Members of the Mackworth Club and their guests held a spectacular celebration on Friday 8th May 2020 to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. The Provincial Grand Master was in attendance, as were the Deputy and Assistant PGM's. The running order is published below, as is an extract from the PGM's Response to his Toast. There were many famous people present at the meeting, including Winston Churchill, His Royal Highness King George VI and an entire Royal Marine Band. Note that the response on behalf of the Visitors came from Bro Keith Lumby who lives in Alberta in Canada. All those present were rather amused to hear that Bro Keith was actually on his lunch hour, due to the 7 hour time difference between West Wales and Alberta!

Perhaps the highlight of the evening was Her Majesty the Queen responding to her Toast shortly after 9 O'Clock!

VE Day Virtual Festive Board Agenda Friday 8th May 2020

1. 20:30pm Sharp ‐ REVEILLE Bugle wake up. (1min50sec)
2. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome W. Bro. Adrian Thomas to welcome the Brethren.
3. VE Day Welcome from W. Bro. Adrian Thomas (6 Mins)
4. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome Bro Gareth Towner to recite the Poem.
5. Bro Gareth Towner to recite a Poem (3 Mins)
6. Winston Churchill announcing Germany’s unconditional surrender. (1min50sec)
7. Bro Gareth Towner to recite the King’s Speech (5 Mins)
8. Mackworth Virtual DC to invite the Prov. Chaplain W.Bro Aled Lewis to address.
9. Prov. Chaplain W.Bro Aled Lewis to address. (4min)
10. HM Royal Marines ‘Heart Of Oak’ (1min8sec)
11. Mackworth Vice‐Chairman Bro Richard Holmes to welcome the Brethren to the Festive board.
12. Mackworth Virtual DC to provide a quick overview of the Festive Board. (What will happen
when)
13. 9 O Clock Toast by W.Bro Tim McDermott (WM of St Peters Lodge, No. 476)
14. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome Bro Wayne Williams to propose the first toast.
15. Bro Wayne Williams to propose toast to Queen and the Craft.
16. ALL Toast the Queen and the Craft – No Response
17. Live stream QUEENS SPEECH.
18. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome W.Bro Mark Bell Davies to propose the next toast.
19. W.Bro Mark Bell Davies to propose the next toast to The Most Worshipful The Grand Master,
His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent.
20. ALL Toast & Firing – Grand Master – No Response
21. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome Bro Ian Lumby to propose the next toast.
22. Bro Ian Lumby to propose toast the next toast to The Most Worshipful Pro Grand Master, Peter
Geoffrey Lowndes. The Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master Jonathan Spence and The Right
Worshipful Assistant Grand Master Sir David Hugh Wootton and the rest of the Grand Officers,
Present and Past.
23. ALL Toast & Firing – Grand Lodge – No Response
24. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome W.Bro Bob McKnight to propose the next toast.
25. W.Bro. Bob McKnight to propose the next toast to The Right Worshipful Provincial Grand
Master – Alasdair James Ross
26. ALL Toast & Firing – Provincial Grand Master
27. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome PGM to respond to the toast.
28. PGM to Respond
29. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome W Bro. Carl Rich to propose the next toast.
30. W Bro. Carl Rich to propose the next toast to The Deputy Provincial Grand Master, Very
Worshipful Bro. Lionel C Hughes The Assistant Provincial Grand Master, Worshipful Bro. Ryland
L. James and the rest of the Provincial Grand Officers, Present and Past.
31. ALL Toast & Firing – Provincial Grand Lodge
32. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome W. Bro Michael Eckley to respond to the toast.
33. W. Bro Michael Eckley to Respond
34. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome Bro. Kevin McCarthy to propose the next toast.
35. Bro. Kevin McCarthy to propose the next toast to Bro. Visitors.
36. ALL Toast & Firing – Bro. Visitor’s
37. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome Bro. Visitor ‐ Keith Lumby (Corinthian Lodge No. 22,
Province of Alberta, Canada) to respond to the toast.
38. Bro. Visitor to Respond – Keith Lumby (Corinthian Lodge No. 22, Province of Alberta, Canada)
39. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome W. Bro. Adrian Thomas to propose the Tyler’s toast.
40. W. Bro. Adrian Thomas to propose the Tylers toast.
41. ALL Toast & Firing (SILENT)
42. Royal Marine Band ’Sunset’ (52sec)
43. Mackworth Virtual DC to welcome PGM to Close.
44. PGM to Close

Virtual Vice Chairman and Brethren,

Virtual Vice Chairman I would like to thank you for your kind invitation to stay at home this evening. I do have to admit that the novelty of staying at home is starting to wear a little thin and I look forward to a time when we can be in the same room together, rather than in the same country apart.

We are here today to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Allied Victory in Europe in 1945 and to pay tribute to all those gallant individuals who have served in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces throughout the ages.

Like most families we have some family folklore associated with the 8th May 1945. I am currently in lockdown with my 85-year-old mother who remembers VE Day well. Not for the street parties, the excitement of the adults, the end of the bombing or any of the other events which we have heard about this evening. My mother had been disobedient and had been forbidden to go out and play. The only possible way to get out of the house was for Winston Churchill to announce the end of the war in Europe and she has been eternally grateful to him ever since!

Brethren, the “Elephants in the Zoom” are the challenges we are all facing due to the current pandemic and the massive impact it is having on all our lives. The Executive has been holding weekly meetings with key members of the Provincial Team and representatives of the Mackworth Club to plan a coordinated response to the challenging times we find ourselves in.

I felt that now would be an appropriate time to thank those involved for all their hard work and to outline just what we have been able to achieve as a Province so far.

1. We have published a huge amount of guidance from UGLE, the MCF and the government, but I would particularly like to take this opportunity to thank Bro Simon Jeremy for the detailed financial advice he has been offering to members of the Mackworth Club and members of the Province.
2. Representatives of The Mackworth Club put together a detailed bid for the Hywel Dda Patient Wish List Appeal. This has resulted in a donation of over £10,000 worth of clothing to the University Health Board for distribution throughout the Province.
3. We have donated 21 Huawei Tablets for use in Healthcare settings across the Province at a cost of £1,500. Our Provincial Grand Charity Steward, W Bro Dirk den-Hartog has coordinated this project and he is to be commended. It won’t surprise you to hear that liaising with healthcare professionals is difficult now as they have a lot of other things on their minds!
4. We have allocated £1,400 to spend on scrubs, but this is proving to be a little problematic at the moment as the UK government has bought all the available material, so whilst we have the production resources we don’t have anything for them to sew together.
5. Most recently we have allocated £750 to help furnish accommodation for the West Wales Domestic Abuse Service.

All these Initiatives are wonderful. We as freemasons are great at getting together and helping others. It’s what we do best.

What we are not particularly good at, both as freemasons and as men, is asking for assistance when we need it. I am most anxious for everyone in the Province to hear the following message and inwardly digest it.

There is currently an enormous package of different financial support measures available from both the Central and the Welsh Governments.

I know that these measures cannot and are not helping everyone who needs assistance in our Province. Please, please get in touch if you need help, financial, or otherwise. We all remember the peculiar moment we were received into Masonry and what it supposed to remind us of. Please be aware that there are strictly confidential contact details for the Province and the MCF on the Provincial website. Please do not hesitate to get in touch. Freemasonry is here to help you in your time of need. I refer you to the latest slogan from the MCF – It’s Okay not to be Okay.

Finally, I would like to thank the Comms Team for the extra work they’re putting in. I am sure it can’t have escaped your notice just how much information is being added to the Provincial Website every day. This content is there both to inform and entertain. I am trying to do something similar with my new Lock Down Blog, entitled “What’s Occurring”. W Bro Adrian Thomas has provided some of the content and many of the ideas, for which I thank him.

Adrian and I have been enjoying writing the blog and I hope that some of you have enjoyed some of the posts. All suggestions gratefully received.

Finally, Brethren, I thank you once again for the truly kind way I have been received this evening and I look forward to your company during 2020 whether it be virtual or in person. Please stay safe.

I thank you W Bro Bob McKnight for the very generous way you proposed my toast and you Brethren for the very kind way you have received it.

Diolch yn fawr i chi i gyd