Grand Senior Warden 2019-2020
I joined Freemasonry in 2005 and on July 17 - a few days ago - it was announced that I had won the election for the office of Grand Senior Warden. Since being invested, and closing Grand Lodge last week, I have now bought a new tuxedo (with tails) and ordered my new regalia. The next year will see me criss-crossing the province, along with other Grand Lodge officers and the Grand Master, Most Worshipful David J. Cameron, visiting many lodges, talking with many brethren, while also attending many social events and official functions.
Prior to being elected, I was often asked why I wanted to spend so much time away from my family, and spend so much money on the road if I were to win, and the answer was based on inspiration. Soon after joining my lodge, The Beaches Lodge, I delivered a brief presentation to a group of Masons who chaired the Long Range Planning Committee in each of their respective lodges in Toronto East District. Shortly thereafter I was asked to provide a similar presentation to another group of Masons who, I would later find out, were all Grand Lodge officers. Within each lodge, each district and each Grand Lodge, many men spend countless hours to ensure the growth and success of our Craft - because they enjoy its benefits and the lessons taught, which have been faithfully passed down generation after generation for hundreds of years.
I am a Past Master of The Beaches Lodge and its Historian. I'm also a member of Scottish Rite (32 degrees) Toronto Valley, Past First Principal of King Cyrus Chapter, and their Historian, as well as a member of Heritage Lodge. Regarding history, lest we forget, from 2014 to 2018, I delivered presentations in numerous lodges regarding the involvement and impact of Freemasons during World War 1 over a century ago.
Following my early presentations, I was asked to get involved in the development of a Long Range Plan for my local district - in an era of Dan Brown and National Treasure - and continued to serve several District Deputy Grand Masters sitting on their committees providing my input. In 2006, I was asked by the Grand Master, Most Worshipful Gary Atkinson, to accept an appointment to the board of directors for the Masonic Foundation of Ontario for a term of 6 years until 2012. I gladly accepted the responsibility and enjoyed the role immensely, not to mention the people I was meeting and the work they were doing "for the cause of good".
In brief, therefore, I've been sitting on committees since being initiated into Freemasonry at the lodge, district and Grand Lodge level, offering my thoughts not only on Long Range Planning, but also Leadership Development and several under the heading of Communications.
In 2008, our district's Long Range Planning committee, chaired by Very Worshipful Gary Fitzpatrick, made numerous presentations in various lodges and conducted a province-wide survey and eventually delivered our findings to the Management Committee at the "Think Tank" in Hamilton, and many members of The Board, and at the invitation of the Grand Master, Most Worshipful Allan Petrisor, during the annual communication of Grand Lodge.
By that time I was also sitting on the Grand Lodge committee for Long Range Planning, and that particular presentation led to developing a comprehensive strategic plan for Grand Lodge. The Strategic Plan that we conceived and wrote was published and implemented by Most Worshipful Garry Dowling in 2010, and in 2014 Most Worshipful John Green asked that I help his ad hoc committee to update it, which I did, and it was then implemented for another 5 years in 2015. This past year (2018-2019), I had the great pleasure of sitting on the Communications (Community Outreach) committee, chaired by Right Worshipful Brother Charles Woods.
A critical element that I believe is crucial to the growth and success of the Craft is the recognition of its value, of what Freemasonry offers to its members, and these are the aforementioned lessons taught on each of our lodge floors, the carefully worded phrases you cannot find in a history class, or elsewhere, but that form the basis of a comprehensive and ageless philosophy, the love of wisdom: words to live by.
These days I write business plans and in fact communication strategies for start-ups and independent businesses. Over the decades I've met many wise people around the world - from all walks of life, rich and poor - and learnt many great and valuable lessons. None, however, resonate with greater impact than what I have heard within our degrees. It's what I believe my father understood, as did his father and my mother's father too, who initiated, passed and raised my dad before we moved to Canada in 1967.
Currently, my oldest son is Senior Warden in The Beaches Lodge and I'd like to think he sees the value in these priceless lessons, as do the many new Masons I meet each year.
All of what I have done I have done for the cause of good, and look forward to serving you, while in the office of Grand Senior Warden, and continuing the work of my esteemed predecessors, on behalf of all Masons, past, present and future.
Prior to being elected, I was often asked why I wanted to spend so much time away from my family, and spend so much money on the road if I were to win, and the answer was based on inspiration. Soon after joining my lodge, The Beaches Lodge, I delivered a brief presentation to a group of Masons who chaired the Long Range Planning Committee in each of their respective lodges in Toronto East District. Shortly thereafter I was asked to provide a similar presentation to another group of Masons who, I would later find out, were all Grand Lodge officers. Within each lodge, each district and each Grand Lodge, many men spend countless hours to ensure the growth and success of our Craft - because they enjoy its benefits and the lessons taught, which have been faithfully passed down generation after generation for hundreds of years.
I am a Past Master of The Beaches Lodge and its Historian. I'm also a member of Scottish Rite (32 degrees) Toronto Valley, Past First Principal of King Cyrus Chapter, and their Historian, as well as a member of Heritage Lodge. Regarding history, lest we forget, from 2014 to 2018, I delivered presentations in numerous lodges regarding the involvement and impact of Freemasons during World War 1 over a century ago.
Following my early presentations, I was asked to get involved in the development of a Long Range Plan for my local district - in an era of Dan Brown and National Treasure - and continued to serve several District Deputy Grand Masters sitting on their committees providing my input. In 2006, I was asked by the Grand Master, Most Worshipful Gary Atkinson, to accept an appointment to the board of directors for the Masonic Foundation of Ontario for a term of 6 years until 2012. I gladly accepted the responsibility and enjoyed the role immensely, not to mention the people I was meeting and the work they were doing "for the cause of good".
In brief, therefore, I've been sitting on committees since being initiated into Freemasonry at the lodge, district and Grand Lodge level, offering my thoughts not only on Long Range Planning, but also Leadership Development and several under the heading of Communications.
In 2008, our district's Long Range Planning committee, chaired by Very Worshipful Gary Fitzpatrick, made numerous presentations in various lodges and conducted a province-wide survey and eventually delivered our findings to the Management Committee at the "Think Tank" in Hamilton, and many members of The Board, and at the invitation of the Grand Master, Most Worshipful Allan Petrisor, during the annual communication of Grand Lodge.
By that time I was also sitting on the Grand Lodge committee for Long Range Planning, and that particular presentation led to developing a comprehensive strategic plan for Grand Lodge. The Strategic Plan that we conceived and wrote was published and implemented by Most Worshipful Garry Dowling in 2010, and in 2014 Most Worshipful John Green asked that I help his ad hoc committee to update it, which I did, and it was then implemented for another 5 years in 2015. This past year (2018-2019), I had the great pleasure of sitting on the Communications (Community Outreach) committee, chaired by Right Worshipful Brother Charles Woods.
A critical element that I believe is crucial to the growth and success of the Craft is the recognition of its value, of what Freemasonry offers to its members, and these are the aforementioned lessons taught on each of our lodge floors, the carefully worded phrases you cannot find in a history class, or elsewhere, but that form the basis of a comprehensive and ageless philosophy, the love of wisdom: words to live by.
These days I write business plans and in fact communication strategies for start-ups and independent businesses. Over the decades I've met many wise people around the world - from all walks of life, rich and poor - and learnt many great and valuable lessons. None, however, resonate with greater impact than what I have heard within our degrees. It's what I believe my father understood, as did his father and my mother's father too, who initiated, passed and raised my dad before we moved to Canada in 1967.
Currently, my oldest son is Senior Warden in The Beaches Lodge and I'd like to think he sees the value in these priceless lessons, as do the many new Masons I meet each year.
All of what I have done I have done for the cause of good, and look forward to serving you, while in the office of Grand Senior Warden, and continuing the work of my esteemed predecessors, on behalf of all Masons, past, present and future.
