Denmark 31. october 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters throughoutthe world
Autumn has now arrived in Denmark - wind and rain have replaced the higher temperatures, and days become shorter and surely - the first snow and frost has arrived and heralds the coming winter.
The last 3 months have brought many gratifying things - and a lot of common socializing both here in Scandinavia and with our German and Swiss brothers.
Finances
We've managed to solve the financial challenges, we've had with having a part of IDGL's accounts placed in England, with the aid of VP Barry Wood - many thanks Br.Barry.
As everyone remembers from the meeting in Munich in 2008, there was implemented a substansial reduction of the contingent for IGLD.
In my latest newsletter it could be read as if everyone had paid their debt to IGLD - this is unfortunately not the case - the following countries havn't paid for the years:
Australia South2007-2010
Australia West2007-2010
New Zealand South2005 + 2007-2010
New Zealand North2010
Switzerland2007-2010
USA California2010
USA Eastern2008-2010
Please help us to get these old outstandings out of the world - and make contact to the Grand Treasurer
Thanks in advance
The Homepage IGLD.org
We have been asked by the Nordic countries on the possibility that our site could include addresses and contact informations on the lodges of each country. The reason of this - among others, is that it would be easier during holidays and such to visit brothers in other countries.
If you go onto our website: IGLD.org and look under NATIONS you'll automatically see a list of websites from each individual country.My suggestion would be, that the National homepages are designed in such a way, that it makes it easy to see the location and contact information on each lodge.It is obviously a much easier solution for me - but it is also much more future proof, as it should be up to date.
Note also that all previous newsletters is on the website - as a VP you can enter the password and see the current laws, etc. (Password can be obtained by contacting me).
Australia
Br. Graeme Foulds tells that:
"At the moment we have 5 Members and 2 Partners attending the meeting in Wellington NZ from Western Australia
On the 8th of October the Western Australian IGLD conducted a meeting with 12 Members present a 3 apologies, with the the main business being talk of the New Zealand Congress and final arrangements. The following day the Grand Lodge Officers held the Annual Meeting for
members with a better than expected attendance. This was followed by a Grand Lodge Officers
visit to Bunbury Lodge to install their officers for the next term and celebrate the lodge's 115th anniversary. After the meeting and setting up the Lodge Room we sat down to a roast dinner and
fellowship.
On the 23rd of October it is our Annual Meeting of the Forest Royal Arch Chapter which for the past few years has been heldonPGP's Graeme & Pam Foulds property under the stars in a bush setting with the assistance oftorch light, candles and mosquito repellent, it makes for a differentand enjoyable meeting. The meeting is held after a family and non member BBQ and after themeeting we retire inside fordesert and drinks."
Denmark
In Denmark, we are now trying with a new initiative to be known - and the Danish Druids have therefore established a Humanitarian Fund. The board consists of 7 members with Mogens Petersson as chairman.
The purpose of the Fund is, from time to time, to hand out a humanitarian award in Denmark.
The rationale for creating such a fund has also been to create greater awareness of the surroundings that the Druids exist in Denmark, because it is indeed a known fact that we have too few members, and we want to do something about this.
Contributions to the Fund comes partly from our brothers and by various initiatives in ordinary society outside the Lodge community.
In Denmark, the national assembly will take place on 13 November 2010 - as it accounts right now continues the majority of officers at their post - as I continue as President. A significant contributory to this, is our commitment and obligations in relation to IGLD.
In Denmark there are approx. 110 IGLD brothers - and to increase this number, we have decided to organize a special meeting of IGLD auspices of Jutland in early March 2011.
We remain 13 lodges with a total membership of nearly 350 - and our challenge now is to keep that number in coming years.
The next SGLD meeting will be held in Copenhagen on 7, 8 and 9 October 2011.
New Zealand
Br. Bob Stewart tells:
"Now for some general news from NZ.
Our South Island members have regular meetings, and there will be a number of them at the Congress. They are still getting severe aftershocks from the Canterbury earthquake, and although they are unsettling and still creating some proprty damage, none of our membershave suffered too much.
It is good that a large number of them are coming both on the Tour, and to the Congress.
We also have a good number of Australians coming as well, so the whole event will be very successful.
IGLD(NI)NZ has a meeting here in Nelson this weekend, 23rd/24th October. We have our meeting on Saturday afternoon, followed by a BBQ Tea and Social night. Sunday,we will visit some interesting places around Nelson, and have Tea and a Social Night in our local Lodge Rooms.
Apart from that, our Lodge numbers are staying rather static, but we are still meeting regularly, and we are all in good heart.
Norway
Norway announced that it currently has 2,750 brothers - of these 966 are IGLD members.
Norway also announced that two new Grand Lodges were established (Grand Lodge Östlandet October 6, 2010 and Vestfold Fold 14 October 2010).
In Norway, the national assembly is held in Drammen 26th - 27 March 2011.
Sweden
In Sweden (Hälsingborg) was (the 16th, 17th and 18 October this year) held a Scandinavian SGLD meeting where the leaderships from all the Nordic countries' met and discussed common challenges.
Saturday 17 October a ritually IGLD meeting was held with a total of 106 participants and 52 new members joined IGLD - 50 from Sweden and two from Norway.
A separate IGLD meeting was held in Skellefteå September 25, 2010 - and here 37 new IGLD brotherswere admitted. Next IGLD special meetings in Sweden takes place in Uppsala on February 12 and in Östersund August 27, 2011.
At the meeting in Hälsingborg also the English, German and Swiss managers were invited - and lovely it was that both Germany and Switzerland attended. Unfortunately, we heard nothing from England.
Sweden announced that it currently has 4,950 brothers, 851 of these are IGLD-members.
Germany
VP Dieter Hennecke attended as Germany's representative at the meeting in Hälsingborg as Germany's President Frank Graff Berger participated in the celebration of 100-year anniversary in a German basic Lodge.
Dieter Hennecke sent many greetings from the president - and expressed great joy over that the European countries in this way could discuss common challenges.
Switzerland
The newly designated VP from Switzerland Rolf Wenger and Br. Daniel Sommer attended the meeting in Hälsingborg.
It was uplifting to have the opportunity to tell to the new VP about the activities carried out in IGLD auspices.
VP Rolf Wenger also looks forward to the future cooperation in IGLD auspices and in Europe.
There is also in Switzerland, initiated a golf competition for Druids. The competition is held in summer 2011 - and more info will be provided in next newsletter.
England (GB)
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USA
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IGLD
President Mogens Petersson and myself will attend the meeting in NZ in February - and both of us look forward to meeting brothers from many countries - but probably mainly from NZ and AUS.
Similarly, we have decided to attend the joint meeting held between Switzerland and Germany in summer 2011.
On 9 October 2011 there will be a VP meeting in Copenhagen for the joint organization of items for consideration at the World Congress
Detailed info will subsequently be sent.
World Congress 2012
The event committee has now to all countries sent out a number of bulletins concerning the time and place for the World Congress in Copenhagen 2012.
The bulletin is to be seen on IGLD.orgas well.
In Unity, Peace and Concord
Flemming Ib Pedersen
GS