Scouting & Freemasonry: Two Parallel organizations?

About our International Speaker, W Bro Tony Harvey – Our Fellowship speaker, W Bro Tony Harvey (@Prestonian2012 on Twitter), has held active roles at local and national levels in both Scouting and Freemasonry. He holds the distinction of being MSN’s first-ever international speaker.

Tony has been a Scout for over 50 years. At various times he has been a member of the boards, committees and working groups responsible for UK Scouting’s approach to recruiting, training and managing adult volunteers. He is currently a HQ Training Adviser, a Leadership & Management Trainer and Chair of his local Appointments Advisory Committee.

Tony has been a Freemason for 30 years and has held Provincial roles in the secretarial, membership, mentoring, learning & development, charity and communication areas of Freemasonry. He is a grand officer in the Craft, Royal Arch and Mark and in two other Orders within English Freemasonry. He is currently the Provincial Membership Officer in Nottinghamshire and the Head of Learning & Development in West Kent.

Tony was initiated into Pioneer Lodge No 9065, the Scout Lodge for Derbyshire, in June 1991. He is Past Master of Pioneer Lodge, Walesby Forest Lodge No 9674, Authors’ Lodge No 3456, and Unity, Peace & Concord Lodge No 316. He is a member, founder or honorary member of Lodges and Chapters in London, six Provinces and three overseas Districts.

Tony conceived, and between 2015 and 2020 was the main author of, UGLE’s Pathway which, in June 2019, the Pro Grand Master described as a “game changer. He has held a number of Masonic lectureships, including the Prestonian Lecture in 2012, the only lecture sponsored by UGLE and the oldest Masonic lectureship in the world, with, “Scouting and Freemasonry: two parallel organizations?” His 2012 Prestonian Lecture details often-reported parallels between Scouting and Freemasonry and describes the historical, current and possible future relationship between them and what Freemasonry can learn from the Scout Movement’s transformation and growth.

Tony has delivered his Prestonian lecture and other talks in every Province in England & Wales, in a number of overseas Districts and in Lodges in other jurisdictions around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has delivered online talks on more than 130 occasions for hosts on five continents. His talks and articles combine historical analysis with an understanding of organizational development to promote a forward-thinking approach to Freemasonry, based on the evolution of Lodge practices while retaining fundamental meaning and purpose

Professionally, Tony is a coach, speaker and consultant specializing in leadership, change and organizational development. His published books and articles focus on his own model of personal and organizational change, the Success Cycle. He has written a number of articles for The Square magazine and has twice held a regular column.

Tony is a life-long Scout. In 1977 he became a Queen’s Scout and has held many adult appointments since then. He is a national volunteer and trainer with The UK Scout Association and Chair of the Appointments Advisory Committee in his home town of Long Eaton. He has been involved with many national projects for UK Scouting, including the development of successful methods of recruiting adult volunteers, the adult training scheme and the transformation of Scouting into a growing and thriving organization.

Tony’s service to Scouting has been recognized by several national good service awards, the latest being the Bar to Silver Acorn (2019) for “further specially distinguished service” and locally by a Commissioner’s Commendation (2021). He is also a Gilwell Fellow (UK Scouting) and a Baden-Powell Fellow (World Scout Foundation). In 2018, at a delivery of his Prestonian Lecture, Tony’s former Cub Scout Leader invested him with her personal neckerchief, 50 years after she had first led him in making his Scout promise.