The Provincial Grand Master R.W.Bro. R.Geoffrey Bradley accompanied by his Deputy V.W.Bro. Michael J.Gutteridge and the Provincial Grand Secretary W.Bro. Peter M.Ball together with their Ladies travelled to Switzerland on Friday 15th September for the Installation of the new Grand Master R.W.Bro. Peter E.Ribi and the 10th Anniversary of the National Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Switzerland.

The overseas guests stayed at the Hotel Suisse Majestique at Montreux and on the Friday evening attended a welcome reception on the terrace of the hotel which overlooked Lake Geneva. The next morning we were taken by train through splendid mountain scenery to Les Rochers-De-Naye where we enjoyed views of both the Swiss and French Alps, after which we had a typical Swiss luncheon at the summit, before returning to the Hotel in time for the Brethren to dress in full regalia whilst the Ladies explored Montreux. The ceremony was held at the ancient Chateau D, Oron the ritual being multi-lingual (French, German, and English.) The installation of the new Grand Master was undertaken by the Pro.Grand Master M.W.Bro. John Hale and supported by nineteen other P.G.M.s and many other senior Brethren from the U.K. Our own P.G.M. had the honour of being one of the escort for the introduction of the Grand Master and was a cushion bearer when the Deputy Grand Master was installed.

There were senior delegations from several other European countries which swelled the numbers to nearly 250. This filled the hall to capacity, a remarkable achievement considering there are only six Mark Lodges in Switzerland.

At the conclusion of the ceremony the Ladies joined the Brethren for a white table festive board at the La Vielle Ferme restaurant in Chailly when everyone was served with a three course meal including liberal amounts of beverages!

Sunday unfortunately was wet but our party enjoyed a short stroll along the promenade before flying back to the UK.

A truly memorable weekend and another historic event to add to the achievements of our Mark Province.