Manchester Unity

M.U.I.O.O.F NORTHERN RIVERS INC

GRAND MASTER'S ADDRESS

Worthy Deputy Grand Master, Members of Grand Lodge and the Fraternal Council, distinguished guests, Sisters and Brothers, ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows Northern Rivers Inc, I welcome you to our 3rd Annual Moveable Conference and thank you for your attendance.

To all the delegates assembled I thank you for your time today and hope that we have a trouble free day of good, light hearted debate. Our Order is based on the true principles of Friendship, Love and Truth and as such has developed a reputation as an Order where we all have our say without impunity, I would hope that this will continue in the future.

Remembrance.

During the last year we have mourned the passing of some very dedicated members of our Order. I would like to take this opportunity to pass on my condolences to the families who have lost loved ones during the year.

Official Visits.

During my term in office I have had the pleasure of attending, in my official capacity, all the District Meetings.  I was very impressed with the energy, good humour and professionalism at these meetings - it is very refreshing. I also attended general Lodge meetings in many different formats, all displaying to me that our Order is moving forward. Well done to all. I would also like to congratulate the new members initiated throughout the past year and also their respective Lodges for being able to get new members.

Fraternal Council.

I have had the pleasure to preside over these meetings over the last 12 months and would like to take this time to thank the members of the Fraternal Council, and the associated committees, for their work over this time. It is with great pride that I can confirm we are in good hands. I would like to place on record my special thanks to the Rules Committee for their time and hard work preparing our new rules. These will be a hot topic later today. The one piece of advice that I would pass onto my successor is to try and keep these meeting to a set time.  For the future, as we grow as an Order, we may need to limit the amount of members that attend.

Presentation.

After our last AMC I was accompanied by the DGM of  the Wollumbin District Bro Ron Morse, Sis Barb Morse and Sis Schelle Logan to the Murwillumbah Nursing home for the presentation of the Rug donated by Schelle.  Bro Morse DGM ably presented the knitted rug to Mrs Feltham on our behalf for the home's general use. This was followed by a lovely Afternoon Tea put on by the Nursing Home staff. Thanks once again to Sis Logan for knitting the rug.

Anzac Day Service and Lodge of Remembrance.

I had the pleasure this year to attend our inaugural Anzac Day Service and Lodge of Remembrance and would like to pass on my congratulations to the team selected for this meeting. I would also like at this point to thank Bro John Keevers for his very informative address. I would hope that this event continues as one of our most important meetings.

Grand Master's Charity - The Mater Paediatric Cardiac Service, Brisbane

The last 12 months have been very busy with the Lodges and Districts organising fundraising events for this very worthy cause. Both Denise and myself have had the pleasure of attending  sausage sizzles in Toowoomba run by Loyal High Crows District Lodge and Mt Lindesay District in Kyogle. While in Toowoomba Bro David Brian offered to take both Denise and I on a tour of the Milne Bay Military Museum. We thank David for taking the time out of his day and I must say that both of us really enjoyed our tour.  In Kyogle we helped cook for a time and the company was excellent. Well done and thank you  to the members of both Districts.

Grand Masters Charity Dance.

This extremely successful night was run by my own members from the Wollumbin District from a suggestion put forward by Sis Schelle Logan - we decided to run with this, well what a night! At the end all the hard work was well worth it. To all who helped  in any way with this event I thank you.

While these three events were our main fundraisers for the year I also would like to acknowledge and thank anyone else who has raised money in any way. Thanks and well done to all. It just goes to show that we don't have to be the  biggest but with our resolve anything is possible.

At the time of writing this report the total amount raised for the year is $1436.20.

Fraternal Long Weekend Camp Bribie Island.

Approximately 50 members attended this most enjoyable and fantastic weekend, well done to the organising committee. While we opted to stay in an apartment as this was better for Sis Mary (Mum) Van Bael - we still all enjoyed a great night on Saturday with the combined baked dinner cook off.  To all who provided the food for this night thank you. I can only hope that we can continue this idea as I feel that our Order thrives on less formality and will continue to grow if we continue in this format.

Wollumbin District.

I would like to take this time to thank the members of my own District, the support and love you all share and have shared with me is our greatest strength. To all who travelled with me over the last 12 months thanks for your company and help.

The Future.

While we are only a young Order in the grand scheme of things, we have achieved so much. If we continue in the current fashion our Order which was created through adversity will become an Order to be reckoned with. I would hazard to guess that we are one of the few Orders that is actually growing in membership. As stated earlier I don't feel that we need to be too formal at all times, while formal meetings have their place there is nothing wrong with looking outside the box, as we have all had to do since our formation. I would encourage members to continue with their great work and dedication to our Order and for some to take off their rose coloured glasses and create an Order that will grow with possibly another word to be added to our motto - "fun".  We should not get too tied down with lengthy meetings and I think that we have a need to sometimes look at that mirror image and think well what are we achieving and is this where we want to go.

My Darling Wife.

They say behind every good man there is an even better woman, and we all know that this is true, Denise you have been my companion and my confidant over this trip that we never thought in a million years would happen. I thank you for your support, love and advice.

Words cannot express how much I love you, you are what makes me tick.

In Friendship, Love and Truth  

Theo Van Bael

Grand Master