The District Grand Master RWBro. Percy Driver accompanied by the President of the District Board of General Purposes, WBro. Michael Holland Past Dist.SGW, visited the District Grand Lodge of the Eastern Archipelago in Kuala Lumpur between 5^th and 8^th December 2013.

On 6^th December they participated in the Inaugural Conference of the Asia Oceanic Districts of the United Grand Lodge of England. The Conference was officially opened by the Deputy Grand Master, RWBro. Jonathan Spence, after which the DGM for the DGL Eastern Archipelago, RWBro. YBhg Datuk Dr. Yeoh Poh Hong chaired a Plenary Session with a panel made up of the following distinguished Brethren.

RWBro. Jonathan Spence, Deputy Grand Master

RWBro David Fok, DGM – DGL Hong Kong and the Far East

RWBro. Percy Driver, DGM – DGL Bombay

RWBro.  H. Malin Goonetileke, DGM – DGL Sri Lanka

VWBro S. Sampath, Deputy DGM – DGL Madras

VWBro. Nigel Brown, Grand Secretary

VWBro. Oliver Lodge, Grand Director of Ceremonies.

 

The conference then held sessions on

 

A. UGLE’s role with Districts with VWBro. Nigel Brown, Grand Secretary covering

 

1. The Grand Charity
2. The Masonic Samaritan Fund
3. Emergency medical aid – assistance to overseas Brethren while visiting UK
4. Education – how UGLE can assist children of Masons from Districts

 

B. Administration of Lodge matters with Bro. Lister Park of the UGLE Registration Department

 

1. Annual Returns
2. Installation Returns
3. Adelphi and the use thereof by Districts
4. Requirements when sending forms to UGLE for processing

 

C. Mentoring

 

Speakers                                                                                       Topics

 

1. WBro. Dennis Heath                                       Origins of English Freemasonry
2. WBro. Dr. Ronald Paul Ng                           Freemasonry and the Age of Enlightenment
3. WBro. Darren Desker                                    The Development of Masonic Ritual
4. Bro. Alex Maroske                                         The Era of Grand Lodges

 

On the 7^th December our DGM and Pres. District BGP attended the Consecration of The Eastern Archipelago District Grand Stewards’ Lodge No. 9888 presided over by the Deputy District Grand Master, RWBro. Jonathan Spence. On this auspicious occasion, RWBro. Driver was invited to be the Consecrating Senior Deacon and was afterwards elected an Honorary Member of this Lodge as a gesture of thanks and recognition of him being part of the Consecrating Team.

 

On the same day, they attended the Annual Communication of the DGL of Eastern Archipelago presided over by RWBro. YBhg Datuk Dr. Yeoh Poh Hong which was followed by an excellent Festive Board which included a 10 course Chinese Banquet.

 

During their time in Kuala Lumpur our DGM and WBro. Holland were received and hosted in a most kind and generous way and express their thanks to the District as a whole and especially to RWBro. YBhg Datuk Dr. Yeoh Poh Hong, WBro. James Valentine, and WBro. Dr. Thurairajah.

 

The next Annual Asia Oceanic Conference is scheduled to take place in the District of Hong Kong and the Far East in October 2014 and it is hoped that our District will be hosts in 2017 which will also be the year we celebrate the Tercentenary of the UGLE.