The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason

Brethren,

Greetings from The Bahamas. I arrived here yesterday afternoon after three very special days in Bermuda. 

It was a bad start to the tour with British Airways cancelling all flights on Saturday morning due to an IT failure. As a result, I was two days late in getting to Bermuda. However, we certainly made up for lost time and on Tuesday 1^st March, I had the immense pleasure of installing Brother Martin Paul Weekes as our new Grand Superintendent in Bermuda. He is undoubtedly a worthy successor to Brother David Cook who has carried out his duties with great success over the past five years. Brother Weekes is an extremely active and committed Freemason. He has some very positive ideas as to how to take the Superintendency forward and I look forward to seeing his progress. Scottish Freemasonry in Bermuda is in a very healthy state.

On Wednesday 2^nd March Brother Weekes and I toured the island and visited all three Lodges. I thereafter had another antigen test before spending a very enjoyable evening in the Officers Mess at Police Headquarters.

The remainder of Wednesday evening was spent trying to get a Bahamas Health Visa which I eventually succeeded in doing at 11.30 pm. 

I am now in Nassau and look forward to installing Brother Anthony Ulysees Bostwick as the new District Master on Saturday.

This morning I was on Bahamas Breakfast Television talking about Scottish Freemasonry and the support we are giving to Prostate Cancer Research. Later today I have meetings with both the Governor General and the Prime Minister and tonight a reception with Brethren and their wives.

I will endeavour to give you brief updates each week which will eventually lead to a full-blown account of the trip in the 2023 Yearbook.

SCFS

SCFS Overseas Report  

This week, we were delighted to receive a very interesting post from Bermuda. 

• Brother John Skinner, Lodge Civil and Military, No. 726, posted information on the contribution of the three Scottish Lodges in Bermuda … Lodge St. George, No. 200, Lodge Civil and Military, No. 726, and Lodge Somers Isles, No. 1505, all part of The Freemasons Fund for Bermuda, which recently donated $2,500 (£1850) each to PALS (support of cancer patients and families) and Vision Bermuda (helping people with no or low vision to maintain independence).

This week we welcomed 29 Brethren from Lodges located out with Scotland.

• Our Overseas Membership of Brethren from Lodges under the GLoS continues to grow steadily … now standing at 1707, with new members joining from the Districts of Lebanon, Central South Africa (RSA) and Middle East (Malaysia). 
• In addition, we now have 1275 Brethren from many other Lodges whose Grand Lodges are in amity with the GLoS, and who spread news, worldwide, of the wonderful support given to others by our Brethren. New members joined from 9different Masonic constitutions this week: GL of the State of Israel, GL of Ireland (Bermuda), GL of Poland, GL of the Philippines, UGLE (England, Western Cape, South America Southern Division, Bahamas and Turks), GL of Hawaii, United GL of Victoria, GL of New South Wales and ACT, GL of Alberta.
• Again, we would encourage our Overseas Lodges and Districts to continue sharing news of their good support of others and look forward to publishing posts from them … most especially first posts from some Districts. 

Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other.

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The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason

Brethren,

As you read this week’s update, I’ll be heading to Edinburgh Airport on the first part of my journey to Bermuda. On Tuesday I will have the pleasure of Installing Brother Martin Weekes as the new Grand Superintendent of Bermuda. Brother Weekes and his Brethren have put a very comprehensive programme together for both before and after the Installation which I am looking forward to. During my stay in Bermuda, I’ll have the opportunity to visit all of our Lodges and meet with the Brethren. I was delighted to read in Brother Jim Ellis’s report this week that the Superintendency have donated the magnificent sum of $2500 to various local charities. I’ll be in Bermuda until Thursday 3^rd March when I’ll head for the Bahamas via Miami to carry out the District Grand Lodge Installation there.

SCFS

SCFS Overseas Report  

This week, we were delighted to receive a very interesting post from Bermuda. 

• Brother John Skinner, Lodge Civil and Military, No. 726, posted information on the contribution of the three Scottish Lodges in Bermuda … Lodge St. George, No. 200, Lodge Civil and Military, No. 726, and Lodge Somers Isles, No. 1505. All are part of The Freemasons Fund for Bermuda, which recently donated $2,500 (£1850) each to PALS (support of cancer patients and families) and Vision Bermuda (helping people with no or low vision to maintain independence).

This week we welcomed 29 Brethren from Lodges located outwith Scotland.

• Our Overseas Membership of Brethren from Lodges under the GLoS continues to grow steadily … now standing at 1707, with new members joining from the Districts of Lebanon, Central South Africa (RSA) and Middle East (Malaysia). 
• In addition, we now have 1275 Brethren from many other Lodges whose Grand Lodges are in amity with the GLoS, and who spread news, worldwide, of the wonderful support given to others by our Brethren. New members joined from 9different Masonic constitutions this week: GL of the State of Israel, GL of Ireland (Bermuda), GL of Poland, GL of the Philippines, UGLE (England, Western Cape, South America Southern Division, Bahamas and Turks), GL of Hawaii, United GL of Victoria, GL of New South Wales and ACT, GL of Alberta. 
• Again, we would encourage our Overseas Lodges and Districts to continue sharing news of their good support of others and look forward to publishing posts from them … most especially first posts from some Districts. 

My sincere thanks to the Brethren of Renfrewshire East whose warm welcome and hospitality were greatly enjoyed last Saturday on the occasion of the Installation of Brother Ronnie Fraser and his Commission.

Likewise, our Depute Grand Master, Brother Jim Bell was greatly impressed by the welcome and hospitality he and his Deputation received in Lodge St Skae of Ferryden. 

Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other.

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The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason

Brethren,

For many of us, at home and abroad, the past few days have been somewhat turbulent with regard to the storms that are making their presence felt. I hope and trust that wherever you are, the effects of the storms have not been too damaging.

They certainly affected my travel plans to and from London this week for the annual Tripartite Conference. The Conference was good with a wide array of topics discussed. One issue highlighted by UGLE was the success of their online, searchable repository of Nuggets, Papers, Presentations, Demonstrations, Q&As and Quizzes called Solomon.  It is free and open to anyone, accessed via your laptop, tablet or smartphone. It is well worth a look and can be accessed at - https://solomon.ugle.org.uk

I’m looking forward to travelling down to Renfrewshire on Saturday to install Brother Ronnie Fraser and his Commission as the new Provincial Master of Renfrewshire East. 

While I am in Renfrewshire, Depute Grand Master, Brother Jim Bell will be on the east coast celebrating the Centenary of Lodge St Skae of Ferryden. 

SCFS

SCFS Overseas Report  

We were delighted to receive the following post from the Philippines:

• Brother Cameron Sloan,a PDDGM of Far East, shared news of an excellent donation of £800 from Lodge Perla del Oriente, No. 1034, to the Tzu Chi Charity Foundation. It was presented to the Foundation to assist in its relief efforts for victims of the recent super typhoon Odette (international name Rai) which devastated areas in the south of the archipelago.
• Our Overseas Membership continues to grow steadily … now standing at 1704,with Brethren joining from the Districts of Botswana, Central South Africa (RSA), Eastern Province of the Cape of Good Hope, Far East (Hong Kong), Middle East (Singapore), Newfoundland and Labrador, Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada … which was the District which had the largest number of new members joining from it this week.
• Congratulations are extended to Brother Andy Baker, Lodge Naval and Military, No. 848, Hong Kong, in the District of Far East, who is our 1700th Overseas Member … another milestone for the group. 
• We now have 1251 Brethren from Lodges whose Grand Lodges are in amity with the GLoS, and who spread news, worldwide, of the wonderful support given to others by our Brethren. 
• New members joined from 13 different Masonic constitutions this week: Symbolic GL of Paraguay, GL of Indiana, United GLs of Germany, GL of Georgia, United GLs of New South Wales and ACT, GL of New Jersey, United GL of Victoria, GL of Pennsylvania, GL of Newfoundland and Labrador, GL of Massachusetts, GL of India, GL of Ohio, GL of Western Australia, UGLE(North Wales), GL of Tennessee. 
• We would encourage our Overseas Lodges and Districts to continue sharing their good support of others with us and look forward to publishing posts from them … most especially first posts from some Districts. 

The Grand Secretary is heading to Milwaukee this weekend to participate in the North American Grand Masters Conference. We wish him a safe journey and a successful Conference.

Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other.

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The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason

Brethren,

 The” Make it a Million” Facebook page has now launched and already we have over 700 members – a fantastic start. If you haven’t already joined, have a look, and sign up. I have, in the past week, read two testimonies from Brethren who have suffered from Prostate Cancer but, through the work that had already been supported by Scottish Freemasons, they have both received state of the art treatment and are both on the road to recovery. 

Mrs Oliff received a letter from a lady who, on visiting Grand Lodge with her husband, picked up a leaflet which she read on the train heading back south. Having digested the information she recognised symptoms that he was displaying. She pushed him to go to the Dr and, sure enough, he was suffering from Prostate Cancer. However, the good news is, that the early diagnosis has resulted in a full recovery – thanks to one of our leaflets.

The work that we are supporting will make a long-lasting difference to thousands of men, not just in Scotland, but world-wide.

My sincere thanks to everyone who has embraced the appeal – you are making a substantial difference.

SCFS

SCFS Overseas Report  

• Our Overseas Membership continues to grow steadily … now standing at 1695, with Brethren joining from the Districts of Central South Africa, Eastern Province of The Cape of Good Hope, and Western Australia. We look forward to welcoming our 1700th member from one of our Overseas Lodges in the very near future. 
• The Lodge which had most new members joining from it was Lodge Caledonia, No. 796, in the Eastern Province of The Cape of Good Hope, closely followed by Lodge Sir Walter Scott-Breadalbane, No. 859, in Western Australia. 
• We now have 1229 Brethren from Lodges throughout the world whose Grand Lodges are in amity with the GLoS, and who spread news, worldwide, of the wonderful support given to others by our Brethren. 
• New members joined from 10 different Masonic constitutions this week: GL of the State of Israel, United GL of Queensland, GL of India, GL of Quebec, GL of Japan, GL of South Africa, GL of Wisconsin, GL of Kansas, UGLE (South Africa), GL of Maryland. 

We would encourage even more Brethren in our lodges abroad to join the SCFS group and we look forward to publishing posts from them in addition to first posts from some Districts. 

Over the past number of months, we have managed to catch up on the backlog of Provincial Masters having to be Installed. We are now turning to the substantial backlog of District Grand Masters. On 25^th of this month I will be heading for Bermuda to install our new Grand Superintendent and from there will make for Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada and finally Guyana to install each of the District Grand Masters thereby reducing the backlog by six.

My sincere thanks to all those now stepping down from Office and my best wishes to all new District Grand Masters and Grand Superintendent’s  - may you and your Commissioned Office-bearers enjoy a very happy and productive term in Office.

Today, accompanied by several Past Grand Master’s I will be attending the funeral of Lady Burton, widow of the Late Grand Master Mason, Lord Burton. The past few years have been difficult for her with failing health. May she now rest in peace.

Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other.

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The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason

Brethren,

Can I start by thanking those of you who have been so kind in sending messages as a result of me succumbing to the Covid virus! Have no idea how or when I got it – could have been a number of places. I have it and there is nothing I can do but sit it out until I get a clear lateral flow test. It was a massive disappointment missing the Communication yesterday but I am again indebted to Brother Charles Iain Wolrige Gordon who stepped in on my behalf. On the positive side, isolation has enabled me to catch up on a load of paperwork and a few other jobs that have been put aside time and again.

The Benevolence and Care Committee, on Wednesday, gave the Working Party the go ahead to publicise the “Make it a Million” campaign for Prostate Cancer Scotland. The new Facebook page will be launched, hopefully this week, and it can be used to publicise events that are about to happen in Lodges and Provinces and likewise to report back on successful fund-raising events. The more information we can get on the page, the more likely others will follow and try out new fund-raising approaches in their own areas. There will also be details of events being organised by the Working Party as they materialise such as - another Zip Slide – if you missed out first time round, here’s your chance – white water rafting – tandem skydiving to name but a few. In moving toward the £1million, let’s not concentrate on the money alone. Let all the events be enjoyable, let’s have fun in the process, while welcoming the public to as many of our events as possible. We can not only raise money but raise awareness of the good we do, and all that Scottish Freemasonry stands for.

Under Ken Kennedy’s chairmanship, the Conference Committee continue to make good progress. The Committee Secretary, Bro Kalpesh Shah is receiving lots of declarations of interest from home and abroad which is most encouraging. The various sub-committees are all working hard in their respective roles and will be meeting again on 10^thFebruary to report on progress. 

SCFS

SCFS Overseas Report  

• Brother Horace Gock shared news of an excellent donation of £1035 from Lodge Polynesia, No. 562, in Fiji, to assist and support the unfortunate victims of the tsunami which affected so many people in Tonga, as they continue their efforts to rebuild their homes. 
• Our Overseas Membership is growing steadily … now standing at 1687,with Brethren joining from the Districts of Bermuda, Bahamas, Lebanon and the Western Province of the Cape of Good Hope. The Lodge which had most new members coming from it was Lodge Protea, No. 1578, in the Western Province of the Cape of Good Hope. 
• We now have 1217 Brethren from Lodges whose Grand Lodges are in amity with the GLoS, and who spread news, worldwide, of the wonderful support given to others by our Brethren. Congratulations are extended to Brother Greg Fellows, Lodge Beaudesert, No. 379, United Grand Lodge of Queensland, who is our 1200th ICM (International Constitution Member).
• New members joined from 13 different Masonic constitutions this week: GL of New South Wales and ACT, GL of New Zealand, GL of Texas, GL of Louisiana, United GL of Victoria, United GL of Queensland, GL of the Philippines, GL of India, GL of Vermont, Symbolic GL of Paraguay, UGLE(England, Bermuda), GL of Newfoundland and Labrador, GL of Queensland 
• Special welcomes were extended to Brother Anthony Bucca, Deputy Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria, and toBrother Michael Smith, DGM of the DGL of Bermuda (UGLE). 

Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other.

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The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason

Brethren,

Can I start by wishing our many Chinese Brethren a very happy and prosperous New Year when you commence your celebrations on Tuesday!

Yesterday, the second meeting of the Conference Committee took place. The Committee have a monumental task in front of them but are perfectly capable of bringing it all together timeously. However, to assist in the planning process, Grand Secretary will be circulating a note to all Districts and Provinces very shortly asking District and Provincial Grand Masters to give an early indication of numbers that they anticipate will wish to participate. Once that information is to hand much of the forward planning can effectively take place to ensure that the 4^th International Scottish Masonic Conference lives up to the high standards set by the previous three conferences.

The “Make it a Million” project is making progress – the Whisky Raffle has raised over £1000 so far and there is still time to get your tickets from John Muir. Jim Beattie, the PGM in Caithness has raised a marvellous £1700 by cycling round the four Lodges in his Province – great result from one of the smallest Provinces in the country. They are also the most northerly Province on the Mainland. Congratulations and I look forward to the other Provinces following them.

A full report of the potential fund-raising ideas has been submitted to the Benevolence and Care Committee and they will hopefully give the go ahead to the working party to get things moving. There will be a dedicated Facebook page in which information about upcoming events will be publicised and stories and pictures from all the events will be displayed – that will be getting launched very shortly. It has also been suggested that we have an indicator on the Facebook page showing a running total of monies donated.

Last Saturday I had a very productive meeting with the District Grand Masters and while I fully appreciate that they have their own priorities and charities which is only but right, I am most grateful for the support which was shown. We will, together, Make it a Million.

SCFS

SCFS Overseas Report  

Our membership of Brethren from Lodges located outwith Scotland continues to grow steadily and this week we welcomed another 19 Brethren to the SCFS group. 

Included in that number were Brethren from Overseas Lodges operating under the Grand Lodge of Scotland and also Brethren under other Grand Lodges which are in amity with the GLoS. 

• In this respect, particular reference must be made to Lodge Felicity, No. 1681, in the District of Trinidad and Tobago & Grenada. By absolute coincidence, our Overseas Membership is now standing at 
• We also now have 1195 Brethren from Lodges whose Grand Lodges are in amity with the GLoS, and who spread news, worldwide, of the wonderful support given to others by our Brethren. We look forward to welcoming our 1200th ICM. New members joined from 14 different Masonic constitutions this week: GL of California, GL of Florida, National GL of Romania, GL of Massachusetts, GL of Ireland, UGLE (Bombay), GL of Canada in the Province of Ontario, GL of Washington, GL of Denmark, GL of Utah, GL of British Columbia and Yukon, GL of Alabama, GL of India. 
• A special welcome was also extended to Brother Leandros Lefakis as Past Assistant Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of Greece. 

Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other.

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The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason

Brethren,

Yesterday saw the first meeting of the Administration Committee under the new chairmanship of Brother Andy Mushet – he handled a long and at times complicated agenda very competently proving to be a sound successor to Brother Jim Bell. The Minute of the meeting will be circulated in due course, but the work of the Conference Committee was duly endorsed with an upfront grant to get things moving which is great news. The Conference Committee are meeting next Thursday under the Chairmanship of Brother Ken Kennedy and I’m sure will make good headway on the promotion of the event and the procedures for indicating interest in attending. Over the next few weeks expect to see the start of the promotional material being circulated – the Conference has the potential to lift all our spirits and give us a truly memorable week of Masonic activity in November.

The working party dealing with the events to help us reach £1,000,000 for Prostate Cancer will be meeting again at the beginning of February. This Saturday I, along with Grand Almoner, will be speaking to our District Grand Masters with a view to looking at how the Districts can become involved in the initiative, given that the research work being carried out here will benefit men throughout the world.

In the meantime, can I remind everyone - we have a great raffle, especially for whisky connoisseurs. The prize comprises a 2021 annual Springbank 12-year-old Cask strength whisky and a Springbank 15-year-old whisky. We would like to record our thanks to Springbank Distillery for very kindly donating this prize. If you would like to participate, please contact Brother John Muir by email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Tickets are £5.00 each and the draw will be made during the first week in February 2022, the winner being announced at the February Communication of Grand Lodge

We welcome the news from the Scottish Government that many of the current restrictions will be lifted from Monday. However, we cannot be complacent about the changes. We still need to exercise a degree of caution and I would recommend that we all continue to take a sensible pragmatic approach to the changing conditions. However, let us once again enjoy the companionship that our meetings afford, as well as the ability to enjoy Harmony once more. The Grand Lodge Communication will take place on Thursday 3^rd February and I look forward to meeting many of you in Edinburgh.

SCFS

SCFS Overseas Report  

Our membership of Brethren from Lodges located outwith Scotland continues to grow steadily and this week we welcomed another 23 Brethren to the SCFS group. 

Included in that number were Brethren from Overseas Lodges operating under the Grand Lodge of Scotland and Brethren under other Grand Lodges which are in amity with the GLoS. 

• In this respect, particular reference must be made to Lodge Good Friendship, No. 1800, in the District of Eastern Province of the Cape of Good Hope. Our Overseas Membership is now standing at 

• We also now have 1178 Brethren from Lodges whose Grand Lodges are recognised by the GLoS, and who spread news, worldwide, of the wonderful support given to others by our Brethren. New members joined from 14different Masonic constitutions this week: GL of Ecuador, GL of the Philippines, GL of India, GL of Ireland, Danish Order of Freemasons, GL of Canada in the Province of Ontario, GL of Indiana, GL of South Africa, GL of Belgium, United GLs of Germany, GL of Quebec, UGLE, GL of Nigeria. 

• A special welcome was extended to our first member from the Grand Lodge Cuscatlan of El Salvadorwho is Brother Oswald Hernandez Huerta, Grand Master. 

We would encourage even more Brethren in our lodges abroad to join the SCFS group and look forward to publishing posts from them. 

Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other.

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The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason

Brethren,

I had the opportunity to attend the first zoom meeting of the Organising Committee of the 4^th International Scottish Masonic Conference last week under the chairmanship of Bro Kenneth Kennedy, Past Depute Grand Master. I am delighted that members of the Committee have hit the ground running and are very enthusiastic to make this a memorable event. As you will be aware, the conference should have been in Zambia this year but due to a number of issues, it has been agreed that we bring the conference to Edinburgh.  We will return to Zambia.

The dates for the conference are 20^th November to 23^rd November 2022.  At the end of the week, we will celebrate the Grand Lodge Installation and Festival of St. Andrew followed by the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland Convocation on Friday 25^th November 2022. 

The choice of Edinburgh for this year’s Conference will provide an opportunity for the Brethren from the Provinces to be specifically included in our activities and we look forward eagerly to their participation. This will also provide a great opportunity for Brethren from our Districts and Lodges overseas to meet and interact with many more Scottish Brethren than would normally be the case. 

For those of you who have had the pleasure of attending our past Conferences, I am sure that you will not want to miss out on what promises to be a very special event.  The opportunity for those eligible to attend the Conference, the Grand Lodge Installation, the Festival of St. Andrew and a Supreme Grand Chapter Convocation all in one week makes this an occasion “not to be missed”.  

The Committee Chairman will shortly be sending out a formal invitation and I urge all Provinces, Districts and Lodges to circulate the information to their members.

SCFS

SCFS Overseas Report  

We were delighted to receive the following post from the District of Lebanon:

• Brother Nour Al-Ayyash, PM, (Secretary / President Elect of WSL), posted information of a very generous donation from Widows Sons Lebanon to the Children’s Cancer Centre of Lebanon (St. Jude) which was made to mark the end of the Chapter’s successful presidency of Brother Rabie Jarmakani, DGM.

*This week we welcomed 30 Brethren from Lodges located outwith Scotland.

• Our Overseas Membership is growing steadily … now standing at 1679,with Brethren joining from the Districts of Western Province of the Cape of Good Hope, Central South Africa (RSA), and Far East (Japan). We would encourage even more Brethren in our lodges abroad to join the SCFS group. 

• We now have 1156 Brethren from Lodges whose Grand Lodges are in amity with the GLoS, and who spread news, worldwide, of the wonderful support given to others by our Brethren. New members joined from 13 different Masonic constitutions this week: GL of Texas, UGLE (England, Nigeria, Sri Lanka), MW York GL of Mexico, United Grand Lodges of Germany, GL of Nigeria, GL of Washington, United GLs of New South Wales and ACT, GL of California, GL of Missouri, GL of Massachusetts, GL of the Philippines, United GL of Victoria, Prince Hall GL of Texas. 

 Arrangements for Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee are now well in hand. As I have mentioned before, one way we can join in the celebrations is by involvement in the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative. By planting a tree or trees in and around our Lodges or by joining with other local organisations, we would not only mark the Jubilee but do our small bit for the environment. The Woodland Trust can provide packs of trees to community groups free of charge. The window for March applications has closed but new applications can be made in the spring for planting in November. Please give the initiative some consideration.

Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other.

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