NEWS Solstice Dinner 2010 Lodge Homewood’s Winter Solstice Dinner was a roaring success. More than 30 pirates and piratesses assembled to enjoy the pirate punch and other culinary treasures. This was a fantastic night organised by Warwick, a lot of fun was had by all those who attended, it was great to have some family there also from outside the Lodge. We look forward to carrying this on for years to come and follow in the footsteps of Frank who has set the bar so high. Gary Parsons 50 Year Badge - December '09 Gary was presented with his 50 year badge on December 7th, this was a great thing to see as Gary is a respected member of the community and is heavily involved with not only Freemasons, but also Lions for many years. Gary originated from the Horowhenua many moons ago and joined the Lodge a few years after working in his fathers shop only a stones throw from the old Lodge building in Standen St, Karori. He is a valued member of the Lodge and is a founding (charter) member of our Lodge Homewood and it was great to see this honour bestowed upon him, his wife and family members were in attendance which always adds lustre to the evening. Christmas Dinner '09 The dinner was held at the Tinakori Bistro this year and was well attended by a good number of Brethren and wives, it was great to see some of of Lodge Widows in attendance, thanks to our Almoner for organising this. The food was as usual top notch from the Bistro and the service much the same, everyone who attended left full and in good spirits Combined Working - September '09 The combined working for the Brooklyn Lodges took place on Lodge Homewood's September meeting night and was very well attended with some 60 masons. A full meal afterwards was again catered for by Hot Plate and enjoyed by all. This was a very well done evening by the Brethren involved from the Lodges: Homewood, St Andrews, Hinemoa, Herbert Teagle, Empire Fergusson and Lodge Aquarius. It has been decided that after this great success, the Lodges will continue to take turns at doing this in the future as it bring us all together.   INSTALLATION - August '09 The installation of W.Bro Hadyn Nicholls in to the Chair as Master for the ensuing year was a great night. The ladies and family who attend were entertained throughout the evening by the fantastic singing voice of Ruth Armishaw and the piano player who accompanied her. We were all then entertained again by the Robbie Burns 'Ode to the Haggis' which was done with impeccable effort by Kevin Nelson and the comments received around this were of great note. The food served up by our Caterer from Hot Plate Caterers was once again without fault. The ceremony went very well and all involved enjoyed the evening and the Master was very happy with how everything went. The numbers we had at this ceremony were a lot higher than we have had before and are testament to Hadyn and Lodge Homewood. Solstice Dinner - June 09 On Saturday evening, 20 June, our usual ‘Solstice Dinner’ was held in therefectory, attended by wives, partners, and friends, and very much enjoyed by all. The theme was a karaoke night in a London pub, the ‘Shepherd’s Bush Arms’, mine host Frank Hyatt, (aka Bro. Treasurer), with the ‘local’ suitably adorned to fit in with the theme. It will be no surprise to learn that Bro. Frank, a tried and true Cockney, came up with this particular idea and, together with his wife Wynne, prepared and decorated the public bar, creating exactly the right atmosphere. A great dinner was provided, (preceded by some very welcome and timely mulled wine) and was interspersed with a surprisingly talented number of singers who, though somewhat reluctant at first, warmed up the tempo as the evening progressed. There were some really good singers in our midst.   PRESENTATION - May 09 V.W.Bro. Murray Alford, Grand Lecturer, (and our Director of Ceremonies) made his first official presentation to us entitled ‘Frogs and Aprons’, assisted with visuals managed by W. Bro. Reg Todd. The presentation covered the development of Freemasonry in France going back very many years and up to the present. This was a particularly interesting discourse on a well researched subject and one of which he has recent practical knowledge. Of some special interest is the fact that there is a very active involvement there in Masonic Lodges for women, who outnumber the approximately 10,000 or so male Freemasons in New Zealand. It is not surprising that V. W. Bro. Alford, with his thorough research and knowledge of matters Masonic together with his presentation skills, has become a very popular and sought-after Grand Lecturer with Lodges in our Districts. YOUTH DINNER On Saturday, 24th January, the Lodge hosted a special youth dinner in the refectory for Elisa Christian, whom we were very pleased to sponsor, with the Wellington Masonic Youth Trust, to the Classic Outward Bound Course late last year. It was a rewarding and very enjoyable evening. Some 34 guests attended, including a number of Elisa's young friends, our wives and partners, the District Grand Master VW.Bro. Duane Williams, representatives from the Ngaio Scout Group, Masonic friends, and members of the Wellington Masonic Youth Trust. Trust Chairman, RW. Bro. Brian Kennedy, gave a brief summary of the origins and activities of the Trust, after which Elisa gave an excellent address on her experiences at Anakiwa. Elisa is commencing her final year at Massey University in Wellington, completing a Bachelor of Science Honours degree majoring in multi media systems, which is a mix of computer software,engineering, computer science, and graphic design – a testing programme indeed. Elisa greatly appreciates our support and her presentation, accompanied by photos, and her persona reflected very well on her attitudes and aspirations.   25th Annivesary Dinner On the first Saturday evening of September, the Lodge hosted a 25th Anniversary Dinner to celebrate the first 25 years of Masonic activity since the Lodge was constituted. The dinner was attended by over 70 guests, which included Brethren from other Lodges, our own members and wives/partners, and friends. The evening was a wonderful success, with a most entertaining programme preceded by a lovely rendition of ‘Pokarekare Ana’ by Mrs Wynne Hyatt, and interspersed with meal courses, ’Piping in and Address to the Haggis’, English Morris dancing, and Irish dancing – in all, a most enjoyable programme which was enthusiastically received by all. We were honoured by the presence of the first Master of the Lodge, W. Bro. Royce Hall, who later proposed the Toast to the Lodge, and a good number of other Charter Members Visit to Eketahuna On 19 July, I visited Eketahuna Lodge (see photo) with Bro. Hadyn Nicholls for a third degree ceremony attended by the Grand Master, M. W. Bro.Barry McLaggan, along with approximately 65 other Brethren from Grand Lodge and various lodges from throughout the Wellington and Hawke’s Bay regions. This was my first visit to the Eketahuna lodge room. The working was of a high standard, and it was certainly a memorable event for the candidate (from the Waihenga St John’s Lodge in Martinborough) to have his third degree not only in the Eketahuna lodge room with its well known opening in the floor (or ‘contraption’ as one calls it) but also in front of the Grand Master and many Grand Lodge officers. The Grand Master reported that the Craft is in good shape in New Zealand and noted that the duty of each Lodge is to look after its members. - David Ryan   Secret Monitor Bro. Nicholls also reports as follows on the Secret Monitor. I was installed in the chair of the Secret Monitor on 21 June after being introduced to the Order by the late Bill Parr. This was quite an honour for me and I hope to learn a great deal from this about how to take on further responsibility in our own Lodge. It was a most enjoyable event and we had around 40 people there. Our Conclave, as it is called, is the Aotearoa Conclave No. 1 and is full of Lodge members who you quite often see ‘around the traps’, maybe some with a lot of spare time possibly. This was a long day for me as we had our solstice dinner afterwards which, like the installation, was catered by Graham Walkinshaw. I made the error of eating too much at the installation only to face more of his wonderful food at the dinner. Needless to say, I was rather full come 10pm that evening. - Hadyn Nicholls Lodge Zetland’s Installation On 23 April, nine Homewood Brethren turned out to do the stewarding for W Bro Craig Nunnerley’s Installation at Lodge Zetland. It was a big night with over 100 to cater for. The Grand Master, M W Bro Barry McLaggan, was in attendance with more than 40 Grand Lodge Officers and about 15 visiting Masters with a large number of accompanying Brethren. The Grand Master impressed us all with his friendly down-to-earth approach and his positive and encouraging remarks about the Craft, its work and its future. Sincere thanks to the Homewood Brethren who assisted. - John Nimmo Social report By Celina Ryan (wife of Bro David Ryan) As a born and bred Mexican, I was a bit sceptical about the FEDS dinner at the Flying Burrito Brothers in April. I hadn’t been there before and I doubted that the food would be authentically Mexican. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The menu had an extensive range of typical Mexican food – just reading the names of the food made my mouth water. When the food finally arrived, I was not disappointed. It was almost perfect. No Mexican restaurant in New Zealand can be 100% faithful to the true Mexican style and ingredients – most Mexican cuisine cooked the traditional way would be too hot for New Zealanders. However, the food at the Flying Burrito Brothers was superb and I am keen to return. Despite the fact that the restaurant was full, the service was good and the food was brought out to us without much delay. Even some of the waiters and at least one cook at the restaurant are Mexicans! The 14 brethren of Lodge Homewood and partners had a good time. Thanks to Bro Frank Hyatt for organising yet another successful social event.