Provincial Grand Lodge has been postponed until 23rd October which is the date that we were expecting to hold a Mark Summer Dinner at Heythrop. If possible, I will hold a business Annual General Meeting prior to the dinner. Of course, this is my intention and a nasty little bug might have other ideas.

We have missed out on our Henley boat trip through which we intended to support the Craft Festival. We have missed the Newbury race day; the clay shoot and the Golf day. I had planned to have a Mark weekend in Bournemouth this year but sadly that has also been postponed. All of these activities would have raised money towards our Festival in 2025, I do hope that you can support us when normal service is resumed.

The MBF Festival is very much in my thoughts and I would particularly like to thank the committee chaired by W. Bro. Graham McGowan-Smyth for their commitment and hard work. We now have a Festival tie which will go into production soon and you may have seen the new Oxfordshire Mark Token which is to be used at all Advancements in the Province. Proceeds of which will go to this worthy cause.

Since May last year I have been visiting various Provinces; representing Oxfordshire on your behalf. This is a particularly enjoyable duty. This can involve long journeys to other Provinces and Districts; and I was due to witness the formation of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Italy towards the end of this month. I am proud to be your Provincial Grand Master and I will continue to promote this exceptional and remarkable Province of Oxfordshire.

I would like to thank the Provincial Officers of 2019/2020; I have been impressed with the way they have conducted themselves in office and The Province has benefited from their skills.

I have had a happy year working with V.W. Bro. Barry; he has been an excellent Deputy and I am fortunate to be able to benefit from his sound advice but especially from his friendship. I most certainly have great pleasure in reappointing him as Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Oxfordshire. Congratulations Barry.

Today I would have had the pleasure of investing the new Provincial Officers; although I cannot physically do that; they are appointed and take up their offices immediately. I would hope to physically invest them as we meet up around The Province. Please remember that they have earned these offices by merit alone. This is a principal that I will continue uphold. Provincial Office is a reward for the hard work and commitment that they have shown to The Province and I congratulate you all.

The world has suffered significant changes and disruption in the past three months, and Freemasonry has had great losses. Sadly, our age profile does not help; underlying health issues can often be avoided. I would like to have a healthier membership and your daily walk is a beginning; I am not asking for 100 laps of your garden but perhaps you could work towards it. With all the free time! I am sure you have been brushing up with your ritual; the Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies is there to help and will set up video conferencing groups for masonic discussions. Freemasonry will have to adapt, and changes will have to be made to our practices. There is certainly a need to address the Almoner's role in our organisation. Video conferencing is a useful tool that will be used more for masonic business meetings; it is a way forward. We all love our Masonry and we need to learn from this pandemic and better prepare ourselves for the future.

Seventy-Five years ago, Masonry suffered losses in the second world war, but we survived, and our numbers flourished; largely because of the comradery; stability and order that freemasonry gave to society. Let us seize the opportunity that presents itself and portray all of our beautiful Orders with pride and dignity.

It was my intention to hold a Provincial Church Service on Sunday 19th July in Witney with a buffet lunch afterwards in the Witney Masonic Hall. This date was set before the current Grand Lodges lockdown and before the Church lockdown. If possible, the church service will still occur, and it would be a fitting time to remember our lost brethren.

May the Great Overseer of the Universe bless you all and keep you in his care.

R.W. Bro. Ian W. Wright

Provincial Grand Master