“ At this point in our proceedings our Senior Past Master, RW Bro Col R.H.Ingham Clark, Prov GM for Berkshire, should address you and make a presentation. Unfortunately, to our great regret, he has fallen ill and is unable to be present with us and I am sure you would all join with me in wishing him a speedy and complete recovery.

In his absence the WM has asked me to depute for him so I trust you will bear with me for a few minutes. We of the OC lodge are deeply sensible of the honour which has fallen to us all again in providing the setting and the scene of the Public School‘s Festival – I say “providing the scene” because in fact this is all one has to do. You all, Brethren, by your coming here and enjoying yourselves in the way traditional at our Festivals make the atmosphere of relaxation and friendship, and all the minimal formality which this unique function demands that the Host’s School has to do is to make sure as far as is humanly possible that the arrangements, of which everyone is usually so tolerant, do not fall down in any material particular.

You will note that we have had this privilege before, in 1913, and it is perhaps worthwhile for a minute casting our minds back to those days. We in our generation are conscious and admit that in those days there were many and serious social injustices and blots on life at that time – and indeed we are seldom allowed to forget this – but perhaps one could for a moment reflect that there were other sides – that to outward appearance at any rate our country was at the apogee of its power, its wealth, and its influence. Our Brethren meeting together for that Festival must have been conscious of being a not unimportant part of the most powerful country in the world: few of them I think could have foretold the scene today – more than 50 years later – or the turbulent winds of change which have raged over us during this half-century. I do not know if there are any among you who were present at that earlier Festival; if there are I can only say how proud we are to welcome you again and I suggest that if we could for a moment imagine the possibility that after a similar interval, in the year 2017, this Lodge is again privileged there will be very few among us today who can expect, or even reasonably hope, to be present on that occasion, but when we think that in spite of these colossal changes in the past 50 years, under the guidance of our wise Rulers and fast to our ancient landmarks, the Public Schools Council and the great Lodges that go to form it have not only adapted themselves but have continued to flourish and to grow, and I think we can with confidence and assurance hope and expect when that Festival of 2017 takes place – I hope in this building – a flourishing and prosperous Public Schools Council will celebrate yet again a happy and traditional Festival.

In our annals this year is a momentous one of course and to mark it we have taken two steps – the first of these is that at our last Regular Meting we elected RW Bro Sir George Boag, Past District Grand Master of Madras, and Chairman of the Public Schools Council, an Honorary Member of the Lodge, and I would ask him now to receive from the WM a copy of the Byelaws and a list of addresses of members of this Lodge. We did at one time consider giving him a Book of Constitutions but subsequent reflection convinced us that he probably already had one – and we felt we could spare this unnecessary expense!

I said we had taken two steps – the second is this – from the foundation of this Lodge at irregular but not too infrequent intervals we have applied to the Most W the Grand Master and RW Prov. Grand Master of Gloucestershire for dispensations to enable us to meet in Cheltenham and these applications have invariably been favourably received. The occasions have differed but successive Masters have seen to it that the intervals have not been too long, but permission to meet does not itself imply successful meetings and had we not had most kind and tolerant friends here in Cheltenham these meetings would have not been possible. I refer to the Members of Foundation Lodge No: 82 who throughout all these more than 50 years have always been kindness itself in assisting us by the loan of furniture, by the loan of their Tyler, with good advice and hard work to make our meetings successful: we owe them an enormous debt of gratitude and we have for them a great feeling of affection, and as a token of this affection we would ask their WM to accept on their behalf this Gavel from the members of the Old Cheltonian Lodge. May I ask W.Bro John Bourdillon to come to the dais.

W.Bro Bourdillon this gavel is transmitted to you for the Members of your Lodge from the Members of the Old Cheltonian Lodge as a token of affectionate gratitude. It bears an inscription which refers briefly to the circumstances and it ends with the words:

“Floruit………………Floret…………….Floreat”

these words are taken from the College song and are generally meant to refer to the College itself but in this instance I would ask you to regard them as referring to the happy association which has subsisted for so long between our two Lodges”

The Gavel bears the College coat-of-arms and motto on the top, Foundation Lodge No: 82 on one side, Floruit Floret Floreat on the other side, and 22^nd May 1965 on the underside”.