Guest Speaker.

R.W. Bro. Taylor, has made many visits to the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons including Communications and Investi-tures at St. James Square in London, butamong his most memorable such visit wasin 2005 when he was recognized as thelongest serving District Grand Master ofMark Masonry around the world – a dis-tinction which he held for several yearsuntil his retirement last year – havingpassed the baton to R.W. Bro. LintonAndrews – the new District Grand Master.

The road has been long and hard, espe-cially in the days and nights of ‘ManBump’ on Spur Tree Hill, the ritual hasbeen tedious but interesting, especially inthe Mark Installation Ceremony; the fel-lowship has been great, especially with the“spirits’’ of Cornwall and the roast corn ofMelrose Hill, the dedication has been in-spiring and exemplary, especially Markingtime in meetings in Kingston, Mandevilleand Montego Bay, over these fifty yearsand more; and the members of the DistrictGrand Lodge of Mark Masonry in Jamaicaand the Cayman Islands would like, on thisday in 2010, to record their gratitude andappreciation to the Grand Overseer of theUniverse and the R.W. Bro. WhilstonDavis Taylor, O.D., J.P. for his outstandingand dedicated service to the Craft Ma-sonry, in general, and to Mark Masonry, inparticular. He has indeed Marked well.

Citation prepared and read by W. Bro. Winston

G. Wright, PDJGW.

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6

Hope LodgeFund RaiserThe Sinclair Session -

Bigger and Better this Year

The Sinclair Session is the main annualfund raiser for Hope Lodge and will beheld from 2:00pm until 9:00pm on SundayOctober 17 at the Negril Hills Golf Club.A $2,000.00 ticket will cover entry fee,

dinner and entertainment by a popularentertainer. The proceeds from this eventsupport the extensive charitable outreachprogramme of Hope Lodge.

And at yet another level, the records ofthe District Grand Lodge of Jamaicaand the Cayman Islands will reveal thaton Saturday the 24th day of July in thatyear, a male child was born in the Har-greaves Memorial Hospital in Mandev-ille to Assad Saleem Lazarus and hiswife Adlyn.

It was by all accounts a commonplaceand uneventful day for the patients andstaff of that hospital. There were no fan-fares, no pious ejaculations, and no fer-vent exclamations of praise. Instead, asthe news was relayed from the deliveryroom, there was only extreme happinessin the hearts and on the faces of thank-ful parents for the uncomplicated birthof a mewling infant, later to be chris-tened Afeef Assad.

The absence of trumpet sound, cymbalsclash or angelus, lulled many residentsof that town into believing that his fu-ture would comprise nothing more thanmundane accomplishments. But historywill not allow us to forget how wrongthey were!

His entrance into Freemasonry by wayof the Friendly Lodge No. 239 and hissubsequent ascent on its ladder of prefer-ment, have been well chronicled and onthis occasion are impatient of repetition.Suffice it to say that during the seventeenyears that represented his tenure of officeas District Grand Master, both by pre-cept and example he ruled us wisely andwell, and as a consequence we are stillthe happy and contented beneficiaries ofhis knowledge, his wisdom, his intellect,his love for the brethren, and his bound-less benevolence.

The high esteem in which he is held byall those privileged to know him, is dueas much to his unassuming manner andease of address, as it is to his civility andgraciousness; his unquestioned integrityand dependability; his uncompromisinghonesty and trustworthiness; his insightand vision; all allied to a passion forfreemasonry that is driven by high-pow-ered twin engines of fervency and zeal.

“How shall we extol him who is born

of thee”?

Be it known – from Negril to MorantPoint, and from Kingston to East End inGrand Cayman - that Afeef Assad

Lazarus of Millsborough Crescent inthe City of Kingston, an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Judicatureof Jamaica and a Notary Public for theIsland of Jamaica; Past District GrandMaster for the District of Jamaica andthe Cayman Islands in the United Frater-nity of Antient, Free and Accepted Ma-sons of England; Past GrandSuperintendent in and over the Districtof Jamaica and the Cayman Islands inthe Supreme Grand Chapter of RoyalArch Masons of England; Past GrandJunior Overseer in the Grand Lodge ofMark Master Masons of England, Walesand its Districts and Lodges Overseas,and holder of Royal Ark Mariner GrandRank in the Ancient and HonourableFraternity of Royal Ark Mariners; PastGreat Herald in the Great Priory of theUnited, Religious, Military and MasonicOrders of the Temple, and of St. John ofJerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta,of England and Wales and its Provincesand Preceptories Overseas; SovereignGrand Inspector General 33rd Degree,

and Inspector General for the District ofJamaica and the Cayman Islands in theAncient and Accepted Rite, under theSupreme Council 33rd Degree, for Eng-land and Wales and its Districts andChapters Overseas; Past Grand High Al-moner and Past Deputy Intendant-Gen-eral of the Division of Jamaica in theGrand Imperial Conclave for Englandand Wales and its Divisions and Con-claves Overseas of the Masonic and Mil-itary Order of the Red Cross ofConstantine and the Orders of the HolySepulchre and of St. John the Evangelist;Past Assistant Grand Director of Cere-monies in the Grand Council of Royaland Select Masters of England, Walesand its Districts and Councils Overseas;etc., etc., etc.

Whom may the Great Architect of the

Universe long preserve; not only exem-plifies Freemasonry, but has earned theright to be forever smothered with love,respect and admiration, by the brethrenof this District.

And whereas the would-be gurus on ma-sonic protocol may look askance, andmay even have the temerity to meddle inmatters that are beyond their ken, thatlove, respect and admiration – unri-valled, unreserved, unremitting, unre-pentant, uncompromising, unfetteredand unmitigated, allows me on this 23rdday of January in the year 2010, to re-quest ALL present to be upstanding;face him; and salute another colossus ofFreemasonry with SEVEN, in the timethat has been determined by me.

Prepared and presented by W. Bro. Dr. Orrin

Barrow.

DGL Pays Tribute to RW Bro. Afeef Lazarus PDGM Cont’d from Front Page

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From a first in 1980 and to whathas now become a “Royal Tradi-tion”, the Royal Lodge (RL) has

every year, held a function to honour andpay tribute to its Ladies. This is held inFebruary, as close as possible to Valen-tine’s Day. The many romantics amongus – and even the few cynics – will im-mediately appreciate the relevance andsignificance of this date.

This year, 2010, plans for the functionwere well advanced, when a disastrous7.0 mag. Earthquake struck our neigh-bour, Haiti. The Ladies then had whatturned out to be a great idea, originatingfrom a senior lady of the Lodge, andfully supported by all the other Ladies.Kimberley, the wife of the WM, W. Bro.Christopher Issa, at their request wroteto the Lodge, asking that this year’sLadies’ Night function be NOT held andthat all funds which would otherwisehave been expended on this event,

should be donated, as their contribution,for Haiti Earthquake Emergency Relief.RL, at its regular meeting on February1st, after a short favourable discussion,unanimously approved the request.

The Ladies wanted their contribution togo towards assisting the women, chil-dren and elderly persons of Haiti, whohad been affected. In further discussions,one of the Ladies called attention to thefact that Nationwide News Network(NNN), in collaboration with Haiti/Ja-maica Society, was collecting goods (notmoney) for exactly such a purpose. Con-tact was made with NNN and Ms. Eliz-abeth (Liz) Bennett, ProgrammesManager, provided a list of the itemswhich were critically needed. Two mem-bers of Royal Lodge who have the re-quired influence with the relevantManufacturers and/or Distributors, wereasked to make contact to facilitate thepurchase of the identified items at best

discounted prices up to the total budgetavailability.

On Wednesday March 10th, a smallgroup including Kimberley (Issa), Mabel(Marsh), Beverley (Anderson) andAstrid (Goldson), together with twoRoyal Lodge members, who assistedwith transport, delivered all the well-needed supplies to the offices of NNN at27 Mannings Hill Road.

One of the objectives of the Ladies’Night function is to facilitate the meetingand networking between our membersand their families and especially to meetand greet the new ones. Therefore, theJW, in consultation with the WM, is ar-ranging a low-keyed function to achievethis purpose, whilst maintaining the sen-sibility and charitable outcome of ourLadies’ magnanimous gesture.

The Ladies of Royal Lodge Donate to Haiti Earthquake Emergency Relief

7

(L to R): Kimberley, Ms. Myrthe Desulme’ (Haiti/Jamaica Society), Beverley, Deanroy Anderson (JW), Mabel, Astrid, - and from

NNN - Ms. Liz Bennett and Ms. Lorna Green. In the background is a view inside the container which was being packed for

shipment on March 18th.

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R. W. Bro. Whilston Davis Taylor, O.D.,

J.P., Past District Grand Master of

Mark Master Masons in Jamaica and

the Cayman Islands.

“Why man, he doth bestride the narrow

world, like a Colossus, and we petty men

walk under his huge legs, to find our-

selves dishonourable graves. Men are

sometimes masters of their fate. The fault

dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in

ourselves, that we are underlings”

On the occasion of the recent retirementof R. W. Bro. Whilston Davis Taylor as District Grand Master of the DistrictGrand Lodge of Mark Master Masons in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands it is fit-ting that the members of the District, withgreat unanimity and concord, should seekto express their gratitude and appreciationto the Great Overseer of the Universe andto R. W. Bro. Taylor for his many yearsof sterling, dedicated and fruitful serviceto the country, in general, and to theFreemasonry,in particular.

The records will show that his contribu-tion to Freemasonry in Jamaica since hewas initiated in the Ewing Lodge no.3258 on the 22nd of April 1959 has beencontinuous, progressive and indeed phe-nomenal. Over the last fifty years R.W.Bro. Taylor has gained the singular andimpressive distinction of being the Assis-tant District Grand Master of the DistrictGrand Lodge of Jamaica and the CaymanIslands; and the Provincial Grand Masterof the Province of Jamaica in the RoyalOrder of Scotland.

At the international level R.W.Bro. Taylorhas been recognized for his selfless, out-standing and indefatigable contribution toall three Constitutions – the English, theIrish and the Scottish.

He has therefore been promoted to the rank of Past Junior Grand Deacon of the United Grand Lodge of England; a Past Honorary Grand Steward in the GrandLodge of Ireland and an Honorary Grand Architect in the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

In addition the Supreme Grand Chapters of Royal Arch Masons of England andScotland have honoured W. Bro Taylor by appointing him Past Assistant Grand So-journer and Honorary Grand StandardBearer, respectively.

With his youthful energy and love of the Craft, he joined Elgin Lodge No. 1562(SC) in 1962 and within three years ofjoining and seven years of his initiation,W. Bro. Taylor was to become a PastMaster on the Jamaican Masonic Land-scape, having been installed as Master ofElgin Lodge in 1969.

However, since this function has been ded-icated to paying tribute to R. W. Bro. Tay-lor for his “outstanding and distinguishedservice to Mark Masonry in Jamaica” thatis where we will concentrate our efforts.

R. W. Bro. Taylor joined the CornwallKeystone Mark Lodge No. 1232 in 1960and after serving faithfully and wellthrough the various chairs, become Masterin 1969. Very active and influential inMasonry, especially in Western and Cen-

tral Jamaica, W. Bro. Taylor was very in-volved as the founding master of MelroseKeystone Mark Lodge No. 1424 in 1968.

He continued as an active and ardent PastMaster in Mark Masonry throughout Ja-maica ,performing a very high standard ofritual work, visiting Craft Lodges andChapter Lodges from Negril to MorantPoint, with high frequency, high velocity and high participation in all spheres andall Constitutions of Freemasonry in Ja-maica for several years – indeed decades.

The defining moment of his Masonic ca-reer came in 1990 when the Grand Masterappointed him District Grand Master ofMark Masonry in Jamaica and the Cay-man Islands.

To appreciate the scope of the honour, re-spect and responsibility of this appoint-ment, it must be indicated that theumbrella of Mark Master Masonry in Ja-maica also covers the Royal Ark Mariners.During his long and distinguished career,R.W.Bro. Taylor has achieved some no-table firsts.

MARK MASONRY IN JAMAICA-R.W. Bro. Whilston Taylor Retires!!

8

R. W. Bro. Whilston Davis Taylor, O.D., J.P., receiving citation from R.W.Bro. Linton

Andrews ; District Grand Master of Mark Master Masons in Jamaica and the

Cayman Islands.

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