Image and report by Roger Bryan Smith

The first SRIA College meeting in South Wales since the summer break took place in Swansea, in the presence of our Suffragan, R.W. Fra. Henry A, Barnes, 9°, representing our Chief Adept R.W Fra. Bob Tanswell, VIII° and 9°, who was unfortunately unable to attend.

With a significant number of Fratres of the College still away on holiday, and in the very best traditions of this Province, the assistance of visiting Fratres was sought to fill some offices, and in a memorable and moving ceremony, Celebrant V.W. Fra. Tony Jones VII° admitted Fras. William Jenkins and Rheinallt Morgan into the grade of Practicus. The Lecture of the Grade was delivered with great erudition and hwyl (“passion”) by Fra. Tony, and made a very strong impression on all the Fratres present.

Brangwyn College, like all the Colleges in South Wales, is just a stone’s throw from the M4 and we would be delighted to extend warm Welsh hospitality to any Fratres who may wish to visit across the border! The next meeting in the Province is Hywel Dda College in Llanelli on 1st October, followed by Caerleon College near Newport on 30th October, when we will also be holding a Second Order VII° Grade ceremony prior to the College meeting.

Congratulations go to RW Fra Tom Clarke on becoming Celebrant of Wooodman College, North East Counties. It was a great afternoon in the magnificent temple in Hipperholme. The College welcomed visitors from three neighbouring Provinces. 

A Philisophus Grade preceded Fra Toms installation by RW Fra Derek Bain, Chief Adept NE Counties. The ceremonies were followed by “For One Night Only: The Travels of Christian Rosencreutz”. The brilliant multi media presentation that was premiered at this years High Council and delivered by RW Fra Steven Markham Chief Adept of Western Counties and North Wales. 

A grand day out for all present. 

On Friday the 5^th September 2025, the Chief Adept Nick Appleton of the South Midlands Province was on duty at Severn College to present OCR Awards to three members.

R.Wy Ron Bridger, R.Wy Reinhard Amende and V.Wy David Patterson.

Unfortunately R.Wy Reinhard Amende was unable to be at the meeting to receive his award, but will be presented with it at a later date.

Just prior to the award ceremony, R.Wy Ron Bridger was installed as Celebrant of the College, which made for an interesting meeting for him.

Congratulations to all three for their Long and Faithful Service to the College, Province and the Society.

In the Photograph Left to Right are:

V.Wy David Patterson, R.Wy Nick Appleton (Chief Adept) and R.Wy Ron Bridger (Celebrant)

The fratres of Hamon Le Strange College met in September for a busy convocation. Celebrant V.W Frater Colin Jackson advanced four fratres to the Fourth Grade before admitting Brother Wilberforce Oguad as a frater of our Society. R.W. Frater Stephen Goulder JSM assisted in the Zelator ceremony and R.W. Frater Stuart Middleton delivered a paper on the Church of the Latter Day Saints.’
 

Lakeland College (90) held a meeting, by dispensation, on 1^st August 2025 at the Masonic hall, in the picturesque market town of Kirkby Lonsdale, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District. To admit two new aspirants to the grade of Zelator for Millennium College (67).  A number of Millennium members had braved the Holiday season Friday M6 traffic to offer support to their new Fraters, Fra. Kieran Taylor-Bradshaw & Fra. Stuart Macfarlane.

Lakeland College celebrant, VWy. Fra James Malcolm VII⁰ conducted the ceremony assisted by the Junior Substitute Magus (E&W) RWt. Fra Paul Phillips IX^0, who was visiting.  The Chief Adept of NW counties RWy Fra Douglas C Slimming VIII^o & 9^o also assisted. An admirable, from memory, presentation of the Numbers lecture was given by the Lakeland 3^rd Ancient VWt. Fra. David Gill V⁰ to much appreciation from the assembled Fraters.

After the festive board, an excellent seasonal buffet, Fra. Archie Niven Z. delivered a paper on the Rose Croix which led to a discussion on the link between SRIA and the Rose Croix. All who attended agreed it had been a very good evening.

I hope you are all well and are looking forward to the North West Counties Provincial Study Group this September. We now have confirmation for four talks, with two talks in reserve in case of unforeseen circumstances. For more information or to book in, please e-mail markhillyard@talktalk.net or j.malcolm30@bt internet.com

In the beautiful temple at Sudbury, the Chief Adept, R.W. Fra. Gordon Maclean, and his Suffragan, R.W. Fra. Andrew Marchington, hosted their annual meeting. In the much-appreciated air-conditioned temple, Fra Maclean (re)appointed his team, recapped the considerable achievements of the previous year, and shared exciting plans for the future, including the reopening of Equinox College in Cambridge. He also reported on the recent meeting of High Council.

In addition to individual reports from the Colleges, the Provincial Secretary, V.W. Fra Karl Debenham, delivered a witty and informative address.

Following the meeting, a splendid four-course meal was enjoyed by all.

During the meeting, the Junior Substitute Magus (England & Wales), R.W. Fra Paul Phillips, was invited to address the gathering. He endorsed the comments made by the Chief Adept regarding the High Council and wider developments within the Society. He made it clear that it was the intention for as many active High Council Officers as possible to attend Provincial meetings across the Society – to offer support and to receive feedback (favourable or otherwise) to pass back to the High Council, ensuring that the voice of the membership is heard.

On this occasion, he expressed thanks to the team of four who had accompanied him: Fratres Bearpark, Cavill, Harding, and Appleton. Fra Phillips commended them for honouring the duties they had willingly accepted upon taking office. All had travelled in excess of four hours each way to attend, with the majority staying overnight in Sudbury – which did, it must be said, afford them the opportunity to enjoy a Wetherspoon’s breakfast together the following morning.

Nick Appleton

From Thursday 17th July, the picturesque Bavarian City of Ingolstadt started to fill with visitors from England, the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovenia and other parts of Germany.

Amongst the visitors were the Supreme Magus, the Senior Substitute Magus, the Junior Substitute Magus for Europe, the Chief Adept of the Netherlands, the Magus who leads in Europe, a full consecrating team and many others.

Why were they there? This weekend was the culmination of many years of hard work by R.W. Fra. Harry Wright and the Chief Adept of the Netherlands. There was an incredible 45 petitioners for the new College, which was a testament to all the good work that had taken place.

The Consecration of the Karl Von Eckartshausen College number 108 took place on Saturday 19th July.

The previous evening saw the Primus Celebrant, V.W. Fra. Alfred Dietel being promoted to Grade 8° and he thus became a R.W. Fra. following a beautifully Solemn Ceremony conducted by the M.W. Supreme Magus, assisted by the R.W. Junior Substitute Magus for Europe, the R.W. Secretary-General and the R.W. Deputy Director-General of Ceremonies.

The Consecration was conducted to a high standard led by the M.W. Supreme Magus, the R.W. Senior Substitute Magus, the R.W. Junior Substitute Magus for Europe and assisted by the Consecrating team on Saturday morning. R.W. Fra. Alfred Dietel was Installed as the Primus Celebrant, in a very moving ceremony by the Chief Adept of the Netherlands. Afterwards the Officers were appointed.

Following a short break the College welcomed 3 new Zelatores, in a ceremony, again conducted to a high standard. R.W. Fra. Alfred then gave an enlightening paper about Karl Von Eckartshausen.

Honorary membership was bestowed upon the Seniors and those who had worked to bring the College to fruition. In addition, the visitors were each presented with  a copy of a book by Karl Von Eckartshausen.

The sumptuous festive board of 3 courses was very well received.

Outside of the Council of Magistrii, Consecration, Installation and College meeting there was ample opportunity to get to know our German Fratres better, to take in the local sites and to sample Bavarian food and drink.

The Consecrating team and visitors remain grateful for the hospitality and friendship shown them by the Fratres of Germany.

Many congratulations and welcome to the Fratres of our new College. We wish you every success  and look forward to reading of your endeavours in future editions of the newsletter.
R.W. Fra. Paul Phillips IX°

Junior Substitute Magus

England & Wales

Pictures by: Paul Phillips

The event featured five engaging presentations, each exploring unique and fascinating topics. A delicious buffet lunch and plenty of tea and biscuits kept everyone refreshed and chatting between sessions. The Lewis Masonic book stall was a highlight, giving attendees a chance to browse and pick up some great Masonic books.

The presentations were the core of the day, each delivered with enthusiasm and depth:
Each presenter was introduced by the Provincial Director of Studies, Fra. Ken Bearpark. Ken did an outstanding job of keeping the speakers to time and co-ordinating the whole day, making sure everything ran smoothly.

Fra. Andy Sables kicked things off with a gripping talk about out-of-body experiences, sharing the story of Ivan Biddle.

Fra. Derek Bain shared his personal journey with Shamanism, offering a glimpse into ancient spiritual practices that struck a chord with many in the room.

Fra. Michael Barr gave a fascinating talk on the history of angels, tracing their story from ancient times to today’s popular culture.

Fra. Alex Rofaila told a fascinating story about being left alone in the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza, then made a strong case for what the pyramid might have originally been used for.

Fra. Martin Faulks wrapped up the day with a bold new take on the history of Freemasonry. His perspective challenged what we thought we knew and left us eager to dig deeper.

Thanks to all involved

The Study Day’s success came down to the hard work of the provincial team, who made sure everything ran smoothly. A huge thank you goes to Fra. Chris Ansell, whose help was crucial to pulling it all off. We’re also deeply grateful to Fraters Alex Rofaila and Martin Faulks for making the long trip from the south to share their insights and make the day special. Thank you to Fra. Matthew Wharton for his photography skills and Fra. John Bruce who co ordinated all of the attendees.

Next year

We’re already planning next year’s Study Day, where we’ll keep exploring, learning, and connecting. If you’re interested in joining us, keep watching the SRIA website news feed and calendar for more details.