From Jamaica Observer

Hundreds of Freemasons from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean will gather in Montego Bay, Jamaica, this week for the 300th anniversary celebration of English Freemasonry.The announcement was made recently by District Grand Master of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands Walter Scott QC, who said it was “a signal honour for Jamaica to be named hosts of this historical event in the Americas”.

Scott was speaking at a media launch of the celebrations at the Worthington, Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.

“We are pleased and honoured to have been selected to be the host country for this remarkable event,” said Scott, “and we are planning to present something that is unique and unforgettable.”

Celebrations are being held worldwide and started in Tanzania. The culmination will be a meeting in London on October 31 this year at which more than 190 grand masters from all over the world and their guests will gather at Royal Albert Hall.

Scott said the Jamaica celebrations will not just be fun, as there are other events which have an academic flavour to them. The opportunity, he said, will be provided for members of Church, State and the community to gather in harmony and share their thoughts and ideas over the four-day period.

Dr Winston Clarke, chairman of the Tercentenary Organising Committee in Jamaica, said the local events, which will be based at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, will begin on Thursday, May 25 with a cocktail party and the launch of a book,Freemasonry in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, by noted author Jackie Ranston.

On Friday and Saturday there will be academic conferences and sessions. Among the keynote speakers from Jamaica and overseas are Brian Price, Afeef Lazarus, John Wade, Veront Satchell, Jessica Harland-Jacobs, and S Brent Morris. Local Freemasons will be the moderators.

An exciting Jamaica Night celebration will be held on Friday, and on Saturday there will be a Grand Gala and Banquet.

The final major activity, Dr Clarke said, will be a church service at St James Cathedral on Sunday morning, May 28.

IMAGE: District Grand Master of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands Walter Scott QC (second left) and other English Freemason executives (from left) Dennis Lalor, chairman, Freemason’s Association of Jamaica; Rev Melvin Carey, deputy district grandmaster; Russel Hammond, assistant district grandmaster; Robert Forbes, District grand secretary; and Dr Winston Clarke, president, Board of General Purposes, discuss arrangements for the 300th anniversary celebration of English Freemasonry set to be held in Montego Bay this week. Occasion was a recent news conference to announce the celebrations. (Photo: Michael Gordon)

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