First of all, let me thank all of you who took the trouble to contact me with comments about the last edition - which of course was my first as Editor. I am delighted that many of the comments were positive and congratulatory, which in some small measure suggests to me that the publication is generally well received. I was however taught to be cautious, and am conscious that there was a balance of critical comment in amongst the plaudits. Certainly, there is no room for complacency, and I look forward to receiving more of your views and ideas regularly, so that my feet stay firmly rooted to the floor.

As you will see in this edition, we have some new contributors who have written in or emailed me with their articles. This is a very pleasing trend, and I would like to encourage all budding journalists - or anyone with a good Masonic or related story to tell - to send news and articles to me. We will do our very best to publish as many as we can. Letters to the Editor would also be very well received, which may perhaps be a forum for you and your families to air your thoughts on a wide range of Masonic and related issues. I was enjoying a pre-prandial drink recently at the Maidstone Masonic Centre when a hand was fraternally pressed into mine by a beaming member of the Lodge that I was visiting, a Brother who is well known to me. His pleasure was obvious from his happy expression, and he was clearly bursting to share his excitement with me. “I was flicking through The Provincial” he announced “and I saw the picture of you. That is the first time I have ever seen someone in it that I know personally, so also for the first time, I sat down and read the whole magazine”.

That got me thinking. My wife would certainly have been amused that a picture of me could possibly create any excitement whatsoever, but there was also a very serious point to pick up from this encounter. How many Brethren, I wonder, receive the publication but never read it? What would make it more attractive to them, so that as they flick through it, they also see something that is personally interesting to them and subsequently read the whole thing? I would be very pleased to receive your views on this conundrum. Perhaps you could carry out a straw poll to see how many Brethren in your own Lodge don’t read it. Please let me know.
Isn’t Freemasonry marvellous? A young chap that I know, who has very limited financial resources, recently had a road accident some miles from his home. His old car was damaged sufficiently badly that it could not be driven, but the shiny new Mercedes that he had driven into the back of was still serviceable. Sitting in the Mercedes to shelter from the bad weather whilst exchanging insurance details, my man noticed a square and compasses logo on the other chap’s key ring, and mentioned in passing that he did contract work for me and knew that I was a Freemason. The upshot was that the Mercedes driver insisted on driving him home and refused to take a contribution to his fuel costs, simply telling him to suggest to me that I might like to put something extra in the charity box at my next meeting. Benevolence and charity in one stroke!

I hope that you enjoy this latest issue, and take the opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas, and a content and harmonious New Year.

Roger Waltham
Editor

Ed45, p13