Most Excellent Third Grand Principal and Companions:

Firstly may I welcome you all here today and thank you for coming to support me and my colleagues on what is a special day for us and the start of a new ‘chapter’ in the history of this Province. I know that many of you have travelled long distances and taken time off from your work to be here and I really do appreciate your support.

To you Most Excellent Third Grand Principal my special thanks for installing me in your usual kind and personal way and to say how extra special it is for me that your association with Hertfordshire Masonry has made today so much more enjoyable for me and I am sure the other members of the Province. May I also on behalf of every mason in Hertfordshire congratulate you on your forthcoming appointment as Dean of Bury and St. Edmunds and hope that it will mean we may see a little more of you from time to time. Let us hope so.

My thanks also to the Acting Grand Director of Ceremonies and his team for the most efficient manner in which they have managed the ceremony this afternoon and to say how relaxed they have made me feel. Companions it looks easy but it takes a lot of experience and expertise to conduct ceremonies so efficiently.

I would also add my thanks to E Comp Graham Redman, not only for the most impressive and inspiring way in which he read my Patent, but also for all the help, guidance and support that he and his colleagues at Supreme Grand Chapter have given us leading up to this meeting today but also for their past help and hopefully the future support and assistance that I know I’m going to need. To my own Provincial team, and especially our Scribe E, Philip Lever, and his assistants for the calm and efficient manner in which they have organised the events, I pay tribute. Quite frankly they have kept any problems to themselves and enabled me to prepare for this meeting without too much concern. They have put in a considerable amount of their time and energy to ensure that everything is in place for us to have a most enjoyable day and for that I thank you not only for myself but all the Companions present.

On a personal note I would like to thank my eldest brother, Richard, for carrying my chain today and for all the support and encouragement that he has given to me during my Masonic career. I have admired his kind and patient manner and his wise counsel has been a great influence to me. This is a very proud day for me and I hope, Richard, for you also. Now Companions we have our Annual Convocation in November when many of you will be appointed or promoted and I will have an opportunity to say more to you then. However I do wish to make two very important points:-

Firstly, Companions, as you all know I am very keen for Chapters to share as much of the work as possible as I believe this will encourage greater enjoyment of our ceremonies. To this end the adoption of the new Ritual is to be encouraged as I firmly think that it is more understandable and enables better division of the work. We must stimulate the interest of our members in order not only to retain them but to encourage others to join. In this Province we are approaching 40% membership compared to the Craft but this means over 60% have not discovered the beautiful and inspirational teachings of the Royal Arch.

I know that many of our Chapters have already adopted the new Ritual in whole or in part and many others are in the process of deciding. Companions you are all members of private Chapters and must decide this matter for yourselves but I do urge you to consider most carefully the future of the Royal Arch and all the members of the Executive are available to answer any of your questions and will happily arrange a demonstration should you so wish. We also have a short talk designed to be given to Lodges which outlines the advantages of joining the Royal Arch. We can and must encourage wider membership in order to ensure that this beautiful Order grows within this Province and provides an even firmer base for the future.

Secondly, as you know, the Provincial Grand Master is presiding over the 2009 Festival for the Grand Charity and I hope that this Royal Arch Province will give him as much support as possible. The relationship that exists between all the Masonic Orders in Hertfordshire is good and long may that continue but the relationship with the Craft is special and so I urge you over the next two and a half years to do as much as you can so that the Royal Arch can make a significant contribution to that Festival to emphasise to the Provincial Grand Master our support to his Appeal. We have already made sums available approaching £50,000-00 under the direction of my predecessor and I pledge my support as well.

Finally, Companions, for many years now this Province has been led by caring and committed Royal Arch masons and two of them are here today. They have promoted happy and enjoyable participation in the Order and have done much to ensure the happy state that exists today. In their different ways they have encouraged harmony and conviviality amongst the membership and are warmly welcomed whenever they visit amongst you. That in itself is a testimony to the affection with which they are all held by you. I pledge myself to continue that work and build on the very firm foundations that they have preserved and hopefully ensure that Happy Hertfordshire remains the by-word of this Province. It will not be for want of trying!

Companions I again thank you all for your wonderful support today and I look forward to seeing many of you at the Festive Board.

THANK YOU!!!

E. Comp. John Ilott
ME Grand Superintendent
Installation Convocation
15th May 2006