The Board of Stewards supporting the 2014 Festival

Each year the Kent Provincial Grand Stewards’ Lodge No 5866 constitutes those of its members who are active Stewards of the Province as the “Board of Provincial Grand Stewards” and charges them with the responsibility of organising the Provincial Summer Ball.

Traditionally, the outgoing Board ‘dines-in’ the incoming Board, to mark the handover point between the two years. The Provincial Grand Master is usually invited to that dinner, which gives the Chairman of the outgoing Board an opportunity to present a cheque for the monies raised in relation to the Ball and the associated annual Province-wide raffle.

This year, the two Boards met on 12th September, at the Conningbrook Hotel, Ashford. Some of the Stewards like to think of the occasion as ‘A Symposium of Stewards’, ‘a symposium’ being defined by the ancient Greeks as ‘a drinking party with philosophical conversation’.

The proceedings, which were informal and convivial, had been arranged between the Chairmen of the two years, Tony Waspe (2010) and Dave Flemming (2011) with about 15 stewards from both years’ boards attending, and Malcolm Smith, the Charity Steward of the Stewards’ Lodge, acting as Master of Ceremonies, overseeing the formal aspects of the occasion, including announcing wine taking and the usual toasts.

The stewards were delighted to welcome the Deputy Provincial Grand Master-in-Charge, Roger Odd, to whom an unmarked envelope was presented by Tony Waspe which he said contained a cheque for £50,000, the sum raised for the 2014 festival by the 2010 stewards. It is planned that a formal presentation will be made to the Provincial Grand Master at the next meeting of the Stewards’ Lodge on the 26th March 2012.

23 September 2011

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