28th June 2014 - Silver Celebrations, Serving and Society...

Thought for the day :
"Are you insured for sex? Make sure you get the Correct Insurance for the sex you are having. Please find a list of companies below catering for most tastes:- 
Sex with your wife - Legal and General ....Sex on the telephone - Direct Line .... Sex with your Partner - Standard Life.....Sex with someone Different - Go Compare ... Sex with a Fat bird - More Than ... Sex On the back seat of a car - Sheila's Wheels .... Sex with a posh bird - Privilege ....Sex with a transvestite - confused.com"

A long and interesting day. As  a guitarist I continually find myself being asked to play organ for ceremonies, and in many cases it is like a one eyed man in the land of the blind....  Borrowing my mother's Yamaha Keyboard - not a particularly fancy one - but having a voice as "Church Organ" setting, and a friend kindly loaning me a Roland keyboard amplifier - the set up seemed to work. A quick re-working of "Abide with me" in D and the National Anthems and off we went..

The Mark Province of Dyfed celebrates 25 years since its inauguration, and today all four Provincial Grand Masters were present for the annual Provincial Meeting.

So congratulations to the Province of Mark on its silver anniversary .....

We have benefited well in the past from the Mark Benevolent Fund. Only recently £1.4 million was spent on providing the new Lifeboat at Angle - The Mark Mason ..

Mark Mason - Tamar Class 16-11

Previously I wrote about the Benevolent fund and the decision to spend £2.3 million that has been raised from within the order on providing Mobile Chemotherapy Units that will assist cancer sufferers in their own area - particularly in the rural communities. Vollsanger Blog - Mark Well....
 
Today we had the announcement that negotiations are under way in our own area to provide a Chemotherapy Unit to serve within Dyfed. Sadly it appears that though the fund and the charity are willing - the stumbling block at the moment may be within the Hywel Dda Health Trust itself. This seems such a pity when the Charity not only provides the vehicle, fully fitted, and the running costs for two years, as well as nurse support vehicles.

One can only hope that red tape does not prevent the introduction here.

We had the pleasure of being addressed by the President of the Mark Benevolent Fund RW Bro John Prizeman - who was one of those instrumental in creating interest in the charity. As he informed the meeting, the initial needs were identified in Provinces where some patients were required to travel round trips of up to 80 miles..  Those living in our own province know that round trips of twice that distance, and even more are required for many to visit and receive treatment. Many brethren and their families have been among those who have had to manage these distances on a regular basis - at a time when they are feeling at their lowest.

It is clear to me that our need is great and it is in areas such as our province that all members of society can benefit.

An additional snippet of information from today's meeting  was that, similar to the ubiquitous girl names upon the Eddie Stobart vehicle fleet - each of the current 8 Chemotherapy units are also named individually. Each with the name of a patient - each of whom lost the battle with cancer, but with the lady's name endorsed upon the vehicle as a lasting memorial...  I found this touching...

And so another day comes to an end - but I do have the quiet satisfaction of being a party to a great organisation and fellowship. 

And so the day comes to a close - and with a glass of scotch in hand I can reflect "Mark Well and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ear..."

The thoughts and views expressed in my blogs are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Mark Degree of Freemasonry - 

 -o0o-

Place and sign of the day