Report on October 2005 Conference (Note, all outcomes are recommendations to the Board of Management.) Propositions 1. That the wearing of Name Badges at lodge meetings be approved. After some discussion this was lost by a reasonable margin, the main reasons being * that badges can be hard to read and there is no uniformity of design, * there is no need to use a brother’s name in the lodge room (a name badge may be worn both before and after the actual meeting in the lodge room), and * a name badge should not be worn on regalia. 2 That Grand Lodge consider creating an "Organist Scholarship". This proposition was successful as a recommendation in principle for the Board to consider the mechanics, financing, etc. 3(1) That Past Masters who nominate for the position of Grand Lodge Steward be made aware on application that their Patent of Office will not be endorsed to recognize them as a Past Grand Steward, until they have performed their official duties, as directed, at a minimum number of Installations during the 12 months of their term. (2) That the recommended number of Installations to attend and officiate at be set at ten for a Grand Lodge Steward from a metropolitan Lodge and five from a Grand Lodge Steward from country Districts. (3) That all Past Grand Lodge Stewards who are appointed in more than one Lodge Year receive a new Letter of Patent for each Lodge Year upon payment of their Patent Fee. After some amendments all three parts of this proposition were supported. The amendments were to part 2 to (a) exclude the NT, and (b) allow some discretion for those who are unable to fulfil the obligation because of matters outside their control (eg. sickness, movement interstate, …) 4. That the name Masonic Homes Inc. be changed to Freemasons Homes Inc. This proposition was withdrawn. It is planned to be introduced at a later date and to cover all organisations attached to the Grand Lodge of SA & NT. 5. That consideration be given to moving the October Conference away from School Holidays. After an explanation by the Grand Secretary of the reasons behind the timing of the October conference, this proposition was comprehensively lost. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Freemasons Our Future Mr Wayne Lyons, a non-Freemason who facilitated the above project, made a PowerPoint presentation of some of the findings to the meeting. The key objectives of the initiative was to identify key issues within the organisation that, once addressed, would lead to a halt of the continued decline of membership numbers and place the organisation in a position to once again grow its membership base. Importantly the group was given a clear directive to remain focussed on 3 or 4 “core issues” and to provide recommendations designed to create action and achieve outcomes. The working committee is made up of a select number of Brethren who completed the "Freemasons – Our Future" questionnaire, attended the initial workshops and who were able to commit their time to a series of meetings over a six month period. The objective of the group was to discuss and provide recommendations to Grand Lodge and the broader Freemasonry community in relation to key issues that were identified in the questionnaire. From a “Freemasons – Our Future” questionnaire sent to 350 brethren in August 2004, four key areas were addressed * A primary aim statement * Communication * Induction * Governance. Some of the interesting findings from the questionnaire are: * 67% believe Freemasonry does not have a clear vision * 100% believe Freemasonry should be more visible in the community * 59% believe Freemasonry has lost its relevance in today’s society * 70% say time commitment is not a major hurdle * 77% say that membership to Freemasonry is not socially important, and 72% say Freemasonry has lost its position in society * 57% say that Freemasonry is still considered a “way of life” * 57% say the time taken to conduct a meeting is too long * 84% say the dress code is still relevant * 47% have introduced a friend or relative into Freemasonry * 90% say locally based lodges should communicate more frequently * 62% say the Freemasons website provides them with important information updates and events but only 14% visit it weekly and 34% visit it monthly. * 97% are able to be contacted by email * 59% rate their satisfaction level with Freemasonry and their membership as high, 35% as medium and 6% as low. * 87% see themselves playing an active/leadership role in Freemasonry in the future The key outcomes from the working committee are: * Difficulties with communication * The inconsistency with induction and Masonic education * Internal review of governance * The lack of a primary aim statement The recommendations are: Communication:- Grand Lodge should take full advantage of technology in an effort to improve communication, namely the internet and email groups. The web page already exists and Grand Lodge and brethren should utilise the facility for up to date information regarding functions and other relevant issues. Open nights should be fully utilised and signed as open to the public to encourage new members. Introduction and Induction of Members:- There is a lack of consistency for introduction and induction of members undertaken by individual Lodges. There is a lack of knowledge regarding the assistance and information available. The web page should be used to provide the information that is available to Lodges. Mentors should be provided to all new members guiding them through at least the first 12 months. Internal review of Governance:- After careful consideration it was determined that governance could not be successfully tackled by the working committee as it has only a limited insight into the day-to-day activities and the overall perspective and vision of the organisation. It is however recommended, that this issue be addressed to improve understanding amongst brethren regarding the functions of Grand Lodge and the reasons behind key decisions. Primary Aim Statement:- The following Primary Aim Statement and core values has been recommended: “Freemasonry offers stability and direction to life.” Our shared beliefs and values provide a foundation and filter for decision making. It is made up of men who encourage others to live a happier more fulfilling life and to grow as individuals through education and personal development. Our core values are:- * High moral standards * Commitment to family * Courtesy in society * Fairness in all dealings Both the primary aim and core values should be well published within the organisation and externally. Wayne Lyons also considers that this organisation should specifically target the baby boomers to increase membership. These men are becoming, or are soon to become, positioned to have the time that was not previously available to them to pursue a Masonic career. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GRAND COMMUNICATION At the Grand Communication, in addition to those items in the printed agenda, * The Grand Master announced that RW Bro Graham Bollenhagen DGM is the Grand Master elect and RW Bro Graham Bollenhagen announced that RW Bro Ray Clark will be his Deputy. * Bro Tony Hughes was appointed as Chairman of the Masonic Homes +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++