The Last 40 years in history

Given at Crown Royal Arch Chapter

Christchurch

22nd June, 2009

RE Comp P J Ivamy Glec

 “The times they are a changing” wrote Bob Dylan in the 1960’s and that is where we begin this look at the history of the world in general over the past 40 years and of the Royal Arch in particular…

We begin in:

1969         when Man first landed on the moon on the moon, an auspicious start to these two score years.

1970        saw Royal Arch Membership at 7910 and over 100 chapters. At this time Supreme Committee advised that members were to be known as Royal Arch Masons, not Red Lodge masons

1972         After an attempt to create a New Zealand Mark lodge independent of a Royal Arch chapter it was decided that The Most Excellent the First Grand Principal was hence forth to be also known as the Most Worshipful Grand Mark Master and Most High Grand Master of the Cryptic Council

1973       While in Europe Britain was joining the EEC & the first oil crisis hit the world in New Zealand ladies were to be invited to refectories for the first time and the First Grand Principals Order of Meritorious Service was introduced

1974        bought us Watergate, while in New Zealand the Accident Compensation Commission began – the only no faults scheme for all citizens in the world

1975          the Waitangi Tribunal was set up

1977          Elvis dies

1978        A report on the standardization of Royal Arch and Appendent Orders regalia was commissioned and then lost for a number of years.

1979          The pamphlet explaining the Royal Arch certificate was approved

1980          The close of the decade saw Rob Muldoon’s freeze on just about everything including wages, prices, rents etc

1981        The infamous Springboks tour & the Red Squad saw a maturing of New Zealand and our old quarter acre piece of paradise in ‘Godzone’ became a thing of the past. Meanwhile in the Holy Royal Arch membership had dropped to 6318 with 102 Chapters (Otago having 7 chapters and 471 members).

1983        saw the release of the First Mobile phone – the Motorola brick – anyone who remembers those will recall they cost over $1,000 and there was no way it was going to fit in your pocket!

              In Royal Arch, the use and production of ‘mechanical music’ in the form of tapes was authorized by Supreme Committee; the Centennial funds established but without a stated purpose; and after some Provincial Grand Masters had banned the distribution of the RA publication ‘A Word to Master Masons’ in their area the Board of General Purposes agreed to permit the distribution of same, and set guidelines for the discussion of Royal Arch matters in the blue lodge.

1984          Supreme Committee approved of the distribution of Mark Tokens but left the distribution up to individual Mark Lodge’s discretion.

1985        The annual Convocation was trialed on a weekend rather than midweek as previously, with a Sunday church service, this is now the standard. Meanwhile the number of Cryptic Councils was at their peak with 24 councils

1986        saw the Homosexual Law reform Act in New Zealand and the annual convocation passed a motion asking for $2 per member per year to fund the centennial fund

1987         was a busy year in New Zealand with the advent of Rogernomics, David Lange’s Nuclear free zone, and for the first and last time NZ won the Rugby World Cup. Fiji experienced it’s first military coup and ‘The Centennial Fund’ became the ‘Royal Arch Centennial Award Fund’ with a view to funding overseas medical educational trips, as it still does. In that year ME AB Christensen died after 75 years membership of the Royal Arch, 66 years as a Grand Chapter officer!

1989        saw the opening of the Berlin Wall and the Centennial fund totaled $70,399; the Centennial jewel approved at a cost of $31 (of which $2 went to the Centennial fund)

1990      The end of the decade saw Royal Arch Membership at 4081 and 98 Chapters – the continuing decline following that of the blue with membership being roughly one in five freemasons belonging to a Royal Arch chapter.

1991        The USSR breaks up and the Centennial fund totaled $108,680; the 1978 report on regalia was tabled again 13 years after it was originally tabled, with the author, RE H Tibbs hoping that this time it would not be lost!

1992        The term ‘World Wide Web’ enters the public domain; and just as importantly, at least to those here present it was the Centenary of the ‘Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of NZ’ which saw the production of the ‘History of SGRACNZ’ written by RE IJ Nathan

1994          South Africa has its first democratic elections since the fall of apartheid

1996          In New Zealand MMP was introduced to the voters

1997          The DVD movie was introduced to the world as technology continues at an ever increasing rate; Princess Diana dies in France

1999          There is estimated to be 6 Billion people in the world

2000         The turn of the century also saw the advent of a new Millennium; important international events include the 2nd Fiji coup and Coronation St enters its 40th year

2001          At the start of the Millennium membership was at 2671 members

2003         The Labour government saw Prostitution decriminalized in NZ; and the Royal Arch section of the Freemason magazine increased from one page to three; also at this time the motion to change from an annual to biennial convocation (a la Grand Lodge) was lost for the first time

2004        A joint working subcommittee between Royal Arch and Grand Lodge formed to look at closer relations between the two – something we hope continues

2005        In the world at large Pope John Paul II dies; in New Zealand civil unions become legal; and within the Royal Arch the motion to change from an annual to biennial convocation was lost for the second and last time; at this time capitation was $20 with an additional $6 travel fund, which was then phased out

2006       In a feeling of déjà vieu there was the Third Fiji Coup; and ME Barry McLaggin PGZ installed as Grand Master of the New Zealand Freemasons

2008         Last year saw the death of Sir Edmund Hillary; and the beginning of the current Economic Crisis; the US elects its first black president; and 1.54 billion people use the internet

2009        In the Royal Arch the convocation amends the governance section of the constitution to streamline the administration, as well as making Grand Chapter appointments for three years instead of two. The membership of Royal Arch stands at 1670 individual members in 65 Chapters, compared with just under 8000 members in 100 chapters 40 years earlier; while there are 660 Cryptic Council masons in 23 Councils. Lastly, and most importantly at the last meeting of the Crown Royal Arch Chapter Comp Hunter McGahey received his 40 year Jewel, that is 40 years of dedication, visiting, attendance and good will – if we can do half as well we ought to be well satisfied!

Bibliography

Nathan, IJ; A Cenntennial History of the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Zealand; 1992

SGRACNZ; Proceedings of Grand Convocation

Copyright © P J Ivamy, SGRACNZ, 2009

SGRACNZ
royalarch.org.nz