St George's 10th Anniversary meeting
Report with pictures of the 10th Installation meeting of the Kent Preceptory of St George.
Click here for the 10th Anniversary Meeting Report
Great Priory Malta Meeting
Read the report submitted by our Provincial Vice Chancellor of the Great Priory of Malta, which took place on 15th November at Birmingham.
Click here for the 50th Anniversary Meeting Report
Provincial Prior: R E Kt Kessick J Jones
“The Most Eminent & Supreme Grand Master has invited me to accept the appointment to the honour and dignity of a Knight Commander of the United Orders.
I have with humble, but undisguised delight accepted the appointment.
The Honour will be conferred at the Annual Meeting of the Great Priory of Malta on the 15th November at Birmingham
Kessick
Provincial Prior for Kent”
I'm sure everyone will congratulate our Provincial Prior on Saturday for this well deserved honour.
West Kent Preceptory - 50th Anniversary meeting
We are grateful to E Kt Trevor Gray for supplying a report with pictures on West Kent's 50th anniversary meeting.
Click here for the 50th Anniversary Meeting Report
Trip to the Eye Hospital at Jerusalem
We are grateful to E Kt Geoff Ellis and E Kt Dennis Dean for sending us a report with pictures on their visit to the Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, organised by Great Priory.
Click here for the Eye Hosptial Report
Golden Jubilee for Ernie!
A very rare occurrence was celebrated at Tunbridge Wells on 21st June 2011.
E.Kt. Ernest Charles Bissenden celebrated 50 Years as a Knight Templar.
Ernie, who joined Preceptory No. 333, at the age of 33 (you can work his age out for yourself!), was joined in his Celebration by the members of St Vincent Preceptory, the Provincial Prior, the Sub Prior, an array of Provincial Officers, and a detachment of the Provincial Prior’s Bodyguard.
To mark just how really special the occasion was, V.E. Kt. Glyn Goddard, the Great Registrar, escorted the Very High & Right Eminent Great Seneschal, Malcolm Slater, GCT into the meeting!
The Great Seneschal took the Chair, and caused the 50 year Citation to be read by the Vice-Chancellor. He then presented it to E.Kt. Bissenden, giving a brief resume of Ernie’s Masonic career, reproduced below. The Provincial Prior then reminded some knights, and educated the younger ones, as to what was happening in the world at the time of Ernie’s Installation on 20th June 1961.
After this, the already overwhelmed Ernie was further dumbfounded when the Great Senschal, on authorisation of the Grand Master, conferred field promotion to the rank of Past Great Registrar on VERY EMINENT Knight Ernest Charles Bissenden!
The meeting was followed by very convivial Refection.
Ernest Charles Bissenden - 50 Years as a Knight Templar
Craft Initiated 13th Feb 1952 into Paddock Wood Lodge 4291. Installed W.M 1966/67 Provincial Rank 1976.
Joined Lodge of the Men of Kent & Kentish Men (West Kent) 1982. Appointed Secretary 1986, retired 1994. Provincial Rank P.Pr SGD 1989 promoted P.Pr G.Reg 2003
W.M. of Man of Kent & Kentish Man 1998. Office in Lodge at present: Mentor, Royal Arch Representative and Assistant Secretary.
50 Year certificate presented 23rd February 2002 by V.W.Bro M.J.Chapman, Deputy Prov Grand Master.
Royal Arch Exalted in Stanley Wickham Chapter, Paddock Wood 21st January 1956. Joined Men of Kent and Kentish Men Chapter No 4273 in 1970. Appointed 1st Principal 1981. Elected Treasurer 1988 retired 2009. Received Provincial Rank West Kent 1987. Promoted to P.Pr.Scribe N 2006. Joined Anderida 1st Principals Chapter. 1st Principal 1994. Elected Treasurer 2001-2007.
50 Year Royal Arch certificate presented 2nd February 2006 by E.Comp A.Game 2nd Prov Principal.
Mark Advanced in the Mark Degree 19th May 1958. Member of King Charles The Martyr Lodge and held office of treasurer 1986-2007. Received rank of P.P.G.M.O. 2007.
50 Year certificate presented 14th October 2008 by R.W.Bro R.H.H.Croucher Prov Grand Master for Kent.
Royal Ark Mariners Elevated 19th November 1985 King Charles The Martyr. Commander in 1989 and elected treasurer 1991-2009. Provincial Rank 2001 and Grand Rank 2008
Rose Croix Perfected 23rd March 1983 in Weald Chapter No 842. Most Wise Sovereign 1982. Treasurer from 2007 to date.
Knights Templar Installed in St Vincent Preceptory 333 20th June 1961. Preceptor 1971 and 2001 (Jubilee Meeting). Offices held in Preceptory: Treasurer and at present Almoner.
Provincial Rank P.Pr Reg; Great Priory: P.Gt.Capt.of Gds, 1990; P.Gt.Std.B(VB), 2002; and now P.Gt.Reg, 2011.
St George (629) Malta Meeting - 9 June 2011
For their tenth anniversary Kent’s youngest Priory had their most successful meeting yet, on 9th of June at Dartford by installing twenty one candidates into the Order. This has brought the total to well over one hundred and fifty candidates in their short existence.
The ceremony was conducted by the current Prior E. Kt. Bill Unger, the first non founder to take that position and was ably assisted by E. Kt. Sprackling who conferred the Mediterranean Pass in his usual brilliant manner, Kt. Powell who gave the first part of the history, E. Kt. Hiscock, the second part including the explanation of the Standards anf Kt. Smith the third part with an explanation of the Octagonal table. The Provincial Vice Chancellor, E. Kt. Peter Wise presented the candidates with their Malta jewels and of course the one and only E. Kt. Brazier completed the proceedings as Chaplain.
All the officers performed their allotted offices in a most proficient manner.
Once he had finished the ceremony of installing new knights into the Order,E. Kt. Bill Unger then proceeded to instal the Prior for 2011/12 E. Kt. Jason Cameron-Potter into the chair in a most excellent and sincere manner.
In a testimony to the success and popularity of St George's Preceptory, there were seventy eight knights In the Temple of whom seventy two attended the refectory afterwards. What would many Craft Lodges and Chapters do, for such an attendance.
All the candidates were presented with a memento of the occasion and all were impressed with the Ceremony.
After the meeting many of the candidates took booking forms for the Provincial meeting and as a bonus four asked for application forms for the Provincial Body Guard.
Pictures below show the new brother knights admitted into the Order, and the festive board afterwards.
Axstane Preceptory of St John Jerusalem No. 373
50th Anniversary Meeting - 26 April 2011
Photo shows: V.E.Kt. McIntyre, Kt. Shallcross, E.Kt. Torres, Kt. Prince, R.E.Kt. JonesThe Preceptory takes its name from the Hundred of Axstane Lodge No. 7722 and St John’s Jerusalem in Sutton-at-Hone Kent, a former Commandery owned by the Knights Hospitallers in 1199, and was consecrated on Saturday 3rd June 1961 in the Chapter House at Canterbury Cathedral
On Tuesday 26th April 2011 the Preceptory held its 50th year anniversary meeting at Wrotham Masonic Hall.
The meeting was attended by 58 Knights, including the Provincial Prior, Sub-Prior, 12 Provincial Officers, 12 members of the Prior’s Bodyguard, the Sub-Prior for London and 17 other visiting Knights.
The day was celebrated with a double installation of Companions Prince and Shallcross, who on the previous Thursday had been installed as the Worshipful Master and Senior Warden respectively of the Hundred of Axstane Lodge.
For the Preceptory 50th year anniversary booklet click on this link
Installation of the New Grand Master
May 2011
On 18th May 2011, at Birmingham, a very special meeting of Great Priory took place.
Nearly 800 knights, including Grand Masters from Scotland, France, Belgium, Germany, Greece and Finland witnessed ME&S Knight Leslie Felgate Dring Chair his final meeting as Grand Master.
ME&S Knight Dring was in sparkling form, as he invested RE Kt Paul Clement, Great Marshal and RE Kt John Brackley, Great Vice-Chancellor, with the Dignity of Knight Grand Cross. This was followed by the investiture of four Knights Commander.
He then proceeded to invest his Active Officers, including Kent’s own Charles Boxer as Great Warden of Regalia.
Completing these tasks with great humour, and in a manner remarkable for any man, let alone a man in his eighties, he proceeded to welcome, Obligate, Invest and Install RE Knight Timothy John Lewis as Most Eminent and Supreme Grand Master. One of the highlights here had to be when there was a slight problem with the Grand Master’s Steel Chain of Office, when Knight Dring suggested “Shall we tie a knot in it?” When the laughter subsided, ME&S Knight Lewis was installed in the Chair, and saluted with Eleven.
The new Grand Master thanked the knights, and paid a personal tribute to the Past Grand Master, which the knights acclaimed.
ME&S Knight Dring then announced that he would retire from Great Priory, and escort was formed comprising E Kt Neil Matthews, Deputy Great Marshal, leading, and the Vice-Chancellor of Kent, E Kt Peter Wise, who is a Past Grand Master’s Banner Bearer, had the privilege of carrying ME&S Knight Dring’s Banner behind him for the very last time.
The Past Grand Master then left Great Priory to the tumultuous applause of the Knights whom he had served and led for the past 14 years
The photograph shows the Past Grand Master outside of Great Priory, flanked by E Kt Matthews and E Kt Wise.
PLEASE NOTE There are new toast lists posted under the MISC button for both KT and Malta. Please ensure that you use these latest copies.
2011 Provincial Church Service
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The Most Eminent and Supreme Grand Master,
Leslie Felgate Dring announces his retirement
For more detailed news
click on this link
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