Last meeting I was given the great honour of being reinstalled as the Master of Lodge Devotion for the next twelve months.

I offered no great retrospect on my first term and only briefly outlined my aspirations for the lodge over the next year. These can be summed up as "more of the same but even better". We should always be looking to improve the environment of  our lodge, the experience it offers, -  and ourselves.

Less successful lodges are often charged with being conservative and shackled by convention and tradition. Tradition can become liability rather than the important asset it should be. Our traditions should make members proud – not make them groan.

One of the hallmarks of Devotion is a willingness to listen to its members and meet their needs as a group. To meet challenges with enthusiasm and flexibility and a willingness to experiment, embrace suggestions and try new experiences. These do not always have to be big changes, but small things like trying something or some place new for dinner, a trip away, some entertainment or activity we have not done before - variety being the spice of life. Most things get old and stale if you do it over and over - they become repetitive rather than enjoyable.

Lack of Candidates is often a problem for lodges - but I would say with two EA's, one FC and three further applications for men to become Freemasons - we don’t have those problems. However our challenge will be to ensure we embrace our new members, including joining members, with the same brotherhood, affability, pride and enjoyment as we have done in previous years before I took the chair.

I have told these new candidates it is our job to look after them, and I want the lodge to embrace that, fashion and promote friendships at Devotion for friendships are the engines of lodges. Let's make sure none of our members, old or new, "fall through the cracks" at Devotion and that we continue to be builders of success.